5/31/09 slightly edited version of sermon on Pentecost, “Speaking in Thumbs,” from Acts 2:1-21
“And each one heard them speaking in their own native tongue.”
Several weeks ago, I had you offer a different kind of prayer in worship. I had you take out your cell phone and call someone right there in worship and let them know you were praying for them. And that’s exactly what people my age did. But not the youth. You took out your phones and you texted.
It has become a new language with all kinds of abbreviations and shorthand phrases. A church choir director friend of mine has real trouble keeping his youth choir focused. They are texting even while singing. He calls it “speaking in thumbs.”
I know texting is huge among many of you. In a NY Times article I read this past week, it said that in the last quarter of 2008, American teenagers sent or received an average of 2,272 messages per month. They texted in class under the desk, in the back pack, behind the back, at night, at the dinner table, in church! Some doctors are worried about the psychological dependence that develops by being constantly in contact, having “textual relations” all the time. Some are worried about the physical effects—damage to the thumbs.
I hate to say it but I sent my first text message this past Thursday, about 1:30 p.m. It was to confirm a baptism date. No, I don’t hate to say it. I think when the Spirit comes to the Church, the Church learns to speak in the native language of each person. This is Pentecost….speaking in thumbs.
I have some younger clergy colleagues that are allowing themselves to be used by the Spirit in spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. At their worship services, people my comment on the sermon or ask a question of the preacher by texting during the service! Speaking in thumbs!
You see where I am going with this….the Spirit didn’t just come some 2,000 years ago when the Church was born. The Spirit continually comes to the Church helping us translate the Gospel in the native language of everyone, meeting them right where they are. The Spirit uses men and women, young and old, slave and free, to get the good news out.
The Church has come a long way from the days when only the priests could read the Bible and the liturgy was in Latin.
One of my younger clergy colleagues was contacted through his Facebook page, “Are you the Michael that I went to school with? It says here you are a pastor. I have a question about faith that maybe you can help me with.” Witnessing over Facebook!
I have a Facebook page! I blog now too! Both people seem to really enjoy it! No, our church website has become a real tool for evangelism. Pastor Jim has done a great job in shepherding this process. Many of the guests we have coming to worship with us found us through our presence on the internet.
How will the Holy Spirit speak through us?
The Holy Spirit will not keep still, will not keep silent. The Holy Spirit will keep filling the Church, will keep calling the Church to meet people where they are so that all can hear in their own native tongue.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
Sigh
5/29/09
I take such great comfort from Romans 8:26-27. "We do not know how to pray as we ought." Boy, you got that right! I bet almost everyone feels that way. Thank God for this next part, "But the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words." There are so many prayers I cannot ever put into words.
The situation in the Holy Land between Israel and Palestine...sigh
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan....sigh
North Korea and its sabre rattling....sigh
Child abuse....sigh
AIDS....sigh
It is enough for me today to hear the Spirit sigh.
Love,
Pastor Lynn
I take such great comfort from Romans 8:26-27. "We do not know how to pray as we ought." Boy, you got that right! I bet almost everyone feels that way. Thank God for this next part, "But the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words." There are so many prayers I cannot ever put into words.
The situation in the Holy Land between Israel and Palestine...sigh
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan....sigh
North Korea and its sabre rattling....sigh
Child abuse....sigh
AIDS....sigh
It is enough for me today to hear the Spirit sigh.
Love,
Pastor Lynn
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Candles
5/28/09
More than a month ago, at a worship committee meeting, three Doctors said we would help get new altar candles. Margaret, a Ph.D. said that she would purchase new wax candles. Geoff, an M. D. said that he would join with me, a Doctor of Ministry, in drilling out the wax tops and inserting oil canisters. This would insure that the candles would not burn down, would last a long time, and not have black smoke.
It took a few weeks to get the candles ordered and for them to arrive. Then I had to take them to my house where I have a drill press. Then Geoff and I had to get our calendars together. Finally, we drilled out one candle. But alas, in order to get the old oil canisters to fit inside, we had to drill a 2" hole that blew out the wall of the wax candle. So, Geoff ordered smaller diameter canisters, only 1 1/4" wide. Another week goes by. Last night, we drilled out 3 candles for use in the sanctuary.
If you want to know how the church operates, this is a paradigm story. It goes well with my blog from yesterday about patience. We wait in expectant hope. We don't give up. We tend to tiny details. God gets in done in God's own time.
Love,
Pastor Lynn
More than a month ago, at a worship committee meeting, three Doctors said we would help get new altar candles. Margaret, a Ph.D. said that she would purchase new wax candles. Geoff, an M. D. said that he would join with me, a Doctor of Ministry, in drilling out the wax tops and inserting oil canisters. This would insure that the candles would not burn down, would last a long time, and not have black smoke.
It took a few weeks to get the candles ordered and for them to arrive. Then I had to take them to my house where I have a drill press. Then Geoff and I had to get our calendars together. Finally, we drilled out one candle. But alas, in order to get the old oil canisters to fit inside, we had to drill a 2" hole that blew out the wall of the wax candle. So, Geoff ordered smaller diameter canisters, only 1 1/4" wide. Another week goes by. Last night, we drilled out 3 candles for use in the sanctuary.
If you want to know how the church operates, this is a paradigm story. It goes well with my blog from yesterday about patience. We wait in expectant hope. We don't give up. We tend to tiny details. God gets in done in God's own time.
Love,
Pastor Lynn
patience
5/27/09
I have to laugh at the word I was drawn to yesterday, "patience." It was the very last word in my prayer/devotional time from Romans 8:22-25. I laugh because I had to wait all day until the end of the day to write this blog, and by then our internet connection at church was kaput.
What I wanted to say about patience is this. It is not a gritting-our-teeth kind of virtue. It is not idly waiting. As I read this passage, it is full of hope and anticipation. The best metaphor is that is patience is like being in the last stages of waiting for a baby to be born. Something wonderful and good is almost here, and we are "laboring" for it with the rhythms of all creation.
Love,
Pastor Lynn
I have to laugh at the word I was drawn to yesterday, "patience." It was the very last word in my prayer/devotional time from Romans 8:22-25. I laugh because I had to wait all day until the end of the day to write this blog, and by then our internet connection at church was kaput.
What I wanted to say about patience is this. It is not a gritting-our-teeth kind of virtue. It is not idly waiting. As I read this passage, it is full of hope and anticipation. The best metaphor is that is patience is like being in the last stages of waiting for a baby to be born. Something wonderful and good is almost here, and we are "laboring" for it with the rhythms of all creation.
Love,
Pastor Lynn
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
a typical day
5/26/09
Some people think that we pastors work only 1 day a week and a half day at that. So I thought I would give you what a typical day is like for, in fact, this day.
I usually begin the day with prayer and exercise. Yes, as far as spiritulity types, I am a crossbreed between an activist and a comtemplative. Today, I had an early break fast with my wife. Then I walked for 3 1/2 miles at Lady Bird Lake before swimming 1/2 mile at Deep Eddy Pool. The walking, the breathing, the praying, the rhythm of swimming all become a unity for me. I pray for my family, my church family, needs of the world--time passes very quickly. Almost every day will find me starting by praying and exercising.
Then when I get to the office, I go through my emails. I never thought I would spend so much time on the computer! I have voice mails and snail mail to answer as well. Today I had 27 emails when I arrived, only 1 voice mail, and 2 snail mail.
Today, we had our weekly staff meeting where we pray together and help each other in the various ministry areas. This particular meeting was "web heavy" as Pastor Jim taught more about updating our tabs on our church website.
I had lunch with a United Methodist Women's Circle at one of the member's homes. Salads and 7 lovely ladies full of conversation.
I have been working on the worship bulletin for this Sunday, Pentecost when our confirmation class will be helping to lead. In just a little bit, other worship leaders will join me as we try to put the polish on the flow.
I get to leave early today, about 4 p.m., because I have no evening meetings. This is not typical. What is typical is that over the holiday weekend, I had a phone call asking for prayer for an emergency situation and one counseling situation that arose quickly.
What is typical is that my calendar can have all kinds of appointments listed that cancel, or that it can be totally blank for that page and it turn out to be my busiest day. What is typical is that I am seldom bored.
Love,
Pastor Lynn
Some people think that we pastors work only 1 day a week and a half day at that. So I thought I would give you what a typical day is like for, in fact, this day.
I usually begin the day with prayer and exercise. Yes, as far as spiritulity types, I am a crossbreed between an activist and a comtemplative. Today, I had an early break fast with my wife. Then I walked for 3 1/2 miles at Lady Bird Lake before swimming 1/2 mile at Deep Eddy Pool. The walking, the breathing, the praying, the rhythm of swimming all become a unity for me. I pray for my family, my church family, needs of the world--time passes very quickly. Almost every day will find me starting by praying and exercising.
Then when I get to the office, I go through my emails. I never thought I would spend so much time on the computer! I have voice mails and snail mail to answer as well. Today I had 27 emails when I arrived, only 1 voice mail, and 2 snail mail.
Today, we had our weekly staff meeting where we pray together and help each other in the various ministry areas. This particular meeting was "web heavy" as Pastor Jim taught more about updating our tabs on our church website.
I had lunch with a United Methodist Women's Circle at one of the member's homes. Salads and 7 lovely ladies full of conversation.
I have been working on the worship bulletin for this Sunday, Pentecost when our confirmation class will be helping to lead. In just a little bit, other worship leaders will join me as we try to put the polish on the flow.
I get to leave early today, about 4 p.m., because I have no evening meetings. This is not typical. What is typical is that over the holiday weekend, I had a phone call asking for prayer for an emergency situation and one counseling situation that arose quickly.
What is typical is that my calendar can have all kinds of appointments listed that cancel, or that it can be totally blank for that page and it turn out to be my busiest day. What is typical is that I am seldom bored.
Love,
Pastor Lynn
Monday, May 25, 2009
5/25/09
Acts 2:12 "What does this mean?" This is one of the first responses to the experience of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon the church with wind and flame and voices. It is still the question I have on my mind as I try to understand the movement of the Spirit in our lives today. Maybe it is the proper stance of believing people, always to be dealing with the mystery of God, never quite knowing for sure, and yet still believing.
Love,
Pastor Lynn
Acts 2:12 "What does this mean?" This is one of the first responses to the experience of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon the church with wind and flame and voices. It is still the question I have on my mind as I try to understand the movement of the Spirit in our lives today. Maybe it is the proper stance of believing people, always to be dealing with the mystery of God, never quite knowing for sure, and yet still believing.
Love,
Pastor Lynn
Sunday, May 24, 2009
5/24/09 slightly edited version of my sermon on Ephesians 1:15-23 "Dynamite"
I always give thanks for you when I pray, asking that our great God will fill you with all wisdom and knowledge so that your eyes may see the supercalifragilisticexpealidosious power that comes from Christ who has been raised from the dead and now reigns in heaven above everyone and everything, now and forever, and is the head of the church, which is his body in whom his fullness continues to dwell.
Whew! The scripture is one long sentence in Greek that is overflowing with words of power. The word for power is dunamis, which sounds like dynamo, dynamic, dynamite. There is also the word for energy which is almost a direct transliteration of the Greek energia. Other words for might, strength, rule, and authority are found here. The writer has a hard time capturing the dynamite we believers have in what God has done in Jesus Christ.
I want to emphasize three things in this passage. The first is the dynamic power we have in prayer. I pass another church on my way here with a message board on the street. It had something that first offended me. It said, "Want a get rich quick scheme?" Then I read the rest of the message it said, "Count your blessings." Ah, this is what Paul does so often in his letters...give thanks, a prayer of thanksgiving.
Let's try this experiment for just a moment. Begin counting your blessings....how rich...how fortunate we are. My hunch is that very quickly you are not counting material blessings, but relationships. Right? How are we blessed, but by loving others and being loved by others? I read an article that clarified this for me. It said we don't put pictures of our stock portfolios or retirement plans on our refrigerators, but pictures of our family members and friends at parties and weddings and celebrations. Do you feel God's dynamic power flowing into your life?
We also pray for others. We call this intercession. I never forget how powerful this is as I go out and visit. People in the hospital say, "thank you for all the prayers. You don't know what they mean to us. We feel them." One of the best hours of my week is Wednesday at 1 p.m. as a group of us gather to pray for every person on this blue prayer insert every week. We hold each person before God and God's might power. What dynamite we Christians have! Praying for one another. Another way I try to practice this is to have a DP at every service. A DP is a Designated Pray-er, one who simply lifts the service up as it is going along.
I think it was Martin Luther who said, "I have so much to do today, that I must spend 3 hours in prayer." I know that the older I get, the less I work and the more I pray. We have the dynamite of prayer.
Two, we have the dynamic power of Christ's ascension. Christ's going into the heavens is not a matter of loss and grief, but a celebration that he sits at the right hand of his Father and has overcome every other power. Think of the hardest situation: Israel and Palestine in conflict......North Korea and Iran test firing missiles.....war in Iraq and other places....AIDS.....famine....flood....whatever it is Christ's power is greater.
It is not triumphalism. Sin still exists. But we as Christians do not give up. We do not give more power to these situations than we do to Christ.
May I illustrate with this Austin phone book? It's pretty thick isn't it? Do you think I can tear in two? No? Well, watch this. (Start tearing it one page at a time.) Do you see? Our dynamite might be slow in exploding. It may not happen quickly. How many years of prayer, worship, waiting, organizing did it take before the wall between East and West Germany fell or the apartheid government in South Africa fell. We live into this dynamic power, not defeatism.
Three, we are the church, the body of Christ which receives the fullness of his dynamic power. I am so glad to be part of the Church with a capital C, and the United Methodist Church. I have seen Christ do amazing things through us.
This past Thursday, I went to a meeting at the Austin District office. I thought it was about our "Nothing but Nets" campaign. Do you know about this? For $10, we can buy a mosquito net that can protect a family of four and keep them from getting malaria, still one of the deadliest tropical diseases in the world. We UM's have the goal for the next four years to fight poverty and treat preventable diseases. I was going to offer our gym for the 3 on 3 tournament next April that would be part of raising some money for nets. But at the meeting I met the young woman who is responsible for the whole continent of Africa. She was challenging the Austin District to partner with a clinic/school/church in Guinea. The thing that got me was the shift: we were being called to empower each other. No more was it going to be the American church that went to Africa and told "those" people what to do. We were going to learn together, to be brothers and sisters together.
I know we do a lot already. The UMC is in more than 100 countries around the world. Here is another example of how we are connected, how we are the body of Christ, filled with his "all in all."
The good news I have to share is that we are filled with dynamite. Let's go live into this truth.
Amen.
I always give thanks for you when I pray, asking that our great God will fill you with all wisdom and knowledge so that your eyes may see the supercalifragilisticexpealidosious power that comes from Christ who has been raised from the dead and now reigns in heaven above everyone and everything, now and forever, and is the head of the church, which is his body in whom his fullness continues to dwell.
Whew! The scripture is one long sentence in Greek that is overflowing with words of power. The word for power is dunamis, which sounds like dynamo, dynamic, dynamite. There is also the word for energy which is almost a direct transliteration of the Greek energia. Other words for might, strength, rule, and authority are found here. The writer has a hard time capturing the dynamite we believers have in what God has done in Jesus Christ.
I want to emphasize three things in this passage. The first is the dynamic power we have in prayer. I pass another church on my way here with a message board on the street. It had something that first offended me. It said, "Want a get rich quick scheme?" Then I read the rest of the message it said, "Count your blessings." Ah, this is what Paul does so often in his letters...give thanks, a prayer of thanksgiving.
Let's try this experiment for just a moment. Begin counting your blessings....how rich...how fortunate we are. My hunch is that very quickly you are not counting material blessings, but relationships. Right? How are we blessed, but by loving others and being loved by others? I read an article that clarified this for me. It said we don't put pictures of our stock portfolios or retirement plans on our refrigerators, but pictures of our family members and friends at parties and weddings and celebrations. Do you feel God's dynamic power flowing into your life?
We also pray for others. We call this intercession. I never forget how powerful this is as I go out and visit. People in the hospital say, "thank you for all the prayers. You don't know what they mean to us. We feel them." One of the best hours of my week is Wednesday at 1 p.m. as a group of us gather to pray for every person on this blue prayer insert every week. We hold each person before God and God's might power. What dynamite we Christians have! Praying for one another. Another way I try to practice this is to have a DP at every service. A DP is a Designated Pray-er, one who simply lifts the service up as it is going along.
I think it was Martin Luther who said, "I have so much to do today, that I must spend 3 hours in prayer." I know that the older I get, the less I work and the more I pray. We have the dynamite of prayer.
Two, we have the dynamic power of Christ's ascension. Christ's going into the heavens is not a matter of loss and grief, but a celebration that he sits at the right hand of his Father and has overcome every other power. Think of the hardest situation: Israel and Palestine in conflict......North Korea and Iran test firing missiles.....war in Iraq and other places....AIDS.....famine....flood....whatever it is Christ's power is greater.
It is not triumphalism. Sin still exists. But we as Christians do not give up. We do not give more power to these situations than we do to Christ.
May I illustrate with this Austin phone book? It's pretty thick isn't it? Do you think I can tear in two? No? Well, watch this. (Start tearing it one page at a time.) Do you see? Our dynamite might be slow in exploding. It may not happen quickly. How many years of prayer, worship, waiting, organizing did it take before the wall between East and West Germany fell or the apartheid government in South Africa fell. We live into this dynamic power, not defeatism.
Three, we are the church, the body of Christ which receives the fullness of his dynamic power. I am so glad to be part of the Church with a capital C, and the United Methodist Church. I have seen Christ do amazing things through us.
This past Thursday, I went to a meeting at the Austin District office. I thought it was about our "Nothing but Nets" campaign. Do you know about this? For $10, we can buy a mosquito net that can protect a family of four and keep them from getting malaria, still one of the deadliest tropical diseases in the world. We UM's have the goal for the next four years to fight poverty and treat preventable diseases. I was going to offer our gym for the 3 on 3 tournament next April that would be part of raising some money for nets. But at the meeting I met the young woman who is responsible for the whole continent of Africa. She was challenging the Austin District to partner with a clinic/school/church in Guinea. The thing that got me was the shift: we were being called to empower each other. No more was it going to be the American church that went to Africa and told "those" people what to do. We were going to learn together, to be brothers and sisters together.
I know we do a lot already. The UMC is in more than 100 countries around the world. Here is another example of how we are connected, how we are the body of Christ, filled with his "all in all."
The good news I have to share is that we are filled with dynamite. Let's go live into this truth.
Amen.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
5/23/09
Today my breath prayer is a song, "You are my all in all." Read Eph. 1:23, which has this phrase. The phrase closes one long sentence in Greek, which is chock full of terms of the energy, the power, and the authority that we have in Christ. I will be preaching more about this tomorrow: what it means to be filled with the power we have by knowing Christ. Today, I will be singing/praying what it means.
Love,
Pastor Lynn
Today my breath prayer is a song, "You are my all in all." Read Eph. 1:23, which has this phrase. The phrase closes one long sentence in Greek, which is chock full of terms of the energy, the power, and the authority that we have in Christ. I will be preaching more about this tomorrow: what it means to be filled with the power we have by knowing Christ. Today, I will be singing/praying what it means.
Love,
Pastor Lynn
Thursday, May 21, 2009
5/21/09
In the 17th chapter of John, Jesus says, "I am praying for you." One, prayer is listening for what Jesus is praying. I know that this is different from what most of us learned about prayer. We usually began praying by asking God for something, "God bless mama, and daddy, and brother..." Several years ago at Boston College, I learned that prayer can be growing quiet and opening oneself up to hear what Jesus was praying. We would bring a person into His presence and hold that person there and wait to hear what Jesus might be praying for that person. The same with a situation; we would simple bring it to Jesus and be still until we heard what Jesus might be praying.
Two, I am sure of the Greek here, and that Jesus is saying, "I am praying for you all." Or as we say in Texas, "I am praying for y'all." How wonderful, that part of what Jesus is praying that we learn to become community. In fact, this whole 17th chapter is Jesus' prayer we would become one as He and His Father are one. May it be so.
Love,
Pastor Lynn
In the 17th chapter of John, Jesus says, "I am praying for you." One, prayer is listening for what Jesus is praying. I know that this is different from what most of us learned about prayer. We usually began praying by asking God for something, "God bless mama, and daddy, and brother..." Several years ago at Boston College, I learned that prayer can be growing quiet and opening oneself up to hear what Jesus was praying. We would bring a person into His presence and hold that person there and wait to hear what Jesus might be praying for that person. The same with a situation; we would simple bring it to Jesus and be still until we heard what Jesus might be praying.
Two, I am sure of the Greek here, and that Jesus is saying, "I am praying for you all." Or as we say in Texas, "I am praying for y'all." How wonderful, that part of what Jesus is praying that we learn to become community. In fact, this whole 17th chapter is Jesus' prayer we would become one as He and His Father are one. May it be so.
Love,
Pastor Lynn
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
5/20/09
I John 5:12 says, "whoever has the Son has life." As I have been breathing this verse this day, I was at first troubled. Is having the Son like having a possession? I quickly discovered that it is more like accepting a gift. Having the Son is not something we earn, it is a relationship that we receive.
And the life we have is not simply life after death. I believe that eternal life begins in the here and now (I have read some commentaries about John's theology that support this). It is not simply a life that goes on and on, but a quality of living that is full of hope and healing.
May you who have received the Son have the kind of life that comes from knowing Him.
Love,
Pastor Lynn
I John 5:12 says, "whoever has the Son has life." As I have been breathing this verse this day, I was at first troubled. Is having the Son like having a possession? I quickly discovered that it is more like accepting a gift. Having the Son is not something we earn, it is a relationship that we receive.
And the life we have is not simply life after death. I believe that eternal life begins in the here and now (I have read some commentaries about John's theology that support this). It is not simply a life that goes on and on, but a quality of living that is full of hope and healing.
May you who have received the Son have the kind of life that comes from knowing Him.
Love,
Pastor Lynn
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
5/19/09
Meditating on Psalm 1 today, where the two ways are contrasted. The way of righteousness means being rooted by streams of water, bearing fruit, and prospering. The way of wickedness means being blown around and are found wanting in the final judgment. I wish that I could say that my life was a simple matter of either/or, but if truth be told, I follow both ways. This psalm reveals me.....and that I am a mixture, not whole and holy.
Love,
Pastor Lynn
Meditating on Psalm 1 today, where the two ways are contrasted. The way of righteousness means being rooted by streams of water, bearing fruit, and prospering. The way of wickedness means being blown around and are found wanting in the final judgment. I wish that I could say that my life was a simple matter of either/or, but if truth be told, I follow both ways. This psalm reveals me.....and that I am a mixture, not whole and holy.
Love,
Pastor Lynn
Monday, May 18, 2009
5/18/09
In reading Acts 1 this morning, I was struck by the process that was used to replace Judas as the 12th disciple. The most important criterion was "a witness" to all that had taken place in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. It got me to wondering if we might be witnesses today....if we might take the 12th place. So I have been trying to see Jesus in all my encounters and events today. I have been trying to make Him present in all of these areas also. It keeps my on my faith toes to be a witness.
Love,
Pastor Lynn
In reading Acts 1 this morning, I was struck by the process that was used to replace Judas as the 12th disciple. The most important criterion was "a witness" to all that had taken place in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. It got me to wondering if we might be witnesses today....if we might take the 12th place. So I have been trying to see Jesus in all my encounters and events today. I have been trying to make Him present in all of these areas also. It keeps my on my faith toes to be a witness.
Love,
Pastor Lynn
Sunday, May 17, 2009
5/17/09 "Nike"-- a brief outline of my sermon on I John 5:1-6
How many here have a pair of shoes with a swoosh on them? Or some shirt, or other article of clothing? It seems that the Nike brand is everywhere. Nike is the Greek word for victory. It is found only here in the New Testament in the noun form, "and this is the victory that conquers the world: our faith." Three others times in these few verses do we find the word in the verb form, often translated as "conquers" or "overcomes." In fact 1/4 of all the uses of Nike are found in this little letter of I John.
I wonder what was going on the writer used the word Nike so often. I looked it up in the commentaries. There was fighting. There was wrong-headed theology. There was lack of love. And that was just in the church!
Sometimes doesn't it seem that we live lives of defeat, even in the church?
I can nearly promise you that if you hang around the church for any length of time that you will be hurt, disappointed, forgotten, miscommunicated to. Why? Because the church is made up of people like you and me....sinners, broken, incomplete. There is plenty of sin within the church as well as outside of it.
You may be here today as one of those who has been hurt by the church. It is hard to live the victory, the Nike. Where is the victory?
The passage says, "this is the victory that conquers the world:"
our hard worK--no
our competence--no
our moral goodness--no
our age--no
our money--no
our brute strength--no
our political power--no
our military power--no
Too often we think it is about our overcoming. I have heard all my life, "You must pull yourself up by your bootstraps." Did you see today that I am wearing my Tony Llama's. I bought these on the square in Mason, Texas, in 1978. Let's see what it looks like to pull oneself up by one's bootstraps. (Bend over and struggle with lifting my leg, exposing my rear end to the congregation.) What's that look like? Not very pretty is it.
What is the victory? Our faith! Who is it that overcomes the world? The one who believes that Jesus is Son of God.
I know that we are sensitive to other faiths or to those of no faith, but we have a specific content to our faith. Jesus Christ. We do not worship some generic God.
We have a specific revelation, one by water and the blood, as the passage says. Water--Jesus was born of the birth waters of Mary. Blood--Jesus really died on a cross. Jesus didn't just seem to be human; he really was human. This is the scandal of the gospel: the Word became flesh and dwelt among. The Lord of all life came to live among us as one of us.
And Jesus didn't just live and die; he lives still. We practice His presence by participating in His sacraments. Water--we are baptized. This is our sacrament of identity. I don't know about you, but I can't hear it too much. "You are my child, the beloved one, with you I am well-pleased." Martin Luther when he was really depressed clung to the fact, "I am baptized."
Blood--the sacrament of communion. Margaret Briley has us focused on our diets. It really is true: we are what we eat. We come together at this table to become like Him, Jesus. We continue to eat here until we learn to communicate, until we learn to become community.
I wish I could tell you that this victory happens in an instance, but it doesn't. The war has been won, but the battle continues. It takes a lifetime of believing to claim the victory.
So when we baptize a child like we did last week, we remember our baptism. I wish we could change the words. It's really hard to ask parents of a newborn that first question, "DO you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world and repent of your sin?" I know that they just want to say to me, "Look, it was hard enough just to get this child dressed this morning and get here half-way on time." It takes a lifetime of turning our back on sin and accepting God's freedom and power and accepting Christ as Lord and Saviour.
And we eat together at this table, and at the 40th wedding celebration like last night, and at snack time at Sunday School with the little children in order to become like Christ. And sometimes it is hard, like when your child is in your Sunday School class that you are teaching and knows just how far to push you, and all of the other kids are watching you to see how you are going to handle the situation.
So this is the victory that conquers the world: our faith. This is the good news I have to share with you today. I say to you, Nike, "Just do it."
How many here have a pair of shoes with a swoosh on them? Or some shirt, or other article of clothing? It seems that the Nike brand is everywhere. Nike is the Greek word for victory. It is found only here in the New Testament in the noun form, "and this is the victory that conquers the world: our faith." Three others times in these few verses do we find the word in the verb form, often translated as "conquers" or "overcomes." In fact 1/4 of all the uses of Nike are found in this little letter of I John.
I wonder what was going on the writer used the word Nike so often. I looked it up in the commentaries. There was fighting. There was wrong-headed theology. There was lack of love. And that was just in the church!
Sometimes doesn't it seem that we live lives of defeat, even in the church?
I can nearly promise you that if you hang around the church for any length of time that you will be hurt, disappointed, forgotten, miscommunicated to. Why? Because the church is made up of people like you and me....sinners, broken, incomplete. There is plenty of sin within the church as well as outside of it.
You may be here today as one of those who has been hurt by the church. It is hard to live the victory, the Nike. Where is the victory?
The passage says, "this is the victory that conquers the world:"
our hard worK--no
our competence--no
our moral goodness--no
our age--no
our money--no
our brute strength--no
our political power--no
our military power--no
Too often we think it is about our overcoming. I have heard all my life, "You must pull yourself up by your bootstraps." Did you see today that I am wearing my Tony Llama's. I bought these on the square in Mason, Texas, in 1978. Let's see what it looks like to pull oneself up by one's bootstraps. (Bend over and struggle with lifting my leg, exposing my rear end to the congregation.) What's that look like? Not very pretty is it.
What is the victory? Our faith! Who is it that overcomes the world? The one who believes that Jesus is Son of God.
I know that we are sensitive to other faiths or to those of no faith, but we have a specific content to our faith. Jesus Christ. We do not worship some generic God.
We have a specific revelation, one by water and the blood, as the passage says. Water--Jesus was born of the birth waters of Mary. Blood--Jesus really died on a cross. Jesus didn't just seem to be human; he really was human. This is the scandal of the gospel: the Word became flesh and dwelt among. The Lord of all life came to live among us as one of us.
And Jesus didn't just live and die; he lives still. We practice His presence by participating in His sacraments. Water--we are baptized. This is our sacrament of identity. I don't know about you, but I can't hear it too much. "You are my child, the beloved one, with you I am well-pleased." Martin Luther when he was really depressed clung to the fact, "I am baptized."
Blood--the sacrament of communion. Margaret Briley has us focused on our diets. It really is true: we are what we eat. We come together at this table to become like Him, Jesus. We continue to eat here until we learn to communicate, until we learn to become community.
I wish I could tell you that this victory happens in an instance, but it doesn't. The war has been won, but the battle continues. It takes a lifetime of believing to claim the victory.
So when we baptize a child like we did last week, we remember our baptism. I wish we could change the words. It's really hard to ask parents of a newborn that first question, "DO you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world and repent of your sin?" I know that they just want to say to me, "Look, it was hard enough just to get this child dressed this morning and get here half-way on time." It takes a lifetime of turning our back on sin and accepting God's freedom and power and accepting Christ as Lord and Saviour.
And we eat together at this table, and at the 40th wedding celebration like last night, and at snack time at Sunday School with the little children in order to become like Christ. And sometimes it is hard, like when your child is in your Sunday School class that you are teaching and knows just how far to push you, and all of the other kids are watching you to see how you are going to handle the situation.
So this is the victory that conquers the world: our faith. This is the good news I have to share with you today. I say to you, Nike, "Just do it."
Saturday, May 16, 2009
5/16/09
Jesus said in John's Gospel, ch. 15, verse 17, "if you ask anything in my name, I will do it." That's been my breath prayer for the day.
I know it sounds like it's magic: just say the right incantation, and you will get anything you want.
Or it sounds like a legalism: you are supposed to end every prayer by saying, "in Jesus' name. Amen."
But I think it means to pray like Jesus prayed, for the things Jesus prayed. So today like most days, I simple lift people and situations up to Jesus, and ask, "Jesus, what is your prayer for this person?" That's what I think it means to pray in Jesus' name.
Love,
Pastor Lynn
Jesus said in John's Gospel, ch. 15, verse 17, "if you ask anything in my name, I will do it." That's been my breath prayer for the day.
I know it sounds like it's magic: just say the right incantation, and you will get anything you want.
Or it sounds like a legalism: you are supposed to end every prayer by saying, "in Jesus' name. Amen."
But I think it means to pray like Jesus prayed, for the things Jesus prayed. So today like most days, I simple lift people and situations up to Jesus, and ask, "Jesus, what is your prayer for this person?" That's what I think it means to pray in Jesus' name.
Love,
Pastor Lynn
Friday, May 15, 2009
5/15/09
"Sing to the Lord a new song," from Psalm 98. I like to sing. I have a nice voice. I play guitar. I pray well by singing. Today, my breath prayer called me to join in with the songs around me. Walking in the park behind our house this morning, I heard all of the song birds. Mr. Mockingbird did his entire playlist just for me. I heard the rhythm of my steps and breathing. I heard the hum of traffic in the distance. As the day went on, I listened to the ring tones of various cell phones and the melodic pacing of Spanish being spoken. Then there are the songs upon my heart today. I must admit that they are not all that holy. I have been singing, "When you really love a woman." Maybe that the way God feels about us, having that kind of passion for us.
I just played my guitar and sang for some of our preschool kids and their parents. The song goes on. I will keep singing....a new song.
Love,
Pastor Lynn
"Sing to the Lord a new song," from Psalm 98. I like to sing. I have a nice voice. I play guitar. I pray well by singing. Today, my breath prayer called me to join in with the songs around me. Walking in the park behind our house this morning, I heard all of the song birds. Mr. Mockingbird did his entire playlist just for me. I heard the rhythm of my steps and breathing. I heard the hum of traffic in the distance. As the day went on, I listened to the ring tones of various cell phones and the melodic pacing of Spanish being spoken. Then there are the songs upon my heart today. I must admit that they are not all that holy. I have been singing, "When you really love a woman." Maybe that the way God feels about us, having that kind of passion for us.
I just played my guitar and sang for some of our preschool kids and their parents. The song goes on. I will keep singing....a new song.
Love,
Pastor Lynn
Thursday, May 14, 2009
5/14/09
My breath prayer/centering verse for the day has been I John 5:4, which says, "And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith."
I sometimes try to make the victory about my working harder and longer, or about my level of education, or about my goodness and supposed perfection, or about (fill in the blank). I am greatly relieved that the victory is shared.....it is our, and that is about faith in Jesus Christ.
The only way I remain sane is to believe that God has been working, is working, and will be working out our salvation by what God has done in the life, death, and resurrection of His Son. The only way I remain sane is to share this life of faith with others in the Christian community called the Church.
If you want to hear more about this, I will be preaching on this topic this coming Sunday at Westlake UMC, the church where I serve.
Shalom,
Pastor Lynn
My breath prayer/centering verse for the day has been I John 5:4, which says, "And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith."
I sometimes try to make the victory about my working harder and longer, or about my level of education, or about my goodness and supposed perfection, or about (fill in the blank). I am greatly relieved that the victory is shared.....it is our, and that is about faith in Jesus Christ.
The only way I remain sane is to believe that God has been working, is working, and will be working out our salvation by what God has done in the life, death, and resurrection of His Son. The only way I remain sane is to share this life of faith with others in the Christian community called the Church.
If you want to hear more about this, I will be preaching on this topic this coming Sunday at Westlake UMC, the church where I serve.
Shalom,
Pastor Lynn
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
5/13/09
I woke up this morning meditating on Acts 10 where the Holy Spirit was given even to Gentiles. So all day long I have been open to being surprised by the Spirit. First, as I was walking in the park behind our house this morning, I was listening the wind and feeling it blow over my skin. Then I found a disc along the disc golf course. I had some good news from e-mails and some hard news from voice mails and phone calls. But all was within the Spirit's domain. I found some lunch (delicious pasta and tossed salad) in the kitchen that made me save my peanut butter sandwich for another time. I had a refreshing time praying with our Circle of Quiet group and fruitful conversations with some of those members. I ran into some people I had been meaning to visit. I was invited to lead a retreat for another congregation. Looking forward to meeting with our Caring and Calling group tonight as we look to follow up on folks on the drop out track. So, the Spirit has been blowing all day long.
Pastor Lynn
I woke up this morning meditating on Acts 10 where the Holy Spirit was given even to Gentiles. So all day long I have been open to being surprised by the Spirit. First, as I was walking in the park behind our house this morning, I was listening the wind and feeling it blow over my skin. Then I found a disc along the disc golf course. I had some good news from e-mails and some hard news from voice mails and phone calls. But all was within the Spirit's domain. I found some lunch (delicious pasta and tossed salad) in the kitchen that made me save my peanut butter sandwich for another time. I had a refreshing time praying with our Circle of Quiet group and fruitful conversations with some of those members. I ran into some people I had been meaning to visit. I was invited to lead a retreat for another congregation. Looking forward to meeting with our Caring and Calling group tonight as we look to follow up on folks on the drop out track. So, the Spirit has been blowing all day long.
Pastor Lynn
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