happy new year

12/31/09 For me as a pastor, there is a lot that happens in the church at the end of a calendar year. We had 4 services on Christmas Eve, of which I only preached at 3. I am getting older and wiser, so I let my associate lead the 11 p.m. service. We have lots of reports and financial matters to wrap up at the end of the year. I have a great staff that I can trust most of these business matters to. For me as a person, the end of the year also carries a lot of meaning. Cathy and I have our wedding anniversary on Dec. 30 (can you tell when is the best time for a teacher and a preacher to get married? Over the holidays!). We always try to take off some time at the end of the year. We went out to Big Bend where there are no cell phone towers and no Wifi. We had beautiful weather and wonderful hikes. On our first hike we saw some Auodad sheep. Cathy logged some 70 birds on our trip. I gave over the Sunday service to my intern pastor. I am learning some things as I get older. Over the last 2 days I have made some hospital calls and phone calls. I have also caught up with staff. Tonight, Cathy and I have a very sedate dinner party with some other pastors and their spouses. We will probably be in bed by nine. I wish you and yours a very happy new year.

Love,
Lynn

she remembered the words

12/23/09 Yesterday some of our staff members went out Christmas caroling after we finished our staff luncheon. We went to our homebound members. We asked them, "What is your favorite carol? Do you have a request?" Mostly, the people responded, "we like them all." One of our stops was to the skilled nursing facility of retirement center nearby. An older woman who is in declining health, physically and mentally, lives there. She used to sing in the choir. When we asked what she wanted us to sing, she gave the usual response that she liked them all. We sang Silent Night and Away in a Manger. Although she is not functioning so well on many levels, she sang along with us. She remembered the words. We left with tears in our eyes because we remembered the Word who became flesh.


Love,
Lynn

tuba Christmas

12/2/09 One of Cathy's favorite things to do at Christmas time is tuba Christmas. We went for years down in Corpus Christi, where we lived before here. We have attended the last 3 years here in Austin. Tuba Christmas is a gathering of all the low brass--tubas, sousaphones, basses, euphoniums, French horns, trombones, etc.--in some public place in order to place Christmas music. Yesterday on the south steps of the Capitol, some 200 players came together. Cathy and I remarked that we were surprised that the playlist tended toward the religious, not the secular. They played O Come, All Ye Faithful and Joy to the World, and many others. Yes, they played Jingle Bells and Deck the Halls, but these tended to be in the minority.

We ate our lunch in the bright sunshine and listened to the music. We watched the crowds--people of all ages and stations and races--likewise eating, listening, and enjoying the day. What I like most of all yesterday was seeing children sitting on cannons. It was a metaphor for Christmas. May we turn all of our cannons into resting spots for children.

Love,
Lynn

stature

12/21/09 I have been reflecting today on I Sam. 2:26, "Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the LORD and with the people." My first thought was how similiar this sounds to what Luke says about Jesus as he was growing up, when he was in the Temple as a 12 year old. But then I thought deeper about what stature means. I think that it means more than just height or physical size. I hope it means to mature in wisdom, faith, respect, action. I may never be very tall (about 5' 7"), but I hope I grow in stature.

Love,
Lynn

vertigo

12/17/09 On Sunday, I had vertigo. I was never nauseous, but I did feel light-headed and near fainting. I prayed, "Please don't fall down while you are preaching and get all of these people anxious on your behalf." Luckily, my physician is a member of the church, and he told me to go to a website on benign positional vertigo. There I found some exercises to do (they are simply turning one's head to a side and holding that position, and then going the other way, and they sitting up, and repeating.) It was good to know that it was an inner ear problem (crystals form inside there which mess up balance) and that there was something that I could to correct it. The thing that got me the most was brushing up against my mortality. I exercise a lot and eat well and cruise right on through life. I am in great shape for 56. But vertigo got my attention: that this mortal body will not last for ever.

Love,
Lynn

magnify

12/16/09 My breath prayer today comes from Mary's song in Luke 1:46-47, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior." The song has long been called the Mgnificat, from the first word in the Latin translation. As I walked in the cold air this morning, I tried to magnify my praise, to enlarge it, to fill the universe with my song of thanksgiving.

Love,
Lynn

fulfillment

12/15/09 My prayer verse for the day is Luke 1:45, "And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord." What fulfills you? Work? Money? Possessions? Relationships? Dreams? Worship? Elizabeth is speaking these words to her cousin Mary, who made herself available for the coming of the Messiah. Is that what would bring us fulfillment?

Love,
Lynn

I believe

12/14/09 Yesterday, I preached from Luke's Gospel, where John the Baptist says something like if you have 2 coats, give one away to anyone who has none. So I finish the sermon, and we have the ushers come forward for the offering. As they are passing out the plates along the pews, some of our youth from the back of the church are walking forward carrying their coats in their hands. They lay them on the altar.

At that moment, I could truly say that I believe.

Love,
Lynn

what to do while waiting

from my sermon on 12/13/09, Luke 3:7-18

What then should we do? Do you enjoy what you do? I do. Several of you have said to me, "You look like you really enjoy preaching." I do....I love to tell good news....even when the bread is crummy....like last Sunday. I have been trying to welcome everyone to the table so we came up with gluten free bread. For two months there was no problem, but last Sunday it was crummy. Oh, there were crumbs on the floor and crumbs floating on the top of the juice in the chalice. One of you told me there was a little boy who was coming to take communion last Sunday who just grimmaced and closed up his body as if to say, "Please don't make me!" I have my best people working on it so that we can have communion on Christmas Eve. As I got to reflecting on it though, I thought this business of welcoming all, of communicating grace, of sharing good news is messy.

What then should we do? I love to preach good news. I have rarely begun a sermon with "You brood of vipers...who warned you to flee from the wrath to come....the axe is already at the root....you will be burned with unquenchable fire. I did't attend the John the Baptist school of preaching! I have some good news for us. I am preaching about waiting this Advent. I have a really good punch line in this sermon if you wait for it. While we wait, I want to share some of what this church has been doing.

Sunday night, the Fellowship Class had their annual progressive supper. Many left their cars here and carpooled. At the end of the evening, someone came and hit our church sign out front in view of these members. It caused considerable damage to the sign and to the car which had to be towed away. Well, the police got involved, and the insurance companies, and bids on the sign. It a bit funny to me....the Trustees had already been talking about getting a new sign. Someone said to me, "I didn't know how far you would go to get a new sign, Lynn." Well, I am trying to say that it has been involved this past week....and we haven't even begun to talk to the city of Westlake Hills yet. It's messy. What then should we do?

On Monday night, I went to the UM Women Christmas party. It says in our book of Discipline that the pastor is a member of the UMW, so I went, and I was the only rooster in the hen house. The food was good and the conversations were wonderful. What really got me was on the kitchen counter were sign-up sheets for visiting the homebound and taking casseroles to new moms. Then on the dining room table were cards to sign for those in the military and those in the hospital. In the business session, they talked about the Storybook Project. Some ten of our women have already been trained, and a dozen more are nearly certified. Every other month, they go to the women's prison in Gatesville. They go with books and a tape recorder. They sit with the women in prison and help them record the story. Those recordings and books are then sent to the children of the women, so that the children can hear their own mom read them a bedtime story. It's messy. What then should we do?

On Tuesday, after staff meeting, Terrie joined us. Terrie is our chair of the Service Committe, and she wanted us to bless all of the stuff you have given for Christmas in October as a part of the worship service. She wanted us to give thanks for the mountain of blankets, mittens, gloves, baby formula, and diapers we have given. Pushing back from the other side were those who said we didn't want the altar area cluttered, lookin junky. So you see what we did at Children's time, how we rolled in the cribs full of stuff to be blessed. It was messy. What then should we do?

On Wednesday, Robert and I visited the tax appraisal district. When we bought Bldg. M, we said that we wanted to use it for missions, so we let Mobile Loaves and Fishes and SCORE use space in it. Only problem is that there were tax implications. So we wrangled with the authorities...really they were very accommodating, looking for ways to work with us. We will need to rewrite some documents. It was messy. What then should we do?

On Friday, I helped at Habitat for Humanity. I found out that in the Austin area this past year, 26 new homes have been built and 22 older one rehabbed. On Friday, we were trying to finish up this church's second house this year so it could be a part of the blessing of 9 houses this coming Saturday. We were putting in lock sets, baseboards, and dabbing on paint. It was cold and wet...it was messy. What then should we do?

If you are getting this, waiting is not easy. It has an active component. We are leaning into the reign of God. We are anticipating it, acting like it is already here. It sometimes gets messy.

I love how Luke says it, that the crowds or the multitudes were coming to be baptized. Not just the religious leaders, but everybody, even toll collectors and mercernary soldiers. They knew that baptism was not the end. They asked, "What then should we do?" John says, "Don't quit your day job, but do it as a Christian. Take care of the basic needs of others....food and clothing. Don't use your power as an excuse to abuse. It's not about greed; it's about generosity. It's not about a budget; it's about your baptism. It's about your identity in Christ. It is who you are. It's messy."

At the end of the week, I picked up some commentaries. I always like to see what others are saying about the scriptures. One really got to me. He said:
--remember the word "do" is the same word that is translated at "bear fruit" or "produce" when it talks about the trees. We say, What then should we produce or what fruit should we bear?
--any English majors here? You are going to love this word "should." It is in the subjunctive mood. It is not in the imperative, as in you ought. We say, If I could do anything, what might that be?
--"we", you know how I like to talk about the importance of community. You cannot do this Christian thing by oneself. It is a team sport. It is "we....we...we....all the way home."
--"what", we need to keep asking so that we don't become isolated and insulated up on this hill in West Austin. There is the danger that we become too comfortable here. What then should we do?

Hiliary helped break my shell open this past week. She has a real passion for the poor. She is drawn to help our neighbor across I-35, Parker Ln. UMC. They have poverty at their doorstep. They have an afterschool program for the kids nearby. The director of the school just turned 21 yesterday. I love her name. Her name is "Angel." Hiliary is helping to mentor Angel. Angel is teaching Hiliary about poverty. Hiliary gave me a book she got from that church, "What every chruch member should know about poverty." I will give an illustration from the book: when it comes to food, if you are poor, you ask "Is there enough?" If you are middle class, you ask, "Is it good?" If you are privileged, you ask, "Is it well presented?" Where are you on the scale?

Pastor Tina of that congregation said that there were 3 kids who were fighting to get the dish washing job for after school program. They wanted the job so that they could lick the plates. it is messy.

Christ has come and is coming. What then should we do?

rejoice

12/10/09 My breath prayer today comes from Philippians 4:4, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, Rejoice." We sing at this time of year, "Joy to the World," and "Good, Christian Men, Rejoice." It is a good thing to go through the day or through life, rejoicing. Looking at some old notes on this passage, I find that "rejoice" and its cognates are used 14 times in this little letter of Paul.

Love,
Lynn

bread

12/09/09 The communion bread on Sunday was gluten-free but too crumbly. We had used this same loaf for the past 2 months, but this past Sunday, it just fell apart. It made a mess on the floor, filled the chalice with crumbs, and generally as icky. In my on-going attempt to welcome all at the table, I have created more problems. But yesterday, we found another source for bread. In an experiment it tore well without coming apart. It tasted good (our other one was fairly blah). It held together when dipped in the cup. It is baked in California, and the bakery will ship us cases of it as whole loaves, frozen. I believe it is worth it...to include as many as possible at the Lord's table.

Love,
Lynn

umw

12/08/09 UMW doesn't stand for the United Mine Workers. In our denomination, UMW stands for United Methodist Women. Last night I was the only rooster in the hen house, as the UMW gathered for their Christmas party. Yes, there was lots of laughter and good food, but I was impressed with what they were doing for others. There were signup sheets for folks to take casseroles to moms with new babies, or to visit some of our homebound, or to host a neighborhood gathering. There were reports of the Storybook Project where our women visit women in prison to help them read stories on tape to their children. We already have 12 women doing this, and 10 more getting the training to do it. The women were planning their annual retreat where they will focus on their relationship with Christ, letting Him renew their spirits so that they can continue to do His work in the world. By the way, the pastor, no matter their gender, by our denomination's understanding is a member of UMW. I am proud to be a member of our UMW.

Love,
Lynn

the waiter

from my sermon on 12/6/09 from Luke 3:1-6

Hello, my name is Lynn and I'll be your waiter this morning. I see you have already found your seats. Isn't it wonderful that we are so informal around here and that you can sit anywhere you like. Some of you want to sit close to the front, and more of you fight to sit in the back!

But no matter where you sit, you are welcome here! All are welcome here. No shirt, no shoes, no problem! You are welcome here. You may have doubts about God, can 't understand why
God has come in human flesh in Jesus, and have a hard time with the Holy Spirit, but you are welcome here. You may have questions about divorce, about disease, about death, but you are welcome here. You may wonder about war and you may worry, but you are welcome here. Some of you may think you are too young to eat the feast, but we have a children's menu. Some of you think you are too old and have outgrown the faith, but we have a seniors' special. All are welcome. Some of you are angry at God. Some of you haven't eaten at this table in a long time. Some of you know that you don't deserve to be here, but you are all welcome here.

As some of the head waiters from our past, Isaiah and John the Baptist, have said, "Our job as waiters is to make the uneven places level, and the crooked places straight and the rough places smooth, so that all may see the salvation of God." We are to set the table for the feast of life so all may partake.

On the menu today...well, it's fairly simple...bread and grape juice. The bread we serve here is gluten free. We found that some were being excluded because of their allergies. The chef is still working on the recipe so that we can accommodate those with allergies to wheat, eggs, and milk. We want all to be welcome here.

We use grape juice, out of our concern for those who have problems with alcohol. John Wesley who start the Methodist reform movement in the 1700's lived in an England where the common folks medicated their feelings with gin. The phrase from that time was you could get drunk for a 1/2 penny and dead drunk for a penny. We have long been on the side of abstinence.

But there is so much more going on besides just bread and grape juice. We are bold to say that this is Body and Blood of Christ. We really meet Him here in this meal. We give thanks at this table, remembering all the ways our God has saved us down through the ages, especially in His coming to us in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. We look forward to His coming again and sharing with Him in an eternal banquet. We remember how Jesus had many meals with common people and even ate with sinners. He continues to share in this meal with us and makes us community. More than that he changes people's hearts. All are welcome at this table.

Now you may be wondering about the tip. Fifteen to eighteen percent is the usual standard. Smile just a little bit. Ten percent would be wonderful. However, most UM's give on average about 2%. Please know that you don't have to give anything. You get to make a gift for the service you have received. I suspect some of you have been waiters in the past. You know that any gift is appreciated.

I hope some of you might feel called to become waiters. You know that you don' have to be ordained like me to be a waiter. It is part of being a Christian who is waiting for the coming of Christ. It is active, not passive. It is like what happens in this story.

A room-service waiter at a Marriott hotel learned that the sister of a guest had just died. The waiter, named Charles, bought a sympathy card, had hotel staff members sign it, and gave it to the distraught guest with a piece of hot apple pie. Mr. Marriott, the guest later wrote to the president of Marriott Hotels, I'll never meet you. And I don't need to meet you. Because I met Charles. I know what you stand for. ... I want to assure you that as long as I live, I will stay at your hotels. And I will tell my friends to stay at your hotels. -- Roger Dow and Susan Cook,Turned On(New York: Harper Business, 1996).

The table is set. All is ready. Come, eat. It is my pleasure to be your waiter today. That is the good news I have to share.

confident

12/4/09 My breath prayer comes from Philippians 1:6, "I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ." I like to believe that all things begun and continued in Christ, He will bring to a wonderful conclusion. If God is the Creator, He can also be the Culminator.

I saw an example of this today as I visited in the local high school where one of our youth did her presentation for her senior project. She worked with Mobile Loaves and Fishes, the only one of her class to partner with a non-profit. She developed a garden in a box so that people could grow healthy food for the homeless. She was poised, articulate and passionate about her project. It gave me hope for the future.

I am confident Christ will bring this project and all His plans to completion.

Love,
Lynn

ways

12/3/09 My prayer verse for the day comes from an old song about John the Baptist and Jesus, Luke 1:76b, "for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways." I have read this verse countless times and preached from this passage more than once, but I never before noticed that it said "ways." It is plural, ways, not singular, way. It got to wondering how many ways does God show his love for us. I thought too that God might even use us as channels of the many ways God breaks into this world.

Love,
Lynn

prepare the way

12/2 I can't get the phrase out of my head, "prepare the way of the Lord." I can hear our praise band singing it. I can hear the old tune from Godspell. I can hear the words of the prophet Isaiah. I can hear John the Baptist repeat it. I hope the words are for us, for me, during this Advent. Prepare the way of the Lord.

Love,
Lynn

ministry in a digital age

12/1/09 I was at the outpatient surgery center early this morning, at 6:40 a.m. The little girl who was to have surgery was perfectly content, watching a video on her mom's Iphone. While waiting for the procedure to begin. The dad took a photo of mom, the little girl, and me, on the Iphone. They said, "We will post it to our website later."

When I got back to the office and was going through my emails (what did we do before the days when we spent hours going through these communications?), I found that one of our church members had set up an interactive website at carecalendar.org for one of our youth who had been injured in a horse riding accident. At the website, I found out how the girl was progressing. I also found where people had signed up to bring meals or to help with carpools.

About that time, my cell phone rang with a call from my wife who had to go to the doctor's office.

Now, I am writing about all of this on my blog!

By the way, our sermons are now posted on our website at www.westlake-umc.org, where you can download them as podcasts!

Ministry in the digital age.


Love,
Lynn