Our church is entering an honoring season: Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Graduation. I think that honor is becoming a bit of a lost art. There are a couple of reasons:

1. Social Media tends to egocentric. This is not a criticism about social media but instead a reality. When we post we tend to post about our thoughts, feelings, and actions. Posting on social media is typically not about honoring others. Since this is a primary way that many communicate honor gets lost in the fray.
2. Culture tends to be more critical. We have so many voices and so many opinions accessible to us that we have become a more critical people. When criticism increases in a culture honor tends to decrease.
3. Spirituality has become overly pragmatic. Many churches and pastors/preachers are teaching a spirituality that solves problems. Follow these 5 steps to financial peace, these 4 steps to a healthy marriage, and these 3 steps to a healthier lifestyle. Honor tends to get lost in this message because honor is fully and even solely about the other person. Celebrating them, encouraging them, and pointing out their strengths. It isn’t seeking to solve a problem in our life, it is simply seeking to honor them.

I love what the Apostle Paul write to the church in Rome: “Love must be sincere. hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Romans 12: 9

How does one arrive to this position? There is no ego in this text, no critical spirit in this text, really no self of any kind. What made Paul so committed to this kind of love, honor, and grace? Well, chapter 12 of Romans happens in a context. Go ahead and read Romans 1-11. Like, right now. Read. Do it.

Waiting

Waiting

Waiting

You probably noticed that Paul wrote chapter 12 after 11 chapters of basking in truth after truth about what Jesus has accomplished. Forgiveness of sin. Salvation. New life. Holy Spirit. These chapters are some of the richest and best texts in the Bible.

After 11 chapters Paul teaches us an important lesson: love people this way. Honor people this way. Serve people this way. Allow Jesus, the gospel, and His example to transform the way you treat people.

So, if honor is hard for you, go ahead and reread the book Romans. The whole thing.

Are you done?

Now, go and give someone you love a hug. (Not a stranger, that would be weird)

Write an encouraging note.

Give a compliment.

Make a phone call or send a text.

Post something encouraging about someone else.

Honor others above yourselves.

Secular humanism is a way of thought that places utmost importance on the human being over the divine. In secular humanism you hear a lot about “my truth”, “my path”, and “my way.” It has promised us peace because no longer would we be oppressed by anyone else’s views. It has promised us joy because no longer would we be restricted by the antiquated commands of the divine. It has promised us unity because everyone would be free to believe what they want to believe.

I think it is safe to say that secular humanism fails to deliver on any of those promises.

It has failed to deliver us peace with others. It turns out that we are not very good at being God. Typically our pride takes over and we demand that everyone listen to us and think our way.

It has failed to deliver us joy. If anything we are more anxious and afraid. While some of God’s views may seem antiquated to us, many are discovering that God knew what He was talking about the whole time. In addition to that, God does so much more then just deliver commands. Through His Spirit He brings us joy, hope, and peace in Him. He is leading us to life. Remove God and replace Him with human beings and you are left without so many good things.

It has failed to bring unity. We like to think that we stay in our own lane, but the truth is we believe we are right and are offended when others don’t believe what we believe. This has led us into a deep and at times dark disunity.

We need a path to lead us the right direction.

We need a light to illuminate the darkness.

We need a truth to build our life on.

We need a shepherd to help protect us.

We need Jesus.

The state of Illinois is at the beginning of what appears to be a robust and lengthy debate on the subject of taxes. It is an issue that sharply divides people. I think if we were just fighting about tax code it would be an easier debate to have but we aren’t just fighting about tax code. We are fighting about:

Equality And Inequality: Every society has income inequalities. If there is no strategy to deal with these inequalities then the economic system can become oppressive. The question becomes, is the tax code the best way to deal with these inequalities? Certainly other systems have a contribution to make: family, faith, and community have historically made a major contribution on the issue of inequality. Income inequality is worth discussing.

Efficiency: Everyone wants their hard earned dollars to be used in the most efficient way possible. Is the tax code and government the most effective strategy for seeing that money gets to where it needs to go? Obviously there are some things only government can do. There are some things other organizations can do. What is the best strategy? It is certainly worth discussing.

Economics: Every state needs wealthy people in it to build the economy and employ people. Will the progressive tax increase drive some of these individuals from our state? It is worth discussing.

No one has all the answers and many have an initial emotional reaction to the governors proposal. There has been a lot of sarcasm and even name calling on all sides of this issue. We need discussion not reaction. We need to talk about the right things in the right way. That is my prayer for our state.

We started a new sermon series at our church called No Offense. In this series we are asking a very simple question: Does a follower of Jesus have the right to be offended? For context, the word offended carries with it the idea of being led into sin. A person is so bothered by what you said, so angered by what you did, and so offended that they have been led into sin by their actions. They are trying to defeat and destroy you. They are unkind and impatient. They are hostile in spirit. Sound familiar? These attitudes have become pervasive in this culture.

Have them become pervasive among followers of Jesus?

One litmus test for whether or not we have been led into sin by our actions is called restorative justice. In chapter 3 of the Bible, sin enters the world and brings chaos and pain. Chapter 3 of Genesis guarantees that all of us are going to be bothered and angered by many things in our life. This world is imperfect. You are imperfect. I am imperfect. We are going to be bothered and we are going to bother others.

Restorative justice, demonstrated by Jesus, teaches us that God has a plan to put it back together. God has a plan to bring peace. God has a plan to restore. God is at work remaking our world.

Our culture has strayed so far from this concept. Our culture’s understanding of justice is not restorative, it is punitive and it is harsh. We disagree and our anger drives us to want to destroy, ruin, and devastate each other. It’s a punishment based system. It is especially harsh because we are human beings, imperfect, and incapable of leveling punitive justice well.

As followers of Jesus, we are not called to participate in this system. As followers of Jesus, we believe if punitive action needs to be taken, then God will handle that. Vengeance is mine says the Lord. He’s the only one who is qualified and has the character to handle these issues in a good, just, and right way. There is much conversation among Christians on whether or not God even participates in a punitive system. That is another blog for another day.

As human beings, our goal is always restorative. It’s always grace filled. It’s always striving to bring peace to that which is broken. It’s always striving to make things better. It is what we are called to as followers of Jesus.

So, restorative justice:

Desires to see the offender brought to a change of heart.

Celebrates 2nd, 3rd, and 4th chances.

Treats people with an underlying grace, humility, and kindness.

Prays for people instead of trying to destroy them.

Restorative justice is not easy. On the contrary, it is messy and sometimes hard to figure out. That being said, it is part of what it means to fight for love and to try and figure out what Jesus calls us to do. It requires prayer, humility, and conversation. Restorative justice urges us to follow the example of Jesus. It’s not easy but it is worth it and it is an example our culture needs right now.

One of the keys to a faithful ministry is understanding spiritual fatigue. This is a very personal matter because everyone has different energy levels and everyone is exhausted by different things. One person might find preaching exhausting while another finds hospital visitation while another finds leadership. We are all different but we are all the same in that we all get fatigued. Tired. Worn out. You don’t have to be in vocational ministry to experience this by the way, that just happens to be my lane, but we all get tired. By God’s grace I have learned what some of my triggers are, red flags that tell me that my tank is getting low. Do you know yours? Some common red flags are when you are :

Short tempered: When everyone and everything gets on your nerves, it is probably a sign that you are spiritually fatigued.

Tired all the time: When you wake up tired on a consistent basis, for me, it is a sign that I am experiencing not just physical fatigue, but something spiritual is happening.

Lack of passion for your work: When you start dreaming about work you could do other then ministry it is a major red flag.

Anxiety: When a situation that would normally be a 3 on a scale of 1-10 becomes a 8 on a regular basis, bothering you and keeping you up at night. You are most likely spiritually fatigued.

This is your body and your spirit telling you something needs to be addressed. We are tempted to ignore these warning signs because some of us love the cape. We love to swoop in and save the day, we love to help, and we love to be needed. But ignoring these warning signs will result in our own destruction. We need to listen. We need to do something.

How do you do that? Again, its different for everyone. Here are some suggestions:

Exercise: Go for some long walks and pray.

Connect with God: Apart from your ministry, read the Bible, listen to music, have conversation, and spend time with God. He has something to say to you. Don’t just study God to share Him with others, enjoy Him.

Put devices down: Your phone is essentially a mobile office that makes you constantly available. Put the phone down and disconnect.

Read: On purpose, read a book that feeds your soul. For pleasure, read a mind candy book that can disengage your mind.

Get away: Go visit family for a few days or get away to a fun city just to unplug.

There are a million things you could do, but that’s really not the point of this blog. I believe our spirits and our bodies let us know when we are tired and need to refresh. Will we listen? That is point of this blog.

We are starting a new series on Sunday. I love new series. It might be that I am a bit ADHD as a leader, but I love developing and preaching new topics and ideas. I get excited for new graphics, videos, and stage design. I love new series.

I am especially excited for this No Offense series. It’s a series that started as a conversation in our church office. It’s a series that started with a question…Does a follower of Jesus have the right to be offended by anything? I was surprised by how much the Bible had to say on this subject.

I think it will be a timely series. I find that people are offended by almost everything. Sports. Politics. Culture. We live in a loud culture that has made us sensitive and easy to offend. I recently saw two friends stop speaking over a debate about which of them was less judgmental. They aren’t friends anymore. Ummmmm.

Something has gone wrong. We can’t continue to live at this level of frustration and anger for very long as a culture. I believe violent outbursts will increase. Mental health issues will increase. We will become increasingly isolated and lonely. Something needs to change.

I think we need a good fight.

I think we need followers of Jesus to fight for the cause of love. Believe me, love is a fight. It is a battle to figure out how to love those who hold a different political opinion. It is a fight to figure out how to love those you disagree with. It’s a struggle that requires energy, focus, and stamina to think through loving those with a different ideology. We have too many followers of Jesus that think the fight is political, social, or even cultural. It’s not. The fight is to figure out love.

Christians should be leading the way on this issue. Our Savior, Jesus, set the example, ran the race, and fought the fight. He teaches us what love is. He shows us what love looks like. He demonstrates His perfect love in this…while we were still sinners He died for us.

As we get ready to start a new series, I think we need less offense and more love. That is a fight that will actually change our culture.

For centuries certain occupations like pastors, preachers, journalists, and politicians, have been required to share thoughts, opinions, and beliefs in the public square. For centuries people serving in those occupations have been criticized, condemned, and at times killed. The opinion world can be a brutal world.

The truth is that any time you share a thought, belief, or opinion you are going to be criticized. It’s how it works. Our culture is not going to be changing any time soon on this issue.

The last decade, with the invention of social media, everyone has been given a pulpit, a megaphone, and a platform to share their thoughts, opinions, and beliefs. I find that many people are taken back by the criticism they receive on those social media platforms. It can be discouraging.

How do you deal with criticism? Some people deal with it in a not so great way:

1. They get angry. They post back angrily, engage in harsh debate, or unfriend/unfollow anyone who disagrees with them.
2. They get depressed. They allow the criticism to shape their self esteem and inform who they are.
3. They shut up. The criticism becomes hard enough to take that they simply stop posting, writing, preaching, or sharing.

I think there are a few fundamental rules we can follow when it comes to dealing with criticism:

1. Allow critics to become coaches. Really listen to what critics have to say. It won’t all be valuable but some of it will be really helpful. Some will help you shape thoughts, tighten up ideas, and communicate more clearly. Receive that and allow it to make you a better leader, writer, or preacher.
2. Speak, write, or post with conviction. I believe when you post with conviction, the criticism stings a little less. Sometimes on social media we attempt to simply be provocative or antagonistic. Resist the temptation to do that and post with conviction, preach what you really believe, and share what God has placed on your heart.
3. Keep it in perspective. For every critic you have, you probably have 20-30 people that are cheering you on and encouraging you. Don’t forget that those voices matter as well.

When you share publicly, you will be criticized. But those voices don’t have to define you or change you, they can actually help you. Remember, you are in good company, a few thousand years ago there was a Rabbi named Jesus who shared some fairly radical thoughts. We all know the overwhelming amount of criticism He received.

Every preacher I know gets a little stressed preaching special holidays like Easter. I used to be be kind of overwhelmed by that stress and have recently developed a few rules that have helped me focus…

1. Tell the story. Never be so cute or creative that you forget to share the actual story of the resurrection.

2. Be funny. Humor has a history in the church when it comes to Easter, it is God having the ultimate last laugh. So, in my opinion, a few frivolous jokes are okay.

3. Prepare and preach to a different audience. There will be a lot of guests and so prepare like you do when you guest preach. For me this means the sermon has more illustration in it.

4. Relax. You aren’t going to whiff on Easter. You might not be thrilled with the sermon but no one else will feel that way. Preachers tend to be our worst critics.

5. Peddle hope and new life. This is the sweet spot of Easter.

6. Trust the Holy Spirit. Preaching shouldn’t work in our culture but it does because of the Spirit. Pray lots, prepare well, and watch what the Holy Spirit does with the message.

I still don’t sleep well on Easter eve but I’m not as overwhelmed. My hope and prayer is that all over the world the resurrection story was told today and people received joy, hope, peace, and salvation.

I wonder what the day after the crucifixion felt like for the early followers of Jesus. I would guess it was a day of sorrow, anxiety, anger, and fear. Little did they know that resurrection and new life were just one day away.

Thankfully we get to live life in light of the resurrection. I hope, for us, Saturday can be a time of renewed faith and hope. Understanding that we might be just one day away from victory, power, and new life. So, don’t give up, don’t give in, don’t quit. You never know what God is going to do one early Sunday morning.

Read Matthew 27 and it hardly seems good. It’s a story of rejection, violence, injustice, and suffering. What could possibly be good about any of that? The story of Good Friday becomes good in two ways:

In light of what was accomplished: Through the crucifixion Jesus accomplished His mission. He forgave sin, He made a way back to God for all people, He set an example, and He gave hope to the world. Those are good things that were accomplished through a difficult thing.

Later the Apostle Paul will write this to the Romans, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Romans 8.

No one should be advocating that suffering is good. That is insane. Instead, something good can be accomplished through suffering. Have you ever experienced that before? A healed relationship, strengthened character, increased faith that came through a hardship. That is a good thing and happens to be God’s specialty. Good Friday teaches us that truth.

In light of the resurrection: Good Friday becomes good because of what happens three days later. In light of victory and in light of resurrection the sting of death loses, well, it loses its sting.

Listen to the Apostle Paul again, “Therefore we do not lose hope. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” Corinthians 4.

Light and momentary troubles? Who would describe Paul’s persecution as light and momentary? It only makes sense in light of the resurrection. The resurrection teaches us that God is not done yet and there is more life to come. That’s true in this life and its definitely true in the next. Remember this Good Friday: resurrection, victory, and life are on the way! Let that truth change the way you view suffering and hardship.