Treasure and Truth

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are reflections on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://encounterchurch.org/messages] 

I was recently involved in a production at Spectrum Theater with the following story line: An elderly woman travels to the Middle East and unknowingly brings back a teapot containing a powerful genie. (Yeah…a comedy.) The bad-guy-previous owner will do anything to retrieve this priceless genie—travel to America, break into her apartment, hold a knife to her throat, and threaten murder—all to gain the treasure contained in the teapot. Let’s face it—a genie with unlimited power to fulfill one’s dreams and fantasies is pretty good motivation to seek out a treasure. And who isn’t intrigued by a good treasure hunt story?

The Bible also contains stories about seeking or finding treasure. Jesus’ two parables of people seeking or finding treasure are found in Matthew 13. Looking back at what Jesus had been talking about before this, I discovered that these two parables about the kingdom of God are smack-dab in the middle of a whole bunch of parables about the kingdom of God. Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a farmer and seeds, weeds, mustard seeds, yeast and dough, and the treasure parable is followed by a parable of a net and fish. All these stories begin with “The kingdom of God…” or “The kingdom of heaven…” Seems like a pretty random list of things to describe God’s kingdom.

But in the past, when I was asked to lead a short children’s message on the sermon topic, I would walk about my house looking for ordinary objects to help me make abstract concepts into concrete ideas that children could understand. Okay, I admit, it also helped me understand them better. Cans of Campbell’s soup, a charcoal briquette, a broom, and a tape recorder all made their appearance at one time or another. So I can imagine Jesus walking along trying to think of ways to make real or concrete the very abstract idea of the kingdom of God. Seeds and weeds, yeast and dough……and treasure. I bet the disciple’s ears perked up at that one.

However, the treasure turns out to be us. What a wild and crazy idea! The kingdom of God happens to actually be the people who live in it. All of us---the broken, the messed-up, the dysfunctional, the selfish, the greedy—we are the treasure that Christ bought and redeemed at the highest cost ever. As simple as that is, I often find it hard to wrap my mind around that thought.

Author Anne Lamott relates that when she teaches Sunday School, a favorite ritual of hers to do with the children is called Loved and Chosen.

“I sat on the couch and glanced slowly around in a goofy, menacing way, and then said “Is anyone here wearing a blue sweatshirt with Pokemon on it?” The four-year-old looked down at his chest, astonished to discover that he matched the description—like, what are the odds? He raised his hand. “Come over to the couch,” I said. “You are so loved and chosen.” He clutched at himself like a beauty pageant finalist. Then I asked if anyone that day was wearing green socks with brown shoes, a Giants cap, an argyle vest? Each of them turned out to be loved and chosen, which does not happen so often. Even Neshama—Anyone in red shoes today?—leapt towards the couch with relief.” (from Grace Eventually)

In truth, we are all loved and chosen. The good people, the rotten people, people we respect, and people that, if we are truthful, we wished lived far, far away.  All of us—the treasure chosen, bought and paid for by Jesus.

The Lord your God is with you,

the Mighty Warrior who saves.

He will take great delight in you;

in his love he will no longer rebuke you,

but will rejoice over you with singing.

Zephaniah 3:17

[Sandy Navis is happily retired and spends her days doing pretty much whatever she wants to do. She is a firm believer in the power of laughter, singing while doing the dishes, crazy dancing while cleaning house, and eating chocolate every day. Sandy has three grandkids, who she loves to talk about even more than breadmaking.]

More Than a Rescue, We Need a Resurrection

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are reflections on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://myencounterchurch.org/#/messages-media] 

            Like some of you, I grew up in an old church adorned with stained glass windows and wooden pews. The kind of church you might see in movies or on TV. My childhood church first organized in September of 1879, almost 130 years ago, and we worshiped every Sunday morning and evening with an organ, hymns (songs), and a pastor who wore a long robe. At that church we often sang a song called “It is Well with My Soul,” which has become one of those long-enduring songs of the faith, perhaps because of its haunting beauty, but certainly also because of the history behind the song itself.

            “It is Well with My Soul” was written by Horatio Spafford in 1876, only three years before my childhood church started worshipping. I imagine them singing that song when it was first released, as we might sing a United or Elevation Worship song, standing to sing, perhaps without instrumental accompaniment. The words echo through the wooden church structure in careful harmony.

Spafford, the song-writer, suffered through immense pain in his life, too much pain for most of us to understand. His 2-year-old child died in the mid-1800s, and then he lost his fortune in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Later, while crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the ship carrying his wife and four daughters sank, and all four of his daughters drowned at sea. Only his wife survived. It was in that terrible place, as Horatio Spafford crossed the Atlantic by himself, traveling to meet his wife, having five children now deceased and his business in ruins, that Spafford wrote the famous words of “It is Well with my Soul.” Some of the most memorable lines for me are these:

            “And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

            The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

            The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

            Even so, it is well with my soul.”

Legend has it that Spafford wrote the lyrics to the hymn while traveling over the same spot where the ship carrying his wife and daughters sank, and both the original manuscript of the song and Spafford’s personal writings still exist today: “On Thursday last we passed over the spot where she went down in mid-ocean, the water three miles deep. But I do not think of our dear ones there. They are safe, folded, the dear lambs, and there, before long, shall we be too. In the meantime, thanks to God, we have an opportunity to serve and praise him for his love and mercy to us and ours. I will praise him while I have by being. May we each one arise, leave all, and follow him.”

            What I find most remarkable about both the hymn and Spafford’s personal writing is the attention to the need for a resurrection. Perhaps he, more than almost any of us, understood the need not for a rescuer, but for a death and resurrection. After all, Spafford eventually lost 6 of his children, and what could a rescue offer to him? I think about these families living in the late 1800s, before the medical intervention we now enjoy and I think, what good would a rescue be now to families who already buried their children? No, what these Christians realized is that they didn’t need a rescuer, they needed a resurrection.

            Probably one of the most significant differences between Spafford and me is that Spafford clearly attended carefully, every single day, to his faith. It has become too easy for me, in my modern, busy, convenient life, to allow my faith life to cruise on autopilot for a day. Or a week. Or a month. But Stafford calls us to reflect on God’s mercy even in this time of great suffering, invoking biblical language of walking by faith rather than by sight, and of dying to ourselves in order to follow after Christ. I can’t think of too many times that I willingly died to myself in this past week, which probably means that I’m still trying to be the rescuer of my own life, rather than acknowledging my need for a resurrection.

            At bedtimes my kids will sometimes talk about death. They talk about how they don’t want to die, and how they certainly don’t want people they love to die. I don’t want any of us to die, either, but I do understand more clearly now, as an adult, the language of faith becoming sight, and the peace that will come with the true resurrection. There are so many patterns and behaviors that I know I should lay down, and yet, they continue to rule over me. And so my prayer for all of us is Spafford’s prayer: That we may recognize our need for a resurrection, that one day our faith will become sight, and that in the meantime, we will leave behind all and follow after Christ.

God's Best vs. Our Best

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are reflections on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://myencounterchurch.org/#/messages-media] 

There are many ways to change the world. Some people do it by becoming a missionary, some people do it by wiping runny noses, some people do it by serving food to those who don’t have enough, some people do it by being a listening ear, some people do it by showing up to the same job every day for forty seven years, or any combination of these and so many more. And each time we say “Yes” to one of these things, we are, even without paying attention, saying “No” to a million other ways to spend our time. How we are uniquely designed and called to serve God will look different for almost every single one of us. At the core though, our mission is the same--to live each day so that we become more and more like Jesus. 

Photo Credit: Martin Wessely

God called Nehemiah to rebuild the wall in Jerusalem. As he carried out this project, many distractions presented themselves. In Nehemiah 6, Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem repeatedly tried to lure Nehemiah away from his project, claiming they had important things to discuss with him. Nehemiah saw right through it though. I love what he prays. The way he responds to people talking bad about him is filled with so much more grace and calm than I would be capable of having in the same situation. Instead of getting distracted and praying for God to smite these people talking bad about him, or for them to at least stop spreading these rumors, Nehemiah prays for something directly related to the scope of the project he’s actually working on. It’s simply, “Now strengthen my hands.” The crucial thing that Nehemiah understood was that it didn’t matter what others thought of him or his project, but that he followed God and did that project well. He had to be wise enough to recognize when even seemingly good things were going to get in the way of what his ultimate thing was. 

We see something else very important here--this is the second time Nehemiah prays a very specific prayer about what he’s doing. In Nehemiah 2:4, as he’s asking the king for permission to even begin this project, Nehemiah “prayed to the God of heaven.” All throughout this story, Nehemiah keeps his focus on the one who’s ultimately in charge of its success or failure: God. Nehemiah knew the project wasn’t really his; it belonged to God, so it didn’t matter whether the project succeeded or failed according to human standards, as long as he followed God. The same is true in our own lives. Whatever the size and scope of our project, whether it’s raising children or running the race or being a good employee, if we’re following God, even if by human standards we “fail,” we fail to the glory of God. 

There are many good, worthy projects we can invest our time and energy into, but we can’t let ourselves get distracted by the good things if they detract from our focus on the best things. It doesn’t necessarily mean we have to quit everything we’re involved in, though by stepping away from some opportunities, we may find it benefits both ourselves and creates spaces for others to lean into what could be their great project. Be reallocating our time and energy, we can better reflect what our priorities should be instead of simply what they have become while we took our eyes off the main thing. 


[Brianna DeWitt believes in Jesus, surrounding yourself with good people, and that desserts are best when they involve chocolate and peanut butter. She writes about faith, growing up, and whatever else pops into her head on her own blog, and tweets (largely about food) at @bwitt722.]

How to Get Things Done

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are reflections on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://myencounterchurch.org/#/messages-media] 

Group projects have never been my favorite. In school it always seemed like a group would be full of people who were full of ideas but not great at execution, or, occasionally, vice versa--lots of people ready to get stuff done, but short on good ideas. I once compared a group to an air balloon--we needed the passion people full of ideas and looking up towards possibility, as well as the planners, tethering us to the ground and to reality where we could actually get things done. Without that balance, we wouldn’t have been able to successfully accomplish our goal.

Photo Credit: Austin Ban

The story of Nehemiah shows us a lot about how to move beyond ourselves and do something more that can benefit the world around us. After he learned about the plight of his people, Nehemiah first mourned, fasted, and prayed. His waiting didn’t diminish his passion, but allowed it to deepen and take the shape it truly needed to. Then, when the time finally came for him to pursue his passion, he had had time to plan and now it just needed to be enacted. Nehemiah strategically waited until the start of a new year, when it was customary for the king to grant a request from his servants--it was the perfect opportunity for Nehemiah to request what he needed in order to set into motion his plan to rebuild the wall for his people. 

If Nehemiah had acted brashly, immediately begging the king for permission to rebuild the wall, it’s rather unlikely the king would have granted his request. It also wouldn’t have given Nehemiah time to think through everything he would really need in order for this to come to be. In addition to his request to be permitted to leave his post as cupbearer to the king, Nehemiah realized there were many other things he needed that he couldn’t accomplish all on his own. There were official documents he needed, tons of supplies, and once he got there, many people to help actually build the wall. No matter how much passion and planning Nehemiah had, he couldn’t have accomplished this on his own. 

In the same way, all the passion and planning in the world will turn out to be worth nothing if we haven’t sought God throughout. As Nehemiah asked the king for what he needed to put his project into motion, he continued to seek God. Nehemiah 2:4 tells us, “Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king.” It’s easy to get caught up in ideas we’re passionate about and to move forward full steam ahead, or to get so caught up in planning every tiny little detail that we lose sight of the reason we’re even doing what we’re doing. 

Even if our project is deemed an earthly success, if we’ve failed to consider the only one whose opinion truly matters, we haven’t really succeeded. Our passion and our plans must always be done in alignment with God’s passion and plans. It doesn’t mean things will always go just like we wanted them to, or that our passion is always directed in the right way, but it puts us in the best possible place for God to do his good work in the world through us. 


[Brianna DeWitt believes in Jesus, surrounding yourself with good people, and that desserts are best when they involve chocolate and peanut butter. She writes about faith, growing up, and whatever else pops into her head on her own blog, and tweets (largely about food) at @bwitt722.]