Our Visit to Nikko, Japan

One of the things we were able to do while in Japan was to visit Nikko, a site of many Shinto and Buddist temples. We are standing here before the Sacred Bridge that in earlier times was crossed to enter the area of the temples. We spent several hours visiting the area which is about two and a half hours from Hitachi. Nikko is considered the second most important religious site in Japan after Kyoto. We have many special memories from our trip.

Sermon March 26, 2006

This week I am beginning a new series based on the Songs of Ascents (Psalms 120-134). Much of the foder for this series comes from Eugene Peterson's book A Long Obedience in the Same Direction which is based on these psalms. I highly recommend the book.

The Journey
The First Step
Psalm 120

Introduction: Some people like to travel and others don’t. Since we returned from Japan several people have said, “How can you stand the long plane ride?” Every journey has its difficulties and challenges as well as its joys and rewards. This week we begin a series about our journey toward God.

The texts that we will be looking at are the Songs of Ascents, Psalms 120-134. These Psalms have been grouped together and were probably used by Jewish pilgrims as they made the journey to Jerusalem and the temple. They were psalms of the journey. I hope as we look at them they will also become psalms of our journey to God.

I. Where We Begin
Distress. That is where the psalmist begins and where we begin also. We live in a world full of lies and violence and so did the psalmist. You would think after over 2000 more years of history things would have changed. “Save me from lying lips and deceitful tongues” is his prayer and we can easily pray the same thing. We seem to live in a world where any kind of truth is under attack, that distortion and “spin doctors” rule the day. It is hard not to become cynical about everything and everyone.

The psalmist was distressed by the violence also. People want war; they hate peace he writes. The psalmist refers to two places, Meshech and Kedar. These were two very distant places beyond the edges of civilization and was a poetic way of saying I live among pagans and barbarians. The psalmist was not in a good place.

I’m a fairly optimistic person and look for good in the world and find it most of the time. But even I have to say the world is not a good place. One of the advantages of living outside the US is that for over 20 years we did not have to experience the US political season. We know that after the mid-term election this fall the presidential campaigns will begin in earnest for the next two years. Let’s all groan together. It is so . . . distressing. I tire of the half- truths, slander, innuendo, the spinning and slanting, the hidden agendas that infect every aspect of our news and media. It is a brutal war that in some ways is worse than the physical violence that surrounds us.

We live in a world where people always seem to be looking for a fight, quick to take offense, to defend my rights even if it tramples yours. Each week brings stories that just make us shake our head. This past week it was a man in Ohio who killed a young teen for walking on his grass. Next week it will be something just as outrageous. We see violence against children, women, the poor, and the aged. Even for an optimist it is too much; I don’t like this world we live in.
Of course, it is not just the world ‘out there’ that is the problem; it is the world ‘in here,’ in my heart. It is so easy to locate our problems outside ourselves but if we are really honest it is our own hearts and minds. Jesus understood that the sin, lies, and violence are generated in human hearts (Mark 7:21). In our distress we cry out, “Save me, O Lord!” Save us from a world filled with deceit, hatred, and violence. Save us from ourselves.

II. The First Step
I don’t know when pilgrims read this psalm. Maybe it was before they set a foot outside their door. But the psalm points out something critical for us to understand; you won’t start the journey if you are happy where you are. You won’t start the journey if you really don’t want to meet God face to face. We begin the journey because we are dissatisfied with the way things are in the world and in our lives. But once we come to this realization where do we go?

The first word of the gospel is “repent”. It was the first word of John the Baptist, Matthew 3:1. It was Jesus’ first word to be preached, Matthew 4:17. It was Peter’s first word in proclaiming how to respond to the gospel, Acts 2:38. Repentance is the first step on the journey. Without it we step out the door, wander around and come back to where we began. A journey should take us some place new and different from where we began.

Repentance is a ‘no’ word, a denial word and that makes it a word people don’t like. It is not a feeling of sorrow for our sins (though sorrow is a feeling we do experience with sin). Repentance is a decision we make about what we are doing, where we are going, and where we want to end up. Repentance is the realization that if I keep doing and thinking the same old things I am going to keep getting the same old results, lies and violence. Repentance is deciding to follow Jesus, to be his disciple, to follow his path.

Any time we change there is pain involved. There is a humbling of our spirit in repentance that is painful. It hurts to admit we are wrong, sinful, and weak. How painful was it for Saul of Tarsus to admit he was a murderer and rebel against the God he thought he was honoring? How painful was it for Peter to admit he was wrong in his prejudice against the non-Jew?
It hurts to walk away from things that are comfortable and easy, even if they are deadly. Changing ingrained habits of body and mind are struggles no matter who you are. People who have quit smoking know how painful it is to change that habit. Our minds can recycle old angers, bitter thoughts, and self-defeating attitudes. The lies the world tells us, the lies we tell ourselves are difficult to leave. The pain of change means leaving what is, in order to gain what is of ultimate worth.

Jesus tells us the truth about ourselves. We are fallen; we are sinners, but we are of incalculable worth to God and by His grace He has given us another way. It is the way of discipleship. It is a journey that will take us into the very presence of God.

Here in the United States we could probably make the case that almost all of us have immigrant roots, our ancestors came from somewhere else whether it was Europe, Africa, or Asia. Why did they come? For many the journey was difficult and dangerous. They came because where they were was oppressive. Some came for religious freedom, others for economic opportunities, and other to escape repression. Those immigrant stories are part of the story of America. We are here because they suffered the journey. They risked their lives for hope and a chance at a better life.

For the psalmist, as he began his journey to Jerusalem there was a realization that he must leave where he was. We must come to that realization also. If we like where we are, the life we have, we will never make the journey.

I have been on my journey for over 40 years. It began with repentance and it continues with it also. I haven’t found a place I want to stop short of the goal of God’s presence. The journey is always saying “no” to something in order to say “yes” to what is of the highest ultimate worth. I pray that you will join us in the journey.


Livonia Church of Christ: March 26, 2006

Sermon for March 19,2006

This is the last sermon in this series.

The Faith Full Family:
The Idol of Complacency
Revelation 3:14-22; Amos 6:1-6

Introduction: You have probably had the experience of losing your electricity. This would often happen to us in Kenya and we would light candles and lamps. Your eyes adjust and the light seems more than adequate after a while. That is until the electricity comes back and suddenly you realize how dim those little lights were.
There are two concepts that are very similar. One is good and the other can be trouble. The good concept is “contentment”. Scripture often encourages us to be content with what we have. The other concept is complacency, the idea of being self-satisfied.

I. Discontent and Complacency
It might seem that these two ideas of discontent and complacency are two opposite ends of the spectrum and contentment is right in the middle. Yet when we really consider it these are two sides of the same coin.

If we look at discontent we see people who are never satisfied, people who think that “more” will make them more whatever “more” is. Discontent affects our relationship with God. As one person wrote, "The person with the discontented heart has the attitude that everything he does for God is too much, and everything God does for him is too little."[1] That certainly seems to be the case with discontented people in scripture. We see the Israelite people refusing to enter the promise land because God has not made it easy enough for them. Discontent says, “God needs to give me more to be happy, content. I don’t deserve these problems, this sickness, or this relationship. Why doesn’t God do anything?” Discontent is focused on self.

While it may seem that discontent is a big problem in our society, I came across an interesting statistic. A survey done in 2003 asked people in America, “How satisfied are you with life?” I found it amazing that 57% answered “very satisfied”. Only 8% said, “Not satisfied”.[2]
It may seem that complacency is at the opposite end from discontent. A complacent person is someone who is satisfied, their needs are met, they just don’t want anything to change because any change would be to the worst. It is this attitude that we see in Laodicia in Revelation, “You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.'” Revelation 3:17. Complacency is an idol of the rich whether it is rich in money, pride, or self-righteousness.

This is why I feel that complacency is an idol that is dangerous to us as American Christians and as American families. We are a materially blessed people and we often thank God for those blessings in our prayers, and that is good and proper. While we have some members in our church who are struggling with various economic issues we have adequate shelter, food and clothing. We have access to things beyond the basic necessities; in a word we “do not need a thing.” But like the Laodicians complacency leads to blindness.

Sometimes the blindness comes from the insulating power of wealth. I believe this is part of the problem with the rich man in the story of Lazarus (Luke 16:19-21). The rich man is not evil in the sense we often think, he is just blind to Lazarus, the poor man living at his gate. It is easy to forget about the problems so many people face just a few miles from our church building. It takes a concerted effort on our part just to see such people let alone help in any way.

Complacency has a numbing effect also; we call this apathy. The word “empathy” means to feel with another person. Apathy is to not feel. An example of this is the apathy many white Christians feel concerning racial issues in our society. Our response is, “I don’t have a problem.” While the civil rights movement helped to answer some of the inequalities in our society many problems still remain. Yet white churches often ignore the issues. It has come to be referred to as “white apathy”, in other words we don’t care, we don’t feel with our non-white brothers and sisters.

Complacency impacts churches in another important way. Why don’t we reach out to our friends and neighbors with the gospel? There are lots of excuses, no time, embarrassment, don’t know enough, etc. But maybe part of it is we like our church the way it is. New people can be disruptive, just ask a family with a new baby. Growing families are a lot of work and so are growing churches.

The biggest problem with complacency whether it is in people, families, or churches is that it shuts the door on Jesus. The picture of the Laodicia church is one where Jesus is standing outside, knocking and wanting to come in. “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me,” Revelation 3:20. He has to keep knocking because the people inside are a sleep.

II. Waking Up
Casting out the idol of complacency is not easy because it is so comfortable. When we read some of Jesus harshest words he is confronting religious complacency or greed. You have to knock loudly to wake the sleeping.

Jesus has some advice for the complacent, “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see,” Revelation 3:18. We have to change our perceptions in order to see what we are missing. Complacency does that to us, we become content with what is dim, what is ragged, and what is ultimately worthless.

Complacency leaves Jesus outside of our lives, our homes, and our churches. That is what the Christians at Laodicia did not realize. It is what we may discover if we look at our lives.
The other remedy is one we may not like, rebukes and discipline. As a man I used to dread those words that Diane would say to me occasionally, “We need to talk.” My automatic thought was, “What have I done now?” Diane’s ultimate concern was for our relationship and those talks led to changes that have made me a better husband and father and deepened our relationship. When God’s rebukes and discipline comes into our lives it is God saying to us, “We need to talk.” God wants our attention; he wants to deepen our relationship. Casting out this idol requires us to examine our hearts and attitudes. It requires us to wake up and see things as God sees them.


Livonia Church of Christ: March 19, 2006

[1] Don Kistler, Tabletalk (9-18-01), p.15.
[2] Shannon Reilly and Keith Carter, USA Today Snapshots; source: Harris Interactive, April 1-15, 20.

Sermon Feb. 26, 2006

This sermon was preached just before we left for Japan so I am late getting it posted.

The Faith Full Family:
The Idol of Security
John 15:18-20; Matt. 10:37-39

Introduction: The world is a dangerous place. It doesn’t take a great observer of our world to come to that conclusion. Is it more dangerous for us today than for our grandparents or great grandparents? Probably not. The world doesn’t seem all that dangerous until we begin to have children. When we are young and unattached then the world is exciting and challenging. But parenthood changes us in profound ways. You start thinking about safety ratings and the advantages of minivans over sports cars.

Security, it is something we all want and need. No one wants to live in fear and yet it seems that people who worry about security live in constant fear, a fear that can make them prisoners in the fortresses they build.

I. Fortress Christianity
Fortresses are built out of fear and a desire for security. High walls and moats characterized ancient fortresses. Today we find alarm systems and other high tech means of protection. Security, it seems, has become an obsession in America. Certainly, since 9/11 it has become one of the greatest concerns of our government. The recent controversy over the Arab Emirates running some of our major ports shows how critical it is. Some of you remember the Star Wars missile defense system that was to protect us. Our state legislature is now considering laws that would allow citizens to use guns and deadly force if they feel threatened. More guns mean greater security doesn’t it?

Christians and churches build fortresses also. Some of it grows out of fear of the world and its contamination. We live in a world of drug dealers and predators, where violence seems too close to the surface in our society. Our children are vulnerable and as parents and as a church we want to protect them. And let’s face it; fortresses make our job as parents easier. When we build a safe place then we don’t have to pay so much attention to our children.

The thing about much of this, whether it is our national, personal or spiritual security, is that it is driven by fear. Fear cannot only paralyze us but it can also lead us to do things that are ungodly at best and evil at worst. Fear can cause us to neglect people who are poorer than us. Fear can cause us to avoid people who are different than us, whose customs make us feel funny. Fear can stop us from doing the work to which God is trying to lead us. Fear causes us to not trust God, to say, “God can’t protect us so we build fortresses that can.”

I want you to understand; I am not saying we should not protect our children. We should and need to protect them, which is part of the task God has given parents. But when we do it out of fear, out of a lack of trust in God, we fall into the trap of giving the enemy more credit than we do God. This is when security becomes an idol that keeps us from following God.

II. A Different Kind of Security
The problem with fortresses is that they not only keep things out, they keep things in also. We are not meant to live our lives in prisons. I think this is one reason children sometimes rebel; they want out; they want to experience life. Yes, life is sometimes scary and dangerous but it is also exciting. Some years ago a family that lived in the borderland between Russia and Germany had a son. During WWII the Germans first occupied the land and later the Russians. Each time they were looking for young men to work in their factories or fight in their wars. So the family hid the son in the attic. They hid him so well that no one, even people in the village, knew the son existed. His parents died and his sister cared for him. Finally she died and he was forced to leave the attic. The danger that had forced him into hiding had long passed but fear had kept him there. He exited the attic after 57 years, an old man whose life had literally passed him by.

Stanley Hauerwas said this shortly after 9/11, "It's hard to remember that Jesus did not come to make us safe, but rather to make us disciples.”[1] It is easy for us to forget this, to glaze over the words of Jesus, "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:37-39) Discipleship is about following Jesus, not safety and security. Following Jesus is down right dangerous and he warned his followers, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” (John 15:18-19)

This does not mean we are without protection or that God does not care for us. Paul understood that our lives are the most secure in the world, “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:3) That knowledge allowed Christians to dare and to risk in ways that the world has difficulty understanding. Every attempt the Roman Empire made to intimidate and kill Christians failed to stop them from following Jesus. It wasn’t that they were stronger than us or smarter. They did have a faith, a love that had no place for fear. As John later wrote, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear,” (1 John 4:18).
We are meant to live in the world in order to serve the world, minister and teach just like Jesus. His prayer for the disciples and for us is, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” (John 17:15) God provides the protection we need from the evil one but he doesn’t take us out of the world, we are here for the salvation of the world. We don’t do our children or ourselves any favors when we build fortresses that keep us from the world God wants us to serve.

No one was meant to live his or her life in an attic. Yet fear causes many people to live that way. It may be fear of the world, fear of failure, fear of others’ opinions, or any fear that binds our hearts. God desires so much for us, to bless us, to use us for his purposes. But faith is required; faith to serve and minister to a world that desperately needs Jesus.

An unknown missionary penned these words, “Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at something that doesn't really matter.”[2] Let’s not allow the idol of security to imprison us, limit us to things that don’t really matter. Let’s make our lives count for God.


Livonia Church of Christ: February 26, 2006

[1] Religion News Service, "Book Probes Post-Sept. 11 Spirituality," by Douglas Todd, (8-27-02)
[2] New Tribes Missionary (author unknown), Eternal Perspectives Newsletter (Fall 2003), p. 15

More Pictures of Alex

We returned from Japan on Thursday (Mar. 16th) at about 8 PM. It was a wonderful trip that Diane and I enjoyed. Laura and Rusty are having computer problems and have been unable to post any pictures so I guess I will HAVE to post more pictures. I hope they will get things sorted out soon because he is changing so quickly right now.

Alex and Babu

Diane has been insisting that she get some pictures of me with Alex. It seems I am usually behind the camera. Alex seems to be a very good natured baby and seems very alert for being less than a week old. Laura seems to be doing great. Diane is enjoying cooking and helping Laura with things around the house.

This morning we went to the Taga Church of Christ and enjoyed the experience even though we didn't understand about 90% of what was going on. I will be preaching next Sunday so I am looking forward to that. Our trip is going well and we are thankful that we have the ability to be here. God is good, all the time.

A New Grandson

I am writing this post from Japan where we arrived on Wednesday (March 1st). We received word on Saturday afternoon (Livonia time) that our daughter Laura had gone into labor. We felt confident that we would know if we had a grandson or granddaughter before we left on Tuesday morning for Japan. But Tuesday morning when we got up at 5:30 AM to leave the house at 7:30 we still did not know. Laura was in labor for 64 hours and so at about 5:30 AM we received a call saying that Alexander John Campbell had been born about 40 minutes earlier. We were thrilled and things were a bit hectic getting ready to go since we had to make several phone calls to let family and friends know. We arrived Wednesday evening in Japan and went directly to the hospital and held Alex for the first time. God is good! We are now getting over jet lag and Laura and Alex are coming home from the clinic today (Saturday). Rejoice with us and this new blessing God has brought into our lives. We will be returning to the States March. 16th.