Some
people do not like change. Some people like things to stay just the way they
are, if those things are healthy and full of good memories. And if change
happens, they lament about the way things used to be and wish for a return to
those times. When I was packing orders for Lehman’s Hardware there were oil
lamps, washboards and hand wringers, make your own soap—I don’t really want to
return to those things! Give me electricity and a flush toilet, thank you! But
sometimes the new reality that comes about is so
much better that there is no
longing to return to the previous way.
Now
about this “reordering” thing of God’s…raising valleys, leveling mountains,
clearing paths and such. Mary poetically spoke about God’s activity in Luke
1—humble/blessed, scatter the proud, humble the rulers, raise the humble, feed
the hungry while the rich go hungry. Jesus quoted Is 61 when he spoke in the
synagogue in Nazareth, with words of reordering….Lk 4:18-21…and it nearly got
him killed right there at the beginning of his earthly ministry. It just seems
so obvious to us that God was CHANGING stuff…or
rather returning the world to the way he had created it to be.
And
sometimes I wonder; if God wanted to reorder the world why didn't he
just do it! Just use the “big guns” of MIGHT &
FORCE to get the reordering business accomplished! Instead, He went to all the
trouble of humbling himself…Phil 2:8-11…and Jesus did indeed feed the hungry,
set free those imprisoned by sin and sickness, and preached good news.
Why didn't God just keep that going?! Jesus, just hang around and
keep doin’ whatcha been doin’!
But, no.
Jesus was crucified, rose from the dead, and…went back to heaven. Then,
the Holy Spirit arrived.
One
of the astounding beliefs of the Israelites was that their God “saw” their
distress, he “heard” their cries, and he “came down” to deliver them. Theirs
was no idol of wood or stone; their God was alive and active, caring and
merciful. Yahweh lived among them and dwelt in a tent of animal skins. 2 Sam 7:6-7. And all-mighty God lived and
traveled among his people.
THAT
WAS UNEXPECTED. “Be holy because I am holy,” He said.
Now
look at Mary’s song in Lk 1:46-55. She talked about being blessed by God. The
Israelites thought of themselves as blessed by God. But their understanding of
blessing was more of simply reversing the world’s hierarchy—“take away Rome’s
power and give it to us!” But simply switching who is on top and who is on
bottom leaves the old order in place, and God has something else in
mind—exploding the whole system. The promise God made to Abram Gn 12:1-3 was
not that Israel would rule over all the other nations but that it would be a blessing to them. Raised valleys and lowered
mountains create a level, cleared plain.
After
Pentecost, after the Holy Spirit “came down,” suddenly the whole murky concept of
reordering the world began to be seen. Acts tells wonderful stories of God’s
followers who “get it.” The Spirit pushed the edges of their human
understanding of God’s Kingdom. Suddenly the believers saw what God had wanted,
what Jesus had come to do! Suddenly Is 61, Mary’s song, and Jesus’
summarization of the Ten Commandments as “Love the Lord your God with all your
heart, soul, and mind; Love your neighbor as you love yourself” BECAME REALITY
through the power of Holy Spirit living in and through us. If God had used
MIGHT & FORCE (brought out his big guns) to get this world reordering
business accomplished, then we would have done the same.
But
God came as a baby. Quietly, during the night, with animals in attendance. A
few shepherds enjoyed an angelic concert. Some wise men brought a few gifts.
Peaceful. Wonderful. Counselor. Mighty God. Everlasting. Father. Prince of
Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.
We
serve a God who lifts the lowly, fills the hungry, and chooses an unwed teenage
girl for a role of greatest honor. God’s shalom overturns the world’s
assumptions about what matters and what doesn't. And we followers of The
Way, who carry the power of the Holy Spirit in our tents of human skin, are to
do the same. We, through the power and the strength of the Holy Spirit,
are to continue to reorder this world one baby step at a time, with love, joy,
and peace.
But HOW?! How
do we begin to demonstrate this new kingdom reordering now? How am I supposed
to change the world? It’s too overwhelming!
Opportunities
to be a person of the Light; to lift the lowly, comfort the sorrowful, to stand
firm in truth—are everywhere. However, every day, you & I are literally
surrounded with opportunities to NOT be a child of the Light, Peace and
Love! What we watch, what we read, what we think, how we speak, how we interact
with others; the list goes on and on. But because of the presence of the Divine
living in me, and the call to reorder the world with God’s peace and love,
every morning on my way to work I beg God for the strength to stand firm in
truth. It is not easy–every night I have to ask forgiveness for failing.
How are we to change the world? Just like this:
First, ask God to open your eyes
and ears to what he is already doing around you.
Second, ask God for the strength
to stand firm in Truth. And guess what? Truth is a person; the Spirit of Truth
whom you carry around with you.
I
have to say, that once you pray the first thing (open my eyes and ears) you
will be amazed, you will be saddened, you will feel conviction, and you will be
encouraged by what you hear and see. God is always at work around us; we just aren't always
paying attention. And when you pray for the first AND the second (stand firm in
the Spirit of Truth) you will be convicted. It may be the same conversation as
the day before, the same situations, the same people you work with, but because
you opened the door for God to reorder YOU, you either won’t be able to
participate in that sameness, or you’ll be moved to engage in it in a new way;
with words of love, joy, and peace. That co-worker, or fellow student, or
family member, or neighbor, or person you avoid at all costs, or person you
have labeled weird or gross…God will change YOUR attitude towards them.
The
point God wants us to understand is that REORDERING THE WORLD begins with
REORDERING US. We want God to do what we want God to do!!! And God has said and
continues to say, “I want you to do what I want you to do—love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. I
started it; you keep it going. Spread the Good News of Jesus everywhere.”
There
are some believers who go into the world and do large, highly visible world
reordering stuff; Mother Teresa, Billy Graham, Shane Claiborne, Leymah Gboowee
(EMU grad who was one of three women who recently were awarded the Noble Peace
Prize “for their nonviolent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s
rights to full participation in peace-building work" in Liberia
(nobelprize.org.). However, the majority of us will be called to the smaller,
behind-the-scenes world reordering stuff.
Acts 4:13 “When they saw the courage of Peter and John
and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and
they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”
Acts 11:19-21 “Now those who had been scattered by the
persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as
Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. Some of
them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak
to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord’s
hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the
Lord.”
Reordering
the world with the Good News of peace with God, peace with others begins with
reordering me, you, us. God raises the valleys and lowers the mountains within
US first! Then—it is no longer just
about us! Leveling begins the
minute you step out into the world, the second you encounter another human.
First, ask God to open your eyes and ears to what he is already doing around
you. Second, ask God for the strength to stand firm in Truth. Expect the
unexpected; the Spirit is all about change!
Our challenge is to expect the unexpected acts of God!
Practice 1 & 2, be so loyal to the Spirit within you that HE can do HIS
WORK through YOU.
