We’ve been talking the last few weeks about a “path for discipleship” here at our church. Path means a lot of different things to different people. Some people might interpret it like a formula—-start here, then go here, and you’ll end up here. I think we all know by now that God does not always work in such clear ways in our lives. Yes, there is a process to our growing in the knowledge and love of Christ. But it may start in different places, and it does not “end”—it matures and deepens—but does not “end.”
That is, when you enter into a garden, there are different plantings, but depending on where you enter, and where you are drawn, you may start and linger at one planting before another. A community of followers in a church can be like that ecosystem, providing a variety of plantings to help people grow, but it depends on the person where they start and go next.
Still, we can look at how Jesus brought people into discipleship and apprenticeship with him, and learn from Him. He connected with people, taught them, and then sent them out to serve. And serving is what I want to talk about today.
It is clear from the gospels that Jesus intended his disciples to DO something with their apprenticeship to Him. Early in his training of them, Jesus sent his disciples out to heal, preach, and cast out evil.
The word Jesus chooses is diakonia, which has a connotation of table-service, as seen here: “For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.” Luke 22:27
Jesus’ followers would have seen daily the example of people sitting at table being seen as having greater honor in society, with those serving food and drink considered lower. Jesus was telling (and showing) his disciples to adopt the attitude of being a servant, to seek the good of others by serving them.
In our growing and learning from Jesus, we should reach a place where we begin to look for ways to serve others. Regardless of the perceived status of the serving, followers of Jesus can grow into a place of seeking out opportunities to bless others. Whether it be tangibly helping a family in crisis by making a meal, spending time with children in a nursery or volunteering in a school, visiting a home-bound friend, cleaning up a local park—there are countless ways to serve.
Ask any school aged child or teenager, and you’ll rarely get any of them to say that their schooling feels like freedom. [Of course, ask any child in a different culture for whom school has been kept from them, and you’ll get a different answer!]
But what if some teaching is better than others?
Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31
In previous notes/posts, we’ve talked about how integral Jesus’ teaching is to being a learner of Jesus. Jesus taught primarily about the kingdom of God, because he wanted to correct false assumptions about the character of God, and wanted to proclaim a message of good news about what God was doing, and will do, in the world. Through many illustrations, he talked about what the kingdom is like, what God is like, and the unexpected nature of the kingdom and its availability to those considered to be on the outside.
Here, we see Jesus telling us plainly that holding to his teaching is a marker of discipleship. And, the truth of his teaching will free us from the things that enslave us.
Of course the crowd that first heard these words argued with Jesus. They focused on the last word—free—and argued that they weren’t slaves. We might have the same reaction. We have a hard time identifying the things that hold us captive. We say we can quit [coffee, gossiping about others, social media, Netflix shows, fill in the blank] anytime, until someone actually challenges us to do that.
I did a little digging into the first part of Jesus’ words here. When he says “teaching” the word used is logos. When he says “hold to” the word is meno, which means to remain, dwell, or abide.
Jesus says something similar a few chapters later when he says:
“Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” John 14:23
The word “home” comes from the same root as meno, to dwell or abide.
It seems that Jesus is saying that if and when we dwell in his words, his teaching, his message, that in turn the Father and Son will dwell in us. And, the idea that truly living in the words and teachings of Jesus sets us free from things that enslave us is a profound one.
May we give ourselves to the teaching of Jesus, and find the truth that brings freedom.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:34-35
I remember the first person who really taught me about the truth of this idea. He was an international student from the Middle East. He grew up in a different culture, a different religious tradition—and he told me about our college ministry community: “The first time I saw this group of people, there was something different about them. You could tell you all loved one another.”
I wonder if we really believe how real these words of Jesus are.
Jesus says something remarkable here.
How can we tell if someone is a follower of His?
That they are learning from Jesus about how to live their lives?
By loving others. And specifically, a love first for others that are following Jesus, that then spills out to neighbor, co-worker, classmate, teammate, and friend.
The context of Jesus’ words here is Jesus speaking to his eleven closest followers—Judas has left the Passover meal to betray him. Some commentaries point out that Jesus—knowing that the cross would take him away from his followers, leaving his friends with so many doubts and questions—that Jesus was telling his disciples to stick together, to stay close to one another by loving each other in the hardest of times.
The implications for this are fascinating to me. Jesus is saying that other people will be able to really see the love for one another in a community, and know this comes from their adherence to Jesus.
Of course this raises all kinds of questions. What does this love look like?
Is it a feeling? An action? An acceptance of others no matter what?
Consider this definition:
Christ’s love is no timid meekness, no sentimental mildness, inoffensive and ineffectual, helpless in face of the world’s evil. It is a strong determination to seek others’ highest good in all circumstances, at any cost. On that simple but demanding principle hang all moral obligation and divine law. To love is enough.—Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible
But what about the “loving first” those that call themselves followers of Jesus?
Another resource says this specifically about John as the gospel writer and author of several letters:
…love for one’s fellow Christians does not exclude, but instead leads on to, a wider love (cf. 2 Pt 1:7). John insists that God loved the whole world (Jn 3:16; 1 Jn 2:2; 4:14). Moreover, if love fails within the Christian fellowship, it certainly will not flourish beyond it but evaporate in mere words (1 Jn 3:18). Tyndale Bible Dictionary
There is something vital about love flourishing within a community that calls itself Christian. When it exists in healthy ways, people notice.
When we talk about a path of discipleship to Jesus, we must understand that most people will connect first with us—as individuals and then a group—and when they do, what will they see?
May they see the love of Jesus poured into us, and out through us, to seek the highest good in all circumstances, at any cost.
Nailed it is an expression used to comment on the successful, skillful, or clever completion or performance of something. It’s often used sarcastically in reference to efforts that comically failed. (Dictionary.com)
How many of us have been at a high point, only to come crashing back to earth in spectacular fashion?
If we embark on the adventure of following Jesus with our whole lives, undoubtedly we will have moments like these. Crystal-clear clarity followed by a fantastic fall from understanding.
If you read Mark 8:27-38, you’ll see both of these. Peter correctly identifying Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah—the anointed King that God’s people were long-expecting. Jesus then tells his friends what must happen to him—suffer, rejection, be killed, and after three days, he will rise again. Peter pulls Jesus aside and rebukes him. One definition of “rebuke” is this: “The practice of pointing out another’s mistake, fault, or sin for the purpose of correcting behavior.” (Lexham Cultural Ontology Glossary). In other words, Peter was trying to correct Jesus. Just think of it—telling Jesus he is wrong!
Peter nailed it. In both definitions.
Jesus, in turn, rebukes Peter. He plainly tells Peter that he does not understand the mind of God in this, and is influenced by the ways of others. Jesus then calls out to the crowd with the other disciples and teaches this:
“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Mark 8:34)
Our lives following Jesus will be ones where we can expect correction from our Lord. And, we must learn to discern which of our desires need to be denied, and which ones expressed. This all involves trusting that Jesus is the source of all wisdom for our lives today, and following Him truly leads to abundant life. If Jesus truly is the Christ—as Peter correctly said—will we entrust ourselves to Him and what He wants to do in us and through us for the world?
What would…Lucifer do? (If you Google WWLD, this is what you’ll find first)
But there are some other ones that came up:
What would…[Ted] Lasso do? (Actually a great question that others have written about already).
What would…Lincoln do?
But that isn’t what I wanted to write about. None of those…
Instead:
What
Would
LOVE
Do?
I was talking with a good friend recently—who is trying to discern some things in his life. He said he has been asking a question that has been very helpful: “What would love do in this situation?”
I asked him later where he got this from, and he said he had been reading Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation by Ruth Haley Barton. She says it like this:
“The second foundational building block of the discernment process is the belief that love is our primary calling. This, too, may seem like a strange place to begin, accustomed as we are to thinking our way into decisions through intellectual exercises such as listing pros and cons. We may think our decisions are about the details of where we live, who we marry, what job we take, but for the Christian person, the choices we make are always about love and which choice enables us to keep following God into love. There may be other factors to consider, but the deepest question for us as Christian people is, What does love call for in this situation? What would love do?”
—Ruth Haley Barton (Chapter 7, “Discernment” from Sacred Rhythms).
I found this to be such a profound thought.
When we root the definition of love in the person of Jesus, we have so many layers to our answers. Love would set people free, speak the truth, heal, and battle evil. Love would sacrifice for others. And, in the words of the apostle Paul, “Love keeps no record of wrongs.” (I Corinthians 13–the whole definition of love is worth reading and meditating on). These definitions keep us from falling into the love that limit it to a feeling. Love moves toward people without being consumed by their agendas. Love is to “will the good of others.” (Dallas Willard).
Perhaps you are in a place where this question might help shed light on the situation. You’re facing a decision, a change, navigating a conflict, facing a challenge you’ve never faced before.
I was twenty-two years old. My closest friend had the two of us on a “big adventure every summer” kick…Every summer, the two of us would come up with a big adventure and invite others along. We got into whitewater rafting. In the past three summers we had rafted a river in Washington State (but it had to be the one with the most Class V rapids), one in Colorado (again, had to be the one with an eight-foot drop towards the end), and one in West Virginia (the Upper Gauley, widely regarded as one of the top rivers in the world for whitewater rafting…and if I remember correctly, the river that day was on the border of being unrunnable due to the water levels. We all fell out, some of us multiple times).
We got through our whitewater rafting phase and decided that we’d try mountain climbing. The obvious first choice was the tallest peak in our home state of Washington, Mount Rainier. It is 14,411 feet tall.
For those that haven’t had the pleasure, this is what the climb is like. (It was over 20 years ago, so details may be exaggerated to enhance my image). You start at a place called Paradise, at 6,000 feet. You hike all day, and reach a place called Camp Muir, at about 10,000 feet. You eat a freeze dried dinner, and they tell you to climb into bed around 7 or 8pm, and try to fall asleep as soon as you can. Because they wake you up at 2am.
You strap on your headlamp, put the crampons on your boots, get your iceaxe in your hand, and you start climbing. They reason they do this is so that when you get to several of the ice bridges, they are still solid, and the snow isn’t slick from any melting.
Anyway, our group was one of the last groups to leave the camp. But our guide, emboldened by the fact that our group might be one of the first ones to make the summit that summer, pushed us pretty fast. Only about 50% of people who attempt to summit Mt. Rainier do so in a season. Anyway, we were passing other groups along the way. As we got higher, more and more people were being left behind. Not by themselves, but usually in pairs. They were told that we would get them on the way back down.
Our guide was pushing us so fast that by the time we were close to the summit, we were the first group. We sat down to rest on what I remember felt like a steep slope to get some water and a snack. I thought I was going to pass out. The altitude had started to do things to me. I was exhausted, and I had this depressed feeling like I didn’t want to go on. I just wanted to sleep, and began to hope that someone would carry me back down the mountain to safety.
My guide was coming to check on each of us, and I remember him asking something like, “How you doing?” I started to mumble something like, “I don’t think I can do this. Why don’t you…” He didn’t let me finish. He grabbed my helmet in his hands, looked me square in the eyes and said with a determination: “You are forty-five minutes from the summit. You are so close. You can do this.” Maybe it was the tangible number of minutes that caught my attention. When you don’t know where you’re going, one of the hardest things is wondering when you’re going to get there. Maybe it was his confidence that I was going to make it, we were going to make it. Whatever it was, when it was time to get up and go, I got up, and went. And we made it. We reached the summit, I remember looking out at the sun that had come up, and we descended into the crater. And I fell asleep. It was some time before other groups made it up, and I got a nap on the top of a 14,000 foot peak.
It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. Physically draining, emotionally and mentally draining.
I am grateful to that guide.
I’ve talked to the team that I work with at the church I serve that we need to see ourselves as guides. [Grateful to Donald Miller and his Storybrand series for bringing this to our attention] Life is a journey, and we want to equip people for the journey. Our desire, our mission, is to help people become life long followers of Jesus. And, we want to bless our community in His Name. That means we have to be trained, we have to keep learning the routes, know the dangers, and be able to come alongside people when they want to quit and tell them they can make it.
And, we need to do that for each other. There are going to be times for all of us when we wonder if it is worth it. When we’re exhausted. When people question the way we guide.
The more I think about it, the more I think the church might need to see itself as a mountaineering club. All of us are climbers, and yet all of us are guides. Some of us have been climbing longer than others, so we help those that are just starting to climb. At the same time, there have been those that, regardless of how long they’ve been on the mountain, have seen some routes in life that they have navigated. Cancer, divorce, miscarriage, losing a job, losing a loved one to an accident. Some, unfortunately, have climbed several of those routes.
Maybe someone reading this right now is where I was on that mountain decades ago. Saying, “I don’t think I can make it.” If you are, I earnestly pray that God shows up as a guide—gently holding your head in His hands, looking into your eyes, and saying…”You’re going to make it. I am with you, and I’m not leaving you.” And that God surrounds you with fellow climbers and guides who speak that hope into you again and again.
You thought this would be about Jesus throwing and turning over tables, didn’t you?
Bet you didn’t think someone had used Jesus to advertise disc golf, did you? (I sure didn’t)
He taught them many things by parables…Mark 4:2
At the church I serve, we hope to be a community that is making disciples—life-long learners and followers of Jesus. We began a series, called “Disciple Like Jesus,” to more deeply look at exactly how Jesus made disciples. After inviting people to follow, Jesus spent a significant amount of time teaching. His primary way of teaching was through parables. This word, from the Greek verb “to throw beside,” speaks of the way Jesus would take something from the natural world and “throw it alongside” his teaching about what the kingdom of God was like. In fact, we see Jesus introduce many of his parables like this: “This is what the kingdom of God is like…”. Then, we see him introduce a character, whether it be a farmer, a woman, a landowner, or a king. And what that character did—planting, kneading dough, etc.— would have been easy for the crowds to understand. However, in these parables, Jesus had the character often do something unexpected! The surprise of the parable was often what captivated the crowds, inviting them to discuss, ask questions, and reflect more deeply. The parable was to invite everyone into the story and ask, “What does this mean?”
If we are to make disciples like Jesus, then teaching like Jesus, and teaching about Jesus will certainly be integral to what we do. May we invite people into the story of Jesus, and discover that the marvelous kingdom of God is revealed in his teaching!
For the past 18 months, I’ve been writing short pieces for our church email newsletter. These were simply thoughts and questions on the texts and themes we were talking about when we gather on Sundays. It did not occur to me to post these on my blog, which has sat dormant for some time now. Obviously, I am not a “blogger.” Today, I compiled those brief pieces of writing into documents that cover 2022 and 2023. If any of these titles sound interesting to you, click on them, and you’ll see how the themes progress through the weeks and months we were covering these things. [ I didn’t include the writings of my associates, as those are theirs.] You can find them in our church website archive at fremontpres.org.
One thing that struck me as I read through these: I mention several of my “mentors-at-a-distance,” who have now passed away. I grieve the passing of Earl Palmer, long-time pastor of University Presbyterian Church in Seattle (the first preacher I ever heard in a church), and Tim Keller, founding pastor of Redeemer Church in New York. Keller’s work on the book of Jonah especially shaped our series here. I am incredibly indebted to them and their shaping of my thinking and preaching.
I plan on resuming weekly notes in August of this year. Our upcoming themes will be on how Jesus taught and commissioned his followers, how the prophet Isaiah reveals God’s heart “With and For the City,” and then, how Jesus speaks about what a generous life looks like.
I always find it interesting when a certain
phrase becomes commonplace. This one is
on the way out, but remember, “I know, right?”
Whenever you were talking with someone, and they agreed with what you’re
saying, they often would say, “I know, right?”
When I lived in the South, this was a good
one. “Bless his heart.” “Bless her
heart.” It was license to then say
whatever you want. Like this, “Bless his
heart, but he’s as dumb as a rock.”
Now, it’s “I’m just saying.” This usually follows a stinging criticism. As in, “You’re a narcissist, egomaniac, and a
control freak. I’m just saying.” (Some of you might recognize this as a
description of a certain someone of a popular reality TV show. Don’t judge.)
While “I’m just saying” wasn’t said there, it could have been. It’s a curious phrase. We tack it on, like it lessens the harshness
of the words?
Don’t judge again, but I have a bit of a
sarcastic streak in me. So when I hear
someone say, “I”m just saying,” I kind of want to say: “Oh, I thought you were
just being harsh and judgmental….but you’re saying that you’re just
saying.” What does that even mean?
We have a Christian equivalent. When we want to harshly say something to
someone, we can tack on, “Hey, I’m just speaking the truth in love.” It comes from a portion of a verse in
Ephesians 4. It is totally taken out of
context. But if we’re honest, we like to
do that with the Bible—take things out of context to suit our purposes.
The whole context of the passage where Paul
writes these words is much different than an interpersonal conflict. Paul is writing to a group of believers in a
city called Ephesus, modern day Turkey.
The believers in Jesus there are surrounded by all kinds of influences,
including the city dedicated to the worship of the goddess Artemis. In a fascinating story, you can read more
about that in Acts 19–how Paul wanted to speak in front of a frenzied crowd
chanting the name of Artemis!
But Paul’s letter to the believers in Ephesus
was meant to encourage them—to help them remember they indeed are adopted sons
and daughters of God. To encourage them
to remain steadfast, growing in their knowledge and love of Jesus. Paul wants to remind them of what they once
were, so that they might not judge others.
And how the grace of God has made them new. In the 4th chapter of the letter, Paul calls
to the Ephesians to live out their identity, forgiving one another, growing
together in maturity. Each one, Paul
says, is to use the gifts given to them for the greater community.
Then, Paul decides to talk about babies, boats, and gamblers.
In a mixture of metaphors, Paul writes, “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teachings and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.” First he talks about infants, or babies. When a group of people commit themselves to using their God-given gifts for the greater good, bringing about unity and maturity, we will no longer be babies. That metaphor didn’t seem to be enough, because Paul then talks about boats. Boats in a storm are those tossed back and forth in a storm. I reached out to a sailor in our congregation, and he told me that a boat without a direction is in trouble. He wrote,
When a ship is not holding to a specific course it is simply at the mercy of the sea just like a piece of driftwood.
Finally, Paul talks about the cunning and craftiness of people. The word Paul chooses for “cunning” is an interesting one. It is the Greek word, “kubeia,” which literally means “dice-playing.” The connotation here is a cheating gambler that loads the dice to deceive those playing.
Paul, having spent time with believers in
Ephesus, must have known the challenges they faced. Being new to the faith, being without a
course or direction, and perhaps being surrounded by those wanting to deceive
them. How do you stand in the face of
all that?
Well, it is out of all that that Paul writes, “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is Christ.” The implications are many, and it’s pretty hard to justify using “speaking the truth in love” as a Christian version of “I’m just saying.” Paul says we speak the truth in love—and in so doing, we will grow up to become a community that reflects Christ to the world. Sure, we might speak the truth in love to someone else in our community, but the foundation is love, and the goal is maturity and growth.
Let’s be honest. Sometimes those that call on Christ are known
way more for “just saying” things that aren’t done out of love at all. In reading this passage again—perhaps Paul
had in mind both an internal and external audience. We speak the truth in love—to each other, and
to the world. I think that Paul is
saying that when a group of people, growing and maturing together, becoming
more like Jesus, using their gifts together—when that community speaks out of
love, people will listen. And maybe we
will be known not only for our words, but the love of Jesus in us as we speak
truth.
Questions for individuals: Have you ever had someone confront you in something, but did it in a way that was unloving? How did you take that? On the other hand, did you ever have someone that you knew loved you, confront you, and it moved you to do something about it? How might that change the way you speak to others?
Questions for children and families: Paul speaks of us “being tossed back and forth, blown by the wind.” As my sailor friend said, a boat gets tossed and could get damaged when it isn’t heading on a certain course. Have a conversation as a family: where are we heading as a family? What is our goal? (As fall is approaching, with schedules filling up, how might that goal shape how you spend your time?)
Questions for the workplace: Look at Paul’s phrase again: “Speaking the truth…in love.” What kind of culture exists in your workplace? Is it one in which criticisms and “feedback” are given without regard for one’s feelings, in unloving ways? Or, is it one in which you feel appreciated, even loved, for who you are? Is it unrealistic to recognize “the whole person” in the workplace—their needs, dreams, emotions, struggles, and the rest?
[artist credit: Sermon on the Mount by Juanita Cole Towery]
“Do we realize that our sons and daughters have grown up in a world of social media, which is inherently judgmental?” I was listening to Dr. Tim Davis, the Executive Director of the department of Resilience and Leadership at the University of Virginia last week. My ears perked up. I had been studying Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:1.
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”
Dr. Davis went on briefly to explain how so many people have grown up with a daily ritual of posting something on a social media platform, and then waiting to see who likes, loves, retweets, or comments. In essence, they are waiting to see how they are judged.
Then, my wife sent me an article on how teens are using Snapchat, and how “streaks” are vital to sustaining friendships.
Some of us might not use social media that frequently, and might find ourselves saying, “Well, that’s just silly.” But is it? There was a quote from Jules Spector, one of the teens interviewed, that struck me:
“I think in some weird way it makes concrete a feeling of a friendship. Like, you can talk to someone every day, but a streak is physical evidence that you talk every day.”
This is simply today’s version of relationships feeling more real, more consistent. In a digital age, is it any wonder that so many of us want some evidence of relationship?
So what does Jesus have to say about all this? If he says, “Don’t judge,” and social media is judgmental, do we give up on that? Or, do we chalk up Jesus’ words to being outdated and irrelevant? (If we’re honest, we often do this, especially with the Sermon on the Mount—Matthew 5-7).
When we dig deeper, we find Jesus’ words to be both convicting and life-giving.
The Bible actually has a lot to say about being slow to judge. And there is a similar refrain: be careful when you judge, because you do the same things.
Hear these words from Romans 2:1:
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.
That refrain is present here in Matthew 7. Jesus says we are to look at ourselves, the “plank” in our own eye, before we go to remove a little speck from another’s eye.
Some of us might be wondering, “OK, so are we not to judge at all? Isn’t there a place for discernment? Is it realistic to really walk through life without judging someone?”
As we’ve mentioned before in this series on “How We Get Along” with others, is it likely that Jesus is not just handing down new laws to be obeyed. “Don’t judge or else.” But, to get us to ask the question, “What kind of person would not judge so quickly?”
Digging deeper, scholars on this passage say something interesting. Namely, that Jesus is not saying to never judge, but to examine our hearts to see if we have a certain kind of judging spirit:
“What our Lord means to condemn is a censorious and fault-finding spirit. A readiness to blame others for trifling offenses or matters of indifference, a habit of passing rash and hasty judgments, a disposition to magnify the errors and infirmities of our neighbors and make the worst of them—this is what our Lord forbids.” JC Ryle, Crossway Bible Commentary
And again, “In short, the unnoticed log is often the critical spirit itself.” Dale Bruner, Matthew: A Commentary
This is the convicting part for me. How often do I find myself judging others with a critical, fault-finding spirit? How quickly can I dismiss a person, squash an idea, make unfounded assumptions, and more?
This is the life-giving part. Jesus is offering a way out. Actually, Jesus is pointing to a way of life where I am set free from such tendencies. First look at the plank in my life, he says. When I find myself thinking or saying judgmental things about others, can I immediately look at times I have said or thought similar things? When I find myself judging someone else’s behavior, can I immediately look at times when I have done something similar? When I do this, does my attitude change towards others?
So what about social media in all of this? What might Jesus say about all of that? First, I wonder if he might long for people to be set free from finding affirmation and identity in how many likes and loves they get. It only lasts as long as you see it. And it only creates in us a desire to get more the next time. (True confession: If you don’t think I look at how many views I get on these blog posts, you’re wrong!). Second, I wonder if he would want us to be less judgmental and harsh about the things we see and read there. Have you ever written a post, an email, a letter in anger and then regretted it later? And finally, that we would understand the generations that have grown up with a way of relating that has been inherently judgmental, and be a un-hypocritical people that points the way to a love that is unconditional.
Questions for individuals: If there is a person that you are too critical towards, who is it? How helpful do you think your critical words are to them? Can you picture yourself asking for forgiveness from them, and honestly asking them if you have ever hurt them with your words? If there is a group of people that you are critical towards, who is it? Is there something you might not be seeing about them, that is true about yourself?
Questions for kids and families: When I was growing up, kids were often judged by things like this: how good they were at sports, how good they were at games on the playground, how good they were at school, how they dressed, who they hung out with, and a lot more. Talk with your family about the things you think kids are judged on today, and if you feel judged. What do you think Jesus might have to say about those things?
Questions for the workplace: Perhaps the place you work uses “evaluations” or “assessments,” and you either are in charge of giving them, or you receive them regularly. In either case, you are called upon to judge others, or be judged. How can these be done in a way that is less “fault-finding,” and more constructive, or help you grow, or help you grow others?
david j burke 