Visual or Auditory

by Dr. Mark Brewer :: I’ve been sharing about how Calvin this last year (on his 500th birthday) helped change Geneva, Switzerland, into what he thought would be a great city for Christ. One of the things Calvin actually embraced was the arts for Christ. It is true some misguided zealots of these new Protestants destroyed beautiful works of art in the Cathedrals because they thought they were idolatrous. But Calvin actually appreciated good art for God’s glory. He seems to have spent more time addressing music over the visual arts. A simple room with heart felt songs and preaching were his goals.

It is always interesting to me which impacts people more—what they see or what they hear. Would you rather have an ugly room with great sounding music, or bland music in a beautiful sanctuary? Of course it not an ‘either/or’ thing. But I do get feedback all the time on how the sanctuary looks as well as who picked that last song. I love that the Lord made us all different in what speaks to us. We’ll just keep trying to offer the best we can to glorify God. As long as we remember God’s warning through Isaiah, “these people worship Me with their lips but their hearts are far from Me.” The crucial quality God loves is not found in our ears or eyes…but our hearts.

Being Relevant

by Dr. Mark Brewer :: I was recently speaking to a group of twenty-something church leaders. I am so pumped up about the future church with the women and men God is raising up. It also made me think of the old adage “whoever marries today’s fad is tomorrow’s widower.” One of life’s great ironies is that often the more we try to be relevant, the sooner we become irrelevant. Yet the more we are tied to the things eternal the more current we become. The reason is that the unchanging things of life are what everyone relates to on some level. Things like friends, love, beauty, and kindness. If there was ever a “postmodern” person it was Francis of  Assisi in the 12th century. As I talk with the students of today there are three big issues for them: the environment, not being socially isolated, and caring for the poor. Francis was someone who was totally in love with the Creator and His Creation. Long before “going green” was cool (or even necessary) Francis praised God in the wonder of the creation. He was someone who was definitely more relationally-driven than organizationally. He loved the church and was a deep sacramentalist who found Christ in the worship and elements of communion. But what really “turned his crank” was the love and caring of people and his “little band of brothers.” He particularly loved the poor and disenfranchised. It’s funny how every time I read or hear about the latest postmodern “emerging church” idea, it just drips with the life of Francis of Assisi. Some people are ahead of their times. Or maybe the times are just catching up with them. If I am going to relate with the city of Los Angeles in the fall of 2009, I had better make sure I’m connected to the deep and unchanging things of God.

September 31

by Dr. Mark Brewer :: I remember in grade school having a tough time trying to figure out which months had only thirty days. So I decided to try to convince my teacher it was okay that I missed the right date on my homework. Who decided to come up with these calendar rules anyway? Life is like that in many ways. Our calendars and God’s seems to be out of sync. Why is it in life you make the least money (in early adulthood) when you need it the most with new families, careers, and everything? Why is it, as the old saying goes, “too early we get old; too late we get smart?” Mark Twain said, “youth is wasted on the young.” I think it’s all about the whole faith thing. The mature and deep Christian is the one who continually relies more and more on Christ—not less. She knows that God will take care of things even when new seasons and times take hold. The Christian man who has navigated the rough waters of life can sleep well at night knowing he will never totally “connect the dots” on so much of life—except for the fact of God’s immeasurable love and trustworthiness. As we go into the month of October, it is good to know that God’s calender is perfect in all of our lives. “He knows the seasons and the times declared for us,” the prophet reminds us. So have a blessed October no matter what season we find ourselves passing through. The Risen Christ is with us!

The Devil’s Tools

by Dr. Mark Brewer :: During these tough economic times I’m reminded of the old story (from colonial days) of the Devil selling his tools to raise a little money. An old farmer went to see what he could buy. There was the “whip of fear” to frighten any opponents. Next to it was the “hammer of guilt” to break the strongest heart. Over in the corner were the arrows of hate, and the rope of lust to stop the strongest adversary. But in the back of the Devil’s storehouse was a dark, heavy blanket. “How much is that?” asked the old farmer. The devil said “that one’s not for sale. It’s my greatest weapon.” It was the blanket of discouragement. How true. Sometimes the toughest thing to overcome is discouragement. Evil doesn’t have to destroy us. All Satan has to do is get us to drop out of the fight all by ourselves and evil has won.

An 18th century Scot once summarized life by saying, “The average age of the world’s great civilizations has been two hundred years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence; from bondage to spiritual faith—from spiritual faith to courage—from courage to liberty—from liberty to abundance— from abundance to selfishness—from selfishness to complacency—from complacency to apathy—from apathy to dependency—from dependency back to bondage.”

I believe we are living in an ever increasingly apathetic world. Sadly, much of the church has drifted down the river of “who cares.” When we are simply mirrors of a mean-spirited, decadent, materialistic, boastful, amusement obsessed culture, it is time to come back to our senses. The answer is to become dependent upon God and not ourselves or others. When life has knocked the wind out of us, and we don’t have the courage to take the next step, that is when the power of diligent and hopeful prayer takes over. Let’s commit ourselves this fall to throw the “blanket of discouragement” off our backs. Let’s all take the next step in finding the love, peace, and joy of the spirit. God knows how we get scared and discouraged. It’s why Christ said, “in the world you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer —I have overcome the world!” What an en-courager we serve!

Jet Lag

by Dr. Mark Brewer :: Anytime I have to fly somewhere I’m always amazed at the wonders of this era. Like jet lag. The clock on my watch during a meeting tells me its one time, but my body tells me just to go to sleep. (I guess lots of people every Sunday are jet lagged when I’m preaching.) Time is one of the things that fascinates us all. Cutting edge physics is so much about time and space. God loves his creation of time. The bothersome thing is that God doesn’t seem to understand our expectations of when things should get done.

Our Jewish friends are about to celebrate New Year or Rosh Hashanah (head of the year). To them it’s New Year 5770. To us its September 18, 2009. Both are right and God works in both calenders. When we take stock of our own lives this new academic year, I wonder how close our timing matches God’s in expectations and priorities.

When Jesus met Simon he told him, “So you are Simon. You will be Peter.” We all live in the “no longer but not yet” tension. You are Simon—with all the insecurities and self interests of any one. But Jesus said, “I am going to make you into a Rock”—Petros in the Greek—Cephas in the Aramaic. When Jesus Christ looks at me he says, “You are Mark, but I am transforming you into the person to share eternity with Me,” it’s not up to us to do the changing so much as it’s up to us to cooperate with the Holy Spirit’s work of sanctifying each of us.That’s true for our families, our careers, our dreams, and certainly our church. It is also true of Los Angeles.

God loves the city. Not the crime, pollution, corruption, meanness, and loneliness. He loves the people and even the possibility of the city He would have to love Him and others. I want to quit trying so hard to control my calendar and let the Lord be the Lord of time in my life. It really is peaceful to know God has all things in His caring hands and we can rest in His peace, His provisions, and His promises. Happy new year!

Second Violin

by Dr. Mark Brewer :: Someone once asked Leonard Bernstein what was the hardest instrument to play in the orchestra. “Second Violin” was his immediate answer. Why? Because they have to be almost as good as the first violin and yet not get the glory. As we are looking at Calvin’s Geneva (on his 500th birthday) we run into someone who was a great “second violin.” Philip Melancthon was not only great at befriending both Martin Luther as well as John Calvin, he was in many ways the scholar for Luther’s works. Since they both worked together at the University, Phillip Melancthon was their to help behind the scenes. It was he who helped write the scriptures into German. It was he who helped in some of the more technical theological questions. And yet others get all the credit. If we are going to change Los Angeles, we have to be mature enough to not care which church, ministry, or person gets the credit. Easy to say, but tough to do when you know some people are “more talk than walk,” yet others adore them.

One day John the Baptist was being grilled by his followers because the new preacher in town (that would be Jesus) was getting all the attention. John’s great response in the third chapter of John was, “this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase as I decrease.” Learning to celebrate others’ success is so difficult. I know it is for me. Why? Because our old sinful nature is riddled with competition and insecurities. Yet the good news is we are not in competition for our Heavenly Father’s love. It really is hard to “accept our acceptance” as the German theologian Helmut Theilicke said. God loves us right where we are right now. He won’t leave us there, but He accepts us right this moment. One of the most liberating truths in life is to find joy in another’s blessings, even when we are not so blessed. When we all stand before the Lord He is the One who will give out the real recognition. In the mean time, I’m going to try and not be so concerned about people who I think are not so deserving being blessed. I want to be more “Melancthon-like.”

Individuals or the Group?

by Dr. Mark Brewer :: Is the individual or the group more important? We all would love to think it’s the individual. But what about when there are a ‘bunch’ of individuals? Does one person’s desires have the ‘right’ to hold others hostage? Or is the individual at the mercy of the group?  One of the questions Calvin and the Reformers had to answer was the issue of what we call ‘individual rights.’ For them it was an issue of ‘rights within relationships.’ I am free to follow what I think the Lord has laid on my heart; just as long as it does not ‘cause others to stumble.’ My freedom is only constrained by my love for my fellow human beings.

The tricky part is in implementing our common agreed upon rules for relationships. Who and how are laws and ground rules created? The Geneva of the 16th century relied upon ‘wise and Godly’ governance. Such large decisions were not left to the ‘mob.’ Wise individuals with a track record were appointed by vote to lead.

They were hardly perfect in their decisions but they did have a deep sense of ‘the common good.’ Good faith means the intentions of the heart. It was their ‘fiduciary’ (Latin for faith is ‘fide’) outlook which allowed the freedom to adapt to new challenges. They knew God in His Providence would supply the direction and means to get there.  This wise faith applies to all our relationships. Whether in the ‘common sense’ ground rules of living with friends or family, to the culture of our businesses, to the elected leaders in LA we as citizens can release wise decisions by loving the Lord and each other in ‘good faith.’

Finding Joy in Los Angeles

by Dr. Mark Brewer :: Calvin experienced a lot of pain in his life. Not only did he lose siblings to death, but he also would lose his beloved son and wife to illness. He was pursued by the religious authorities of the day for his life. Yet when he writes there is deep sense of gratitude for the goodness of God and life. How does someone find that kind of joy in such tough times? Calvin’s answer was it depends on what you focus on.

When a plant bends or ‘follows’ the sun light its called ‘phototrophic.’ By adjusting to the position of the moving sun it maximizes the life giving light. In the same way when we ‘adjust’ our attention to the Son of God we can maximize the joy that’s available even in the ‘darkest’ times. I notice when I look around this city its very easy to focus on all the darkness. But when I actually go looking for the good that God is doing through the lives of others I end up seeing the world through different eyes. One of the great statements of the reformers later in the Westminster Catechism is answering the very purpose of life. “What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” Calvin and the other reformers knew it is impossible to truly glorify God and not enjoy Him and His creation. I’ll try and look around today for one little thing that is cool and thank God for it.

Friends of Friends

by Dr. Mark Brewer :: Have you ever noticed you sometimes have friends who like you but not each other? The worst thing to do is try and force them into a relationship. It is kind of like grabbing two ends of an electrical cord and attempting to ‘connect them.’ The end result is you keep them apart and you take all the juice! But now and then the opposite happens. Once in a while there is someone in your life you don’t ‘relate’ with, but they have a friend who can befriend both of you.

We don’t know if Calvin ever met Luther, but we do know they had a common friend in Phillip Melanchthon. Though both Luther in Germany and Calvin in Geneva were staunch allies in the reformation, they had big disagreements on communion. What fascinates me is that Phillip Melanchthon had the ability to relate to both friends even when they could not relate with each other. Sometimes in my life a particular friend of mine will introduce me to someone who will become an even more important person in my life later on. As we continue to build new relationships with other churches and mission partners we should not be surprised if they in turn connect us to someone else who will be even more important to us. It’s easy to mistake a friendship as the ‘end of the road’ vs. a ‘bend in the road.’ Learning how to engage our friend’s friends is a crucial skill in our relational worlds.

Roots Thick and Intertwined

by Rev. Rosie Kwak :: The Apostle Paul wrote this to the Ephesians, “I pray that you being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-19

During our staff chapel recently, R.O. Smith led us in singing praises to God. I observed his interesting T shirt. Streaming down from the neckline was what looked like roots stretching and reaching down (into imaginary soil). Roots thick and intertwined like the roots of an old Oak or towering Sequoia (if we could ever see them). I thought about how we can never see roots as they labor and break through obstacles like rock and clay soil to gain nourishment to support the tree. But certainly we can see the tree. What if in order for the tree to grow and thrive and produce green leaves and fruit, a like action must have occurred underground? I wondered if the sprawling tree above the ground could actually mirror sprawling roots below the ground. I personally have never seen roots reaching and growing downward, but then again maybe I have.
As I sit with others in my office and listen to their struggles and trials could it be compared to roots reaching downward in order to be more firmly planted? Could it be that for Christians, times of personal struggle, want, trial or hardship are times when our spiritual roots must strain and breakthrough obstacles. Do trials in our lives really demand our spiritual roots to grow deeper and even breakthrough old patterns of behaviors or thoughts? During trials we must trust God in new ways; Ways that may look like:

rest instead of control,
prayer instead of worry,
a change in our behavior or
forgiveness.

Maybe, every time we move out in faith, trusting the Lord, we are like those laboring roots. Every inch deeper lends itself to a fuller measure of Christ-likeness.

Rev. Rosie Kwak
Interim Director, Caring Ministries