Apostles

Why do some Christian leaders today give themselves the title of Apostle? Is there some sort of Christian accreditation board handing these titles out?! Or do they honestly feel so entitled as to call themselves an Apostle? As I understand it the Bible defines an Apostle as someone who had seen Jesus' ministry and resurrection and could attest to these events as an eyewitness. This would seem to suggest that the office of apostle is no longer an active role, or is it? I believe that the role of the Apostles is still being carried out today, but not by those whom you might think. Instead, the writings of the Apostles (contained in scripture) continue to carry out their responsibility and calling. They might be dead but their words live on still providing testimony of the risen Christ. So please, call youselves a Pastor, an Elder, a Bishop if you must... but please take the title "Apostle" off your letterhead.

Good Friday

Growing up, Jesus’ last recorded words always bothered me. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" These words seemed so negative, lonely, desperate, and, well, human. Though we might not fully understand it, we know that Jesus was fully God and fully human. As a member of the Trinity he has existed in an eternal relationship full of perfect love and unimaginable intimacy. As a human he had spent 33 years undergoing every temptation that anyone would ever face. But having never sinned, there was still one thing that he had never experienced for himself; the consequences of sin. As he was sacrificed on the cross, the sin of the whole world was placed upon him. Imagine the desperation you have felt when you were far away from the Lord. Now imagine that consequence of sin, multiplied by billions, all hanging on Jesus. Was it the horrible death on the cross that Christ languished over in the garden the night before? Or was it the knowledge that for the first time in all eternity he was about to be separated from the Father? By bearing our sins, Jesus would be so covered in filth and disgust that in His Holiness the Father had to withdraw. The death of our closest loved ones would pale in comparison to the feeling of separation and abandonment that Christ must have endured that day. I now believe that Jesus’ last question was a rhetorical one. Jesus knew exactly why he was forsaken by God that day hanging on the cross. More than willingly being hung on a cross, Jesus willingly became forsaken, forgotten, and abandoned by God. From his seemingly defeated last words, he is giving us a glimpse into the depth of his love for us.

Prelude...

It's been nearly 2 years since we packed up the truck and left Kentucky to move to Traverse City MI. We had been in Wilmore Kentucky for four and a half years studying at Asbury Seminary preparing for a life of vocational ministry. There was just one problem. By the time we were finished the thought of taking a job in the church was more than we could bear. It wasn’t that we were no longer followers of Christ. It was the journey itself that made us think there had to be a better way to be disciples than attending church once, twice, three times a week. So we resolved to move north, me, my pregnant wife, and 2 year old daughter Ella. We bought a fixer upper close to my folks and set about starting our new life. We wanted to live outside the walls of the church. To work, live, and interact with “real” people. We no longer wanted to attend church. We wanted to be the church. We quickly found others that resonated with the desire to live out an active and missional faith. Our mission was not to build a building or start an organization, but to be Christ in and to our community. We said we would give it two years and see where we were.

Our journey has taken several turns but the Lord has been faithful in providing for our needs. Along the way we met (or re-met) Dan and Mary Carlson. We share weekly fellowship with them as a part of our church community. We call ourselves Sojourn to remind us that we will never fully “arrive”. It is a loose collection of folks who gather weekly to sing, learn through discussion and participation, and encourage each other to live missional lives. We’re not perfect by any means. If you’re interested in learning more about Sojourn we do have a website, http://www.sojourntc.org/

Though trained and ordained as a pastor I make my living as an insurance agent at a local agency. We have our third daughter due this Summer. (Time to drop man to man in favor of zone defense!) It's been two years and both Gretchen and I now feel that we are home and looking forward to what the future brings. We have a great support system and look forward to our daughters growing up in the beautiful (water filled) Grand Traverse region.