When Love Invades

I was really eager!  I was anxious, nervous, a little fearful, but mostly I was really eager.  I had never done this before and it was going to be an adventure.  I imagined doing this and now was going to get my chance.  This was going to deepen a guilty pleasure, obsession, that is part of my daily ritual.

The first cup of coffee. I know, some of you don’t drink coffee and don’t understand. But it is like breathing to those of us who do.  The smell of the brew, the first cup, the first taste…. ahh.  Honestly thought, I am really just a big crabby pain in the butt until I have that first cup.

This night I was taking my obsession to a new level.  I was going to roast my own coffee beans.  Fresh green coffee beans along with a book on home roasting were in my possession thanks to my sons.  I had read, prepared and was ready!

I thought.

Actually, it went quite well for my first home roast.  9oz of deliciousness went into my stove top popcorn popper.  Popcorn poppers, by the way, is the high tech method of all home roasters on a budget. The popper was at a proper 475 degrees on the stove in the kitchen and I was busy cranking the handle.  Soon the aroma began to shift, there was the sound of cracking from inside the popper and the temp was now holding steady at 350.  Liking my coffee a bit darker, I continued cranking and roasting until the second “crack” would begin.  And the aroma – well, it was magnificent.  Maybe even glorious!  And then it happened.

Had I mentioned the smoke yet?  Yeah, so, the book says to do this in a well ventilated area, like outside or near an open window or with a really powerful exhaust fan.  Remember when I said I was eager?  Well, in my eagerness I determined the author of the book, who had been home roasting for decades, was exaggerating – cuz I’m smart like that.

The smoke.

It didn’t just smoke like a cigar.  It didn’t just smoke like a toast that was burning.  No, it billowed like every leaf in our wooded neighborhood had been lit on fire in our kitchen.  I was only slightly surprised my neighbor didn’t call the fire department!

I guess it was time to open the windows…

But it was too late.  The smoke, and the amazing aroma of roasting coffee, had invade the home.  Not just the kitchen and nearby living room and dining room. Every room.  Upstairs and downstairs.  Bedrooms and closets.  All, corners nooks and crannies were blessed.

My daughter immediately complained when she got home.  My youngest son loved the smell.  My oldest son was at first tolerant but then realized that even his bedroom smelled.  My wife, she was amazingly gracious.  She didn’t mention the smell for at least a full day.

Four days later.  The house still smells like roasting coffee.  I like it.  My children left for school still smelling like roasting coffee.  Our carpets, comforters, coats and even socks – roasting coffee.  The smell of coffee has invaded every part of our lives right now.

Yet I am so thankful to God, who always marches us to victory under the banner of the Anointed One; and through us He spreads the beautiful fragrance of His knowledge to every corner of the earth. In a turbulent world where people are either dying or being rescued, we are the sweet smell of the Anointed to God our Father. (2 Corinthians 2:14-15, The Voice)

I wonder.

Have I allowed the love of God the Father that is demonstrated in Christ Jesus invade every area of my life?  When people encounter me, what do they smell?  Do they smell Jesus?  Or, do they just smell Brian…?

Do they smell the love of Jesus welcoming them with exuberance? Or, do they smell the stench of judgement pushing them away?

Do they smell joy and life? Or, do they smell anger and hate?

Do they smell reconciling servanthood or a jerk who wants his way?

What do you smell like?

I wonder what our world would be like if those who follow in the way of Jesus really smelled like Jesus…

Love Is Being Present

 

 

Can there be anything better than camping with several dozen of your closest friends? The late nights around the campfire, the rainy weather, the early morning sounds of crows, the laughter, the dirt, the smell of campfire, the conversation… I could go on; but, I know many of you are not the camping type and the closest you get to camping is a continental breakfast. Others of you are such die hard campers that you would call what I do “glamping,” or glamour camping (I have a travel trailer with a kitchen and indoor plumbing!)

But back to my story!  There were about 70 of us, I think, all gathered at a Michigan state campground for anywhere from 5 to 2 nights together.  We ate together, played together, laughed and worshipped.  As a very high extrovert, this is my kind of camping and our campsite was in the center of it all.  I didn’t have to leave a 10 foot radius to find someone to talk to!  Silence and Solitude?  Not on the church campout!

However, I found myself wrestling with this – while I love all of them, I couldn’t lovingly engage everyone there.  There was no way!  How did Jesus do it?  How did Jesus actively love all the people he encountered – not to mention you and me how many years later!?!

Jesus showed up!

The birth narratives of Matthew and Luke, along with John 3:16, lead me to this. In the person of Jesus Christ, God becomes fully present with those he lovingly created for a full life. Go ahead, read that last  sentence again, I’m going to! I’ll wait. … There’s a lot there!  I don’t plan to unpack that whole thing don’t worry!

But think about it.  John quotes Jesus as saying that it was out of the Father’s extravagant love for us the Jesus came into the world.  The Son.  God.  Here. With. Close. 

Really close.  Close enough that the pharisees could smell him. Close enough to notice when there was stuff in his beard. Close enough that he could notice Peter’s runny nose.  Close enough to touch lepers, hold hands with prostitutes, eat with tax collectors and party with sinners.  Close enough to have compassion, make mud with spit and raise the dead. 

Jesus became fully present with those who are created for good works that were already in the works (Eph. 2:10).  Yes, there is a lot of verb-tense shifting in that sentence so you better read it again…  In the incarnation, Jesus becomes present with humanity.  That includes Adam, Noah, Rahab, David, Sarah, you and me.  

As you read the gospel accounts of Jesus life, there is no question that when one is with Jesus, they have all of Jesus.  Jesus is WITH them.  He is present. He is fully aware of their hurts, pain, hopes, anger and even trickery.  He is loving them by being fully present with them.  

With us.  Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus, our high priest, is able to fully connect to our lives and everything about them, because he is fully present with us and has experienced all that life can give – the good and the bad.

Jesus teaches us that part of loving others is just showing up and being present.

I couldn’t be fully present with everybody

While camping there were too many people for me to be able to do that.  But, I could practice being fully present with whoever was right there, in front of me.  I could practice being fully engaged with the circle around the campfire.  I could practice not being distracted by being attentive.  

Sometimes that looked like holding a toddler.  Sometimes it was a deep conversation at the beach with a few others. Sometimes it was one-on-one or cooking pudgy pies over the fire. Often it was with laughter or by winning at euchre!

I know I didn’t love everyone perfectly or fully – even in my own family.  But I am growing in being able to be fully present with whoever is right in front of me.

Who are you loving by being present with today?