Garry Mullen

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 9, 2010): Exodus 5

We live in a culture where the Christian practice is in decline. It is a situation that the Christian church seems to mourn. We wish it wasn’t that way. Somehow we believe that our influence is also in decline because our culture is less Christian.  We believe that there is a positive correlation between the practice of Christianity and the influence of Christians. The problem is that that has never proven to be true in history.

Moses has received a message from God. He fights God – but God wins the battle and Moses goes to the Pharaoh with a message from God. And while he had asked God what he should tell Israel if they had asked who it was that had sent him, the first one to question Moses seems to have been the ruler of the nation.

Moses had the privilege of speaking God’s truth into a culture that didn’t know him. And as counter intuitive as this might sound, God’s people have always excelled when they have been a counter-cultural force. Our influence is never higher than when people ask us “who is your God?” Our influence is the highest when what we believe is not what the culture affirms.

If the practice of Christianity is in decline in culture, then that probably means that our influence is on the rise. And our culture needs us to speak God’s truth into it. God’s people were never intended to sit on the sideline. In a culture where the practice is in decline, we are left without that choice.

Why are we upset that we have become a counter-cultural message. I think this is the way God intended his message to be. Now is the time for us to go and be an influence.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Exodus 6

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 8, 2010): Exodus 4

I am wrestling with some hard questions right now. I know that the solution has to be out there somewhere – but I also know that finding the right solution won’t be easy. Our choices are seldom between something that is right and something that is wrong. They are seldom easy to see. And what makes things worse is that sometimes the right thing is the tough thing in the short term.

What God said to Moses made no sense. I have seen enough nature shows to know that you don’t pick up a snake by the tail. And yet that was God’s instruction. It seemed to be the first lesson in Moses real education. Moses had been trained in the wisdom of Egypt in the Kings household growing up. Now Moses needed to be willing to do the unexpected if he was going to survive. Even when that meant marching toward bodies of waters that couldn’t be crossed and picking up snakes by the tail.

The problem is that the mob always seems to follow conventional wisdom. If we are to make a difference, we have to decide to do things differently. That takes a special kind of courage – a Moses kind. If we are truly made in the image of God, we should be some of the most creative people around – and people with the courage to go in new directions.

So as I am wrestling with some hard questions – I realize that it is probably time for me to step forward with a Moses kind of courage. To be willing to move in the direction that is less travelled - to be creative and break new ground and set my sights on new goals. We were created to be unique and special. We were created to go beyond where we believe we can go.

Be creative everywhere you go today. Dare to dream beyond what you can see. If you can do that, sometimes it is okay to grab the snake by the tail. I will do the same.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Exodus 5

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 7, 2010): Luke 5

This morning I am preaching the second sermon in our “The Love Triangle” series. The subject matter is ‘What I Want’ and the challenge is always that we can feel guilty about the way we have led our lives. It can almost make us believe that we have done too much – gone too far for God to love us. And that is absolutely wrong.

We are human – that fact doesn’t excuse us, but it does mean that we share a common story. We are the same. As we think of maybe the ways that we have blown it – all of us have similar stories.

So this man meets with Jesus – he is unclean. And he looks at Jesus and says – I know you, I know that if you are willing, you can make me clean. And Jesus response was I am willing. Our stories are never the issue – Jesus is He is still willing and we are still the man coming and standing in front of the Rabbi. He is not the one that stands between us and being clean. We are the ones that stand in the way.

So we gather again today – the saints who are really the sinners. Our stories lay open in our minds if nowhere else. We are weak and we feel guilt – and he still stands in front of us saying – I am willing, be clean. Really hear that message this morning and believe that it is true in your life.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Exodus 4

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 6, 2010): Exodus 3

One of the questions of our existence is “where is it that we fit in.” It is the question that we try to answer from the time that we first try to make friends in the school playground - and the one that it sometimes seems that we will never answer. It is the start of the meaning of life and really the only question that matters. It is the real answer to the question “who am I.”

And it is the question that Moses is asking God. Who are you to send me to the Israelites. God, I already know that I don’t fit in there – so tell me, why do you? (Okay, Moses was pretty brave to ask the question with no shoes on, standing in front of a butane bush.) But God answered the question. He said “I am who I am” or I am that I am.” That is really the only answer we need to hear. God is, he exists, and if that is true, then absolutely nothing else matters. God’s answer was that his name really didn’t matter – he fit because he exists.

We are created in the image of God. Although we are not as powerful, or as knowledgeable as God – still all that matters is that we exist.  God created us with a purpose. If his name is “I am that I am” then maybe ours should be “I am that He is.” We search for purpose, but God placed it inside of us. We fit in because we were created to.

But sometimes we try too hard. We start to insert our will and force ourselves to fit into places that we aren’t supposed to be. The real question isn’t really “where do I fit in” - it is how do I get back to the me that God created that already fits in. How do I strip down the extraneous stuff that I have built up around me? Therefore, Christianity is really allowing God to do the work of stripping down our pride and our false notions of self until all that is left is me – the me that fits. That is who I want to be.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Luke 5

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 5, 2010): Exodus 2

Who do you see during the average day? It is a strange question. There is a new study that has been produced on the effects that cell phone use has on the ability to drive. There seems to be two significant effects. One is that we react slower to what happens around us. But the second effect is that we actually see less. No matter how well we think we multi-task - we miss things.

Really this isn’t much news. We have always known that we don’t see everything. In fact, our imagination fills in the blanks so that we believe that we see more than we really do. The result is that we are not always sure what it is that we see – and eye witness testimonies are always more suspect than we want to believe. We just don’t see everything.

And what we don’t see, we can ignore. Sometimes that becomes a survival strategy. What we don’t see, we don’t need to react to. Moses had probably spent a lifetime not noticing – but one day he saw his people – and that moment changed his life.

We are called to minister in a culture that sometimes we don’t like to see. We follow the same logic – if we don’t see it, then we are not responsible for changing it. But my hope is that we have a Moses moment – that we come to the point where we are looking and actually see the people – and realize that we are responsible for them. We are responsible to love them, encourage them and lead them into a stronger future. It doesn’t matter whether they believe what it is that we believe, or come from the same background as us. We need to see them.

So … who will you choose to see today – and what is your responsibility towards those that you see. If we are willing to see – then the world will be changed.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Exodus 3

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 4, 2010): Exodus 1

There is an old adage that teaches us that those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. The quote is attributed to a Spanish born philosopher named George Santayana. The idea is that there are common failures that are repeated through time – if we would only learn the lessons that are there, we could have a brighter future.

The idea in itself is probably true – although simplistic. It is not just events in history in themselves that we need to remember. We need to remember events and patterns, but also relationships – both in ourselves and in others.

That was the situation that Israel found herself in. Egypt had forgotten the debt that she owed to Joseph. If it hadn’t been for him, her history would have been very different. But Israel had probably forgotten the relationship as well. The result was error – and a change in the direction for the two nations.

The problem with not understanding our history is not just that we are doomed to repeat it. We are doomed to take unwise new directions when we forget the relationships of our past. And yet it seems such a common occurrence for those of us that are followers of Christ.  We forget the history of what God has done for us. We end up being in the place of Egypt and taking actions to protect ourselves from God - because we are afraid that he will upset our lives rather than realizing that all he wants to do is to help make us the most that we can be. There is nothing that we need to be afraid of – if we would only remember.

So … those that refuse to learn or remember from history are doomed to repeat it – or make unwise decisions as they move into the future. And remembering is the cure.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Exodus 2

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 3, 2010): 2 Kings 25

When I was eight years old, my family made a 2000 mile move from Toronto to Calgary. In pulling up stakes and leaving, it was easy to believe that everyone you had ever known would forget about you. Everything was new and different. It was an exciting life – and a little scary. I missed the family that we had left behind – and friends. At eight you haven’t discovered purpose yet, but you also know that deep down maybe even that has changed.

Jehoiachin was eight years old when he became king of Judah. He reigned for 100 days. The end of his reign included a move. But Jehoiachin’s move was bigger than mine. He was moved from Jerusalem to Babylon – and at the age of eight from the king’s palace to a prison cell. There he would grow up.

But Jehoiachin wasn’t forgotten. After spending 37 years in prison, he was finally released. All of his family had been executed. He was truly alone – and yet the king still remembered him. It wouldn’t have been a problem if the king had simply executed the only heir to Israel’s throne and in doing so finished off the line of the kings of Judah. But he didn’t. Instead, he raised him up to a place where he didn’t belong – and for the rest of his life he ate at the table of the king.

It is a great illustration of what God does for us. He takes us and places us on a position that we don’t belong. And we eat at his table for the rest of our lives. God has not forgotten – and he will lift you up. And that is something to celebrate.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Exodus 1

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 2, 2010): 2 Kings 24

I have noticed that I have a tendency to blame the bad things that happen in my life on the devil. I mean, if it is bad for me, then how could it somehow be part of God’s design. I know that every good and perfect gift comes from God (James 1:17), so if that is true then doesn’t it follow that every negative circumstance must come from – well – not God.

The problem is that that idea isn’t biblical either. It isn’t the mere circumstances of our lives that concerns God – it is the outcomes of our lives. Part of my problem is that I often get the two confused. What I often want are good circumstances in the present. In my mind, I convince myself that pleasant circumstances in my present will somehow contribute to positive outcomes in my future. The problem is that that isn’t always true. As much as we may not like the idea, growth in the future doesn’t always come from pleasure in the present. So if God is truly about outcomes – wouldn’t it make sense that some of the negative circumstances in our lives are also from God.

The problem with our belief that God will somehow relieve us of our consequences is that it also assumes that God has no desire for us to grow. He becomes a passionless God and we become a passionless people – both of us static and unchanging.

God wanted more from Israel. And they needed to grow – so God declared that a negative circumstance would happen – Babylon would take the treasure of Israel away from her. Among the treasures would be the Ark of the Covenant – the place that held the most precious things of God. No gold or artifact was as important as the growth of the people of God – a positive outcome in their futures.

And nothing is more important to God than us. If you find yourself in a negative circumstance today, ask yourself if just maybe there is something that God desires for you to learn today - and that growth will be the result. You are more important to him than anything that you might possess.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 25

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 1, 2010): 2 Kings 23

We live in an amazing world. It is so consistent. We don’t have to worry about whether the bowl of food we place on the table will stay there and not float to the ceiling. We know that gravity will hold it down – and it always does. We understand that planes can overcome gravity if they are designed in a specific way – and we know that boats float on the water because they are designed to – we don’t have to wonder – the laws of this world are consistent and they don’t change.

So why do we expect the laws of our lives to be any different? There are laws that say that if we want to learn – then we need to study. Or if we want money – we need to learn how to handle it. But what seems to happen is that we violate the rules, and then ask God to suspend the consequences.  

God has promised us that he would forgive us – but repeatedly he leaves the consequences for our behavior intact. Life isn’t a video game that we can reset when the going gets tough. God will forgive, but we need to live our lives so that we don’t have to put up with the consequences we earn for ourselves. What scares me is that I see people on a daily basis that don’t seem to understand the consequences of their behavior.

There may be shortcuts – but they seldom payoff. In a consistent world, the way to live our lives should be in a way that we don’t have to worry about the consequences. It is the only way that makes sense.  

Go and make this world a better place. Have a great week!  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 24

Today’s Scripture Reading (January 31, 2010): Jeremiah 1

I don’t know what this says about my faith – but I get nervous every time someone tells me that they have a word from God. It’s not that I don’t believe that God still speaks to us, just that usually the word that people proclaim as from him is so bizarre. It is the same with singers that sing the song that God gave them. Personally, I am not really sure that I want to blame God for any of the music that I have written.

I get nervous – and yet I also know that we need to stand up and speak God’s message. We need to speak of God’s love and his desire for us. We need to bear the message of forgiveness to a world that seems overcome with guilt. We need to stand up and speak.

And we need to speak with a deep love for the world and our culture. Not a love that is manufactured – but a genuine love that wells up from a deep place within us. That is the witness that we have been given. As we gather for worship – that is the message of our hearts. God, help us to find a way to speak of your love – help us to experience your love. May we be the instrument of your forgiveness in the world – as you continue to forgive us.

Are you ready to stand and speak?

See you in church!   

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 23