Taking care of business

Judge not, so that you will not be judged.

- Jesus, in Matthew 7:1 (NASB)

To listen to some talk recently, one would think this isolated quote was the gospel. What is the greatest commandment, Jesus? Apparently not his answer, to love God with all your being. No, it must be this, right?

The rest of Scripture? Take it with a grain of salt, or at least interpret in the light of this one.

Until there's something we really want to judge.
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There's a really popular term these days. It's hypocrite. Anytime the world sees a Christian fail to live up to the standards of our message, it prompts one reaction: hypocrisy! See? They must not really believe what they say. They don't practice it.

Of course, this is absurd. The absolute beauty of the gospel, the absolutely most marvelous thing about what Jesus did for us, is that he knows we are flawed, messy, broken, at times disgusting - and he loves us anyway. "But God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8, NASB, emphasis mine)

You know who wrote that verse? A guy named Paul, who wrote several letters making up most of the New Testament. Paul's background? He spent much of his early adult life traveling about putting Christians to death. Murder. Cold-blooded murder. Grace was enough to cover him, and he never forgot it.

Now at this point, what you're thinking about depends on when you read this. If you're reading it near the date I wrote it, you're thinking about Josh Duggar. But I'm sure if you're reading it six months from now there will be another issue, another follower of Christ in the spotlight for some way in which their actions did not match up with what they believe. It has happened since the beginning, and it will happen until the end. So I'm going to try to keep these thoughts at a more general level, and not make it about one situation. Does it apply? Sure, but enough about that.
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So followers of Christ fail. It does not invalidate our message, and in some ways it highlights the true message. Christ came in the world to save sinners. But we do have to acknowledge this: when those hostile to our cause see those failings, it does cause some to stumble. We should always take sin seriously, for many reasons. One of those reasons is that some will use it as an excuse to reject the Savior. And the more excuses we can remove, the better. Which brings me to 1 Corinthians 5, and the real point of this post.

Please use the link above to read it yourself; I'm going to assume you have done so from here on.

This is a passage we don't talk too much about, at least in my church. There are probably several reasons for this, all of which are reasons we need to talk about it:

• It talks about a perverse sexual situation - even for our desensitized culture.
• It proposes that the church discipline the person for the behavior.
• It criticizes the church for standing by and letting it happen.
• It says we should hold believers accountable for their behavior.

Now, there's a word for what Paul is asking the church to do. He uses it four times in the passage. It's not a popular one. It's the one in our opening passage:

Judge.

So, if you read this passage carefully, it's pretty clear we have misinterpreted what Jesus meant. But that's a topic for another day. The topic for today is this: If we are going to be lights in the world, we have to take care of our own business. The time to say that anything goes in the church because we want to be loving and accepting is...well, it's not gone - it never was here. Yes, we have to speak the truth in love. But when we see our brother or sister doing things clearly against God's word, we need to react. If they claim the name of Jesus, they are by definition submitted themselves to the correction of the church. And we must start exercising it.

 As Paul says in verse 10, he doesn't mean that we should expect nonbelievers to behave like us. That is not the gospel. We should show them Jesus, let therm know God loves them despite their sin, and let him change their hearts. But once they are one of his, the world is watching. The world is looking to see whether belonging to Christ really changes anything. So it's critical that we help each other to show them that it does.

True followers of Jesus will grow in love for God and their neighbors. They will increasingly want to do good, and find themselves desiring evil things less and less. And it's our job to help each other do that.

So how about it, church? Can we commit to helping each other? How? Well, look at the passage. Watch each other's back. When we see things that need to be addressed, stop turning away - do whatever is necessary to get each other back on track. And when we do, forgive and forget the past. Welcome the straying brother/sister back into fellowship, without reservation. 

Do this, and the world will see that Jesus makes a difference. They may not like it - darkness has never done well around ther light. But maybe a few more of them will be attracted to a fellowship where people really love each other, love each other enough to keep them on track.

That's the church. And it is awesome.

The Music Man

The Music Man is considered one of the classics in the history of musical theatre. It was a beloved musical when it hit the stage of Broadway in 1958 (yes, before I was born), and the film produced in 1962 solidified its position.

So when I heard a few months ago that a friend had landed a major role in her school production of the show, that settled it. I had to travel to Pennsylvania for the weekend and see it. After all, it was the perfect combination - a perfect storm if you will. First, I got to visit the Swank family, some of my favorite people on earth. Second, I was able to support Rachel as she performed the key role of Mrs. Paroo. And finally, I got to watch a show that I've love for most of my life.

So it was a wonderful weekend all around, and I wrote about that in my last blog post. Here is the whole gang at lunch Sunday, before I went to watch the first act for the second time, before leaving to catch my flight. Yes, it was so good I cut it very close just to watch as much as could for a second time.

Scott, me, Sarah, Rachel, Emily, and Lori

So anyway, back to the show. Which is what this post was supposed to be about, right?

For those who don't know, The Music Man is set in 1912 and is about a conniving traveling salesman (Harold Hill) who rolls into an Iowa town and uses the illusion of a crisis (a new pool table!) to manufacture the need for a boys' band to keep kids out of trouble. He uses this illusion to sell musical instruments and band uniforms even though he "don't know one note from another." A part of his plan  is to romance the local piano teacher (Marian Paroo), both to keep her off balance and, well, because he's a man. Since the show is 57 years old, I'm not going to worry about spoilers: At the end, he gets caught but the people he's befriended - especially Marian - stand up for him because of the joy he brought to the town over the summer.

(Again, it was done extremely well and was very enjoyable. I would have been happy I saw it even if I had not known one of the actors. And by the way, playing Marian's mother Mrs. Paroo, Rachel was awesome.)

So is this a story about just getting away with something? That is what had troubled the director of this production, Jill Panyard, for a long time. In her director's notes, she wrote about how she had resisted this play for years:

It has challenges, like every musical, but my problem was with redemption. With every production I saw, I never believed that Harold would actually stay in River City...How does a director direct Harold to portray true redemption? I think I found the spot. As I read the script several times over, I saw the scene where it can happen. With eyes damp with hope, I thought, 'We can do this. And Harold will be redeemed!' I hope you see it too.

Ah! A challenge!

And I watched with that challenge looming before me. If any of my friends in PA happen to point Ms. Panyard toward this post, maybe she will see whether I got it.

As I saw it, the director had Harold carry a card around the entire play - the ace of spades. (Yes, I had a very good seat.) Every now and then during the long con, when he was laying it on thick, he would pull the card out and look at it. It was symbolic of the fact that he was only there to trick people, to take their money and be on his way. No matter how sincere he might appear, that card was always there.

Then as the play nears its conclusion, he meets Marian at the footbridge. He is there, just like always, to use her and then discard her - taking his "reward" before leaving town. But a funny thing happens. For those who don't know, she is carrying a page with evidence that he is a fraud. When they meet, she gives it to him and discloses that she has know for weeks. But she didn't turn him in.

Grace. Total, unadulterated grace. Despite all his shenanigans, his rotten-to-the-core deceitfulness, she forgives him and hands him the page. "With my whole heart," she says.

And then - in this production - he puts it in his pocket and drops the card in the water, never to be seen again. He drops his sinfulness in the water, replacing it with the grace of the page Marian handed him. And for the rest of the show, he pulls the page out like he had the card, reminding himself of who is is now.

And, no doubt, he stays in River City.

Wow! Well done!

It reminds me what grace is for me. God forgives and loves me despite knowing what a fraud I am. And when he gives me that grace, if I will just let go of the old life, he will change me forever.


Yes, it was a marvelous show. And a marvelous time with friends. Rachel posed with her family right after the performance...

...and then I got a picture with the star. I may need to print one of these and get an autograph one day:

And I will never watch this show, on stage or screen, the same way again. Every Harold Hill I see will be walking around with an unseen ace of spades.

As I was. Thank you, Lord, for replacing it with your grace.

What's you name? - Part 2

(See Part 1 here.)

I never will forget the day my boss changed my name.

It was my first week on the job and I was filling out the info for a business card. Getting a business card - man, what a big deal that was for me! I was stoked. So I filled out the card, "Donnie Manis," and took it to his desk.

And he brought it right back to me.

He shared that my name was a little informal for the workplace. The card would read "Don Manis." And since that day, almost 27 years ago, I have been Don.

Donnie to my good friends. Don to my business associates. Bubba (and later, sometimes, "Bubs" for short) to my sisters and their children. Names - different names for different roles. And each one of them speaks to how I am seen by the one using it.
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Yes, the name reflects how we are seen. And that is why name changes in the Bible are so significant.

The forefather we know as Abraham was named Abram at birth. Abram means "exalted father," which probably started to seem ironic as he aged without children. But God's vision for him was even bigger, so he changed his name to Abraham - "father of many." So many they would outnumber the stars! That is how God saw him, and of course, that is what he became.

A conniving youth named Jacob ("supplanter" or "deceiver") grew up always looking for ways to exalt himself. But after wrestling with God and learning his weakness, his name was changed to Israel - "he who prevails with God." God now saw him as one who would carry out the purpose for which he was intended, rather than his own selfish desires.

In maybe the most significant name change of Scripture, Jesus met a young man called Simon and immediately gave him a new name, Peter. The name "Peter" meant "rock" and so Jesus was giving giving him the name to reflect that he was to be a completely new person. Instead of the wishy-washy personality of Simon (to which he relapsed often during Jesus' ministry), through the power of knowing Jesus he would become a rock of leadership in the church.

And then of course there was the persecutor and murderer of Jesus-followers who went by the name Saul. But after encountering the living Messiah Jesus, his name was changed to Paul, signifying a new beginning.
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And so I ask you the question that was asked of me Sunday morning: what's your name?

Are you still living an old story, one wracked with misery and frustration? It has a name, and until you break free, it is your name. Insecure? Doubter? Hoarder? Pleasure Addict? There are so many names.

Or do you have a new name, one given to you by God? One that reflects all he intended for you to be. A name that is written in heaven and reflects the fact that you belong to your Creator and will live your life for his glory.

Abraham. Israel. Peter. Paul……and _________.

How will you fill in the blank?

What's your name? - Part 1

When I was in 7th grade, I got a new name. I never really took to it, because it was always spoken with a splash of mockery and derision. That name was "Mayonnaise."

It doesn't look much like my last name, Manis, but when you pronounce it it's pretty close. A bully who shall remain (ironically, given the topic of this post) nameless started using it. Before long, my football coaches picked up on it and were yelling it at me at practice after practice. No, I never liked it.

Names are powerful things, more powerful than we realize. I got to thinking about this during a message from our teaching pastor Sunday morning, where he was talking about how Jesus gave his disciple Simon a new name, Peter. More on that in Part 2 (to be posted tomorrow). But in the wake of that talk, I thought about how often we see the power of the name. For example,

• In Romeo and Juliet, the names of the two young lovers' families - Montague and Capulet - drive a wedge between them that they could never overcome. From the balcony Juliet tried to deny it ("What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet" - Act II, Scene II), but by the end of the play, we saw that there was indeed a lot in a name.
• While not universal, it's customary in our society for women to take the name of their husband when they get married. This has rich symbolism, because if two are going to become one, having a common name says so to the world.
• In Ethiopia (at least the part I visited), a child's last name is the name of his father. So, if I lived there, instead of Donnie Manis, my name would be Donnie TJ. The name identifies one very strongly with the father.
• In a recent episode of Revolution, the former President of a vast empire called the Monroe Republic finds his 25-year-old son in a forgotten hole-of-a-town, and reveals that he is his father. The son is not impressed until he reveals his name - Sebastian Monroe. Because of the name, which was well known, the son's whole attitude was changed instantly.
• When Moses encountered the burning bush and God was calling him to lead his people out of slavery, Moses insisted on being given a name. The name he received, YHWH, was basically the same as the Hebrew for "I am." The most powerful name ever given.

Throughout history, in popular culture, in just about every society,  the name has extraordinary significance. Your name is who you are. It matters. And that's why some name changes in the Bible tell us a lot about what God was doing in the lives of his people. People like Abram. Jacob. Simon. Daniel. Saul.

And Jesus.

Coming tomorrow: Name changes through history - why?

Come to me

A few days ago I wrote about the Matchbox Twenty / Goo Goo Dolls concert I attended. While the post was about how much I enjoyed finally seeing Matchbox Twenty, at the end I mentioned how one Goo Goo Dolls song, their latest, lingered with me long after the concert. That song was called Come to Me, and to me it's full of meaning. Here is a video of it, complete with lyrics:



What was it about this song? On the surface, it's a just love song. And I certainly believe that was all the writer intended. But it's a love song with themes that strike to heart of unconditional love. Lines like "Come to me with secrets bared, I'll love you more so don't be scared" and "I don't care about where you've been, Don't be sad and don't explain" are full of the kind of love and acceptance we all crave.

In fact, the whole second verse strikes at the heart of what it makes such an awesome song. The object of the writer's affection has been burning photos, trying to erase the past on her own. The song says, you don't need to do that. All you have to do is come to me. "This is where we start again...start again."

And then, "Today's the day I make you mine, get me to the church on time.' A wedding. Marriage. A fresh start with an eternal commitment to love each other forever.
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Yes, I'm sure it was meant as a simple love song. But it dug deep into my soul as I could hear my Redeemer Jesus calling out, "Come to me." All through the Bible, God uses the picture of marriage to demonstrate the relationship of God and his people. For example, in Isaiah 62:5 we see this:

As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.

The Song of Solomon is a pretty frank picture of romantic love between a bridegroom and his bride, and most believe it was intended to be a picture of God's love for his people. The whole book of Hosea is a painful lesson where the prophet marries an unfaithful woman and God uses it as an object lesson of what it's like for God when we abandon him for other "lovers." In John 3:29, John the Baptist refers to Jesus as the bridegroom. Paul exhorts husbands to love their wives as Christ loves the church.

And topping it off, in case we didn't get it before -  At the very end of the Bible, in Revelation 21:9, one of the angels who is showing John a vision of the end of all things says, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." Of course, the Lamb is "the Lamb who was slain" - Jesus. So he is the bridegroom and we are the bride.
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And so, through this love song, I could hear God's voice calling out to me: Come to me. You are my sweetest friend. I will take you back to where you belong - where you've always belonged. I'll love you more so don't be scared. And more than anything else, this is where we start again...

Therefore if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

He who was seated on the throne said, "I making everything new!" (Revelation 21:5)

....start again.

Iron Man 3 - demons

"We create our own demons." - Tony Stark, Iron Man 3

For me, the summer movie season officially opened this weekend with the release of Iron Man 3. A blockbuster with action, explosions, humor, and all the things we guys expect from our summer movies.

This one was a good start. It was fun, fast-paced (although in my opinion the climactic action scene ran a little longer than it should have), tense, and had an interesting storyline. And yes, it even made me think a little.

 The line quoted at the top of the page was from the opening narration. It refers directly to one night in 1999 when Stark (played by Robert Downey, Jr.) made a couple of choices that led directly to the mayhem that takes place over the following two hours. Both of them, depicted in the opening scene, were dismissive of others and obviously festered over the next 14 years. It refers more indirectly to the heroic choice Stark made in New York (and thus is intertwined with last summer's The Avengers) that saved the world but left him with anxiety issues.

I believe we all can identify with Stark's dilemma. How many times have I mistreated someone, either by being dismissive, short, angry, or condescending? Sometimes even with good intentions. Those choices affect relationships, shape people's lives, and have consequences. Granted, for you and me the consequences are unlikely to affect the fate of the whole world. But they affect our world...and they affect the worlds of those around us.

Yes, there is a devil and there are demons - Jesus said so. But there are also "demons" in the figurative sense that can be just as destructive. So when they come back to haunt me, I don't think I should be quite so quick to blame forces beyond my control. Like Stark, I should look in the mirror and see what I have done to create them.

And then face them.

And that's where the redemptive love of the Father through Jesus the Messiah comes in. He forgives and showers us with mercy. He will not remove all the consequences for us, but he will give us the power to face them and bring us through. And help us to stop creating them.

There was a lot of power available to Iron Man in his fight to put the genie back in the bottle. Gadgets, suits, technology. There is even more power available to us. And so our demons do not have a chance.

And oh...a tip. If you go to see Iron Man 3 (and I recommend that you do), don't leave before the credits are done like 2/3 of the people did tonight. Good grief people, have you never seen a Marvel Comics movie before?? Nope, you don't want to miss the last scene - "See, I have told you." (Matthew 28:7)

Enjoy!

Thy kingdom come

God created the universe, and it was good.

To display His glory, He has allowed an enemy (the Accuser, the Satan) to mess it up.

All of us have gone astray and played into the Accuser's hands.

God chose a people, the descendants of Abraham, to reveal His love and desire to rescue us.

He exercised His justice and mercy on them again and again, He chose them to be a picture of how His kingdom comes - through suffering and submission.

He promised to extend his kingdom to all people, tribes, and nations through his people Israel and their Messiah.

Jesus was the promised Messiah, and announced the arrival of the kingdom in Luke 4:16-21.

He was declared by God to be the King through his suffering, death, and resurrection.

He has rescued us from the Evil One, forgiven our sins, and made his resurrection power available to us, the citizens of His kingdom.

We now are charged with advancing his reign, spreading the word that He is King, and bringing about change.

One day, the kingdom of God will be revealed in power, every knee will bow in worship to Jesus, and we will reign forever with Him.

And this is why we are celebrating the... Biggest. Holiday. Ever.

The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said, "The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever." (Revelation 11:15)

Amen!

Fringe: Finishing the story

Once again it's time. Time for one of my favorite television shows to finish its run. This time it's Fringe, and I'm going to miss it.

To me, the best shows, the best movies, the best books are those that tell an epic story. Movies that come to mind are mostly those told over multiple releases, and often are based on a book series. Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, etc. For television, LOST is the one that sets the standard for me, but there have been many others.

Fringe is one of the all-time greats. It is unique in that it such a wonderful show with magnificent actors but it never gained a large audience. I personally believe it may become this generation's Star Trek - a show that was canceled after one season but became a cult classic and the inspiration for a series of movies. Through digital media, many will discover this gem after the curtain has fallen.

This show was smart, thought-provoking, centered on extremely interesting characters, and even funny. The acting was amazing and the characters compelling. On the surface, it appeared to be about science fiction, but it was really about this collection of people who became a family. It was a story about choices, and how all our choices are important and affect people in ways we can't even start to understand.

Forgiveness. Love. Family. Choices. Fate. Free will. Redemption. Faith.  If these interest you, Fringe is your story.

So I'll gather with family and friends to see the end tomorrow night. I'm expecting a powerful conclusion. I love a great story.

And what a story it was.

Two years later

Two years ago, there was a big blowout at my house, as we celebrated the end of the show LOST. It was, in my opinion, the most creative and overall best series in the history of television. It raised so many questions about the human condition and the reasons that the world's paradigm for living is broken, and explored how we search for those answers. And it did it with characters that we deeply cared about. For the best explanation of why it was so good, please visit (or revisit) this blog post from my friend Rob:

Why LOST Matters

So two years later, the feelings are still there from the fans. Some disappointed by the ending; others like me who found it extremely appropriate for the theme of the show. After all, it was called LOST not because they were geographically lost, but because they were lost as human beings. And, regardless of whether you agree with all the answers to our lostness, that was what the ending addressed. Powerfully.

That is why I found this interview with LOST producer Damon Lidelof extremely interesting. It's the most extended explanation I've ever heard, and in it he deals with the disappointment of the person interviewing him. The most telling statement in the interview occurs at the 5:00 mark:

There is no worse scene in the history of genre than the Architect explaining to Neo everything that happened in The Matrix...And I wasn't going to touch that with a ten-foot pole.

And that's just one of many fascinating observations from Mr. Lindelof.

It changed television. It dealt with mysteries of the human condition and our struggle for redemption from start to finish. It asked many questions that are important to those of us trying live out the Kingdom of God on earth. And I miss it.
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PS - It was an amazing time at the Manis crib that night two years ago. Here's a video we made of the fun:

Christmas, the winter solstice, and redemption

Merry Christmas! What a wonderful season, where we celebrate the birth of Jesus, time with family, and the spirit of giving. I am home from another memorable Christmas Eve, including a candlelight service where I experienced anew a sense of awe that the God of creation entered the world as a baby. And then time with family as we exchanged gifts and felt the joy of seeing how we made someone we love happy. Tomorrow? More worship time and a big family dinner. Good times!

It is a wonderful time, but also a time of tension for those of us who endeavor to follow Jesus. We want to keep the main thing the main thing - we want to keep the birth of Christ at the center of our celebration.  But it's not easy, is it?

As I was reflecting on this today, I thought about the origin of the Christmas season. We did not pick this time of year to celebrate Jesus' birth because we know when he was born. We don't. (In fact, it's more likely that shepherds would have been "abiding in the fields" in the spring.) It is primarily because Christians living in a pagan society wanted something sacred to celebrate while their peers were celebrating the winter solstice, one of the biggest pagan holidays around. The secular world around them had this huge party because it was the longest night of the year and now days would start getting longer again. Probably included a lot of lights and even the giving of gifts.  So instead of just refusing to celebrate, Christians decided that this was a wonderful to time celebrate the coming of the Light of the world. A wonderful idea.

So what does thins mean for us? First, I think we fret a little too much about society "losing the true meaning of Christmas". Why do I say that? Because I don't think they ever really had it. It's only those of us serious about following Jesus that have ever seen that as the primary reason. And that's because we are taking something that the world created, and through Christ we have redeemed it.

Yes, that's it! And it makes me marvel at the wonder of the Incarnation even more. In Jesus, God entered the world to redeem it. To bring life where there was death. To bring light where there was darkness. To bring forgiveness where there was revenge. To bring love and compassion where there was selfishness. In the person of that little child, God began his plan to redeem a fallen world. A plan that culminated with a cross and an empty tomb.

In fact, where Jesus appears, he brings a "Midas touch" of redemption. And so do his followers if we are living in fellowship with him.

And so it should not surprise us that he has redeemed a pagan holiday as well. Yes, there is too much commercialism. Yes, there is a danger of children (ok, adults too) getting selfish and thinking only about what they want for Christmas. Yes, there is probably too much partying, to the point of debauchery - both in drink and in overeating.

But there is also a warming emphasis on family. There is a spirit of giving, not only to the ones we love but to the poor and oppressed. And, for those of us who know Jesus and base our lives on following him, there is a wonderful celebration of the mystery that God could take on flesh.

And that, to me, is the definition of redemption. I don't think Christmas is a naturally religious holiday that has been corrupted by too much worldliness. I think it is a naturally worldly holiday that we have redeemed  by celebrating the birth of the Messiah. Just as we are naturally sinful people that have been redeemed by the presence of that Messiah in our lives.

And so I don't think I'm going to let myself get discouraged by all the trappings of commercialism. Instead, I will rejoice as I celebrate the holy birth. God becoming one of us...to redeem me, to redeem the world, and yes, to redeem Christmas itself.

Merry Christmas!