Tag Archives: hats

Hats Part 4. The Peace Maker

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How would you describe the word peace? Is it silence. Solitude. Tranquility. A breath taking sunrise or sunset. The absence of violence. The presence of justice. The eradication of war. What is true peace? While there are many definitions I like this one; harmony between two individuals or groups. This is what Jesus came to bring us. Before coming to Christ we had no peace for we were in conflict with God. But through Jesus death and resurrection the offer of peace is made to us all. We can now stand in right relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ. Jesus wants this peace to be life-long in its effect (John 14:27) and his desire is that his follower be fellow peacemakers (Mark 9:50).

Yet just like peace was no easy thing for Jesus to obtain (it cost him his life). So peace often comes with a high price tag for his followers as well. Here are a few of the ways you and I are called to wear the hat of peace-maker.

Making peace with other Christian.

Perhaps one of the most challenging tasks for the Christian is to bring harmony back into a relationship with another Christian. Don’t forget we are fallen people serving a living God. Mistakes and offenses will happen…even in the church. Christians must be forgiving and reconciling people especially among one another. So many times the Christian community is lousy at the following forms of peace-making because we are war with one another.

Making peace with a world that hates us.

The Apostle John made it crystal clear that when we live for Jesus in the world we will not be liked. Don’t expect to get invited to all the great parties the world throws. The world stands against all the Christ stands for….so naturally they oppose Christ’s followers. But we must be people who forgive the wrongs done to us by the world. Remember, they need a Savior. They need to find peace themselves. Our part is to invite peace by refusing to hold onto and remember the wrongs done to us. Challenging but important. We are called to return harmony between ourselves and the world…and often this is done at our own cost.

Bring peace to a world that hates itself.

Be the Contradiction!

Watch the news for just a minute a day and that’s enough to know the world is imploding. People hating people. People killing and maiming people. There is no harmony to be found. As Christians who have harmony with God and with the world, we need to be the contradiction. We need to bring peace to a world of hate. It is possible to live differently. Don’t be afraid that one voice can’t make a difference; God calls us to bring peace. Perhaps this means that you intervene in a family fuede that is long standing. Perhaps you lead a prayer in the office for the unrest in the middle east. Where is God calling you to bring peace? I pray you find your place and let your voice be heard.

Community Questions:

How would you describe the peace that Jesus Christ has brought into your life?

Anyone know what movie the helmet hails from? Hint: Another cult classic.

Hats Part 2. The Guardian

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Hat 2: The role of Guardian.

Just like the first role we can never fully understand our role as guardians until we first see that Jesus is our Guardian. Jesus loved his followers, so deeply in fact that he was fiercely protective of them. Jesus rescued Peter when he was sinking in the water (Matthew 14:29-31). He even wept when some refused His love and protection (Luke 13:34).God the Father is protective of his Son’s followers too for He promised Paul in the midst of the storm that all those on the ship would be safe (Acts 27:21-26). Jesus guards the ones he loves and we too are called to “wear this hat”.

The world we lives in calls us to look out for ourselves only. The better off we are the better. But when we are called to follow Jesus we are called to live differently. We are no longer our number one priority. Serving God comes first and serving others comes in second. As you read through the New Testament you come face to face with a call to protect first those followers of Jesus Christ who are most in need such as widows and orphans (James 1:27). Sometimes commands to care for these two groups seem a bit antiquated, as if they belong to some long distant Biblical era. But today there are more widows and orphans than ever. How are you actively caring for those two groups? It starts with small things. Shoveling the driveway of an elderly widow, offering a few Christmas gifts to an orphanage. When we do these things we are guarding the weak, we are acting like Christ. When we avoid these individuals we are choosing to act like the world, a far cry from where we should be. Next we are called to extend protection to anyone who comes to us for help. In fact the New Testament tells us we are to offer protection without partiality (James 2). How are you doing at helping those who show up at inconvenient times?

You may or may not be protective by nature but you are called to be a guardian by Christ. We must wear this hat, it is not optional. If we overlook this vital role of the Christian community our world will become a much colder place. Let us be a light and a hope for those in need of protection.

Community Questions:

1. What is one practical way you can care for widows and orphans in your church or community?

2. Have you ever been the recipient of the protection or care of a fellow Christian? How did it make your feel?

Hats Part 1. The Healer

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You’ve heard the phrase “wearing several hats” before I’m sure. It’s what we say when we’re filling multiple roles simultaneously. When it comes right down to it we all wear more than one hat. I am a father, a son, a husband, a pastor, a friend…the list goes on.

Some of the hats that we wear are expected, they don’t surprise our friends and family at all. Yet other hats surprise even our closet friends when we’re discovered wearing them. When we follow Jesus we are assigned some roles, or given a few hats to wear if you will. Over the next few posts I would like to look at the 4 main hats Christians are to wear and ponder with you whether the world sees them as obvious or surprising.

Hat 1: The role of Healer.

To understand this role we must first see that Jesus Christ has healed us. (Isaiah 53:4, 1 Peter 2:24). Jesus, understanding that we were slaves to sin, came down to this earth in order to release us from our bondage. This required that he pay the price of our sin which was death. His death healed us from the coming punishment of sin. We become healed spiritually. Or put another way we are now spiritually healthy.

Thus the follower of Jesus is a spiritual healthy individual living in a world full of suffering. This suffering is not just limited to one’s spirit either. Many in our world suffer physically as well as spiritually. This illustration is a bit of a stretch but in some ways Christians are like Will Smith in the movie “I am Legend”. We live in a world in desperate need of a cure. The big difference is we aren’t searching for the cure as he was…we know the cure is Jesus Christ. Our role as healer is to offer people access to the healing power of Jesus Christ.We introduce them to the “Great Physician” (Luke 5:321-32).

But we heal in other ways as well. When we enter into the pain of another we are helping them find the healing they need. Remember, Will Smith was immune and we are too. When we seek justice for those who have none, when we offer mercy to those who normally don’t experience it we are healing wounded hearts and in so doing show that we too have been healed.

In a world full of pain we have the responsibility to take on the role of one who offers healing. Of one who points to the source of all healing Jesus Christ. Are you wearing the hat? Are you healing the physically broken, are you carrying the physically wounded to the feet of Jesus?

Community Questions:

Is the church today doing a good job of wearing the hat of healing? Would the world agree with your assessment?

What are some practical ways we can bring healing to the world in which we live?