Imagine a girl with no right to the throne marrying into a royal family and being coronated as the queen of a massive empire. Add to it a little twist for good measure! This is kind of how God works you know. This story is the one of Esther in the Old Testament. You can skim the book of Esther to get the whole story, but here’s the twist. Esther is a Jewish woman who ends up marrying a king of an empire that would very quickly turn against the Jews. Yikes!
But wait there’s another twist in the plot. Who says the Bible isn’t fun? Esther ends up finding out about the plot to harm all of her family and friends, and she shows up at just the right time to essentially save the day. This is actually our verse for today’s devotion. It comes from Esther 4:14 and it reads for such a time as this. You’re going to have to read the rest of this section to see the whole story. Trust me it’s worth it! Essentially this verse is a reminder that God put Esther in the role she was in for that particular day and purpose.
Now turn a couple hundred pages in your bibles to the gospel accounts. There you find another moment in time. This time it isn’t a young Jewish girl becoming queen. It’s actually a middle aged carpenter. He was ready to marry this girl from town. They had the details worked out. And then the news came. She was pregnant and it wasn’t his baby. How could this be! Why is this happening to me – he must have thought.
Why? For such a time as this. Joseph wasn’t going to save the world or even a massive people group. But he was going to save Mary and the child she was carrying. He decided, after a little angelic convincing, to let the engagement continue. They ended up getting married and Jesus was born.
Just like in the story of Esther, if this unexpecting Joseph wasn’t willing to follow God’s call the story would have ended much differently.
We’ll start this post by saying it’s ok if you disagree with me, and I know some of you will. So don’t get your undies in a bunch over it. If you don’t like what I’m about to say, then scroll on and walk away or reach out and we can chat.
Some people in my tradition think that the crux of discipleship is going to worship. Some feel that being in a worship service where the hymnal is used is the best way to make sure discipleship is happening correctly. I’ll be honest. I think this is a ridiculous concept! If someone believes that the best and most effective way to do discipleship is by going to a worship service, then by default you’re saying Jesus didn’t use the best way!
Jesus didn’t invite anyone to “go to worship,” at least I don’t remember seeing that invitation in any of the gospel accounts. Now before you take those words and form some arsenal against me, don’t mix up my words. I did not say worship isn’t good, essential, necessary, etc. I said it’s not the way Jesus did discipleship.
I think a person who is growing in their relationship with Jesus will go to worship and be a part of a larger group of people following Jesus. But I don’t believe going to worship means you’re a disciple of Jesus. I think it means you’re going to worship and that’s it.
Also, discipleship isn’t memorizing your confessional documents either. Sure they’re important to know and really beneficial to help you understand how you do certain things in ministry and church life, but they are not markers of discipleship.
If you remember from an earlier post, the definition I use for discipleship is the process of being transformed into the image of Christ for the sake of others. This definition has at its core transformation of the person through relationships.
Nowhere in the Bible does it say that the function of worship is transformation of the person worshiping. As a matter of fact the Bible says that we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. I don’t see the primary function of worship being to renew our minds. Worship is about receiving the gift of forgiveness in the fellowship of other believers and returning praise to God.
Worship is an expression of a life being transformed but it’s not the primary avenue this transformation happens. So how then does discipleship happen?
Well, I’m glad you asked! I don’t like to give a bunch of negatives without giving a little bit of best practice as I’ve seen it. In my mind, discipleship best happens in a setting with a smaller number of people who agree to journey through life together. It’s highly relational. It’s profoundly personal. It’s intentionally individual while at the same time being curiously corporate. Ok that’s enough alliteration.
If we want to see the best way for discipleship to happen, we need look no further than the life of Jesus. He was kind of the master at the whole discipleship gig. He didn’t sit them down in classrooms. Didn’t ask them to read a book. Actually I don’t even think he required bible memorization. From what I read, he invited them to walk with him so he could show them what it looked like.
He did two basic things which we’ll dive into over the next week. He taught them, or maybe better yet, he reminded them what God had said. Then he led them to a place where they could see it in action. And if we want to get really serious about it, we have to admit he made some pretty high expectations known for those who sought to follow him. It’s pretty much that simple.
Knowledge that led to actions which became a set of expectations for a transformed life.
The long and short of this post is that you don’t need some massive ministry plan to make disciples. You don’t technically need to have someone come to a worship service to be part of this journey either. It’s about walking relationally with someone in an adventurous lifestyle keeping Christ at the center. We don’t transform anyone. That’s God’s job. So start with the journey. Start with the relationship and let God handle the God part. It’s a way bigger job than many people think, but it’s way easier than we make it out to be!
As we continue through the Christmas story we come face to face with the shepherds. You know the crew that were surprised by the angels while they were out minding their own business. Unexpecting is putting it mildly! They were shocked!
There are actually two stores in the Bible where unexpecting shepherds are confronted with a message from God. The first one is in Exodus 3 where Moses is taking care of some sheep for his father-in-law. While he’s out making sure they have good pasture to feed and clean water to drink, he notices something that doesn’t look right. A bush is on fire but it’s not burning up. As he gets closer the bush talks to him “Moses, Moses”. (Exodus 3:4) That’s it. That’s all it took. Well there’s more to the story as you unpack Exodus 3 but all it took for Moses to realize what was happening was for the bush to call his name. It was God with a special message for an unexpecting shepherd.
That message was that God was going to save his people. He was going to bring his people out of slavery and into a new life of freedom like they couldn’t even imagine.
Fast forward to the shepherds tending their flocks in Luke 2, you know the Christmas story shepherds. Yeah they saw something strange as well! This time, however, it wasn’t a talking bush calling their name. It was an angel followed by a bunch of them! Totally got their attention. Their message was kind of similar to the one Moses heard.
There was a baby born who was going to free the people. Except this freedom isn’t from Egyptian dictators. It was a freedom from the power of sin. An unexpecting Moses and some unexpecting shepherds hear the same message. God is about saving his people, and we are the very people he came to save.
There was a woman who was advanced in years. Not to sound too disrespectful but she was actually old. I don’t mean how 40 is old when you’re 10 years old. This woman was well advanced in years. Being old isn’t an issue. The problem was that this woman was told she was going to be pregnant.
You’ve probably already guessed the story. It’s the story of Abraham and Sarah. They were old. Sarah couldn’t have children. It was just not going to happen. God approaches Abraham and tells him they’re going to have a son. This causes a bit of a chuckle kind of moment as you’d imagine. But in the end it happened. An unexpecting mom is expecting.
Christmas is a time for us to put aside all the expectations of that perfect holiday. We expect our children to behave a certain way and for family to just get along this one year that we’re hosting the family dinner. We move into a season of warmth and joy with so many expectations, but that first Christmas was all about unexpecting people.
Mary was told by an angel that she was going to have a baby. She didn’t expect this. Sure she was engaged but she wasn’t married. She knew that she could not be pregnant. It just wasn’t possible. Yet the angel told her something different. She was the second unexpecting mom in the story of Christmas. You see Sarah had to have a child because without Isaac there would be no Jesus. And Mary had to have a son because without Jesus there would be no salvation for the world.
It took two unexpecting moms to give birth to two sons for us to have an unexpected savior.
Take time to look over the story of Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 17-18. Then think of other unexpecting people you remember from the Bible.
There are some words that I call sticky. They’re the kinds of words that you hear and don’t really know how to categorize. You have them. We all do actually. And you might even have an idea what they mean but really don’t have a clear and concise way to explain them.
One of those sticky words that is super prevalent in the church world right now is the term discipleship. Ok so it’s not new by any stretch and it’s actually been one of those sticky words for quite some time. That probably has to do something with the final command of Jesus being for the people of God to focus on making disciples.
Throughout history we’ve done our best to draw pictures, make up definitions, write books, craft bible studies, and have cleverly worded mission statements that are all focused on discipleship. We want so badly to do this but just don’t know what it even really means…much less have a concise way to communicate it to anyone.
I really don’t think it’s quite as hard as we make it out to be. And even more I don’t think making disciples is something that happens in a book, bible study, worship service, or some kind of bible memorization tool. These are all really good things! And I completely advocate all of them as part of the overall life of a person who follows Jesus, but I don’t think it’s quite the whole picture Jesus intends.
Discipleship isn’t some assembly line process where we run a group of 60 people through a program and they all come out looking the same. That’s just not how it works. Put 60 people into a worship service or bible study group and you don’t get 60 exact replicas come out the other side on fire for Jesus.
I really believe that it all starts with a definition. You have to define the term. I’ve defined discipleship the same way for years. Discipleship is the process of being transformed into the image of Christ for the sake of others. Is this your definition? Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t. But you need somewhere to start. So either use this one or come up with your own based on your study of the Jesus’ words.
After you have a definition you’ll have some picture of where you’re headed. And for me this definition gives some clarity to what discipleship does and does not look like. It’s not an event in time which is why we call it a process. It’s replicable to an extent which is also part of that process language. There is a change that is expected as you progress through this process, hence transformed. The output of the process is Jesus. If you’re simply trying to make members of a church or denominational clones, then you’re not really doing discipleship. Finally it’s about relationships, for the sake of others kind of talk. It’s about a journey not a jolt in time.
Unlike the assembly line imagery, discipleship is more of a life-to-life adventure. It’s about inviting someone into your life and letting them walk with you through the mundane. It’s not about adding another block to your already too full calendar either. Discipleship is about adding someone else to your calendar. Discipleship is not about tasks or to dos. It’s about people and relationships.
Look. I really hope discipleship stays one of those sticky words, not because we don’t know what it means either. I hope it stays sticky because we’ve finally arrived at some form of clarity on just how important it is to live around people for the sake of a greater mission.
Have you ever seen one of those surprise moments? You know one of those unexpected proposals. The kind where the bride has no idea it’s coming. The kind where the secret is kept so well and it is so meticulously planned out that shock and awe are plastered on everyone’s faces.
It’s kind of like that around Christmas time as well. We shop for gifts for our loved ones. Parents, children, nieces and nephews, siblings all of them get a little something. Each one gets that tiny gift of appreciation and love. This probably sounds a bit harsh but rarely do those people deserve a gift. They might expect something but the point of a gift is that it’s unearned.
An unexpecting person receives a gift they didn’t expect. They didn’t plan on receiving. The gift is more than they thought possible for a person like them. Often an unexpecting recipient is speechless and left in awe.
The second week of Advent is about those unexpecting kinds of people. For this part of our journey we jump all the way back to Genesis. You know the story. The flood covers the earth and one man and his family are welcomed into a boat that they were told to build for this very moment. But what did that family do? What caused them to be the ones who earned that amazing gift?
Ok so if you read around Genesis 6, you’ll likely read that Noah was a righteous man. Let’s remove Noah from the picture for a second. What about the rest of the family? They weren’t the righteous ones. They didn’t deserve to be on that ark. As a matter of fact, if it wasn’t for the amazing compassion of God to give them a way out, they would all have drowned. And even worse Noah would have had to watch as it happened.
Noah didn’t expect God to save him. The family didn’t expect God to save them. He just did it because that’s how God works. He does the unexpected things in unexpected ways. But it wasn’t just Noah and his family that are unexpecting people. We are included in that same group. We are unexpecitng people. We never met Jesus. We didn’t ask God to save us. Yet here we are just a few weeks until Christmas, ready to celebrate Jesus’ birth. It’s amazing to receive a gift! But even more amazing when you’re one of those unexpecting people
December is not generally the time of year to take a walk in a park. The wind is cold and seems to cut right through you. The frost covers the ground. You can see your breath even as you talk because the air is so crisp. Unless you layer up, a walk in the park might not be the greatest option, but that doesn’t change today’s stop on our unexpected places tour.
In Genesis 3:8 we read and they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. Could you imagine that? I mean taking a stroll through the park or garden or around the track at school and hear the footsteps of God sauntering up behind you?
As you might know, this account is shortly after the creation story. Adam and Eve just did the one thing God told them not to do. They ate that fruit and with their disobedience came consequences. The consequence is that feeling of guilt. I’m sure you’ve had it too. If not, I can assure you that it’s not a good feeling!
Let’s get back to that walk in the park. Picture it though. You’re walking in a park and you hear the sounds of leaves rustling behind you. Your blood pressure naturally elevates. Then you realize it’s God walking with you in the park. That’s kind of the experience Adam and Eve had in today’s reading. God showed up in a quiet spot on a walk in the garden.
Maybe you won’t go for that walk today. Maybe you won’t hear Jesus walking up behind you. But maybe you’ll find that he meets you in an unexpected place as you prepare your heart for Christmas.
I really like to garden. I plant flowers around my house and tons of plants in my garden. I water them and fertilize them. I even cut them back in the winter, at least the ones that are supposed to last year after year. But never in all my years have I ever had a plant talk to me. Yet that’s exactly what we’re going to talk about today.
The unexpected places that God shows up in life never cease to amaze me, but this one has to be one of the coolest. There’s a story in Exodus 3 where Moses is taking care of some sheep for his father-in-law. He’s literally minding his own business when it happens. He sees a fire just off in the distance. And like any curious man would do, he went to see what was burning. Men typically think one of two things when there’s a fire by the way. Cool what’s burning and why didn’t they invite me to light the match! And Is it a barbecue?
This was neither and I don’t think Moses even had time to think those thoughts. He was completely overwhelmed by the presence of a bush that was on fire. And if a burning bush in the middle of nowhere wasn’t enough, it started to talk to him!
Check this out from Exodus 3:6. And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
Here God shows up to talk to Moses in the form of a bush! Yeah for those of you who are Monty Python fans, that’s shrubbery! That gives a whole new spin on “burning bush” to be certain. You may never see a bush on fire that isn’t being burned. You may never hear God speak to you from the middle of a bush that’s literally burning. But we can see God all over the place in nature around us.
Take time today to look for God in the frosty ground or the colorful sunset. See if you can find him in a spiderweb or the sound of the wind rushing through the trees. Look for God in unexpected places and you’ll see Him just about everywhere.
Are you a dreamer? You know the kind of dream you see and experience when you’re deep in sleep. I can’t remember the last time I had a dream. As kids our dreams are active and filled with color and excitement. Sometimes those dreams turn dark and fill with scary images – we call those nightmares. But they’re still dreams.
I know what you’re thinking this is an advent devotion and I’m reading it with my kids. What is he doing talking about nightmares!?! You got me. Advent isn’t about nightmares at all actually, but it is about the unexpected.
Remember how this week is all about God showing up in unexpected places? Well today’s place is in dreams. There’s a story in the Bible about a man named Jacob. He had a dream one day of a huge ladder that reached all the way to heaven. Who sat atop this ladder? Yep! You guessed it – God.
Jacob didn’t lay down to take a nap because he thought he’d see God. He slept because he was tired. You know just like we sleep when we’re tired. But the cool part here is that God showed up in Jacob’s dream!
The point here is all about God showing up in the most unexpected of places. Some of those places are not places we’d ever expect Jesus to show up. I mean a small town in the middle of nowhere Israel? A whisper in the side of a cliff? A dream a guy has laying on a rock?
Take time today to look for God in those unexpected places.
Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! 13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Genesis 28:11-13
This time of year seems to just amplify that reality. All you have to do is go to the mall and listen as the Christmas music that’s piped through the less than adequate sound system. Go to McDonald’s and hear the hustle and bustle of yelling children. Even in churches through the Advent season you’ll hear more and more children playing with their toys, crumbling papers, coloring, and calling for mom to pick them up.
In a world filled with noise, we’re hard pressed to find a place to find God. The noise seems to distract us from where He might be found. And this brings us to the second stop in our unexpected places tour. Silence.
There’s a story in the Bible in a book called 1 Kings where a man named Elijah tries to find God. There are a series of noises that come his way. They are loud and boisterous sounds. Powerful displays of might. But God wasn’t in any of them. While Elijah is tucked into a little cave on the side of a mountain, a gentle breeze-like whisper comes through. And oddly enough this is right where God is found.
And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:12-13
The gentle breeze. The whisper of God. We tend to look for God in the power moments and the big lights. The huge tree of Christmas or the fully decked out house. But God doesn’t roll like that. Instead He comes in unassuming ways. A gentle whisper on a dark night. But why a whisper.
A whisper draws us in. The loud moments put us on our heels. They make us cower in fear. They push us farther into the caves of life. But the whisper allows us to lean in. We have to come forward to hear the words and experience the presence of the one speaking.
The long expected gift of Christmas comes not in the loud and gaudy but in the soft, quiet, gentle whisper that we have to lean into in order to hear fully. Lower your voice. Quiet your mind. Listen for the unexpected whisper of God this Advent.
