A farm with no fence...

Ever see a farm with no fence?

Why not?

Because the animals would get out and the farmer would lose money. And even if the animals stayed along the property line, there is no protection for the animals.

They can be stolen.

Other animals can harm or even kill them.

In essence, a farm without a fence makes no sense. It marks your property, it protects your valuables, and it lets people know they are stepping onto your tuff.

So, let’s applied this concept to the church.

A church with a fence (arbitrary rules and regulations) poses the question are you in, or are you out?

Are you going to buy into our beliefs…

our package…

our rules…

adopt our agenda…

Are you one of us…or one of them?

If that’s the case, who decides who gets in and goes out?

Is there room for people to get in? Can people get out?

Instead, what if we viewed the church as a farm with no fence?

The question then would be are you moving towards the farm (God) or away from it?

Should the church’s identity be defined primarily by its edges…its borders…its fence? Or should the church’s identity be defined by its center…focused on Christ, the sole source of our identity?

A church with no fence doesn’t have intruders…

A church with no fence doesn’t have aliens hopping the fence…

Because there is no fence.

A church with no fence offers love and grace.

And by church I’m not talking about a building…a structure.

I’m talking about people who are human translations of divine love, people whose words and actions don’t grasp for God as much as they reveal a God who grasps for them.

Hard stuff that I am still trying to process…

Does my farm have a fence?

Easter...bigger than Christmas?

This was the question posed by a friend today. It’s a question I have been thinking about all day.

Is Easter way bigger than Christmas?

Let’s investigate both.

Christmas is huge! I mean the Messiah was born on Christmas. Not only that, he was born from a virgin…without sin!

I don’t know anyone besides Jesus who can say their mom was a virgin when they were born. Jesus’ birth brought about celebration…angels declaring and singing the Messiah was born. Wise men traveled many miles to see the baby Messiah.

Today we celebrate the birth of Jesus, yet it is probably in a much different way than the wise men did. Today the Christmas season generates plenty of money, we go all out when we celebrate Christmas.

Lights hanging from the house.

Fresh smelling Christmas tree…decorated with lights, ornaments, and tinsel.

Presents galore.

Candy canes.

But sometimes we get sidetracked with celebrating the birth of our savior for getting that perfect, expensive gift for our significant other.

But the question remains…is Easter bigger than Christmas.

Well that leads to another question…what defines bigger?

More celebrated?

More money spent during the holiday?

More family gets together?

What about the significance?

Yes, Jesus being born to a virgin is extraordinary…like I said before…not many people can claim that!

But not many people can claim to hanging on a cross for all of humanities sins, being buried in a cave, then 3 days later…rising from the grave…resurrected!

And since Jesus rose from the grave…resurrected…he beat the greatest weapon this fallen, broken world has…death!

Thus setting into motion God’s plan to restore humanity to Himself…freedom…and the invitation into a life that looks totally upside down to culture.

So am I telling you to take down the Christmas tree…and throw some pastel colored lights on it…calling it a Resurrection tree? Why not?

Hang light blue, purple, yellow, and pink lights from your house…? Sure!

Point being…is Easter worth the celebration we allow for Christmas…and then some?

Absolutely!

Because Easter proves that Jesus is who he says he is…the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6)!

His ways are totally sideways to culture when he says to love our God with all our mind, soul, and spirit…then he tells us to love our enemies as we love ourselves…

The truth that the Kingdom of God is at hand, the truth that restoration is through him…

And the life that we as his children…his ambassadors should strive to live each and every day.

A life that sacrifices getting even with forgiveness.

A life that trades evil for love.

A life that gives rather than hoards.  

So this past Christmas…we read the Christmas story (the birth of Jesus) on Christmas Eve.

I think this weekend; we will read the beautiful story of the resurrected Jesus…and maybe turn our Christmas tree into a Resurrection tree…

We will see!