Drew Boswell

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How Do You Respond to God’s Love? Malachi 1

half-hearted1

There is a story about an old village in Spain. The people of this village heard the king planned to visit there. No king had ever done that. So naturally, they became excited and wanted to offer a great celebration that would show their adoration and that would honor the king. But what could a village of such poor people offer?

Someone proposed that since so many of the villagers made their own wines – very good wines – they could offer that to please the king. And they each decided that they would all take some of their best wine, and combine them as a gift for the king.

On the day of the king’s arrival, they all came to the village square early in the morning with a large cup of their finest wine and poured their offering into a small opening at the top of a large barrel. They were excited to see the king enjoy the best wine he’d ever tasted.

When he arrived, the king was escorted to square where he was ceremoniously presented with a silver cup and invited to draw wine from the barrel. He was told the villagers were delighted to have him taste the best they had to offer.

He filled his cup from the spigot. And when he drank the wine, to his surprise he tasted only water. Had some miracle-worker turned wine to water? Had someone stolen all of the wine that was meant for the king?

No. Each villager had reasoned, “I’ll withhold my best wine and give water. There will be so many cups of excellent wine poured into the barrel that mine will never be missed.” After all was said and done, the king was left with a town full of people who simply went through the motions of showing their love and admiration for him.[1]

In Malachi the people of God were just going through the motions of worship and service. Their attitudes were bad and their hearts toward God were hardened. How are you responding to the full and complete love of God for you? How is the understanding of what He has done for us affecting how you live?

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Malachi 1:1-5

The oracle of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. 2 “I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, “How have you loved us?” “Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob 3 but Esau I have hated. I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert.” 4 If Edom says, “We are shattered but we will rebuild the ruins,” the Lord of hosts says, “They may build, but I will tear down, and they will be called ‘the wicked country,’ and ‘the people with whom the Lord is angry forever.’” 5 Your own eyes shall see this, and you shall say, “Great is the Lord beyond the border of Israel!”

Israel’s Reaction to God’s Love – #1 Bad Attitude in Service and Insincere Worship

The Lord begins by telling his people that he loves them.[2] The tone of the book is set in the opening verses. It is their reaction to this love that causes the oracle to be given, and the book to be written. Israel’s reaction to God’s election is not one of humility or thankfulness, instead they are arrogant and indifferent toward God’s love and favor.[3]

God’s people have a rich history of how He has loved them. Just to name a few:

  • They were chosen among all the people’s of the earth to be the receiver’s of His Word.
  • They have been protected from their enemies; winning impossible victories against them.
  • Escaping from slavery in Egypt.
  • Guidance as a pillar of smoke and fire through the wilderness (manna, quail, etc).
  • Even in their rebellion and cycles of sin, the Lord disciplines them, but always brings them back close to Himself.
  • Their plants and livestock prospered. When there were droughts and plagues it was a result of the people’s sin, and God always sent a prophet to warn them ahead of time.
  • God sent prophets, judges, and leaders to guide them through difficult times.

In spite of this unprecedented display of love, the people say, “How has God loved us?” As if all of the historical accounts of his mighty hand were not enough – they wanted more. It is amazing how, even with the presence of God in our lives and our seeing Him work, that we grow complacent and apathetic. We always want more.

The Lord then gives and example of Esau and the city of Edom. Jacob (Esau’s brother) sinned against his family, went away, and was disciplined. He then returned home with God’s love and was able to be restored. The book of Malachi was originally written to the descendants of Jacob. They were the people that God forgave, disciplined as a child, and loved again and again.

Edom were the descendants of Esau.[4] The city was destroyed, whereas Jacob was disciplined but shown God’s grace and love again and again through the generations. God’s people are confusing discipline with hatred or destruction.

“but Esau I have hated” is a hyperbole where the author chooses exaggeration to make a point – God favors Jacob so much over Esau that it appears as though it is hate – the difference is so great.

Upon returning from exile they are questioning if God loves them or is seeking to destroy them. This doubt and lack of understanding of God’s love is resulting in inauthentic and insincere worship. Whenever there is ingratitude or a lack of recognition of God’s love in a person’s life there will be the inevitable moral decline.[5]

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

Ephesians 3:14-19

The only acceptable response to this complete and full love of God for His children is one of whole-hearted obedience and genuine worship. God’s people are unwilling to see that He has favored them, while rejecting others. Malachi then goes on to show how their worship to Him and relationship with Him is unacceptable.

Israel’s Reaction to God’s Love #2 – Allowing Sin and Settling for Less than the Best

6 “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’ 7 By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’ By saying that the Lord’s table may be despised. 8 When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the Lord of hosts.

God uses the description of Father and Master to describe his relationship with His people. They should show honor and reverential fear. Instead, their reaction and response to God is to despise His name.[6]

The reaction to being told that they are not honoring or showing respect is a demand of proof. They are then given the examples of polluted food and a polluted attitude.

The priests regarded the Temple service as a miserable job, and performed it with contempt (i.e. “weariness”). They are doing their duty with no attention to important details and with a horrible attitude. They were well aware of the requirements of the law, but were not following it.[7]

If they were to behave or do their duties in such a way for an earthly king they know what would happen to them – but they were offering it to the “Lord of Hosts.”[8] The Lord says it would be better to shut the doors and not have worship than to have this parody of true worship. The priests were not bringing the animals to sacrifice, but were allowing the people to offer “polluted” animals instead of their best.

God’s Reaction to His Love Being Despised

9 And now entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand, will he show favor to any of you? says the Lord of hosts. 10 Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand. 11 For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be2 great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts. 12 But you profane it when you say that the Lord’s table is polluted, and its fruit, that is, its food may be despised. 13 But you say, ‘What a weariness this is,’ and you snort at it, says the Lord of hosts. You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering! Shall I accept that from your hand? says the Lord. 14 Cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock, and vows it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations.

In 1 Samuel 13 king Saul is concerned that Samuel the prophet was slow in arriving. While Saul was claiming to seek the favor of the Lord and to have Him go with them into battle, he ignored the proper way of doing it (which was for a priest to offer the sacrifice). Saul is indifferent to God’s receiving of the act of worship, only in it being done. He seems to see worship as a formality and of having no power; it has to be done before the men can go to battle. He figures he can just slaughter the animals, wave his hands, say a prayer, and get on with the fighting (the real way that they will win the battle).

“1 Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, 12 I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the Lord.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.” 13 And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you.”

1 Samuel 13:12

In Malachi 1 the table of the Lord is polluted because the priests do not understand that the favor and presence of God is directly related to the authenticity of their worship. Worship involves sacrifices and a turning of the heart away from the world and toward God.

Their reaction to this highlighting of their lack of concern for their worship services is for them to say “What a weariness this is,’ and you snort at it, says the Lord of hosts.” This is tedious, tiring, shouldn’t God just receive whatever I give Him? The answer is a clear no. He does not want your leftovers, the second best (that includes time, possessions, family, talents, excitement, energy, etc.) He wants your heart to respond to His love and for your worship and relationship with Him to be real and genuine.

The people are returning from exile – the Assyrians had attacked and carried them off into captivity and slavery because of their sinfulness and unwillingness to listen to prophets. God allowed the Temple to be destroyed. Now they have been allowed to return to a desolate land after a period of discipline – they must rebuild everything. But even before the Temple itself is rebuilt their worship has already become hollow.

Those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ are also people who have returned from being slaves and captives. They have been released and are now free to worship their Savior. Their lives have been destroyed, and is even now, being rebuilt into the character of Christ.

In the end, the Lord is great and His name will be praised all over the earth. While this may draw the church toward missions and a desire to share the gospel with the world, it is genuine worship that the Lord desires. Missions and evangelism will soon pass, but worship of the Lord will continue throughout all of eternity.

“Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is temporary necessity. But worship abides forever.”[9]

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[1] http://www.sermoncentral.com/illustrations/sermon-illustration-sermon-central-staff-stories-honor-hypocrisy-dishonor-76905.asp

[2] The people had just returned from exile and are being challenged to rebuild the Temple (Haggai and Zachariah).

[3] The Broadman Bible Commentary, Hosea-Malachi, vol. 7 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1972) 374.

[4] Genesis 36; Numbers 20:14-21; Psalm 137:7

[5] Romans 1:18-31

[6] Duet. 14:1; Lev. 25:55

[7] Duet. 15:21

[8] The phrase Lord of Hosts is used 24 times in the book of Malachi indicating the importance of understanding His high place of authority and control of the Hosts of heaven.

[9] The New American Commentary, Haggai-Malachi, vol. 21A (Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman and Holman Publishing, 2004) 286.

Are We Meeting Tomorrow? Decisions and Bad Weather

Screen Shot 2016-02-26 at 8.39.35 AMMark 4:37-41 “furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” 39He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

The following is an excerpt from an article I wrote in 2007. At the time my family and I were ministering at a church plant in Maryland.

Today it was supposed to be an icy, cold, very bad day.

We face decisions every day. We choose what to eat, what to wear, and even more impacting things like whether or not to have a worship service. There are temporal things to consider like the exertion that goes into setting everything up and breaking it down. We tell ourselves that we are doing it for the Lord, but let’s face it, it’s hard work. There have been two occasions when I decided to have church on an inclement weather day, and the only people that showed were those setting up the service. That’s a morale kick in the pants.

If few people show, then it looks like we are a smaller church than we are to guests. (Yes, perception is important). There is a much smaller offering than normal, and if we cancel then there is none at all. There is the danger of accidents if you don’t and there is a missed opportunity to share the gospel if we do. I used to think that there might be a person, who would have come, and their life may have been changed forever, but we canceled instead.

When making these decisions I have decided to let God be God. If Daybreak were a church located in remote Alaska then snow and icy weather would be a way of life. Even in Maryland we are often not equipped to handle a storm. So, God controls the weather, He knows where we are, He knows what we need, and He is control. If He allows a storm to come, I believe He understands our need to not have a service.

I also believe that storms lead us back to asking the question of, “Why do we assemble anyway?” I mean, “Why have a church worship service?” Many times in life we go through the motions, even things that we have done our whole lives, but forget their purpose.

Obviously, gathering as the body of Christ is important (and commanded). I believe that I will soon do a sermon on this exact question, because storm or not there are those who find something far more insignificant than an ice storm to keep them away. I also become focused on lights, sound, media, chairs, etc., when, instead, my focus should be worshiping God. Sometimes storms help us to re-focus on what is truly important.

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Most of the following suggestions have to deal with discussing this issue before bad weather hits. Take some some time with your leadership, staff, volunteers, etc. and discuss your emergency weather policy soon, preferably before the storm clouds begin to form. So on those occasions when a storm is on the horizon and you have to make a decision whether or not to meet, consider the following:

How much time to do you have to make the decision?

The safe call is to always cancel with any threat. But this is not good for the overall health of the organization. If you happen to live in an area where weather is a continual issue, then to immediately cancel every time could be hurtful. Often, the decision is not an easy one to make and it may take time to evaluate.

But as soon as you know for sure, whatever direction you are going in, you need to give your people time to make needed preparations for their own families and their given responsibilities. For example, if you cancel an evening activity due to weather, then parents need to have time to plan for alternate childcare or to have their children picked up from school, etc. Another way of thinking about it is, “Can I wait and make the decision until the morning, the next day, etc.?”

How will people know that a decision has been made?

Calling everyone in the organization with the decision is tedious at best. If you are not currently in the moment of the storm, then talk with you team regarding when, and how this information will be disseminated to the rest of the organization. Today with social media, the internet, websites, texts, etc. this should be relatively simple. But keep in mind that not everyone is active on social media, has a cell phone, reads their e-mails, etc.

So having a multi-pronged communication plan may be beneficial. But again, who is going to send out the message, to whom, and what will be said, needs to be planned out and thought through ahead of time. If you want people to know if you are having church or not, then how will they get this information? So, if you don’t want to get a bunch of phone calls or texts saying, “Are we having church today?” then come up with a clear plan.

Who makes the decision should be clear and decided ahead of time.

Most of the time in churches it is the pastor or elders who decide to cancel the service or not. Indecision and confusion are never wanted during a potential emergency or life threatening event. Have a clear chain of command and discuss the procedure of once that person make the decision, then what happens next.

Do you have the personnel needed to function properly?

There have been times when I have made the call to meet for a service but most of our personnel were not able to make it for the service. Parents were frustrated, set up guys were frustrated, the band was frustrated, overall people were frustrated. Considering the complexity of your worship service or organization, how simple are you willing to be in your worship? If you gather together do you have space for everyone? Where will people park? Will the snow be plowed before people get there? Will there be heat, electricity, running water, etc.?

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At the end of the day what we are talking about is wisdom. As a leader we need wisdom from the Lord, so pray. Ultimately, what we do on Sunday morning (or whenever you may have your worship service) is for His glory anyway.

James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

The best advice I could give a fellow leader in the position of having to make a tough call is pray, ask the Lord for wisdom, make a decision, then go back to bed, and you will sleep like a baby through the storms.

Mark 4:37-41 “A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion.”

 

Making Your Services More “Kid Friendly”

imagesIn track there is a very important time during the 4×100 relay. No matter how fast one runner may have gone, everything hinges on the passing of the baton. Proper technique must be practiced and maintained no matter how tired the runner may be. The runner who is receiving the baton cannot go anywhere until it is in his/her hand, and the runner who is passing the baton is not considered successful until the next runner has it in their hand. The success of the handoff equals the success of the race.

In the Christian faith there is a handoff that takes place. One generation passes the baton of faith to the next generation. The children in the seats today will be preaching the sermons tomorrow. As a parent there is nothing more satisfying and that brings as much joy, as to see your children genuinely worshipping the Lord. However, as parents there is no one moment in time when the baton is passed; instead it happens a thousand times – one pass, and then another, and then another. One opportunity, that leads to another responsibility, that leads to raised expectations, etc. Slowly, over time, and then years, children grow in their faith and become leaders.

Not only is this passing the baton a parent’s responsibility it is also shared by the church as well. No matter your church’s position on children being present during the service (some leave half way through, some are out the entire time, some stay the whole time, etc.) there will be times when the children will be present for the service.

I begin with the assumption that whoever the teacher/preacher may be, that he desires to be understood and impact all in the room. Also, when the service is designed as a whole that the planners do not desire to leave anyone behind. The following are things that a worship leader or worship design team can implement with regard to children being present in a worship service.

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  1. Sermons that utilize stories – specifically stories about the speakers childhood. This will help the children to see themselves or place themselves into the story.

d942e98a82ef3fef007b55bcd171eb66Telling stories – putting principles and precepts into skin and bones, truths and ideas into real or imaginary people and situations – excels as a means of communication. An abstraction may hold some interest, but embody it in a story and it becomes clear, understandable, and compelling.[1]

  1. Avoid unnecessary theological terms.[2] If you can explain something or reword it to make it easier to understand – then why wouldn’t you? If there is a term that is important to explain the main teaching point then take the time to define the term and illustrate why it is important.
  1. Include children in the service or story in some way. Ask them questions, mention their names in a positive way, etc. One could have them hold up a teaching object (ex. If the main idea was on “division” then they could hold up a splitting wedge. Or if the main idea was “service” then they could be asked to serve in some way that day during the service.) Of course knowing ahead of time which children are comfortable being in front of others and which ones are not is important.
  1. Use actual objects to teach – things they can see and touch. The more common the object the better because when they see it again they will be very likely to connect your teaching idea to the object (ex. Toothbrush, zipper, shoe laces, etc.)
  1. Give them an objective to complete – It helps everyone to know what is expected of them. If children can be given a worksheet to complete during the service it may focus their attention and allow them to know what you expect them to know at the end of the service. You may ask questions like “What was your favorite song? Why? What was the main idea of the sermon? How could you do that this week?, etc”

Avoid fact finding questions, instead focus on wording the questions so that they will help them reach a goal or understanding. Remember you are not desiring to raise a bunch of knowledgeable Pharisees, but whole hearted followers of Christ.

  1. Make comments that relax the parents. Let’s face it kids are at different stages of maturity (spiritual, mental, and physical). Their ability to sit still will vary greatly, but let me caution you to avoid assuming that because they were moving around that they were not listening. Also, don’t assume that because they were sitting still that they were listening.

A comment like “Children are welcome here. We know they may make noises, ask questions, or move around. . . it’s ok.” (the same is true for special needs families as well).

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You don’t have to water down theology or even “dumb down” the service just because the kids are there. But you need to pray and spend some time on how to make families feel more welcome and relaxed as they attend services together.

Also, a quick note to parents – just because your child may be drawing on the bulletin or crawling around under the chairs, don’t assume that they were not listening. Ask them on the way home what they heard – you will be amazed at what they can retain. As the church and the home work together on making our services more kid/family friendly we will make some great strides to passing off the baton. But don’t forget it’s not a one shot deal, it’s week after week, Sunday after Sunday of partnering together to reach the next generation for Christ.

Get ready, set, . . .

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[1] Roy Zuck. Teaching as Jesus Taught (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Baker Publishing), 306.

[2] I go into this specific topic in greater depth in other articles. Click here to read further.

10 Things Every Man Should Have Close By

http://ru-titley-knives.tumblr.com/post/97230913681/copper-ultra-slim-a-pimped-up-toxic-post See RT custom knives (website)There are many blog entries out there on the inter-web regarding EDC (every day carry) items and they usually reference a certain ideology, specifically addressing situations where a person may find himself or herself in some kind of danger. This entry is not addressing such circumstances.

While many of these entries are educational and entertaining, I personally do not have the resources to invest in tons of food I many never eat, build a bunker underground, or save up cases of guns and ammo that I may never shoot. My “10 Things Every Man Should Have Close By” list is intended to help leaders and what they may encounter in a given week.

  1. A Bible – Over the years I have developed a definite preference as to translation and size of my everyday use Bible. I keep mine in the box that it came it to keep it from getting damaged, and it stays in my briefcase. This book is s much more than a book. I have been blessed to live in a country where I can own multiple copies of the Bible and is varying degrees of quality of print.

 My “preaching Bible” is very precious to me. But as a leader, the Bible that you use the most will over time become very important to you. It is your love for this book that will rub off onto your children, and while they may not carry your copy, they will carry in their hearts your love for this book. But simply carrying it around with you does you no good. You have to set aside time to read it.

  1. A Moleskine Notebook. I prefer the Moleskine Volant Notebook (Set of 2 ), Pocket, Ruled, Antwerp Blue, Prussian Blue, Soft Cover (3.5 x 5.5). I have found that this notebook is of good quality, a great size (not too small as to prevent a complete thought being recorded to one page, not too big to carry with you in most situations).

It’s cheap enough so that you feel free to write down everything you want. I found that if I paid too much for the notebook, or if it were too thick, I would hesitate to record the thought, sketch out the idea, record the potential blog topic, etc. You never know if your idea or thought will turn into something until you have scribbled it out on paper.

I don’t count this as a separate item, but I usually won’t write in my moleskine notebook unless it is with a black uniball vision (fine).

  1. An intriguing Book. I always have a book with me that I am reading. If you have it with you, you can take advantage of unplanned free time. There are many reasons that a leader should be reading, but the main reason for me is that it helps my mind to experience other’s thoughts and views of the world.

“Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren’t very new after all.” – Abraham Lincoln

  1. Pocketknife/multi-tool – the tool should be as large as the man can comfortably have in his pocket. It should not be so large that he won’t actually carry it, but should have enough function to handle a multitude of situations. I use my Swiss Army Huntsman knife many times every day.
  1. A Smart Phone – The iPhone still amazes me. It just keeps doing more and more. It is my alarm clock in the morning, takes pictures of our most special moments, and it allows me to say goodnight to all my social media friends at night. The smart phone has become as indispensible as proper clothing. I use the flashlight function regularly and it has replaced my need to carry a separate flashlight, and it continues to replace items just about every day. Oh . . . and it is a phone.
  1. Laptop – I have taken my Macbook Pro to the farthest interior of India, and many places around the world. I save my pictures to it, record blog entries onto it, surf the web, do graphic design projects, etc. I know that as I write this blog entry technology is beginning to offer great alternatives to the lightweight laptop, but as of today I would be hard pressed to live without it.
  1. A Hand Gun – Men who hold responsibility need to be able to protect themselves and their loved ones. Make sure you get a carry permit and follow all required laws for your jurisdiction.
  1. A First Aid Kit – I originally purchased a first aid kit similar to the link provided, but have since added several items to it (such as a headlamp, tubes of ibuprofen, EMT scissors, tick remover tool, etc.). Having a good and fully stocked first aid kit is essential. As people learn that you have thought through every detail in what you keep close by to you, they will begin to trust your leadership even more — especially if you are the “go to” guy when they have a headache.
  1. A Good True Story & A Joke – There are many situations that can be defused with a joke or a story that gets people’s minds away from the intensity of their feelings. Having a joke on stand-by makes you fun to be around.
  1. A Paperclip – The best thing to have close by, is to be aware of what’s close by. MacGyver was famous for being able to get out of very dangerous situations by using what he had on hand at the time. Most of the time it was items like a pair of binoculars, a Swiss army knife, or simply a paper clip.

There is a principle in bushcraft, that says, one should be “tool heavy” — meaning that you could travel fairly light if you take the tools with to make any item that may be needed in the bush. Instead of trying to figure out everything you need in life and trying to carry it from day to day, instead focus on learning skills and developing tools that will allow you the freedom to “make” what you need in the moment. One of these skills to develop is the ability to recognize the resources around you, or what others see as worhtless, and using them to your advantage.

Gold, Frankincense, and Carbonite; Creativity and Teaching

Screen Shot 2015-12-19 at 9.10.27 AM
For the Christmas season this year Liquid Church[1] are doing things a little different. They have coupled the expectation of the release of the new Star Wars movie “The Force Awakens” with the biblical story and expectation of the Christ child at Christmas. The preaching series is entitled “Cosmic Christmas” and is complete with Star Wars themed role out videos, graphics, and a Han Solo draped pastor. He reviews his love for the Star Wars movies and how it impacted him as a child.

Pastor Tim Lucas (no relation to George Lucas) began the non-denominational church plant in 1999 that now has six locations (counting one online “location”) throughout New Jersey. This sermon series caught the eye of several news affiliates and their story has been broadcasted nationally.

This is a great example of where a church has tapped into a popular trend among people and blended their message into it.

The following show why this kind of thinking is so important in church life:

  1. cosmic-christmas-droid-to-the-world“Cosmic Christmas” and sermon series like it show the world that church can be fun. The pastor was dressed like Han Solo. Their nativity scene had Han Solo and Princess Leia instead of the shepherd dressed Mary and Joseph. When the world sees these things they stop and take notice. Humor and one’s ability to not take yourself too serious tears down walls of assumptions and false understandings.
  2. It lends itself to continuing the message. You could have photo opportunities with Storm Troopers in the lobby or the fellowship hall after or before the service where people will post them to their social media accounts thereby reaching thousands with the message “Our church is fun.” The theme also is easy to carry throughout the church (the children’s area for example).

The pastor could take pictures with people and use that time to engage in intentional evangelistic conversations. God gave us our imaginations and creativity to be used to bring Him glory – and what better way than being creative in how we share His eternal message. Jesus was known for stepping out and doing the unexpected – but as His disciples why do we feel that we shouldn’t?

star_wars_christmas2

  1. If it is done well and with great care the message of the gospel becomes easier for the lost world to remember or even understand. You take that which is common and attach the message of Christ to it, so that when they see it they (consciously or subconsciously) begin to understand a biblical principle.
  1. Creativity and themes such as this forces the church to plan further in advance. If you watch the sermon on their website there are prerecorded videos that play at specific times during the message, you would have to order or make his costume, etc. And don’t forget those storm troopers in the lobby – they need to get leave from the Empire. Yoda’s schedule is crazy busy, especially with the release of the new film. All that takes time, galactic paperwork, and a great deal of planning by the church.

Truthfully, many churches just do what they have always done (candle light services, same old hymns, same rotating sermons, same ole decorations, etc.) and Christmas becomes a time to check out mentally instead of honestly engaging the culture.

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As you listen and go through the sermon it became obvious to me we would have a declination of biblical interpretation.[2] But don’t let the minutia of doctrine take away from the bigger overall principle that they are engaging the culture in a way that people “get it.” Don’t be too quick to dismiss what they are doing simply because they are denominationally different. Don’t be too quick to dismiss your idea because it is different than what your church culture is used to. It you are thinking, “they’ll never go for this,” you might just be on the right track.

.  .  .  and may the force be with you.

Star-Wars-the-Force-Awakens-Poster-Cropped

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[1] http://www.Liquidchurch.com

[2] he uses the phrase “binding Satan” for example.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith." Ephesians 2:8

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