November 2023: How Will Your Neighbors Find You?
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:34
This is my favorite time of year.
The weather has started to crisp. The sun is winding down its daily journey. Sweaters are being brought out. Pumpkins are decorating porches. Fall is here.
As the days become more somber, I tend to begin to become more reflective. There is a contemplative tone in the air, and whenever I slow down to pay attention to my life, I can’t help but be overwhelmed with gratitude.
However, this year holds a particular tension. For the last month, my news feed has been filled with horrifying images coming from the Middle East. On October 7th, 2023, we experienced a shock around the world when Israel was attacked by Hamas. Civilians were killed, hostages have been taken, and families are broken. In response, Israel is currently retaliating with a barrage of missiles to avenge their own losses. Buildings are being destroyed, civilians are being killed, and families are broken.
Day after day, as I woke up in the secure silence of my home, I couldn't help but mourn that peace is a fleeting dream for many across the world, both now and throughout history. My heart has carried the weight and complexities in such a profound way.
One of my favorite fiction authors, Pierce Brown, penned this line that often comes to my mind in October. Lorn is a war veteran who, while carrying accolades from many battles, also carries the scars of violence in his soul. He warns a young man who is apprenticing under him not to follow in his footsteps. Lorn’s warning is that “Death begets death begets death.”
In our interconnected generation, it is wild to me that in real-time, people can share from their phones the incredible atrocities that they are experiencing firsthand. Despite the physical distance, the internet places the whole world in the midst of this war. Our emotions are stoked, sides are taken, anger begins to rise, and enemies are established. Now, this blog today isn’t a comment on the complexities of what is happening in Israel-Palestine. For that, I would highly recommend you listen to these podcasts from Preston Sprinkle’s Theology in the Raw (Perspectives from a Palestinian Christian & Israeli Christian regarding the current conflict).
However, I wanted to highlight the events because I know that many of us are left wondering what is the Christian response in the midst of this pain. Do we move to action? Do we pretend it doesn’t exist? Are we to disengage to pretend that everything is fine? Are we to be worried and anxious? Are we to be angry and venomous?
Well, in the last month, in the midst of all of these questions and emotions, I stumbled across a quote from C.S. Lewis that grounded me. In 1949, Lewis wrote to his generation, responding to similar questions about the fear of the atomic bomb. He wrote:
“In one way we think a great deal too much of the atomic bomb. ‘How are we to live in an atomic age?’ I am tempted to reply: ‘Why, as you would have lived in the sixteenth century when the plague visited London almost every year, or as you would have lived in a Viking age when raiders from Scandinavia might land and cut your throat any night; or indeed, as you are already living in an age of cancer, an age of syphilis, an age of paralysis, an age of air raids, an age of railway accidents, an age of motor accidents.’
In other words, do not let us begin by exaggerating the novelty of our situation. Believe me, dear sir or madam, you and all whom you love were already sentenced to death before the atomic bomb was invented: and quite a high percentage of us were going to die in unpleasant ways. We had, indeed, one very great advantage over our ancestors—anesthetics; but we have that still. It is perfectly ridiculous to go about whimpering and drawing long faces because the scientists have added one more chance of painful and premature death to a world which already bristled with such chances and in which death itself was not a chance at all, but a certainty.
This is the first point to be made: and the first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together. If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things—praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts—not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs. They may break our bodies (a microbe can do that) but they need not dominate our minds.”
This quote was a helpful reminder that the questions posed earlier aren’t new. Human history has been filled with violence and pain since Adam fell and was deceived to the lies of the enemy. Every day, it feels like things are getting worse and that the world is on fire. Billy Joel addressed this feeling with his song We Didn’t Start the Fire where all of the lyrics are just major news events of 1949-1989. Yet, this is not a contemporary worry. The Psalmist in Psalm 46 shares similar worries regarding the state of the world, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.”
The fire has been burning for all of human history, and C.S. Lewis's quote is a sober reminder that we shouldn’t be surprised when it continues to burn in our lifetime. We, as Followers of Jesus, are called to be in the midst of the pain, pointing to a greater reality. Our lives must be signposts to the kingdom of God that is longing to break out here in America and all over the world. We are arbiters of change. Usherers of peace. Ambassadors of love. It is through us that the world will see God’s kingdom breaking in. It is through us that we bring justice into the world. It is in us, collectively, that we reflect God. When we all align ourselves to Jesus, the world finds hope. We must understand that God’s hope and vision is that we would be the answer to the brokenness and despair in the world. He has filled us with His Spirit to become like Jesus in a hungry world for truth.
Our neighbors are sinking in anxiety, fear, and pain. How will they find us? Will they find us adding to the fire? Will they find us scared and hiding? Or will they find us living the way of Jesus, bringing life and love to those around us?
May our response be life and hope in a world burning.
Will they find us living the way of Jesus?
•••
This month, may we set ourselves apart from the fears and anxieties of the world.
Community Table Fellowship
During November, the majority of us will celebrate a version of Thanksgiving. We may travel to see our families of origin, but we have our extended families of House Churches where we get the special opportunity to share this special holiday together. Whether you call it Friendsgiving, Famsgiving, or Fall House Church Dinner, consider pausing your regular schedule to prioritize being together as a family.
An additional thought: If you’re celebrating Thanksgiving locally, consider inviting your House Church family to celebrate with you. Especially if you know they aren’t able to be with others for the holiday season.
If this is short notice for you, and you haven’t any Table Fellowship scheduled for your House Church. Join us for our Garden Church Gratitude Dinner on Thursday, November 16th!
Formation Lament
A large amount of the Psalms are laments. Where the author allows God into the deep pains of life. Many of us do not allow God into the depths of pain because we see Him as being above them. However, in Jesus, God proves to us that He is not above pain but is the God who comes and makes himself vulnerable to all pain.
Many spiritual directors will guide those they are walking within, naming the pain of their lives, mainly because we are emotional beings. When we limit the depths we experience, we also limit the heights we are able to know. Let us intentionally create space to step into the pain of the world, and to allow God to speak to it as well. Here are some simple steps modeled in the Psalms.
Presence Gratitude
As we allow ourselves to feel the lows. We must also regularly name the blessings of our lives. During November, take some time to daily write and pray out 5-10 things that you’re thankful for. Atleast for the next month, allow no repeats! Give thanks for the small and the big things in your life. You will see how you will notice God’s nearness in every aspect of your life.
Mission Adding Chairs to the Table
During the holidays, it feels like low-hanging fruit to allow your House Church to engage missionaly with your neighbors. Consider not only extending your table for your House Church family, but also thinking strategically how you can add chairs to your table with your neighbors to know the hospitable heart of God.