Author Archives: Kim Reisman

The Word Became Flesh

Damien Spikereit is a preacher whose father died just two days before his high school graduation. He didn’t have very strong faith at that point, so he was struggling to hear God speak in his time of need. He really wanted to know what God had to say about his situation. How God was going to get him through this difficult time.

So he started praying and waited for God to speak.

The funeral came and the church was packed, but Damien doesn’t remember much about it. Afterwards, everyone greeted him, but he doesn’t remember much about that either. But he continued to wait for God to speak.

Then he saw a classmate from school, Kim O’Quinn. She was his age – they were in the same youth group. When she got to him, she didn’t say a word. She had tears in her eyes and she just hugged him and walked off.

Suddenly, Damien says, he heard God speak.

It dawned on him that just months before, he had attended another funeral – the funeral for Kim’s father. In that moment she knew exactly what it meant to be Damien.

The word became flesh and lived among us.

The good news of Christmas is that if you want to hear God’s voice in your life, you don’t have to look any further than the one who knows exactly what it’s like to be you.

A Surprise: The Nobody-Baby

Today I’m pleased to share a guest post from Matt Erickson, a contributor to the Advent devotional, “Where the Light Shines Brightest,” published by the Billy Graham Center for Evangelism at Wheaton College. Matt Erickson is Senior Pastor of Eastbrook Church.

As I sat in the hospital with the new parents and their baby girl, nurses walked in and out to check vital signs, telling the parents how cute their little girl was. Family members gathered in the room, and an older sister stared at this new being who was joining her daily life. Usually, new babies receive a lot of attention.

Yet at Jesus’ arrival, he received little attention by any earthly measure. Surprisingly, the King of all creation was born as a lowly, disregarded nobody-baby. In part, that was because Mary and Joseph were nobodies. Joseph was a craftsman from the small town of Nazareth in Galilee. Mary was a young woman with an apparently questionable character. Still, they were the nobodies God wanted to use, and that was a surprise.

No matter how charming they may look in many sentimental paintings, the shepherds were also cast-offs from society. According to the standards of their day, shepherding was a lower class, messy career, even though the shepherd’s role had kingly associations in scripture. These rough-around-the-edges nobodies were the very first to see God in the flesh after Mary and Joseph. This is certainly a surprise.

Even the magi were not what we might expect. Although apparently wealthy, they came from outside Israel and, as Gentiles, were some of the least expected to receive a message from God. Yet onward they came as part of God’s vital story. Nobodies in the spiritual sense, they traveled great distances in response to God’s surprising message sparked by a miraculous star. They worshiped this child king, this nobody Messiah. Gentiles around the Jewish King was a jarring surprise. Again and again, God does surprising things. His plans come in unexpected packages, and his ways touch unexpected lives.

God is the God of the nobodies.

That is my story, and that is your story. May we be the sort of people who reach out to other nobodies with the surprisingly good news of a nobody-baby who makes us somebody with God.

Lord, Thank You for pursuing nobodies. Thank You for pursuing me, even though I am nobody by the world’s eyes. Give me Your eyes to see other nobodies the way that You do. Help me to share Your unexpected message of hope and life with everyone I encounter today. Amen.

“For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Corinthians 1:25)

 

The cover photo for today’s post is a picture of children in Syria. This Advent, news is coming from the ancient city of Aleppo of mass executions of civilians, including women and children.

One of the few nonprofit organizations to stay in the region is Preemptive Love Coalition. Learn more and give to those for whom there is no room in the inn here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The Creator God Who Redeems

This fall I have been teaching Evangelism and Mission to seminarians at The School of Theology at Seattle Pacific University. The class meets for three intensive weekends throughout October and November. Early on, my husband, John, joined me for a wonderful long weekend. It was our first attempt at a “working vacation” – I worked, he vacationed. Well, I vacationed a little too, I must admit.

During the day on Friday, before my class time began that evening, John and I hiked up to Rattlesnake Ledge, just outside Seattle. It was an energizing hike and the view at the top was spectacular – a great reward for the effort it took to get there. As we hiked, the beauty of it all pressed in upon me and one thought kept running through my mind: creation is never an afterthought in Christian faith; it is foundational. All else moves outward from there.

That idea isn’t always as obvious as it should be. It’s easy to flip things around and think of God as the Redeemer who also creates, rather than as the Creator who also redeems. But that would be a mistake borne of placing ourselves at the center of the universe, rather than the one who truly belongs there – God.

God creates. God redeems. Christian faith is deepened and enriched when we get the order right. This is especially true in the arena of evangelism, where our focus is often on individuals and our fervent hope that they might come into relationship with Jesus Christ. There is no doubt this is an extremely important focus. Yet something significant is lost when the lens of our spiritual life remains set on zoom rather than wide angle.

The faith we receive when we encounter Jesus Christ is faith in a Triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Of course, the second person of the Trinity is vital; but our creeds remind us of the order: we believe in the Father, Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. Starting there widens the scope of redemption considerably – it is indeed good news for all creation.

As we reach out to others on behalf of Jesus Christ, we would do well to remember that sin – our need for redemption – is not the reason for God’s grace. God’s grace is part of God’s very nature. It was alive and active within our Triune God and bore creation into existence long before sin entered the picture. And it will abound overwhelmingly, long after sin has been eliminated and God’s new creation is experienced in all its fullness.

As Christians, we worship a creating, redeeming, sustaining God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – the God who redeems not only human beings, but the entirety of creation, which Paul tells us is even now groaning, as God continues work within it for God’s redemptive purposes. We worship a creating, redeeming, sustaining God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – the God who is working, even now, to eliminate evil and bring to fruition the justice and peace of the kingdom inaugurated in Jesus of Nazareth. It is this God who creates. It is this God who redeems.

Why Advent Breaks My Heart

Savor these thoughts from the archives.

I’m an Advent geek. I love it. I treasure the familiar feelings my faith evokes during this time of year – a deep and abiding sense of hope, expectancy, and joy. I love the preparations – the feeling of my house as I finish decorating at 3 AM with only the quiet sound of Christmas music (Charlie Brown or maybe Ray Charles) playing in the background; the joy of finding just the right gift for someone I love and imagining their face when they open it; the way it smells when John (yes, John) finishes baking Bishop’s Bread.

Despite being one of my favorite times of year, it’s also a difficult time for me because the message of the season always seems out of sync with my experience of the world. There are almost too many disconnects between the Advent season of hope and peace, and our world of violence and heartbreak to mention. I hurt inside every time I scroll my newsfeed.

This internal conflict is not new for me. Every year it seems my heart sings with joy at the same it is breaking with sorrow. That’s because the disconnect isn’t just in my own mind and heart, it’s a foundational contradiction between the Jesus way and the way of the rest of the world – a contradiction and disconnect that’s been around since Jesus came on the scene in the first place.

I suppose that’s the point. It’s the disconnect that caused the prophet Isaiah to promise, “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine…For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end.”

As Christ followers, in all times and seasons, but especially during Advent and Christmas, we declare to the world that we’ve seen that great light. Yet even as we make that proclamation, we can’t ignore that the world remains in deep darkness – God’s dream for the world remains a far cry from the nightmare that’s the reality in so many places today.

That is why proclaiming the good news of light in the midst of darkness isn’t about sentimental visions of Bethlehem’s deep and dreamless sleep as silent stars go by. It’s about recognizing that Isaiah’s promise of a great light is twofold: not only will a son be born to us, but that son, that Prince of Peace, will be “despised and rejected – a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.” (Isaiah 53:3)

Isaiah says that we will turn our backs on that Prince of Peace and look the other way. He will be despised but we won’t care. He will carry our weaknesses and our sorrows will weigh him down. He will be pierced for our rebellion and crushed for our sins. Isaiah says that the one on whose shoulders the government will rest – that Prince of Peace – the one whose peace will never end, will be beaten so we can be whole. He will be whipped so we can be healed.

Every December my heart sings with joy and breaks with sorrow because there is never a manger without a cross. The peace that the angels sing about isn’t a peace that can ever come through violence – no matter how “redemptive” we may believe that violence to be; no matter how much we believe we need to “teach our enemies a lesson.”

The peace the angels sing about is a peace that comes through self-giving love. Our Prince of Peace rules a kingdom whose goal isn’t victory on it own terms but peace on God’s terms.

That our Prince of Peace entered the world as a helpless child and left it as a crucified outcast tells me that God’s kingdom is one in which self-giving, vulnerable, love reigns supreme; a kingdom that at it’s very core is a radical repudiation of violence. And that stands in stark contrast to the kingdoms of this world.

Yet that disconnect raises as many questions about ourselves as it does about the world. I do not doubt that the issues that face us are complex, nor am immune to an intense desire to see those who are doing so much harm brought to justice. But do we not mock the One we claim to follow when we fail to offer the merciful, forgiving, healing, redemptive, saving, love of Christ to all people – even our enemies? The witness of persecuted Christians in Nigeria and across the Middle East in contrast to our own shrill rhetoric convicts me of that painful truth.

We’re partway through this holy-day season, this Advent season of disconnect. Maybe as we proclaim the good news that will bring great joy to all people, we ought also to recall the words of our Prince of Peace, who told us that God blesses peacemakers. Maybe in this season of peace and beyond, we need to ask how might we become more active in our peacemaking?

How might we love rather than hate our enemies?

How might we turn the other cheek, give freely, walk second miles, lower barriers, and come alongside others?

In other words, how might we live more into the likeness of the son whose birth we celebrate?

The questions remain. The disconnect remains. Yet we pray: Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

We pray that light will penetrate darkness, that violence and war will end, that the kingdom of our Prince of Peace – a kingdom of shalom – will indeed come.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Flesh and Blood

The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.

John 1:14, The Message

 

We worship an incarnational God – a God who came to us in the flesh, willingly choosing to become human in Jesus. That’s not just the message we proclaim at Christmas; it’s the model for the way we live our faith and share it all year round.

Following Jesus is incarnational. We enter the worlds of others – our co-workers and friends, our neighbors, strangers we meet as we go about our day. We’re with them in the flesh, not just on the surface. And when we enter the world of others in the same way Jesus entered ours – incarnationally – it changes the way we share our faith. Our sharing takes on a different kind of rhythm, that of word and deed.

Whether we realize it or not, each day we proclaim the good news – both formally and informally – in our conversation, in our expression. This is the rhythm of word. All those beside whom we live, work, and play hear our words, not just those of our preachers and teachers. When we struggle, they hear our struggle. When we celebrate, they hear our celebration. When we enter their struggle – in the flesh, not just on the surface – they hear those words as well. When we share their celebration – in the flesh, not just on the surface – their joy is enhanced by the sound of ours. For every divisive word spewed by others, they wait for a word from us. What will it be? A word of confirmation or a word of the Gospel?%e3%83%9a%e3%83%83%e3%83%88%e3%83%9c%e3%83%88%e3%83%ab_3719513642

Whether we realize it or not, each day we proclaim the good news – and we act, practicing what we preach and preaching what we practice. Word and deed come together, as intimately entwined as breathing in and breathing out. Deciding which is more important depends on which you did last.

Whether we realize it or not, each day we live out our faith – in the flesh, not in theory – and those beside whom we live, work, and play, hear and watch. They watch as we treat or mistreat others, reach out or ignore the suffering, stand with or against the oppressed, work for or against reconciliation, trust and love.

What will they see? Will there be rhythm in our words and deeds?

Word and deed: in the flesh, not just in theory.

So, what will you do next?

Word?

Deed?

Breathe in? Breathe out?

Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem

Sometimes our souls need poetry. Words fashioned carefully may catch my imagination beyond the ability of charts, graphs, or reports to do so.

Do you long for peace? Do you hunger for it?

Enjoy this work by beloved poet Maya Angelou.

 

Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem, by Maya Angelou61fcmo1shrl

 

Thunder rumbles in the mountain passes

And lightning rattles the eaves of our houses.

Flood waters await us in our avenues.

 

Snow falls upon snow, falls upon snow to avalanche

Over unprotected villages.

The sky slips low and grey and threatening.

 

We question ourselves.

What have we done to so affront nature?

We worry God.

Are you there? Are you there really?

Does the covenant you made with us still hold?

 

Into this climate of fear and apprehension, Christmas enters,

Streaming lights of joy, ringing bells of hope

And singing carols of forgiveness high up in the bright air.

The world is encouraged to come away from rancor,

Come the way of friendship.

 

It is the Glad Season.

Thunder ebbs to silence and lightning sleeps quietly in the corner.

Flood waters recede into memory.

Snow becomes a yielding cushion to aid us

As we make our way to higher ground.

 

Hope is born again in the faces of children

It rides on the shoulders of our aged as they walk into their sunsets.

Hope spreads around the earth. Brightening all things,

Even hate which crouches breeding in dark corridors.

 

In our joy, we think we hear a whisper.

At first it is too soft. Then only half heard.

We listen carefully as it gathers strength.

We hear a sweetness.

The word is Peace.

It is loud now. It is louder.

Louder than the explosion of bombs.

 

We tremble at the sound. We are thrilled by its presence.

It is what we have hungered for.

Not just the absence of war. But, true Peace.

A harmony of spirit, a comfort of courtesies.

Security for our beloveds and their beloveds.

 

We clap hands and welcome the Peace of Christmas.

We beckon this good season to wait a while with us.

We, Baptist and Buddhist, Methodist and Muslim, say come.

Peace.

Come and fill us and our world with your majesty.

We, the Jew and the Jainist, the Catholic and the Confucian,

Implore you, to stay a while with us.

So we may learn by your shimmering light

How to look beyond complexion and see community.

 

It is Christmas time, a halting of hate time.

 

On this platform of peace, we can create a language

To translate ourselves to ourselves and to each other.

 

At this Holy Instant, we celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ

Into the great religions of the world.

We jubilate the precious advent of trust.

We shout with glorious tongues at the coming of hope.

All the earth’s tribes loosen their voices

To celebrate the promise of Peace.

 

We, Angels and Mortals, Believers and Non-Believers,

Look heavenward and speak the word aloud.

Peace. We look at our world and speak the word aloud.

Peace. We look at each other, then into ourselves

And we say without shyness or apology or hesitation.

 

Peace, My Brother.

Peace, My Sister.

Peace, My Soul.

Giving Tuesday

Today on Giving Tuesday, we at World Methodist Evangelism give thanks for the opportunities of connecting with Methodist/Wesleyan believers during the past year, from Vladivostok, Russia, to Jamaica. Our faith-sharing seminars continue to equip local leaders to reach out in their communities through word, deed, and sign.

support-young-leaders-e1478542029675We give thanks for the privilege of gathering in Houston for the World Methodist Conference, a global community representing dozens of denominations and countries. It is a time when Tongans and Kenyans and Brasilians and Poles and Indians and Nigerians, when Australians and Russians and Nepalis and Britons and and Koreans and Italians and Pakistanis and many, many more come together for worship, fellowship, encouragement, and edification.

We give thanks for our growing Order of the Flame community, an ever-expanding cohort of American pastors from a variety of Wesleyan Methodist denominations who are trained to lead in faith-sharing vision and mission.

We give thanks for our Wesleyan Accent contributors: writers, pastors, and professors who give voice to our unique Wesleyan heritage as they write articles, share sermons, give interviews, and consider topics from Calvinism or patterns of prayer to animal resurrection or the prophet Jeremiah, and many more.

We give thanks for those who had the vision to begin World Methodist Evangelism, who saw, within the World Methodist Council, the opportunity to support faith-sharing practices across denominations among people who follow Christ in the company of the Wesleys. We give thanks for all of our partners across the decades who have resourced us in our ongoing call to reach the world for Jesus Christ.

Today is Giving Tuesday, a day set aside to support organizations for the coming year that live out the kind of vision that stirs your spirit. Will you prayerfully consider walking alongside us with your resources?

We give thanks for you.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Following Joseph

Some of my most meaningful understanding of what it means to follow Jesus don’t come from Jesus; it’s a strange thing to say, especially at this time of year, but it’s true.

Rather than coming from Jesus, some of the most meaningful insights I’ve gained about how to follow have come from the stories of faithful folks who didn’t completely know what was going on, but followed anyway.

Like Joseph.

Joseph isn’t the first person we think of when we’re trying to grasp what it means to follow Jesus. He disappears from the scene as quickly as he appears. Mary is important enough to make it into the creeds, but Joseph – not so much.

Yet, if there was ever an example of faithful following, it was Joseph.

Mary comes to him with the news that she’s pregnant, not the easiest news to either deliver or accept. But she doesn’t stop there. She adds that it was through the power of God’s Holy Spirit.

Right… Okay… Best thing to do is end this all quietly. A discreet divorce. Seems like a plausible, human response. I can understand that.

Then Joseph gets a visit from an angel who tells him Mary is telling the truth. She really is going to bear the one who will be called Son of the Most High. Trust me Joseph, the angel says. Trust her.

He does; and instead of sending her away, he marries her.

But then the angel leaves and Joseph is alone with a pregnant wife.

Following Jesus is always easier when there are angels around. We have a significant spiritual experience. We make a commitment. We’re bold and excited. We think, I can do this. I believe this.

There may be others around us who are feeling that same way. They’ve taken on a new spiritual challenge. Made a new commitment. Maybe even their initial commitment to Christ. They’re energized and confident. They’re all in and ready to follow.

And then the angel leaves.

Joseph helps me understand what it means to follow after the angel leaves. He reminds me that the angel may be gone, but the promise still stands. The Son of the Most High will come; his kingdom will have no end. God will make God’s home among God’s people, living with them and wiping every tear from their eyes.

Joseph stood on that promise. He trusted Mary. He trusted God. He stood on that promise, regardless of what his family thought, regardless of what his community thought. Even when it meant fleeing to another country, he stood on that promise.

When the angels leave and I feel alone with my commitments, when those commitments feel too big or their weight feels greater than I can carry, I look to Joseph. I recall the way he claimed the promise that he would soon witness the birth of the Son of the Most High. His trust enlivens my trust. His faithful following empowers my own.

There are those around us who need to hear a hope-filled word this Christmas – some quite possibly for the first time. Others may have heard that word, but now the angels are gone and following Jesus is suddenly a whole lot harder. As I look to Joseph to inspire my own following, I pray that each of us will be a Joseph to someone in our family or our community – or even beyond. Following Jesus isn’t easy; but the promise still stands.

Giving Thanks for the Saints: Joe Hale, Godbearer

Though folks in America are anticipating a day of Thanksgiving tomorrow, all of us are awaiting the season of Advent, which begins on Sunday – a time when we prepare our hearts and minds to experience anew our God in skin and bone. As I look forward to both Thanksgiving and Advent, oddly enough, my mind returns to All Saints’ Day.

All Saints’ Day is a time of reflection on the great cloud of witness who have gone before us. We remember with gratitude those who have transitioned from the Church Militant to the Church Triumphant. On a more personal level, we ponder the impact of those who reflected Jesus into our own lives, guiding us on our spiritual path, and making the kingdom life visible, tangible, and real.

joe-hale-headshot2-1024x826Joe Hale, General Secretary Emeritus of the World Methodist Council and a close family friend, died recently. I believe that is why my mind is returning to the themes of All Saints’ Day even as I am preparing to host our family Thanksgiving celebration. This year my thanksgiving is entwined with memories of Joe. His prophetic strength wrapped in the gentleness of his pastoral presence has been a model for me as I have navigated leadership within the Body of Christ. The witness of his self-sacrificial caring for his wife, Mary, challenges me when I find myself drawn toward self-centeredness. The memory of his willingness to risk, to step out, and to trust God returns unbidden to my mind in moments when I’m tempted to shrink from those virtues.

And yet, even in this season of thanksgiving, looking back at All Saints’ Day drives me forward to Advent and the witness of Mary, the ultimate Godbearer. Mary not only bore God to the world in the traditional way we commemorate with nativity scenes and mangers, she was a Godbearer through her prophetic witness of the true nature of the kingdom of God, where the lowly are lifted up and the hungry filled with good things. She was a Godbearer in her faithful bearing of the suffering of her son, staying with him long after the disciples had fled in fear.

As All Saints’ Day mingles with Thanksgiving and the beginning of Advent, I ponder the way Joe reflected Jesus into my life – the way he was a Godbearer to me and to others. He made following Jesus real for me through the way he quietly accompanied another one of my dear spiritual fathers, Bishop Lawi Imathiu of Kenya as they visited Peter Botha, Apartheid President of South Africa. These two humble men spoke truth to power on behalf of the worldwide Methodist Wesleyan family.

We find ourselves in interesting days. As in every age, there is a need to speak truth to power. There is a need to reflect Jesus into the lives of others. There is a need for Christians everywhere to more fully become Godbearers, making the kingdom life visible, tangible and real. I pray that we do it with as much grace and strength as Joe did.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Giving Tuesday

Here in the United States we are getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving Day, a holiday set aside for expressions of gratitude among fellowship with friends and family. As we work and labor together for the Kingdom of God, it is a life-giving practice to set aside time simply to give thanks.

We at World Methodist Evangelism give thanks for the opportunities of connecting with Methodist/Wesleyan believers during the past year, from Vladivostok, Russia, to Jamaica. Our faith-sharing seminars continue to equip local leaders to reach out in their communities through word, deed, and sign.

support-young-leaders-e1478542029675We give thanks for the privilege of gathering in Houston for the World Methodist Conference, a global community representing dozens of denominations and countries. It is a time when Tongans and Kenyans and Brasilians and Poles and Indians and Nigerians, when Australians and Russians and Nepalis and Britons and and Koreans and Italians and Pakistanis and many, many more come together for worship, fellowship, encouragement, and edification.

We give thanks for our growing Order of the Flame community, an ever-expanding cohort of American pastors from a variety of Wesleyan Methodist denominations who are trained to lead in faith-sharing vision and mission.

We give thanks for our Wesleyan Accent contributors: writers, pastors, and professors who give voice to our unique Wesleyan heritage as they write articles, share sermons, give interviews, and consider topics from Calvinism or patterns of prayer to animal resurrection or the prophet Jeremiah, and many more.

We give thanks for those who had the vision to begin World Methodist Evangelism, who saw, within the World Methodist Council, the opportunity to support faith-sharing practices across denominations among people who follow Christ in the company of the Wesleys. We give thanks for all of our partners across the decades who have resourced us in our ongoing call to reach the world for Jesus Christ.

A week from tomorrow, Tuesday, November 29th, is Giving Tuesday, a day set aside to support organizations for the coming year that live out the kind of vision that stirs your spirit. Will you prayerfully consider walking alongside us with your resources?

We give thanks for you.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]