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Taken from the pages of Delirious’ new album: Kingdom of ComfortSave me save me
From the kingdom of comfort where I am king
From the unhealthy lust of material thingsA REVOLUTION THAT DANCES AND LAUGHS
- Shane Claiborne: activist, recovering sinner, and author of irresistible revolution
THESIMPLEWAY.ORG
The world is a mess. People are dying of OBESITY, and people are dying of STARVATION. Some of us are suffering from the LONELINESS OF POVERTY, and others are aching in the LONELINESS OF WEALTH. Too often, Christianity has only offered us life after death while the world is really asking: Is there life before death? We are convinced that Jesus did not just come to prepare us to die but to teach us how to live – here… now. He came to show us the narrow way to life. And that’s Good News to all of us who are ANOTHER WORLD. We are made to live for something bigger than ourselves – this thing we call the KINGDOM OF GOD… God’s dream for the world.
This is the realm where the last are first and the first are last, where the poor are blessed and the peacemakers are the children of God. This whole Christian thing is not just about going up to heaven after we die, but it is about bringing God’s Kingdom to earth.
THIS IS THE GOSPEL THAT SHOULD COMFORT THE DISTURBED AND DISTURB THE COMFORTABLE.
And that means REVOLUTION. It is a revolution that sets both the oppressed and the oppressors free, A REVOLUTION THAT DANCES AND LAUGHS… A REVOLUTION THAT ACHES WITH THE WORLD. It is a revolution not just for saints and prophets and celebrities, but A REVOLUTION OF ORDINARY RADICALS WHO LIVE IN WAYS THAT DO NOT CONFORM TO THE PATTERNS OF THIS WORLD BUT ARE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF OUR MINDS (Rom.12:2 NIV)
God gives us a fresh imagination. Perhaps the world will call us crazy. But if we are crazy it is because we refuse to be crazy in the same way that the world has gone crazy. And this GOSPEL OF THE POOR and BROKEN may fly in the face of much of the prosperity preaching that has come to mark Christianity in the west, but this is the Gospel of the baby REFUGEE who was born in the middle of a GENOCIDE, who wandered the world with no place to lay His head, and who was jailed, tortured, and crucified on the cross of the Empire in which He lived.
May these songs lead us closer to Jesus of Nazareth, where folks said “nothing good could come.” And may these songs lead us to the poor, in whom we will find Christ in his most distressing disguises… among the least of these. In these songs, may you encounter the Jesus who did not just come as a missionary to the poor or as a CHARITABLE PHILANTROPIST, but who came as one who suffered.
HE CAME AS A TROUBLEMAKER AND CREATOR OF HOLY MISCHIEF.
He came as a King who ruled with a towel and played in the dirt with kids. It is Jesus who bids us, dares us… come and follow.
SO SIT. DANCE. SHOUT. LISTEN…
Listen to the One who tells us if we really want to FIND OUR LIFE THEN WE SHOULD GIVE IT AWAY.
Listen to the small voice amid all the noise and clutter that whispers to us that the best thing to do with the best things in life is to give them away.
As we read the newspaper in one hand and the Bible in the other, we cannot help but ask: HAVE WE EVEN BEGUN TO BE CHRISTIANS?
LET US BEGIN.
Jesus, give us STRENGTH to live the things we preach and sing. And give us GRACE with ourselves and others when we fall short of who we want to be…
Aug.24 2008
Union Church of Manila
Jefford shared to me that Roca invited him to attend a UCM service in Makati. He told me however, that he is timid to go there alone but he wanted to. So, to pacify his desire, I offered my service to accompany him (ala escort service? :D). The schedule is 12:30nn as informed. Later did I know that UCM had 3 different services: Contemporary, Traditional, and the Blended service. I had planned earlier not to attend our church service but because of the demand to back-up our worship leader, I had to be on our P&W session which started at 9am. P&W was done before 10am so I had to sneaked out (oh, I asked permission to Ptra that I will leave early :D ) after that.
Before 11:30, I was already in our meeting place at Chowking SM Makati. Tina was supposed to come with us but she informed me that they will be having a family affair that day. Jefford finally showed up (uhmmmm... hehe) so off we go after we took a quick brunch (breakfast/lunch)!
Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect attending a different church. What I am sure is that wherever church (or place) I go, I want to experience God. And the experience is indeed worth it, more than worth it! The service is a different setting compared to my full gospel background.
First, the place is great, and I felt the presence of God as I entered the sanctuary.
Second, the order of worship, the songs, and the singers are all great. I’d like to commend the 3 singers did great harmony, I loved the blending of voice, and the sound of the instruments are finely mixed. I must say I love the violin too…
Third, the message is short but precise. The topic at that moment is “Teacher Jesus”, Pastor Steve Reutschle (anyone read his surname to me pls?) explained why Jesus is a great teacher and challenged us to allow Jesus be our Great Teacher.
One thing I’ve learned from this experience is that sometimes, God takes me out of my comfort place and brings me into a different “face” of His. The experience is more than words to comprehend, and I knew in my heart, there’s a Different Light being revealed to me...
There are still comfortable places, situations, and relationships by which I felt like I have to dig more into them. And sometimes, I get impatient. But adapting to the pace of God is in the process of me. A higher level of obedience is being thought and so…
"The place I choose, or place I shun, my soul is satisfied with none; but when Thy will directs my way, 'tis equal joy to go or stay."
After church…
Jefford and I looked for a place to chat so that he can share with me his first time experience attending a Christian church. He told me he was excited before that, and funny because he was “tested” by God by sending a heavy rain when he is about to go. Well, good thing he did surpass that initial testing. Hehe. We walked to and fro to find a place and we had almost gone to every resto but we contradict each other every time. We went from Greenbelt, to Landmark, to Glorietta and no place is good enough for both of us, so we went back to SM! Lol
Tsoko-nut is not so filled with people and since I want a light meal with a coffee (besides the desperation.haha), we finally stopped there. I loved the chocolate coffee eventhough it’s a little bitter and the carbonara is delicious and tasty! With a lot to talk about, I have to finish the mission. After explaining and sharing a lot of things about Christianity and being a Christian, to say a prayer is one of the best acts to bless someone. Jefford is an open-minded person, and I felt that God is working in and through him.
Had a fruitful day I believe… 
