Unsung Heroes

Despite where you might look one finds within our culture that we are trained to request, seek, and demand the attention of others.  It's everywhere, it's why football stars come up with touchdown celebrations that scream, "Look at me!"  It's why celebrities try and one up one another on the red carpet or the awards shows.  It's why political discourse has grinded to a halt and personal attacks and one-line zingers have become the norm among political leaders.  It is the result of the idol of approval  taking over and controlling the affection of one's heart.  It certainly is an idol that many of us likely struggle, but that is for another day.

But rather than writing a post about the discouragement we must all feel as we look around and see a society that molds us into being self-absorbed as we seek the praise, approval and eyes of others, too often we miss the incredible reality that behind every star or touchdown dance, there are those whose job was to block so that he had the chance.  Behind every celebrity making a fool of themselves on stage at an awards show is a bass player who is faithfully playing his chords with no acclaim.  Behind every politician that takes the opportunity to use his platform to blast another is an aid who is researching and reading the actual law and sharing advice with the politician that would best benefit his constituents.  These are somewhat thankless jobs, the unseen heroes.

For whatever reason these have always held a soft spot in my heart.  My best friends in high school were not the diva wide receivers, but our offensive linemen.  They were critical to any success that I or others had, but seldom were recognized outside of our locker room.  In young adulthood I got to know some guys who had played in bands as a bassist or drummer.  I appreciated so much their perseverance and the incredible investment that their talent and vision had on the music that was produced, yet the mic was rarely given to them in an interview.  In each case their investment and presence was absolutely essential yet rarely noticed or appreciated as much as they deserved.

As I have had opportunities to lead in local churches, my eye is regularly looking for those who are serving, leading, and investing but are rarely noticed.  Those who are the unseen heroes in a church.  The list could be plenty long.  I think of those who serve faithfully in children's ministry.  My in-law's have taught Sunday School at their church for early elementary kids for over twenty years.  They are investing week to week with kids and as faithful as they come.  They have been an incredible example to me of faithfulness and endurance in ministry.  I think of those custodians who keep the place in order and clean.  At the church where I work now, I love driving up to see a red pickup truck as Calvin is already at work.  That building is in order and he is making sure that things are ready for the activities of the day.  I can't imagine the place without him!  I think of those who serve in positions of leadership on a deacon/elder board.  The decisions that they are forced to wrestle and pray over are immense and their Godly wisdom and discernment not only for Scripture but for the signs of the time are necessary for the sheep in that local congregation.  I've been so grateful for the leaders at both churches where I've served.  Their faithfulness has left a mark in my life and always been a request I've prayed, that they would continue to fight the good fight.

The list could and should go on, but here are three ways that I'm trying to express my appreciation for unsung heroes near me;

1. Expressing my thanks in person.  It certainly is not a radical idea, but just take a moment to tell them personally how much I appreciate them and their service.  I want them to know that I see and am grateful for their investment.
2. Express my thanks by card & gift.  Ever since Jen and I had kids we tried to give gifts to our boys' Sunday School teachers.  We believe strongly in their impact and want them to know how much they mean to us.  It usually is a hand written card and some pastry around Christmas or a craft and gift card at the end of the year, but we simply want them to know their investment is noticed and worth it in our eyes.
3. Imitation.  They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery.  In my case that means seeking out jobs that nobody notices and doing them.  I used to request that I get to clean the Youth House because I wanted a job that went unseen.  I want to be faithful even if nobody is approving or saying good job.  In some ways it sows humility that I need in my heart and my hope is that it will reap selflessness in my life as well.

 

William Gibson Felker

As I lay on the couch next to a sleeping newborn in his jaundice bed, I can't hardly believe we are back at this stage again.  Athan was born five years ago and so in many ways it seems we've outgrown this newborn stage!  But in so many ways Jen and I are jubilant to have another little gift from above to care and teach.

William Gibson Felker was born August 9th at 5:27 p.m.  Like Hudson before him, that was a Sunday which always makes for an exciting day with church and the arrival of a new child!  He was early, like his brother Athan as his due date was not until August 27th.  In many ways he followed a similar line to his older brothers, but in many ways he carved his own path.  He is our first Texas baby, which comes with all of that state pride woven into the D.N.A.  He is our first C-section (He was breach so Jen didn't have a choice!).

As with the other two, Jen and I were committed to naming this one after heroes of the faith.  As the boys have grown older those conversations about their namesakes, Hudson Taylor and Athanasius have been a sweet way to reinforce the dependence upon the Lord and faithfulness to His plan that we pray and long the boys would emulate.  With this one Jen and I would both admittedly struggle to decide.  We love the boys' names and wanted something that we loved as much this time around.  Jen has always loved the name William and wanted to use it.  A few months ago she asked if I would read a biography by someone named William so we could use the name!  Certainly there are some great heroes that would do such as William Carey, the first modern missionary or William Wilberforce, who championed the end of the slave trade in the British Empire, but I settled on a biography about William Tyndale.

Tyndale was the first to translate the Bible into English from the Hebrew and Greek.   He did so at a time in which this was a capital offense in England.  As a result he fled to Europe to find a printer who would print his translations for him.  He moved around from town to town to stay hidden, but was eventually caught and martyred.  As he was being burned at the stake, he prayerfully said, "Lord, open the king of England's eyes."  As I read the biography about this humble servant whose work is so often forgotten, I couldn't help but consider what joy and direction I find in my English Bible and how thankful I am for men like William Tyndale whose love for the Word of God compelled him to lay his life down in faithfulness to the Lord in order to provide other English speakers with the ability to read the Word of God in their own tongue.  Tyndale's story is one I am looking forward to sharing with William in the years ahead!

In deciding on a middle name, Jen and I again reflected back on another servant of the Lord, named John G. Paton, the "king of the Cannibals".  Paton was a missionary to cannibals in the S. Pacific islands.  His devotion to them and seeing them hear and respond to the gospel meant the loss of his wife and small child and danger for many years, but his commitment to the Lord's call was unwavering.  Paton's biography was perhaps the first missionary biography I ever read and got me hooked!  It seemed a wonderful way to remember his life and story by using his middle name, Gibson, as William's middle name as well.

The world is truly not worthy of men like William Tyndale and John Gibson Paton, whose devotion to His Word and His work globally makes them to shine as the stars in the sky.  Our prayer this night and each night is that William would love the Lord, would pursue to know Him by looking and reading and studying His Word, and would follow the Lord's call wherever that takes Him.

 "The LORD has done great things for us; and we are filled with joy."

Jesus throws the best parties?

Over the last several years I have been indebted to many within the missional movement.  Their emphasis on the church and its purpose being outside of itself is so essential for a post-Christendom world.  I've been blessed to have the opportunity to go to conferences, visit with some of these speakers, and read many of their books and publications.  Despite so much that I am thankful to them for, I have heard one idea that continues to be tossed out in these circles and continues to unsettle me each time I read or hear it.

My issue comes in the form of the way they portray Jesus during His time on Earth.  In much of their writings and speaking a picture is painted as Jesus "throwing" or "having" the best parties.  The argument is based on their argument that we as Christians should be mingling with our neighbors as our lives are intertwined with them.  One of the examples of how to do this is by throwing parties such as block parties.  The statement has been made Jesus threw the best parties, so shouldn't we do the same?  But we have to ask the question, Is that what Scripture presents?

Here is a quick take of the gospel accounts and Jesus either attending a party, talking about a party, or being accused of attending a party or socially communing with others.

Matthew

-9:9-14           Levi’s Party

-11:19            “Son of Man came eating and drinking,” – Claim made by Jesus' opponents

-22 and 25      Parable of Wedding Feast

-26:6-13         Jesus’ body prepared for burial with perfume

-26:17-19       Last Supper- Jesus was the One who made preparations

Mark

-2:15-18         Matthew’s (Levi) Party

-14:1-9           Mary pours perfume for Jesus

-14:13-15       Jesus sends two disciples to Upper Room ahead of the rest

Luke

-5:29               Matthew's (Levi) Party

-7:36               Jesus dines with the Pharisee (Simon) as woman washes his feet.

-9:58               Foxes have holes* (I'll come back to this...)

-11:37-38        Jesus dines with Pharisee

-14:1               Jesus dines with one of the leaders of the Pharisees

-14:16             Parable of the banquet

-15:2               Pharisees claim he eats with sinners/tax-collectors

-19:1-10          Jesus stays (dines) with Zaccheus

-22:8               Jesus sends Peter and John to prepare the Upper Room

-24:30             Jesus shares a meal with 2 followers on the way to Emmaus

John

-2:1-11           Wedding in Cana

-12:1-8           Dining with Lazarus as Mary pours perfume

-13:1               Last Supper
-21:1               Firepit on the beach with disciples

Here are a few observations;

1. Perhaps surprisingly, the gospels record Jesus sharing more meals with Pharisees or leaders of the Jews than sinners or tax-collectors.  That's the irony of the Luke 15:2 accusation!  Jesus certainly shared meals with the outcast, but he wasn't opposed to dining with the elite or upper class either.  
2. In terms of hosting or throwing a party the Lord's Supper is the closest thing to Jesus hosting a party in the gospels.  
3. In Luke 9:58 we find a truth that is critical to understanding the connection between Jesus, His first coming, and attendance at parties.  In that passage Jesus makes the statement, "foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  In the first coming Jesus came as a suffering servant who had no home, no place that was His.  As John  said, "He came to His own, and those who were His own rejected Him."  He had no place in which He could host His party or display hospitality, but that was the design of the first coming.  Jesus came in humility and embraces His role in a place that was not His own, He attended parties with sinners, tax-collector's, religious elite, and leaders of the day.  Despite the background, motivation, or hostility towards Him, Jesus united with them in that most basic human connection of sharing a meal with them.
4. At the Last Supper in Matthew 26:29, Jesus alludes to a time in which He will throw a party in the kingdom, a meal known as the marriage supper of the Lamb. 

So what does this mean for us?

• First, it means we can't claim Jesus threw or went to the best parties.  Scripture doesn't paint that picture.  Instead, the parties Jesus went to were either motivated by elite's trying to catch him in sin or by a recent convert bringing Jesus back to introduce him to his tax-collecting buddies, but this doesn't seem to be the event of the year in any of their minds. Even the wedding in Cana where Jesus turned the water to wine Jesus does covertly. 
• Second, Jesus' example of acceptance and value for meals is still something to emulate.  Despite the fact that Jesus set aside the means to host by coming to the world as a Suffering Servant, He continued to dine and socialize with folks from a variety of different lifestyles.  Sinners weren't too low to have an audience with our Lord, nor those whose intentions were malicious too guilty to break bread with Him.  As a result, when we think of those we may spend time socializing with, whether we have the opportunity to host them or visa-versa, do they reveal the same time of diversity as His or is the audience homogenous to our own background and beliefs?
• Third, Jesus will throw the best of all parties. The problem with a great party is that at some point it has to attend.  Jesus alludes to the kingdom of God, when peace and justice and unity will exist between all participants for all time.  That is the party He will host and the one we long to enjoy forever. Until that time, social gatherings of all kinds are a means for us to talk about our hope, to express our love, and walk by faith in Him who is coming quickly and invites all to come.

Our Story

The other night I was reading a Bible story to the boys.  We have a few kids Bible's that we rotate through annually.  As always, Athan had convinced me to read an extra one which I attempt to tell myself is his spiritual interest, while knowing deep down it's just him milking the clock so he can put off bed time for a few more minutes.  As I placed the bookmark on the next page, which happened to be the story of the crucifixion, Athan excitedly exclaimed, "The cross, yes, I love this story!"

As he said it, I was a bit taken aback and he seemed to notice my surprise so he tried to back track his excitement.  No matter the time, I couldn't let a chance like this pass me by without pressing him about his excitement.  As I questioned him, his answer was simple, "I like the cross, because it's a story about me."  

This got me thinking about the way we perceive of Scripture.  At least for me, in my weak or perhaps carnal moments, Scripture has the tendency to appear distant, wooden, historic, and perhaps even boring.  It describes facts, events, and people that lived two millennia ago, an ocean away, in cultures we hardly understand.  In these moments the text seems to have little consequence in the way our life is turning out or what God would have us do in our current circumstances.  Obviously this is a heart issue that goes deeper and requires a deeper solution than merely "concentrate more."  However, what we find in Scripture was never intended to feel stale.  In fact throughout Scripture, the audience is often considered and even drawn into the story.  Part of the purpose of the author seems to be to convey the story in such a way that it has no conclusion, but remains open ended, causing the reader to take a role in its conclusion.  In this sense the story pulls the audience in and reveals that yes, the story is in a sense, as Athan admitted, about them.

Here are a few examples...

• Mark 16-  Often debated, many scholars see the ending coming in v.8.  In doing so the gospel ends with little to no resolution to the story.  Why? As N.T. Wright speculates, "There is a blank at the end of the story, and we are invited to fill it ourselves.  Do we take Easter for granted, or have we found ourselves awestruck at the strange new way of God?"  Those who accept this ending find Mark inviting his readers into the story, that just as the gospel starts by saying, "This is the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ," so the story is not over, it continues on now intersecting with our story and how we will respond to such news. 
• John 17; 20:30-31- The night before Jesus dies He offers up His High Priestly Prayer.  What's striking about this prayer is not just that hours before such a trying experience He is praying for others, but who exactly He is praying for.  We might expect prayers for His disciples to be lifted up, but we also find Jesus praying, "for those who would believe in Him on their behalf."  The reader is confronted with the fact that their Savior is praying for them moments before His passion.  For the reader who has yet to believe in Christ, the phrase had to move them to reflection, causing them to ask the question, "does that include me?"  John clearly explains his purpose for writing in John 20:30-31 as to reveal Jesus is the Son of God so that the reader might believe in Him.  John confesses that he could have included different material in his gospel, but he included these stories because he had the reader in mind as he recorded this story.
• John 20:26-29- In this account of Thomas and his affirmation John has his readers in mind.  Here's how.  Jesus appears to all of the disciples while Thomas had stepped out.  Whether he was just getting some fresh air or out running some errands for the group is unclear.  When he returns the disciples eagerly share what they had experienced, but Thomas refuses to believe that Jesus has risen from the dead, claiming that he must see Jesus in order to believe.  In v.26 Jesus appears to Thomas and tells Thomas, "blessed are those who believe, though they do not see." Why include this interchange?  John knows that his readers did not see the acts or hear the teachings of Jesus yet need to believe (v.31).  There is something hard about believing in something we can't see, John remembers the Lord admitting that, and wants his readers to understand that Jesus himself acknowledged that fact, but still affirmed and blessed those who would believe despite their lack of seeing.   This story was included because it directly related to a situation John's readers faced, in a small way, it was about them.

One last caveat, in saying that these stories are about the reader, I am not suggesting that their purpose or ultimate meaning is found outside of the person of Jesus.  I affirm that all Scripture ultimately finds its purpose and meaning in Him, however I am suggesting that the authors were selecting stories and experiences from Jesus' life and ministry that directly addressed or spoke to the circumstances of their readers, that in some sense their life impacted the material that was included in the canon.  

The hero isn't within

I've been thinking for some time about stories and fiction and wanted to take some time to express a similar thread I see in most good fiction.  Take a few moments to reflect on books or movies that you've read recently that would classify as fiction with a normal protagonist, theme, plot, etc.  For some, you may be thinking of Lord of the Rings, Batman, the Lion King, or even 24!  One of the similarities I've noticed is the almost laughably predictable climax in these dramas where the protagonist or hero confronts the antagonist and nemesis in the story.  You typically find the drama ramp up as the two foes battle and they usually each have blows against each other that wound or hurt their foe.  In this way the story expresses the comparable ability of those in the fight and suspends the resolution for a bit longer.  In addition to this back and forth, the hero typically is overcome by the antagonist and seems to lose the fight.  Take for example Batman's battle with the Joker in The Dark Knight, or Thorin in the last Hobbit movie.  For each, the antagonist seems to have the upper hand and the victory, before the protagonist overcomes the odds and the likely ending and wins the confrontation.  To use a boxing analogy, it often is as if the protagonist loses the majority of the rounds before connecting on a knockout blow to win the fight.

At times as I've read or watched these depictions I've been annoyed by the predictable scene and the portrayal of the protagonist as being bested before delivering one lucky or skillful blow that defeats the antagonist.  Why can't we see a hero who wins quickly or soundly?  Why can't the protagonist avoid the near defeat?  Now some of this is part of the power of story, of developing drama and tension and pulling at the audience's emotion by increasing that drama or tension, but I think there's more to it.

One of the greatest impacts story can make takes place by developing a protagonist that the audience can identify with.  This is done by opening the hero up to reveal their flaws and vulnerabilities.  Isn't that what we love about Harry Potter or Frodo Baggins?  They seem so ordinary, just like us!  The reality is that we each are aware of flaws or vulnerabilities in our own life and long for heroes who overcome those flaws and their foes.  That's what draws us to story and ignites our imaginations.

I've recently picked up the Chronicles of Narnia again (first time as an adult) and just finished the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.  It's been years since I last read it, but its funny to read it now as and compare my thoughts and feelings with those I had as a child or teen.  One of the things I've noticed is that I've never identified with Peter, the older brother in the story.  Something about his character is too right, too good, too absent of flaws.  Don't get me wrong, I love Peter, but I've always found commonality with Edmund.  Not because I wanted to, but because Edmund is a character that possesses deep flaws; selfishness, and jealousy from the very outset.  Those are emotions I could  see in myself.  One of the aspects of Narnia that I've always appreciated is Edmund's transformation.  It's remarkable to watch his change from the petty boy wanting only turkish delight to the king willing to trust Lucy and follow his High King Peter into battle.  Edmund's transformation happens not because of something within him, where he became brave and overcame his fear and foes, but it happened because he had an encounter with Aslan.  That's ultimately what I love about Narnia or Lord of the Rings for that matter.  The heroes don't find the solution to their problems within themselves, but they find it outside of themselves in someone else.  Ultimately that's the type of story that I love because it serves as such a clear metaphor to the life we are called to live in Christ.  Each of us are filled with flaws, vulnerabilities, and challenges to overcome, but our ability to do so isn't something we can accomplish unless we learn to look to Christ, yielding ourselves to His Spirit, and abiding in Him.  In that sense all good stories, that is stories in which we so vividly identify with the protagonist, portray them as not getting out of their circumstances or overcoming their problems through their own wit, skill, or strength, but as they find the True Hero outside of themselves.