Tag Archive for ‘Jesus’ at Serving Bread

Tag Archive for 'Jesus'

Why I need Easter and Jesus

Published

on March 23, 2008

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Thanks for visiting my blog, Serving Bread. Here you'll read stories, insights, reflections and ramblings from a campus minister, father, husband and Jesus-follower. If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to the RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

This is a season of new beginnings of the church. The 40 days of Lent culminate in celebrating the fact that “Christ is risen!” This past week, I studied Mark 8-10 with students, where the theme of “What does it mean to follow Jesus” emerged for us. And time and again we were struck by how Jesus uses graphic terms to describe his fate and what it means to follow him. There is no escaping that when we follow Jesus, we are following him into suffering and death.

Jesus, co-creator of the universe and God in the flesh, submitted to the laws and fallen-ness of this world. The curse of death would not escape anyone, including Jesus. We may try to escape it and even deny it as Philosopher/Psychologist Ernest Becker argues, but ultimately, we are all susceptible to death. Physical death is perhaps the best symbol for the death that we experience on so many levels (spiritual, emotional, etc…). This has been a particularly trying season for me as I see the reality of the frailty of life very close to me.

And this is why I need Easter. I need Easter because it re-orients me to true reality — that death is not the final voice. Jesus defeated death. And this is why I need Jesus. He has the antidote to defeat the ultimate curse on humanity. I need Jesus because I need the antidote to defeat death and rise again.

Jesus is risen! Thank God he is risen!

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Leadership Insight 25: Expression of Love

Seven lessons on being a witness from John the Baptist in the Gospel of John

Leadership Insight 25: Expression of Love

Published

Eddy E

on January 23, 2008

in Leadership

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When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” A second time he said to thim, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said tot him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”

— John 21.15-19

In John 21, Jesus asks Peter three times whether Peter loved him. And three times Peter answers that he does, and three times Jesus challenges him to tend or feed the sheep (which presumably are the people under Jesus’ leadership/authority). Peter and Jesus needed a moment to reconcile what had happened a few days earlier where Peter denied even knowing Jesus.Â Three times Peter betrayed Jesus and three times Jesus invites Peter to re-affirm his commitment and love toward him.

Jesus may be asking a simple enough question about love, but the implications of loving Jesus impress leadership upon Peter. Peter would soon become the leader of the community that Jesus had formed. Because Peter loves Jesus, he is given authority to lead the people of God toward the purposes of God.

There are probably various ways of reading the text and some may read an ‘if-then’ statement into that interaction. If Peter loves Jesus, then he would feed the sheep. But I don’t see it that way, Peter is obliged to lead because leadership would be an expression of his love to Jesus.

This reading of the passage is shaping me in this season where I am inviting young students to consider leading on campus. Too many people may lead for wrong reasons: Whether it is pride, addiction to power, desire for significance, or to pay God back (He’s done so much for me, this is the least I can do). At it’s core, we lead because we love Jesus.

The moments of deep intimacy with Jesus propel me to lead the people of God toward the purposes of God. The moments where I do not sense any love toward Jesus, leadership is a chore.

Leadership has to come out of a deep sense of love for Jesus. Ministry is demanding and there are far too many needs that challenge how I spend my time. I can lie to myself and believe that my tank is big enough and full enough to survive any season of ministry—that my focus needs to be on others and not on my relationship with Jesus. We love and lead people because we love Jesus.

Jesus asks us, “Do you love me?”

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Leadership Insight 35: Capacity & Responsibility

Leadership Insight 12: Watch and Learn

Leadership Insight 30: It’s Messy

Leadership Insight 3: Character Counts

John 10.10: The gift of Jesus

Published

Eddy E

on December 25, 2007

in Faith, Reflections, Soul Talk and Theology

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For my last message of the semester, I gave a Christmas message out of John 10.10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” It is not a traditional text on the Christmas season, but to me it encapsulates why Jesus came.

Using an illustration of sheep-pens, Jesus sees himself as an excellent shepherd in contrast to mediocre care-takers and even the thieves who have malice in their plans toward the sheep. This verse has probably served as one of the core / life verses for me. It is a verse that urges me to receive and live in the abundance of life that Jesus offers.

There are many ways to live our lives. There are plenty of philosophies and economic models that can shape how we live our lives. None of the ways we live our lives come close to what Jesus offers. Tupac Shakur captures a life paradigm that seems rampant in our society. In “Runnin’ (Dying 2 Live)” the chorus laments, “Why am I dying to live if Iâ€™m living to die?”

We live for certain moments—whether it be the holidays or the weekends—allowing our day to day lives to simply be fodder for those brief moments that give us pleasure. We don’t enjoy life. We just enjoy brief moments.

Jesus offers life that promises abundance. Why did Jesus come? He came that we may have life and have it abundantly. Our trajectory gets interrupted and in Jesus we receive better life. There are many ways this gift manifests itself in our lives. For example,

We enjoy the moments between the moments, not just the events themselves.
We recognize more and more a God-given meaning to our lives.
We enjoy relationships.
We enjoy God’s love in our lives.
We look for the ways that God speaks to us and leads us.
We enjoy obedience and living right in the sight of God.
We seek justice and peace in our relationships, in our world and the world around us.

Mary-Jane Watson, in “Spiderman 2,” captures this God-given life in her appeal to Peter Parker to consider a romantic relationship:

I know you think we can’t be together, but can’t you respect me enough to let me make my own decision? I know there’ll be risks but I want to face them with you. It’s wrong that we should be only half alive… half of ourselves. I love you. So here I am - standing in your doorway. I have always been standing in your doorway. Isn’t it about time somebody saved your life?

Mary-Jane is right. It is wrong that we should be only half alive. We need someone to save our lives and give us the good life. And Jesus is standing in the doorway—he has always been standing in the doorway—ready to offer us the good life.

Socrates said, “Not life, but the good life is to be chiefly valued.” This good life is only offered in Jesus. In this Christmas season, we celebrate the one who has come into our lives to offer us the good life.

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Leadership Insight 25: Expression of Love

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Leadership Insight 20: Ministry of Absence

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Seven lessons on being a witness from John the Baptist in the Gospel of John

Published

Eddy E

on December 13, 2007

in Ministry

. 0 Comments

The Gospel of John has served as an important book in the past several years in forming and influencing me. Of late, I have spent time learning about and from John the Baptist, an important figure in all the gospels, who serves as the first of seven witnesses in the gospel of John. Here are some lessons I have gathered from my times with JtB.

Passages: John 1.6-9, John 1.15, John 1.19-37, John 3.22-30, John 5.31-38, John 10.40-42

Sent from God: John is a man who is sent from God (1.6). He is in contrast to the priests and Levites (1.19) from Jerusalem who are sent by the Jews (or people who claim their authority from human sources). As a witness, we must recognize whether God sends us or we are people-sent. Will we receive our authority from God or from people?

The end-goal is belief: John came to testify so that all might believe (1.7). John didnâ€™t just sow seeds of belief but he testified so that all people might believe. There is an end-goal to our testimony of Jesus and it is that people might believe.

Humility in relationship with Jesus: John recognizes that Jesus is greater than he is (1.27, 3.30). Although he has a lot of authority and influence, he would not allow it to get to his head. Jesus is greater than he is.

The witness testifies: John has an intimate relationship with God. He testifies to what he sees (1.34, 3.27). Our relationship with God is critical. Our witness comes out of our relationship with God. When that suffers, so will our witness. John has a current testimony. He preaches what he has seen.

Point people to Jesus: Though John has disciples and his own ministry, he points people to Jesus (1.36-37). People may follow us initially because they have built trust with us, but ultimately, a witness must point people to Jesus.

Joy from Jesus: Jesus and his ministry give John great joy. (3.22-30) What he hears of Jesusâ€™ ministry is fantastic news in Johnâ€™s ears. A witness needs to have joy in hearing Jesusâ€™ ministry expanding everywhere. Witnessing is not just about our ministry but rejoicing in how God is at work everywhere.

Jesus follows the witness: Though John may have testified about Jesus, some people did not necessarily believe. They heard the testimony, but they did not respond by belief. But Jesus revisits Johnâ€™s ministry and in that revisit, people believe. Jesus followed the witness of John. (10.40-42)

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Leadership Insight 20: Ministry of Absence

Leadership Insight 20: The best is yet to come

Published

Eddy E

on November 6, 2007

in Leadership

. 0 Comments

I was sitting in a Bible Study recently and I was struck on a new angle of the story of Jesus’s first miracle that turned water to wine. John 2 that captures the story tells of how Jesus saved a Middle Eastern party from dying when the wine ran out. He converts over 150 gallons of water to wine. Running out of wine would have been shaming to the hosts.

When the emcee tastes the converted wine, he declares to the host (and presumably to the hearing of the wedding guests), “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.”

What was true then is true today—you drink the better drink before you are too inebriated to enjoy the good drink. Jesus turns that upside down by serving incredible wine to the guests. Whereas the culture would have the wine go from good to bad, Jesus has the wine go from good to great.

When I read this recently, it struck me as a leadership principle. It seems that many people think of their leadership as a “good to mediocre” process. We may put the best foot forward in an interview or in our motivation, but over time, our passions and desires will hit a plateau. We get sloppy in our responsibilities and leadership.

I find this to be true in the ways I may lead meetings. Whereas I may put a lot of energy and thought into running great meetings at the beginning of a season, my focus gets compromised as the year progresses and I find myself doing things at the last minute.

I offered good wine but followed it with the cheap wine. In my particular context, I also see it in the way students lead academic lives. They are committed to their classes at the beginning of the semester, but by the time we hit the 6th week of classes, students drop out of school or stop going to class.

Jesus offers a picture of leadership that stands in contrast. It just gets better with Jesus, and it seems that John 2.10 can serve as a model and vision on how we do leadership. Rather than offer people good stuff and then give them mediocrity, we need to be giving them even better wine as time progresses. I don’t want to just make a first impression, but I want the best for people all the time. Being flashy on the forefront, but pulling back as time progresses is not lasting leadership.

My integrity and leadership rely that I model myself after John 2.10. When people’s lives and time is at stake, cheap leadership is poor leadership.

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Leadership Insight 12: Watch and Learn

Leadership Insight 30: It’s Messy

Leadership Insight 31: For better or for worse

Leadership Insight 21: Called

Book Giveaway #3: Misquoting Truth

Published

Eddy E

on October 1, 2007

in Giveaway

. 4 Comments

Every year, there is a handful of students in my circles of influence who find their faith challenged by some of the fallacies that are spewed in their religious studies classes. This faith shake-up is not necessarily a bad thing, as it serves well to force students to study the scriptures and come to conclusions about their faith (not unlike the noble Bereans in Acts 17).

There is a lot of garbage that is taught in these classes—through the lectures and reading material. In Misquoting Truth, Timothy Paul Jones confronts Bart Ehrman’s fallacies through his books Misquoting Jesus and Lost Christianities. You don’t need to be familiar with Ehrman to appreciate Jones’s work. You will appreciate this book for how it debunks some of the unorthodox claims of the past few years like whether there were conspiracies to silence certain “gospels” and only promote the ones that were aligned with the agenda of the early church fathers.

Ehrman has plenty of initials after his name, noting his so-called expertise in matters of scripture and church history. His books may be less of a product of his research and more of a product of his convictions.

I will mail out this book (includes free shipping) to the first person who comments on this post or on his or her blog regarding this question: In your opinion, what is the fascination of religious study professors at secular universities in promoting agnostic or atheist point of views? (Make sure you link back to this post to notify me of your answer)

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Book Giveaway: Getting Your Feet Dirty by Don Everts

Book Giveaway #4: The Gods of War

Is the Bible intolerant? Sexist? Oppressive? Homophobic? Outdated? Irrelevant?

Join My Book Club, Culture Making — Sept. ‘08