It's not about me.

I went to Mars Hill Church this morning, and Rob Bell gave the message. He got down to the bottom of why we gather together (why we go to church). Since I knew it would be a compelling message, I made sure to take detailed notes so I could remember the message so God could continue to teach me through it. Rob mentioned how in the times before Christ, the Jews did many things to be sacred/set apart. Their temple was the very dwelling place of God, and was therefore sacred/holy/set apart. The high priest was set apart and wore special garments to distinguish him as the mediator between man and God. When Christ died, the temple curtain into the Holy of Holies (the place where only the high priest was allowed, where he would talk to God) was split in two, showing that we no longer needed the high priest to mediate for us. The people could then speak to God directly. I had heard that point made many times, but what Rob said next opened up a window to a new realm of thought for me. "Not only could people then go in and talk to God, but God could then COME OUT." Many Christians still keep God boxed into the church building, but HE IS EVERYWHERE. According to I Corinthians 3:16, we (Christians) are God's temple, and God's Spirit lives in us. So before Christ's death, there were two separate realms: the sacred and the common. But now, God's dwelling place is in us, the common. The sacred is found in the common! Many people go to church to find God... but He is everywhere! The purpose of a sermon should be to heighten our awareness of God in everything else. I'm not talking like, "God is in the tree," or "God is in the flower." I'm saying, "I saw God in that situation," and "God brought this person into my life for a reason," and "God blessed me in this today," and "That was a God-thing." I use that last one often. I now realize that EVERYTHING IS A GOD-THING. I am just not always looking for Him.

I really liked one thing that Rob Bell said in response to Matthew 25 (whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me). He said, "Real followers are the ones who find Jesus in the least of these. They can see everyone as a sacred creation of God, infinitely valued by the creator. It made me ask myself how much I really value others. It is easy to value those who are encouraging to me. But do I value those who don't really care about me? It's easy to honor those who have power and money and can give to me in various ways, but do I honor the person who cannot give anything in return? The people living on the street who really look like they have messed up their lives are sacred creations of God. I need to value them as Christ does. The people who cannot keep any friends because they are bitter and malicious are sacred creations of God. I need to value them as Christ does. I need to stop walking through life with this consumer mentality, always looking for how someone can help me. I need to instead walk through life with a servant mentality, seeking what I can give to others. The bitter, malicious, friendless person needs Jesus. The homeless person needs Jesus.

That brings me to another point. Mars Hill recently started a ministry called the "White Bucket Project." They started by collecting donations in these white buckets during a church service. They then formed a group that found people in the community who had financial needs, and they consulted 300 some families and individuals. They found out what their specific needs were, and they worked to help their needs. So far, they have given over $40,000 to needy families and individuals. Now THAT is what church is about. It's about serving others. It's not about gathering together to produce happy feelings like, "Oh isn't it great that I'm able to get away from my crazy school schedule and sit and worship with all these other believers!" Yes, that's great... but that's not what it's all about. My worship should be exploding out of my being every day! I should be looking for God in my job, in my relationships, in my schoolwork, because my goal in life is to glorify God and enjoy Him. How am I to enjoy Him if I can't even see Him because I'm not looking? I liked a line from the movie Prince Caspian. When Lucy saw Aslan and Peter didn't, Peter said, "Why didn't I see him?" Lucy replied, "Maybe you weren't looking for him." That line always gives me chills down my spine.

On a separate topic, I was reading in Psalms after the service this morning and found a verse that stuck out to me. Psalm 113:9 says, "He settles the barren woman in her home -- as a happy mother of children." Some may take this verse to mean that he gives the barren woman children. Although God has done this many times in the past (Hannah the mother of Samuel, Elizabeth the mother of John the Baptist, Rachel the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, and many others) I took a different interpretation of the verse. I took it to mean that God satisfies the barren woman where she is. She longs to have children, but God reveals to her that He is her strength and her portion. She finds happiness in the Lord. I then put a spin on it for my own application. God sees the single girl who desires to have someone close to her to love and cherish her, and he satisfies her with His love. He makes her as happy as she would be if she had that desire fulfilled.

Yet I am always with you;

you hold me by my right hand.

You guide me with your counsel,

and afterward you will take me into glory.

Whom have I in heaven but you?

And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

~Psalm 73:23-26

I especially like that last verse. God is my strength and my portion forever. he knows what's best for me, so I need not fear any uncertainty in life, because He knows what He's doing. It's all a God-thing.

This was going to be a shorter post, but I get to thinking... then words explode out of my fingers and onto the keyboard of my white MacBook (affectionately called "Lily the Leopard" for the leopard print skin on the front). I'm trying to get in the habit of going to bed before 11pm, and I'm cutting it close tonight. One more thought...I'm working at Old Navy, and I need to get my attitude into shape. I have worked at Old Navy for two years now, and it's getting old. I'm getting more fed up with customers and generally annoyed with many things about the job. When it all comes down to it, I have been feeding a selfish spirit, thinking that I need to be doing something that makes me happy, and retail isn't doing it for me. I need to be thankful that God has let me keep this job, and see it as mission field. It's not about me, it's about glorifying God by serving others.