A Humble Leader of His Flock

But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”

James 4:6

 

On Sundays, my wife, Connie, and I make church part of our routine. When we are home, Sundays involve a later breakfast, church, grocery shopping, and cooking. The cooking Connie does out of joy. And the meal prepared usually lasts a few days. For us Sunday is usually a simple day of recovery. Recently, we went to a new church near where we live. It was a Catholic church that we wanted to try out as we explore our options for Sunday church near our new home.

When do I kneel?

For me, going to a Catholic church is always a bit overwhelming. There are a lot of moving parts for a lifelong Protestant. When do I kneel? What book has the songs to sing? And which book do I use to follow along with the service. I am getting better at this, thanks to my brother-in-law and Connie. They patiently show me when to stand or kneel or which book I should be looking at.

But I am always observant in church—not just from an attendee’s point of view but as an observer of the different practices and people in the churches I attend. The Sunday we attended this new Catholic church, I was drawn to the pastor. He was not particularly interesting in his appearance. His head was shaven, and he was a bit portly. He walked and talked slowly as well. At first glance, you might say he was sloth-like.

But he was a Catholic priest, and knowing the education process of becoming a pastor, I knew he was well educated and had to have a high sense of motivation; otherwise, he couldn’t have made it through seminary school.

As the service wore on, I saw that his slowness was deliberate and the way he liked to lead the service. He was not slow and boring but slow and contemplative. He was careful with what he said and how he said the words.

He didn’t rush

During the homily (the sermon equivalent for Protestants), he was precise, factual, and deliberate. He made sure he looked up frequently, not showing any favoritism to one side of the church or the other. He had carefully researched the Bible passage for the week and added a lot of historical context, explaining the background and history to the congregation. He didn’t rush and had just the right cadence. There were no political assertations, just his observations. He delivered the message of loyalty to God remarkably professionally. He wasn’t looking for approval but to deliver a well thought out message to his flock.

When he sat, he observed. I could tell by his facial expressions. They were not obvious or exaggerated but were simple acknowledgments of a well-sung song or a well-spoken prayer.

He observed everything, and I could tell he kept a mental list of what was good and what could use improvements by a simple raising of the eyebrow or small smile. This was his church to lead—not through charisma but carefully and committed to its sacred purpose.

I felt a bit of empathy for him.

He wasn’t flashy and probably would never rise to the position of bishop. He lacked self-promotion and presence. He would be a great bishop or even a cardinal but will likely just remain a simple pastor.

His goals that Sunday weren’t to impress us with his knowledge. He just wanted to make sure we were cared for and that he professionally delivered the message of God and Jesus. No big fanfare occurred when he announced the Sunday spaghetti lunch, just: “please attend if you like.”

Later at home, we reviewed the church bulletin, which gave all the updates to next week’s church life. It included who to call, what time daily prayers were, and the nightly events. They were listed orderly and precisely. But Connie noted something simple that said a lot: the church’s donations exceeded their expenses. Why would I have guessed anything different? When most churches are scrambling for money, this very organized church had its finances carefully under control, reflecting the same values of the pastor.

He was a simple man

I imagined this pastor in budget meetings, espousing conservative estimates and carefully thinking through every expense. Not to cut corners, but to spend the Lord’s money wisely. He is a realistic and effective manager of both the church and his flock.

He is a simple man performing a sacred task, not just out of a sense of duty but also to do the best he could. He wasn’t interested in the glory of fame. His sole focus was on helping our Lord provide a place and sanctuary to worship. He wasn’t hurrying for a reason—his humility in his craft dictated his every action.

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

Dr. Bruce L. Hartman is the author of Jesus & Co. and Your Faith Has Made You Well.

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The Beauty of Sitting Behind an Elderly Couple

With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:2-3

 

We had just gotten into our seats when I noticed a woman guiding her husband down the row of pews. The slightly disheveled man walked slowly, his sight-impaired. His wife graciously guided him to the seat in front of us. As she sat, she bowed her head and went to a place of prayer.

As the church service went on, I became extraordinarily interested in this couple and their interactions. They were a study in a lifelong marriage—a study in duty and commitment. I was struck by how kind and gracious they were to each other. She was strong and in good health; he was frail and slightly hunched over. No longer did their health or their faculties match. Beyond being a wife, she was also a caregiver, responsible for the man she’d married many years ago.

I imagined their lives.

Both seemed conservative, so I imagined the awkward first dates, which ultimately led to a marriage. It was likely a marriage that had produced large, extended families. They were of Latino descent, which made me envision joyous moments with many aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters. I wondered about their children. I was sure they were well-behaved and strong citizens. While these observations may or not have been true, I was imagining a life for them prior to this moment, with an expectation and hope that they’d had a happy earlier life.

When it was time to pass the peace of Christ, I was so happy to shake their hands. She was forthright, and honor exuded from her. I was struck by his humbleness and exposed humanity. He was a gentle soul besieged by the terrible effects of aging. He clearly had aged faster than her. In a moment of grace, they kissed for their passing of the peace.

Gentle Guidance

When it was time to take communion, she helped him out into the aisle. She did not push but gently guided him. Even though we went up after them, they arrived back at their seats after us. She again helped him to sit, but as she did, she tapped his back in a gesture of love. It was a simple touch to a treasured partner.

Throughout the service, these two humble people showed small glimpses of affection for one another. Each were pious in their posture and attitude in a sacred place they shared. Their marriage was nearing its end. Perhaps even in its final years. But their loyalty and commitment to one another were still very present.

I thought about their early vows.

I thought about the following statement:

I, ____, take you, ____, to be my wife (or husband), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God’s holy law, and this is my solemn vow.

Now, here those vows were in front of me being lived out. I am sure they had tough moments—all marriages do. I am sure there were moments of anger, perhaps not many, but I am sure there were some. But I am more than sure that God helped these two people chisel out a life of deep devotion.

I wondered about their after-church practice. Would they go to brunch? Was shopping on their list? Perhaps a visit to family? Or perhaps it was to just go home and live a connected life.

I have been blessed in my own life to have a mom and dad who lived out these same values, as well as in-laws who likewise live their lives connected. My own mom struggles to leave my dad alone, out of a sense of duty. Each night before my dad goes to bed, he gives my mom a gentle kiss or says something like thank you for driving me today. My father-in-law still calls his wife my bride. They are inspiring people who show how marriage should be for all.

Observations

There was much for me to observe in that quiet hour behind these two beautiful people. Maybe I read too much into this experience. But I don’t think I did; there were far too many gestures of kindness and love for me to not know the lesson. Marriage is both hard and wonderful. Hard in submission to compromise and the everyday skirmishes with a beloved, lifelong partner. It is wonderful to share a life with the person of your dreams while performing a duty of commitment promised in front of God.

I am thankful for this God-sent reminder of my duties to my own wife. I was reminded of what I’d promised God and Connie. I only wish I could send all a picture of these two lovely people connected by love and God.

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

Dr. Bruce L. Hartman is the author of Jesus & Co. and Your Faith Has Made You Well.

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The Maccabees and Hanukkah

One of the brothers, speaking for the others, said: “What do you expect to learn by questioning us? We are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our ancestors.”

2 Maccabees 7:2

Seven sons had been captured by the Syrians in 200 BC. They were being tortured in front of their mother. The oldest and first son was told to eat pork, to which the son would not relent and said, “What do you expect to learn by questioning us? We are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our ancestors.” After his refusal, he was tortured and murdered.

So it went with the other six.

Each were asked to break the Jewish custom of not eating pork. The final son said, “My brothers are dead under God’s covenant of everlasting life.” After the seven had been put to death, their mother, Hannah, was also killed.

The Syrians ruled Jerusalem and its surrounding territories at the time of this story. They had come to rule the Israelites by taking over the lands in the Middle East that Alexander the Great had conquered two centuries earlier. In the aftermath of Alexander’s death, much of what he had conquered fell into the hands of other rulers.

The Syrians believed they could control the native Jewish population by eradicating their customs and beliefs. Beyond insisting that pork be eaten, they also desecrated the great temple of Jerusalem. In the famous hall of the Holy of the Holies they set up a gymnasium where men would work out naked. This was an abomination to the pious Jewish population.

Every aspect of Jewish life was put to the test.

Naturally over time, the Jewish population either succumbed or rebelled. At the center of the rebellion was a man named Mattathias. Mattathias was a local priest from a town near Jerusalem. He protested both those who were collaborating with the Syrians and the Syrians themselves. After one particular incident when he forcefully struck a collaborator and killed a Syrian official, he fled with his sons to the hills. There in the hills, the rebellion took hold with many joining Mattathias.

The struggle went on for a few years and Mattathias died. His son Judas took over. Judas led a successful rebellion and, in 164 BC, claimed victory by retaking the great temple in Jerusalem. Many who’d helped and participated in the rebellion noticed Judas’s forcefulness and called him Maccabee. In English this means the hammer. The name was passed on to the rest of Judas’s family as well, including his deceased father.

Hanukkah, or the Festival of Lights, comes from the events of recapturing the temple. The priests who had entered the reclaimed temple believed they had only one day’s supply of oil to light what has become known as the menorah. But the oil provided eight days of light.

Today,  Jewish people throughout the world celebrate the retaking of temple and the miracle of the oil during the period now known as Hanukkah. For eight evenings, they read verses and light the menorah. It is also a time of gift-giving— traditionally, a present is given each night.

The most important Jewish holiday is not in the Tanakh

The full story of this event in Judaic history can be found in the two Bible books called 1st and 2nd Maccabees. But here is where the story gets a little more interesting: the Maccabees do not appear in the Tanakh or, as Christians call this section of their Bible, the Old Testament. It might seem unusual that the story of one the most important Jewish holidays is not in the Tanakh. But the book of the Maccabees was not fully written by the time of the completion of the Tanakh, in 93 AD.

To further add more color, the Protestant version of the Old Testament also does not include the Maccabees. It is only found within the Catholic version of the Bible. While there are many theories on why this is, many are obscure and create more confusion than provide answers. Another Bible does exist—called the Harper Collins Study Bible—which includes the Maccabees and other non-canonical books. This Bible is one of many theological schools use in their curriculum. It is not included as a point of deciding what books should have been included in the Bible, but to ensure the students’ awareness of these disputed books.

The point of this article is also not to give an opinion of whether or not the Maccabees should be in all Bibles but to tell the history behind Hanukkah and its origin. It is a story of a people who would not submit to human demands but remained loyal to the values of God. By doing so, and though at times things may appear dire, victory is still assured. Certainly, human foes can be mighty, but the lesson of the Maccabees is that God is mightier.

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

Dr. Bruce L. Hartman is the author of Jesus & Co. and Your Faith Has Made You Well.

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It’s Time for the Baby Boomers to Move Over and Mentor

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

Proverbs 22:6

Forever 21 filed for bankruptcy this year, a stunning reversal for a company that just a few years ago was the darling of all retail stores. When you read about the reasons why Forever 21 filed for bankruptcy, and there is a list of many reasons why. None address the fact that they missed an important demographic shift. Their core customers—the Millennial generation—grew up and became adults. The generation behind them—Generation Z—is much smaller and, while attracted to Forever 21’s merchandise, is not sufficiently large enough to generate the sales the millennials created. This shift burdened the former retail giant with a structure that could no longer support its costs and overhead.

This phenomenon of the millennials is not just affecting retailers. It is impacting our churches as well. Millennials are less inclined to worship where their baby boomer parents worship—or even how they worshipped.

Millennials are now between the ages of twenty-two and thirty-six years old. They number 75 million, roughly twenty-five percent of the total U.S. population, which now exceeds the current baby boomer population. They represent a full forty percent of the U.S. workforce. They are no longer the “future generation.” They are now the driving force of American cultural, economic, and societal issues.

Are Millenials Spiritual?

Many religious groups are complaining about millennials lack of religious views and attendance at church. But, much like Forever 21, these views miss the mark. Studies show that, while they stay away from traditional church, they still are as spiritual as their parents at the same point in life. Traditionally, for all generations from young adulthood to middle age is a period of declined spirituality. Spirituality becomes more important as we age.

These studies don’t address that a change is needed in the church’s approach. Not to bemoan their lack of attendance, but to upgrade to the way millennials want to experience God. Millennials are far more interested in missional work. In fact, the average millennial gives money to 3.3 non-profit organizations. Millennials are far more likely to go on mission trips than to Bible studies. These tendencies developed when they attended church in the past, not as participants in worship service but as members of their youth groups. While we baby boomers were in worship, they were learning to help.

When they were younger and in church, millennials didn’t sit with the adults. They were whisked off to classrooms. They didn’t pick out the music or the scripture; they picked out the places they could help. Too often they heard they were the future, while they were actually there in church.

Changing the Mindset

If the church doesn’t want to go the way of Forever 21, it must adjust to the reality of this enormous demographic bubble. Some churches are making this change and finding success. The campus pastor of New Life Church in Virginia Beach, Jeremy Miller, states, “we don’t focus or target the group, but instead see people in the fullness of who they are in God.” They have stopped telling the millennials that they must worship their way and seek to find out how this demographic wants to worship.

The church leaders act as a mentor and not a demander, in effect creating an authentic desire to hear their voice. They are permitted to pick out the music and scripture, making them actively involved instead of merely passively involved. Giving them a voice, while sounding obvious, hasn’t been the approach of the past. It has been more lip service than an authentic appeal. Pastor Miller has seen that this approach works, and his attendance by millennials has grown.

Consider the ordination process to become a clergy…

At a recent conference of the United Methodist church recognizing the retiring pastors and the incoming new pastors, I noticed that there were far more retiring than new. The reason isn’t that this generation is less religious. It is more about the many rules that are needed to become a pastor. These rules didn’t exist when the retiring pastors were ordained. It may take many years after they graduate school to become a pastor in the United Methodist church. They would rather help in a different way than wait in line.

This group doesn’t want to deny mentorship needs but insists it be authentic. Otherwise they politely turn away. It is time for us baby boomers to stop controlling the lives of our children; they are now adults. It is time we offer advice and not demands. This is a hard transition for the baby boomer generation. We raised our children with a more controlling approach than other generations were raised. It was always in the spirit of trying to help, but many times, it created embarrassing moments.

The millennials are not the future.

They are the present. It is time for us to listen and collaborate. It is time for us to back down on our demands and become partners.

As they mature, like all past generations, God will find them. They will move back to the church as we did. As was the case in our generation, we heard we weren’t as religious as our parents, and now we are repeating those same comments.

Baby boomers only have to look back at the time when they were emerging adults. We fought against Vietnam while our parents insisted we didn’t understand. We brought the idea of peace into the political discourse. In our own protest of  the then status quo, we found resistance. Eventually, we overpowered the status quo and got our way. Millennials are now doing the same. Their sheer numbers will also force the status quo their way.

If we want our children to attend church, it is time to bend to the new reality and hear their voices. It is time to reevaluate and not simply dismiss millennials because they are different.

Their time is now.

Our role is now to become authentic mentors not committed to our own ways but to collaborate. It’s time for us to move toward sharing the steering wheel. It’s hard to move over, but it’s time. After all, we are good parents.

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

Dr. Bruce L. Hartman is the author of Jesus & Co. and Your Faith Has Made You Well.

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A Life Led by Choosing Self-Worth Over Net-Worth. The Story of William Wilberforce

The battle is not ours, but God’s.

2 Chronicles [20:15]

On July 26th, 1833, William Wilberforce received word that the British government had agreed to the required concessions resulting in the abolition of slavery in the British Empire. It marked the end of a decades-long battle for this witty, compassionate, and deeply faithful person.

Three days later Wilberforce died.

William Wilberforce was born into a life of luxury. During his childhood, he benefitted from a life of privilege and, even with his father’s early death, his relatives provided substantial support. Wilberforce thrived, was well-educated, and went on to Cambridge to receive his higher education.

During his teens, he caroused and was hardly interested in studying. Because of his extraordinary wit, wealth, and intelligence, he was able to successfully position himself in society. He was invited to the best parties and traveled throughout Europe. Through the death of his grandfather and uncle, he inherited a sizeable fortune and became independently wealthy.

A Renewed Journey

But nagging thoughts about doing more to help the world began to enter his psyche. In 1785, he began a renewed journey of discovering Jesus. In his youth, he had become attracted to early Methodist, but his mother steered him away from this new renegade denomination, and with that, he put away his Christian yearnings. They then resurfaced in his early adulthood. Now, he knew he had to change— to no longer be driven by achieving fame and net-worth but to instead live morally and chase self-worth.

Together with his friend William Pitt, who would later become Prime Minister, they decided to run for parliament. At the age of twenty-one, Wilberforce won his election, buoyed by his gift of oratory and personal funds. Pitt was elected as well. This began a lifelong journey together in politics.

Pitt would become an important influencer of British politics for many years. Wilberforce took another course—that of fighting against injustice. Wilberforce was certainly capable of following Pitt’s path, but his moral compass led him to defend the disadvantaged.

In 1787, Wilberforce was noticed by abolitionists as a potential leader in the fight against slavery. His oratory and across-the-grain speeches made him standout in Parliament. He began to study the issue of slavery and heard about the horrid conditions in which the slaves lived. Wilberforce agreed to help, even with the knowledge that this would be a hard fight and would likely isolate him from his friends.

One of the turning points for Wilberforce was an arranged meeting between himself and Pitt under an oak tree. Encouraged by Pitt, it was here that Wilberforce became convinced of his purpose: to fight slavery. It was a purpose he felt came from God. The oak tree is dead now, but a seat and plaque commemorate the meeting.

Today this place is called the Wilberforce Oak.

Wilberforce began to speak out in parliament. At first, he made little headway. Later, as it became clear to those who ran the slave trade that Wilberforce was gaining traction, they began to circulate rumors and to vilify Wilberforce. People slowly began to distance themselves from him.

The opposition had very strong monetary backing. Almost eighty percent of the foreign income for Great Britain came from trade associated with slavery. The slave trade and the products slaves produced were very lucrative.

Essentially, ships would leave England and sail to the coast of Africa where they would pick up captured Africans and then journey to the Caribbean. After selling the slaves to local distilleries and plantations, the ships would be loaded with rum and molasses. They would then sail back to England to deposit the goods produced by the slaves. It was a triangle that created wealth at the expense of innocent human beings.

The slave’s life was very hard.

Ten percent died on the way from Africa to the Caribbean. Once there, they were subjected to a dark life of hard work and very poor living conditions.

For the slave traders, plantation owners and rum runners, any thought of interrupting this lucrative trade system would mean a large reduction in profits or the end of their business enterprises altogether. Like all social justice changes that bump up against money, resistance is always very strong.

Wilberforce continued despite the isolation and other effects on his social life. He and the abolitionists decided that trying to completely eliminate slavery would be a long and hard battle. They instead focused first on just eliminating the slave trade and not slavery itself. For nearly two decades, Wilberforce worked on introducing bills to end the slave trade. These attempts were often denied by parliamentary procedure. Even when the issue was brought up for a vote, the bill was defeated.

The English public began to become vocal about the issue of slavery.

Politicians began to run on an anti-slavery platform. Over a period of years, they began to win elections to Parliament. Finally, in 1807, there were enough votes to pass the bill. It passed 283 to 16. As the bill was read, and while many members of parliament paid tribute to Wilberforce’s efforts, Wilberforce sat overwhelmed, and his eyes teared from the emotion of success. The first phase of ending slavery was done.

With the passing of the bill, Wilberforce and his allies—a group that was now much larger than when he had begun—began to focus on the complete abolishment of all slavery throughout the British Empire.

Wilberforce never had a completely healthy life. He was often sick and suffered from colitis. During this last push to end slavery altogether, he was ill for lengthy periods. He continued his fight, but because of declining health delegated the task of gathering votes to others. A key factor was creating concessions for the landowners who would lose their slaves. These concessions amounted to twenty million dollars. This money was to be given to a group of people who had profited from the horrendous scourge of slavery. With this difficult compromise and concession in 1833, a bill was passed, finally ending slavery. Another decades-long fight had come to an end.

William Wilberforce had suffered for months before this final vote.

While he was bedridden, many others picked up his flag and pushed the final steps up the mountain of resistance called change. Finally, so near to the end of his life, word came: his efforts had paid off.

Wilberforce’s greatness could be expressed in his dogged determination and also in his charming wit and persuasive oratory. Instead, it resides in a choice he made at a young age—a choice to take a more difficult life journey than one of privilege and wealth. He could have continued to attend all the right parties, have tea with the rich and powerful, or simply enjoyed his wealth. Instead, he put all of his effort into fixing a terrible wrong. He chose to follow Jesus. It was a difficult course that temporarily removed him from his friends and at times isolated him.

Still, he chose to increase his self-worth and not his net-worth.

After he died, Wilberforce was buried in Westminster Abbey next to his friend William Pitt—an  honor only given to those who achieved greatness. Those who had abandoned him in his youth now honored this great warrior of justice.

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

Dr. Bruce L. Hartman is the author of Jesus & Co. and Your Faith Has Made You Well.

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