The Poor Innkeeper

For the past few Sundays we have been looking over the shoulders of different characters in the Christmas story.  What did they see, what did they feel, what did they know as Christ came into the world?  We have looked at Mary, the angels of heaven, the shepherds and the wisemen.

One character I have avoided has been the Innkeeper.

At times I feel sorry for the Innkeeper.  He seems to get worse treatment in the story than even Herod.  John Phillips, who seems to know the actual name of the inn itself, is particularly tough.

"No room!"  That was not true.  There was the innkeeper's own room, but he never once considered that.  No, indeed!

A few pages later, he seems to go out of his way to take another shot at the innkeeper as he describes the excited reaction of the shepherds.

No one seems to have bothered to rouse the innkeeper and his guests.  They had no room for the Lord of glory in their inn.  Why should they be roused?  Let them sleep!

You get the feeling that John Phillips was once shut out by an innkeeper himself and ended up spending a very rough night sleeping in his car on a very cold night in a very bad part of town.  Don't look for Dr. Phillips at the next National Innkeepers Convention!

Yet I have also heard it pointed out that the only shelter Mary and Joseph had that evening had been provided by the innkeeper.  I remember some even pointing out that the manger area was a generous offer as it provided more privacy for the young couple who were imminently about to become a family.

Whole sermons have been preached  in both these directions.

Interestingly the text only tells us this...

⁷And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.  Luke 2:7 (ESV)

Notice...there is no innkeeper even mentioned!  Yet for our preaching convenience we have created him...determined his motives and his just desserts.

The point is we don't know enough for any of this.  Sometimes this makes me think of how I respond to the people in my congregation.  Far too often, I can be tempted to come to entire conclusions about my people -- their lives, their choices, their motives -- with as much information as we have of our unmentioned innkeeper.

There is often more to the story than we know.  In preaching and pastoring, let's be careful about filling in the blanks.

Conviction Whiplash

Ministry brothers, a quick word if I may.

I have been reading in Ezekiel recently and was caught by these words this morning in chapter 33.

30"As for you, son of man, your people who talk together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, say to one another, each to his brother, 'Come, and hear what the word is that comes from the LORD.' 31 And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain. 32And behold, you are to them like one who sings lustful songs with a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument, for they hear what you say, but they will not do it. 33 When this comes—and come it will!— then they will know that a prophet has been among them."

I must admit, while I love my church those words resonated in me. It spoke to the frustration that I often feel on Sundays and even more so during the week. The appearance of attentiveness, yet possibly they see church as little more than spiritual entertainment.

To be honest, I wanted to yell out.... "yeah, that is what the problem in my church is!" It is the stinking sheep.

Oh, if only my reading for the day had ended there. I could have smugly gone about the rest of my day shaking my head about my people.

But instead I continued to read into chapter 34.

1The word of the LORD came to me: 2 "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord GOD: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? 3 You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. 4 The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. 5 So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. 6My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.

7"Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: 8 As I live, declares the Lord GOD, surely because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep, 9therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: 10Thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.

When a pastor becomes more concerned about his own interests....his comforts, his satisfaction, his success, his salary.... than he is about the care for his flock (yes, those same stinking sheep from chapter 33) then he is in deep trouble. God Himself stands against the shepherd!

Pastoring is tough enough by itself. I shudder to think about doing it with God opposed to me.

Why do these passages have to stand back to back in Scripture? Couldn't I have had a few moments to revel in the indictment of the brokenness of my people without having to deal with the brokenness of the pastor?

They stand so close together in the Word, because they stand so close together in my church.

John Stott Musing About Ministry

A few more words from The Living Church by John Stott.....

Discussing Acts 20:28 Stott addresses ministry to the sometimes more difficult people we encounter, in his words the unlovable.

Only, I think, by remembering how precious they are. They are so valuable that the three persons of the Trinity are together involved in caring for them. I find it very challenging, when trying to help a difficult person, to say under my breath: "How precious you are in God's sight! God the Father loves you. Christ died for you. The Holy Spirit has appointed me your pastor. As the three persons of the Trinity are committed to your welfare, it is a privilege for me to serve you."

I must admit that are not always my first thoughts in those moments. But in those moments my call must impact my character.

Celebrating the Lord's Table

I spent some time this week thinking about how we celebrate the Lord's Supper. Over the years I have never seemed to find the right pattern when it comes to frequency of observation.

The autonomy of our church tradition gives each church complete freedom to establish its own practice. However without precedent to guide us the Table can be unintentionally neglected. I know, it has happend to to me and my church...more than once. (This is particularly true while the church is without a pastor. In nearly all the churches I have pastored, the church is so excited the first time we come to the Table together. They almost always say, "it has been so long....we can't even remember the last time we did this".)

When I was growing up, my church celebrated the Lord's Supper once a month. Later churches I was a part of celebrated communion quarterly. In theory I felt something between the two would probably be best. In practice I have rarely been able to find such consistency.

Other tensions remain unresolved. How do we keep the worship experience full of meaning without being gimmicky? Should we feature the Lord Supper during morning worship so the most number of people may participate or do we use another service that allows for more flexibility and focus on the table?

In my current setting the situation is complicated by the very large portion of our church and community that has deep Catholic roots. With that in mind, I am resolved to celebrate the Table more frequently, in settings that allow for the most instruction and reflection -- typically Sunday nights.

Here is the order of service we will use next Sunday morning:

Prelude
Congegational Music
Open the Eyes of My Heart
Forever
Let the River Flow
Give Us Clean Hands

Offertory
Video clip of Last Supper

Opening Words of message
Special Music and taking of the Elements
Concluding Words of message

Time of Response
Mighty to Save

Opening Words

I wandered into the blog0sphere this summer. The blogs were all the rage leading up to the annual denominational meeting. I was curious. I nosed around and followed the links till I had basically doubled back on myself, arriving back where I had begun. (It reminded me of the old Simpson's bit where Homer's computer declares he has reached the end of the internet.)

I was fascinated by the intellectual discourse and enjoyed getting a bit of a preview of the issues and personalities that would be the focus of the convention. I clicked through the archives of some of the ones I enjoyed the most. Sharp minds to be sure.

However, what I found lacking in the buzz of convention politics, theological debates and megatrend criticism was a focus on the simple work of the pastor.

Preaching, Teaching, Leading, Loving.

These are the things I am called to. These are the things that light me up inside. These are the places I want to become more effective for Christ and His kingdom.

I want this blog to help keep me focused on the things that matter most. If it helps you do the same then I am blessed.

Tim