3/31/10 When I was growing up, we had worship on Sunday night. We often had favorite hymn requests, and we used the old Cokesbury hymnal. A hymn that made the top of the charts was "In the Garden." I thought it was about our special relationship with God in a personal and private way in prayer. And it is. But as I read the passion story this Holy Week, I am coming to understand the hymn as about Christ's prayer for us and His relationship with the Father in prayer, especially as it is portrayed in the Garden of Gethsemane on His last night before the crucifixion.
Love,
Lynn
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
hobbling through Holy Week
3/30/10 Saturday afternoon, I had just started out on a walk on the hike and bike trail in the park right behind our house. I was walking on the right side of the path, as is the American convention. A cyclist was coming directly at me, on his left side of the path. He was looking at me, and I at him. We played chicken. I lost. I jumped at the last possible second. My right calf muscle screamed in pain. I yelled at the cyclist, "I can't believe it."
I was really sore physically and in all other ways. I would make a lousy invalid. I so enjoy the freedom of movement that I have. I walked with a cane on Sunday morning, Palm Sunday, the day after my event. I preached sitting down. That evening I tried walking about 1/2 mile with a cane to keep my muscles stretched out as my family doc reccommened. Monday morning I walked a mile, then lifted weights in a reduced fashion, then walked 3/4 mile. The more I exercised the better my leg felt. This morning I walked 3 miles. It is slower going, but I am going to make it.
It is funny that my sermon title for Easter is "Run for your life," from John 20:1-18, where Mary runs to tell the disciples and Peter and John race back.
Love,
Lynn
I was really sore physically and in all other ways. I would make a lousy invalid. I so enjoy the freedom of movement that I have. I walked with a cane on Sunday morning, Palm Sunday, the day after my event. I preached sitting down. That evening I tried walking about 1/2 mile with a cane to keep my muscles stretched out as my family doc reccommened. Monday morning I walked a mile, then lifted weights in a reduced fashion, then walked 3/4 mile. The more I exercised the better my leg felt. This morning I walked 3 miles. It is slower going, but I am going to make it.
It is funny that my sermon title for Easter is "Run for your life," from John 20:1-18, where Mary runs to tell the disciples and Peter and John race back.
Love,
Lynn
Monday, March 29, 2010
Extravagant generosity
from my sermon on 3/28/10 from II Cor. 9:6-11 and Mark 12:41-44
I have never been abole to talk anyone into anything, especially when it comes to money, to giving, to tithing. Extravagant generosity doesn't come out of guilt, shame, obligation, fear, or manipulation. This church has tried to emphasize this by not doing the usual end of the year, budget-making process. We have waited until we have gotten more clarity about our vision statement, "Following One, Serving All." We have disassociated it from the church's need to receive and made it more about our need to give. As we look at this passage from II Cor., we find that Paul says our giving is rooted in the abundance of grace that we have received from Christ, and our response comes out of gratitude.
I would like for us to get in touch with this this feeling of gratitude by telling you a story. I performed a marriage on Friday evening for Chris and Sara. I have to laugh a little bit at the wedding co0rdinator, who is a really sweet person, but she sent me a "production schedule." You see I thought it was a worship service, not a production schedule. Also life very seldom happens according to a production schedule. It certainly didn't for Chris at his birth. I have known Chris before he was born. His parents, Bill and Meredith, are life long friends. When Chris was born, he was a quiet baby, too quiet. His parents took him back to the hospital. His lungs weren't fully developed. Chris spent the first days of his life in the neo-natal ICU at Seton Hospital, hovering between life and death. Bill and Meredith spent all of the time that they could holding him, talking to him, feeding him, looking through the glass partition at him. Obviously Chris got better. His parents waited until he was 2 years old to have him baptized. Do you remember what 2 year olds are like? When they handed him off to me, Chris was like a bear cub planting all 4 of his paws against me, pushing off, and screaming into my microphone. I baptized him in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then I offered a prayer thanking God that we could hear Chris's voice. Chris has grown up to be a fine young man. He became a lawyer like his dad. He met his wife also a lawyer at Texas Young Lawyer events where they help people who can't afford legal help. At their wedding I mentioned that in a few years they hope to have 1 to 3 children, although this is still in negotiation, with no contract signed so far. So on a beautiful Friday evening, with the sun going down over the lake in the background, at Laguna Gloria, I united in marriage Chris and Sara. And Bill and Meredith cried...tears of joy. Were they grateful?
How about you? Are you in touch with all that you have been given? Not just houses, cars, clothes, food, but also relationships and memories? Can you see that all that you have has been given to you? Even the ability to earn is a gift.
Paul says that we are to give not reluctantly or out of compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Please God send me a church full of cheerful givers. Paul doesn't talk about the poor people in the mother church in Jerusalem. He doesn't talk about tithing. He talks about thanksgiving to God. He doesn't force anything. He says each must give as they have made up their own mind.
I want to tell you how I have made up my mind about giving and maybe give you some practical hints about giving. First, NO COLD TURKEY TITHING! What? Yes, you are probably not at a literal 10% and that is OK. You don't have to jump immediately to a tithe. Second, PRAY. If you and God are God with what you give, then I am. Third, TALK as a family. Money is one of the biggest issues in a marriage. I want you to stay married. Plus your kids need to see you modeling generosity. They will learn from your example. Fourth, SET a %, not just a dollar amount. We can play all kinds of mind games when it comes to money. Percentages are the great leveller. I will talk more about this in a minute with the widow who gives her 2 cents worth. Fifth, REVIEW and GIVE THANKS for God's faithfulness at the end of the year. Sixth, BUMP it up 1/2 % or 2%. This is actually what Cathy and I have practiced in our marriage. It took us 15 years to arrive at tithing. For the last 16 years we have been able to tithe or go beyond a tithe. I know you wonder about gross or net. We do it off of gross. You wonder about all the other good causes out there. We tithe to the church, and give above a tithe to those other good causes.
So now to an example of extravagant generosity as practiced by this woman in the temple. To set the context, there was a court for the women as a part of the temple. Around the outside wall were 13 receptacles for giving. They were metal and bell-shaped, like this trombone. So giving was not just a visual but also an auditory event. You could tell how much one gave by the sound that it made. People would throw their money in. The translation says they put their money in, but the Greek verb that is used 7 times in the passage is ballo, which means to throw. It is one of the first Greek verbs I learned, by throwing a ball. So here's what those with a lot of money sounded like when they gave (throw a wad of coins in the trombone bell). Here's what the widow's offering sounded like (clink, clink). Jesus says she put in more than all of the rest because they gave out of their excess and she gave out of her need, her very living.
I need to tell you another story about extravagant generosity from the time I was pastor in San Saba from 1983 to 1988. I had a widow who invited me to her house. I asked, "What's on your mind?" She said, "You see the house I live in. I still heat my house with a wood-buring stove. I still cook over a wood-burning stove. Other people have nice houses. They all come to church in their cars. I don't have a car. I catch a ride or I walk to church. They all have nice clothes. I get my clothes from the re-sale shop. I feel so guilty that I can't give like others do."
I rarely ask this question, but I did with her, "How much do you give?" "When the plate goes by, I put $5 in. On communion Sunday, I put $2 at the altar rail." Very rarely do I ask this question, but I did with her, "How much do you get?" You see in our culture, that is a taboo question, it is so private. She told me the amount of her Social Security check, her only income. I said, "You are biggest giver in our church....proportionately." And she was...she gave out of her very living. It is not how much you give; it is the amount of sacrifice. IT is the amount of generosity.
This is the last scene in Jesus' public ministry. It is a teaching moment for his disciples, for us today. The woman gives it all. Just like Jesus will give his all for us this Holy Week. I know next Sunday is Easter and the resurrection. But Jesus has a long week before him. Today, we cry "Hosanna!" But you know what we cry on Good Friday. Jesus demonstrates extravagant generosity. We are called to do the same. that is the good news I have to share.
I have never been abole to talk anyone into anything, especially when it comes to money, to giving, to tithing. Extravagant generosity doesn't come out of guilt, shame, obligation, fear, or manipulation. This church has tried to emphasize this by not doing the usual end of the year, budget-making process. We have waited until we have gotten more clarity about our vision statement, "Following One, Serving All." We have disassociated it from the church's need to receive and made it more about our need to give. As we look at this passage from II Cor., we find that Paul says our giving is rooted in the abundance of grace that we have received from Christ, and our response comes out of gratitude.
I would like for us to get in touch with this this feeling of gratitude by telling you a story. I performed a marriage on Friday evening for Chris and Sara. I have to laugh a little bit at the wedding co0rdinator, who is a really sweet person, but she sent me a "production schedule." You see I thought it was a worship service, not a production schedule. Also life very seldom happens according to a production schedule. It certainly didn't for Chris at his birth. I have known Chris before he was born. His parents, Bill and Meredith, are life long friends. When Chris was born, he was a quiet baby, too quiet. His parents took him back to the hospital. His lungs weren't fully developed. Chris spent the first days of his life in the neo-natal ICU at Seton Hospital, hovering between life and death. Bill and Meredith spent all of the time that they could holding him, talking to him, feeding him, looking through the glass partition at him. Obviously Chris got better. His parents waited until he was 2 years old to have him baptized. Do you remember what 2 year olds are like? When they handed him off to me, Chris was like a bear cub planting all 4 of his paws against me, pushing off, and screaming into my microphone. I baptized him in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then I offered a prayer thanking God that we could hear Chris's voice. Chris has grown up to be a fine young man. He became a lawyer like his dad. He met his wife also a lawyer at Texas Young Lawyer events where they help people who can't afford legal help. At their wedding I mentioned that in a few years they hope to have 1 to 3 children, although this is still in negotiation, with no contract signed so far. So on a beautiful Friday evening, with the sun going down over the lake in the background, at Laguna Gloria, I united in marriage Chris and Sara. And Bill and Meredith cried...tears of joy. Were they grateful?
How about you? Are you in touch with all that you have been given? Not just houses, cars, clothes, food, but also relationships and memories? Can you see that all that you have has been given to you? Even the ability to earn is a gift.
Paul says that we are to give not reluctantly or out of compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Please God send me a church full of cheerful givers. Paul doesn't talk about the poor people in the mother church in Jerusalem. He doesn't talk about tithing. He talks about thanksgiving to God. He doesn't force anything. He says each must give as they have made up their own mind.
I want to tell you how I have made up my mind about giving and maybe give you some practical hints about giving. First, NO COLD TURKEY TITHING! What? Yes, you are probably not at a literal 10% and that is OK. You don't have to jump immediately to a tithe. Second, PRAY. If you and God are God with what you give, then I am. Third, TALK as a family. Money is one of the biggest issues in a marriage. I want you to stay married. Plus your kids need to see you modeling generosity. They will learn from your example. Fourth, SET a %, not just a dollar amount. We can play all kinds of mind games when it comes to money. Percentages are the great leveller. I will talk more about this in a minute with the widow who gives her 2 cents worth. Fifth, REVIEW and GIVE THANKS for God's faithfulness at the end of the year. Sixth, BUMP it up 1/2 % or 2%. This is actually what Cathy and I have practiced in our marriage. It took us 15 years to arrive at tithing. For the last 16 years we have been able to tithe or go beyond a tithe. I know you wonder about gross or net. We do it off of gross. You wonder about all the other good causes out there. We tithe to the church, and give above a tithe to those other good causes.
So now to an example of extravagant generosity as practiced by this woman in the temple. To set the context, there was a court for the women as a part of the temple. Around the outside wall were 13 receptacles for giving. They were metal and bell-shaped, like this trombone. So giving was not just a visual but also an auditory event. You could tell how much one gave by the sound that it made. People would throw their money in. The translation says they put their money in, but the Greek verb that is used 7 times in the passage is ballo, which means to throw. It is one of the first Greek verbs I learned, by throwing a ball. So here's what those with a lot of money sounded like when they gave (throw a wad of coins in the trombone bell). Here's what the widow's offering sounded like (clink, clink). Jesus says she put in more than all of the rest because they gave out of their excess and she gave out of her need, her very living.
I need to tell you another story about extravagant generosity from the time I was pastor in San Saba from 1983 to 1988. I had a widow who invited me to her house. I asked, "What's on your mind?" She said, "You see the house I live in. I still heat my house with a wood-buring stove. I still cook over a wood-burning stove. Other people have nice houses. They all come to church in their cars. I don't have a car. I catch a ride or I walk to church. They all have nice clothes. I get my clothes from the re-sale shop. I feel so guilty that I can't give like others do."
I rarely ask this question, but I did with her, "How much do you give?" "When the plate goes by, I put $5 in. On communion Sunday, I put $2 at the altar rail." Very rarely do I ask this question, but I did with her, "How much do you get?" You see in our culture, that is a taboo question, it is so private. She told me the amount of her Social Security check, her only income. I said, "You are biggest giver in our church....proportionately." And she was...she gave out of her very living. It is not how much you give; it is the amount of sacrifice. IT is the amount of generosity.
This is the last scene in Jesus' public ministry. It is a teaching moment for his disciples, for us today. The woman gives it all. Just like Jesus will give his all for us this Holy Week. I know next Sunday is Easter and the resurrection. But Jesus has a long week before him. Today, we cry "Hosanna!" But you know what we cry on Good Friday. Jesus demonstrates extravagant generosity. We are called to do the same. that is the good news I have to share.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
not my will
3/25/10 My breath prayer today comes from the passion account in Luke's gospel, where Jesus is praying in the garden during his last night on earth, he says, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will, but yours be done." (22:42) Two interesting insights come to me. One, I try to be in control of my life, of situations, of my family, the church I serve, the traffic around me, etc., when this is absolutely impossible. Yes, I take responsibility for myself, my thoughts and actions, but there is a whole world out there I can't control. The second is that many times I don't even know what my will is. I am clueless about what I want, what I would like to have happen. So today, I am praying, "not my will, but yours be done."
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
hand
3/24/10 My breath prayer for today comes from Psalm 39:15, "My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors." I was reflecting on my walk/prayer time this morning that hands are handy. They can do so many things. It is comforting to know that we are held in God's hands, and saved from the hands of that which would destroy us. As I walked it came to me that the ultimate example of this was by looking at the hands of Jesus, especially next week, Holy week, when those hands will be nail-scarred. Into thy hands, I commit my spirit.
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
forgive them, forgive me
3/23/10 My breath prayer for the day comes from the passion account in Luke, 23:34, where Jesus says, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." In looking over my other blogs, I find that forgiveness is a topic that comes up frequently. I am aware of how much I need to forgive others, how easily I am hurt by others, how I blame others, how I cut off others. This in turn leads me to acknowledge how much I need forgiveness. I am glad that Jesus' prayer for forgiveness is all inclusive--for them, and for me.
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Monday, March 22, 2010
following One, serving all
from my sermon on 3/21/10 from Matthew 25:34-40
Following One, Serving All--this is not just the sermon title but our tentative new vision statement. Today, we are completing the 5th week of a 6 week Lenten series on the practices of fruitful congregations, looking at risk-taking mission and service. I want to do 3 things: 1. talk about this new vision statement, 2. talk about how we might live into it, 3. tie all of this into the scripture we read.
One, Following One, Serving All is a tentative vision statement. The Jesuits at Boston College taught me to make a tentative decision, then live with it to see if it gets confirmed. So this phrase is not set in stone. But if it is not it, it is very close to being it.
We came up with Following One, Serving All thusly: When I came to be pastor here, not quite 3 years ago, I asked if the church had a vision statement. Yes, was the reply, it's there on the front of the bulletin. But can you tell me what it is? No one could. I knew it wasn't exactly motivating anyone. This past fall when we were to have our stewardship campaign, I delayed the campaign. I said, No money until we know our mission. That Sunday in worship, we had about 100 entries given of things people said that they would invest their lives in. The church council took those statements and over 2 very long meetings, filled with prayer, distilled the essence of what people were saying into these 4 words, Following One, Serving All.
Let me unpack the words, and tell you how this vision statement motivates me. I like it that it is brief. I want a vision that a first grader can remember. I like it that it has participle phrases. It implies continuting action. The verb tenses are also inviting, not imperatives.
Following implies that we are not finished, we are going on to perfection. We are called to be disciples no less than those early Christians were.
One for me is Christ. There may be other revelations of who God is and I don't want to discount other people's faiths , but we are Christians and we have a particular revelation. I like it that Christ is right in the middle of the statement, 3 syllables before and after. Christ is right in the center of everything we do. He sets the agenda, the direction, the tone. Because of this One, we can become one in Him, in community. He's the One who makes us one.
Serving, now this is something we do well already. When I came to be your pastor I was so impressed by how you extended yourselves for others. You are not isolated, insulated up on this hill in west Austin. Your fingers reach across this town and around this globe. We have Christmas in October, and the CROP Walk 2 weeks ago, and youth and adults just back from New Orleans Mission trip last week, and on and on...Christ came not to be served, but to serve. The master of all washed his disciples feet. He has set for us an example.
All is a word that stretches us. We so quickly set our limits, saying we can't possibly love this kind of person or that. With whom did Jesus associate? Sinners and tax collectors, prostitutes and the unclean. There is a Sunday School class here, the Journeys Class, that is really taking this All faithfully. They are exploring becoming a REconciling class. In UM language that means to welcome persons of gay and lesbian orientation. All means all.
The Following One is like breathing in, staying close to Christ, being renewed in Him. The Serving All is like breathing out, witnessing to the presence of Christ in the world.
How do you feel about Following One, Serving All? I am asking you to live into these words and see if this is who Christ is calling us to be as Westlake UMC.
Second, I have a way for us to act upon this vision, Following One, Serving All. Here I am expecting wild applause......on April 25, a Sunday, just over a month from now, I propose calling off worship and Sunday School in this place. I am challenging us to be the church in the world that morning. I am asking us to Rethink Church. You can start by getting one of these cool t-shirts that say REthink Church for about $10. Then you can wear that while you are out serving all that morning. When someone asks you why you are doing what you are doing, you can say that you are a Christian, Following One, Serving All. It will be our public witness. If you don't know what to do, you can go to our website and check out the 12 projects and contact persons listed there. These are just suggestions. You may create your own. You may go with your class. You may go with your children. Then we will gather at noon that day at Valley View Elementary School cafeterian, which can seat more than 400. We will have a box lunch together. We will have a brief worship service around the tables. We will share how we experienced the presence of Christ that morning. You remember that one of my beliefs is that the church ever so often needs to get together for a family reunion, not 9 or 11:15 service, not UM men or UM women, not the Fellowship Class or Perspective Class, but the whole body of Christ. We have the opportunity to do that on April 25.
Third, how Following One, Serving All ties in with this scripture. So many times we think that when we go out to help that we take Christ with us to the needy person. What this scripture says is that Christ is already there. We go out to give Christ and find that we receive Him. We meet Christ in the most vulnerable ones.
Kathleen Norris is an author I like. She writes of her re-discovery of faith after many years of being gone. It's funny how becoming an adult makes us deal with things. She writes of going to a Benedictine Retreat house. The monks are trained to receive each guest as Christ Himself. You may not believe it, but this retreat house and others are booming with business as people try to unhook from the busy-ness of their lives and connect with the holy. At the end of one long day, with many people coming in the gate, the gatekeeper hears the bell ring one more time. As he goes to answer it, Kathleen overhears him say, "O Lord, is that you again?!" And of course the answer is Yes.
We get compassion fatigue when we forget this. When we can no longer see Christ in the least, the last, the lost, then we grow tired because we are just being busy, doing our own thing.
This scripture is also an eschatological passage. That's a fancy word for talking about last things. Or as I like to say, about lasting things or ultimate things. Jesus is trying to tell us that what really lasts, what is of ultimate value is meeting Him in those He loves best, the needy among us.
That's the good news I have to share with you today as we are Following One, Serving All. Amen.
Following One, Serving All--this is not just the sermon title but our tentative new vision statement. Today, we are completing the 5th week of a 6 week Lenten series on the practices of fruitful congregations, looking at risk-taking mission and service. I want to do 3 things: 1. talk about this new vision statement, 2. talk about how we might live into it, 3. tie all of this into the scripture we read.
One, Following One, Serving All is a tentative vision statement. The Jesuits at Boston College taught me to make a tentative decision, then live with it to see if it gets confirmed. So this phrase is not set in stone. But if it is not it, it is very close to being it.
We came up with Following One, Serving All thusly: When I came to be pastor here, not quite 3 years ago, I asked if the church had a vision statement. Yes, was the reply, it's there on the front of the bulletin. But can you tell me what it is? No one could. I knew it wasn't exactly motivating anyone. This past fall when we were to have our stewardship campaign, I delayed the campaign. I said, No money until we know our mission. That Sunday in worship, we had about 100 entries given of things people said that they would invest their lives in. The church council took those statements and over 2 very long meetings, filled with prayer, distilled the essence of what people were saying into these 4 words, Following One, Serving All.
Let me unpack the words, and tell you how this vision statement motivates me. I like it that it is brief. I want a vision that a first grader can remember. I like it that it has participle phrases. It implies continuting action. The verb tenses are also inviting, not imperatives.
Following implies that we are not finished, we are going on to perfection. We are called to be disciples no less than those early Christians were.
One for me is Christ. There may be other revelations of who God is and I don't want to discount other people's faiths , but we are Christians and we have a particular revelation. I like it that Christ is right in the middle of the statement, 3 syllables before and after. Christ is right in the center of everything we do. He sets the agenda, the direction, the tone. Because of this One, we can become one in Him, in community. He's the One who makes us one.
Serving, now this is something we do well already. When I came to be your pastor I was so impressed by how you extended yourselves for others. You are not isolated, insulated up on this hill in west Austin. Your fingers reach across this town and around this globe. We have Christmas in October, and the CROP Walk 2 weeks ago, and youth and adults just back from New Orleans Mission trip last week, and on and on...Christ came not to be served, but to serve. The master of all washed his disciples feet. He has set for us an example.
All is a word that stretches us. We so quickly set our limits, saying we can't possibly love this kind of person or that. With whom did Jesus associate? Sinners and tax collectors, prostitutes and the unclean. There is a Sunday School class here, the Journeys Class, that is really taking this All faithfully. They are exploring becoming a REconciling class. In UM language that means to welcome persons of gay and lesbian orientation. All means all.
The Following One is like breathing in, staying close to Christ, being renewed in Him. The Serving All is like breathing out, witnessing to the presence of Christ in the world.
How do you feel about Following One, Serving All? I am asking you to live into these words and see if this is who Christ is calling us to be as Westlake UMC.
Second, I have a way for us to act upon this vision, Following One, Serving All. Here I am expecting wild applause......on April 25, a Sunday, just over a month from now, I propose calling off worship and Sunday School in this place. I am challenging us to be the church in the world that morning. I am asking us to Rethink Church. You can start by getting one of these cool t-shirts that say REthink Church for about $10. Then you can wear that while you are out serving all that morning. When someone asks you why you are doing what you are doing, you can say that you are a Christian, Following One, Serving All. It will be our public witness. If you don't know what to do, you can go to our website and check out the 12 projects and contact persons listed there. These are just suggestions. You may create your own. You may go with your class. You may go with your children. Then we will gather at noon that day at Valley View Elementary School cafeterian, which can seat more than 400. We will have a box lunch together. We will have a brief worship service around the tables. We will share how we experienced the presence of Christ that morning. You remember that one of my beliefs is that the church ever so often needs to get together for a family reunion, not 9 or 11:15 service, not UM men or UM women, not the Fellowship Class or Perspective Class, but the whole body of Christ. We have the opportunity to do that on April 25.
Third, how Following One, Serving All ties in with this scripture. So many times we think that when we go out to help that we take Christ with us to the needy person. What this scripture says is that Christ is already there. We go out to give Christ and find that we receive Him. We meet Christ in the most vulnerable ones.
Kathleen Norris is an author I like. She writes of her re-discovery of faith after many years of being gone. It's funny how becoming an adult makes us deal with things. She writes of going to a Benedictine Retreat house. The monks are trained to receive each guest as Christ Himself. You may not believe it, but this retreat house and others are booming with business as people try to unhook from the busy-ness of their lives and connect with the holy. At the end of one long day, with many people coming in the gate, the gatekeeper hears the bell ring one more time. As he goes to answer it, Kathleen overhears him say, "O Lord, is that you again?!" And of course the answer is Yes.
We get compassion fatigue when we forget this. When we can no longer see Christ in the least, the last, the lost, then we grow tired because we are just being busy, doing our own thing.
This scripture is also an eschatological passage. That's a fancy word for talking about last things. Or as I like to say, about lasting things or ultimate things. Jesus is trying to tell us that what really lasts, what is of ultimate value is meeting Him in those He loves best, the needy among us.
That's the good news I have to share with you today as we are Following One, Serving All. Amen.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
new creation
3/11/10 my breath prayer today comes from one of my favorite verses, II Cor. 5:17, "So if nayone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has pased away; there is a new creation!" When I do my clown communion service, this is the verse that I include in the worship service. As I put on the clown white, I die to my old self. As I put on the color highlights on my face and my red wig, I become a new creation in Christ. I believe this is what Christ is doing our whole lives long. We are not bound to sin, death, the old fears; in Christ, we are new creatures.
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
following One, serving all
On Monday night, March 8, our church council came up with a tentative vision statement. The process has been one prayerfully and carefully enacted. Back in the fall of 2009 in the worship services, I asked the congregation to write down what vision grabbed them so deeply that they must follow it. We got some 100 responses. The church council then spent two sessions spread out over several months trying to discern what was the essence of what this congregation was being led to do and to be. Our vision statement needed to be pithy (7 words or less), call us to stretch, and be motivating. We are proposing, "Following One, Serving All." I have much more to say about this, especially in my sermon on March 21.
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Monday, March 8, 2010
passionate worship
from my sermon on 3/7/10 from Psalm 84
Passionate worship....I have been in worship for as long as I can remember. Passionate, I am not sure, but regular, yes. I am a cradle Methodist. My earliest memories are of being welcomed in worship, especially here at this table, at this feast called communion. I love it that we UM's practice an open table, that all are welcome to receive communion. I felt that as a child. I knew what we were doing was holy and that I was invited to be part of it. Growing up, we only had communion once a quarter, every three months, so it was a big deal to go down front and kneel and eat. I remember the old words, "Ye that do truly and earnestly repent of your sins and are in love and charity with your neighbors and intend to lead a new life following after the commandments of God, draw near with faith and take this holy sacrament to your comfort." The food was different. Remember those little dry white crackers. I thought they looked like fish food. I bet they could survive a nuclear attack. I have no idea about whether they were gluten free or not. And the grape juice came in little shot glasses.
I didn't know it at the time, but I was being shaped, welcomed, converted, and included by this feast. What are some of your earliest memories of worship? Can you get a feeling for the pilgrims who sang Psalm 84 as they were on the way to the Temple in Jerusalem....how they longed to worship....to be in the house of the LORD.
I still yearn for worship. This past week I actually got to worship. It's funny, but we pastors write worship services, we lead worship services, but how seldom do we actually get to worship. This past week I did at the Bishop's Convocation. Even though I had some leadership responsibilities, I worshiped. A lot of it came through the music that John Thornburg led. He and I went to seminary together. He now travels all over the world with his music. It says in the psalm that my heart and my sould sing for joy to the living God. John taught us an African chorus that I would like for you to sing with me now.
Come, bring your burdens to God. Jesus will never say no.
We can lay all of our burdens at this altar, on this table. Jesus will never say no.
I actually got to worship on Thursday also. After 3 years as pastor here, I finally got to lead the chapel service with our pre-school kids. Usually they do it in Wyatt Hall, but we were hosting homeless families through Interfaith Hospitality Network this week, so we did it down front here in the sanctuary. It was my birthday, so the kids sang "happy birthday" to me. That was great. Miss Jane asked the kids what color did they see. Purple, they said. And purple stands for what? It is the color of preparing. What are we preparing for? Easter, they said. One boy said, "Easter.....oh, yeah, I've done that once before."
We have too. In fact, every Sunday is a little Easter. Look at the number of days between Ash Wednesday and Easter. It is more than 40 days. You see the Sundays don't count as part of the 40 days of Lent. The Sundays are not fast days; they are feast days. And so we come here today again to eat again with our living Lord, to grow deeper and deeper with God.
We can grow so close to God that even as we go through the valley of tears, we can make it a place of springs (Ps. 84: 6). Many of you know that I am Parko the Clown. You know that I have even served communion as a clown here in worship. I want to tell about a whole church full of clowns. That's right, they all come to worship in their clown outfits and personnas. They pop popcorn. They exchange the peace of Christ. Then they serve popcorn to one another. Then they take bags of popcorn out into the world to share with others.
One clown went to a very hard place...the burn unit in the hospital. Have you ever been there? I have. The first thing that gets me is the smell. I can't describe it, except to say it's awful. A nurse directed the clown to a patient who had been totally unresponsive. She was so down, so withdrawn, she showed no sign of wanting to live. The clown, a mime, entered the room with his bag of popcorn. What could he possibly do? He looked upon the precious girl, disfigured, hooked up to tubes, wrapped in bandages. He began to cry. He simply cried for her. As he did, she began to cry. It was the first response she had made to anyone since her burns. Then the clown took a kernel of popcorn. She couldn't swallow it, so he took it and soaked up her tears with the popcorn. Then he ate it. That was communion. That is passionate worship. That is coming into the presence of God. That's what we are called to do.
Amen.
Passionate worship....I have been in worship for as long as I can remember. Passionate, I am not sure, but regular, yes. I am a cradle Methodist. My earliest memories are of being welcomed in worship, especially here at this table, at this feast called communion. I love it that we UM's practice an open table, that all are welcome to receive communion. I felt that as a child. I knew what we were doing was holy and that I was invited to be part of it. Growing up, we only had communion once a quarter, every three months, so it was a big deal to go down front and kneel and eat. I remember the old words, "Ye that do truly and earnestly repent of your sins and are in love and charity with your neighbors and intend to lead a new life following after the commandments of God, draw near with faith and take this holy sacrament to your comfort." The food was different. Remember those little dry white crackers. I thought they looked like fish food. I bet they could survive a nuclear attack. I have no idea about whether they were gluten free or not. And the grape juice came in little shot glasses.
I didn't know it at the time, but I was being shaped, welcomed, converted, and included by this feast. What are some of your earliest memories of worship? Can you get a feeling for the pilgrims who sang Psalm 84 as they were on the way to the Temple in Jerusalem....how they longed to worship....to be in the house of the LORD.
I still yearn for worship. This past week I actually got to worship. It's funny, but we pastors write worship services, we lead worship services, but how seldom do we actually get to worship. This past week I did at the Bishop's Convocation. Even though I had some leadership responsibilities, I worshiped. A lot of it came through the music that John Thornburg led. He and I went to seminary together. He now travels all over the world with his music. It says in the psalm that my heart and my sould sing for joy to the living God. John taught us an African chorus that I would like for you to sing with me now.
Come, bring your burdens to God. Jesus will never say no.
We can lay all of our burdens at this altar, on this table. Jesus will never say no.
I actually got to worship on Thursday also. After 3 years as pastor here, I finally got to lead the chapel service with our pre-school kids. Usually they do it in Wyatt Hall, but we were hosting homeless families through Interfaith Hospitality Network this week, so we did it down front here in the sanctuary. It was my birthday, so the kids sang "happy birthday" to me. That was great. Miss Jane asked the kids what color did they see. Purple, they said. And purple stands for what? It is the color of preparing. What are we preparing for? Easter, they said. One boy said, "Easter.....oh, yeah, I've done that once before."
We have too. In fact, every Sunday is a little Easter. Look at the number of days between Ash Wednesday and Easter. It is more than 40 days. You see the Sundays don't count as part of the 40 days of Lent. The Sundays are not fast days; they are feast days. And so we come here today again to eat again with our living Lord, to grow deeper and deeper with God.
We can grow so close to God that even as we go through the valley of tears, we can make it a place of springs (Ps. 84: 6). Many of you know that I am Parko the Clown. You know that I have even served communion as a clown here in worship. I want to tell about a whole church full of clowns. That's right, they all come to worship in their clown outfits and personnas. They pop popcorn. They exchange the peace of Christ. Then they serve popcorn to one another. Then they take bags of popcorn out into the world to share with others.
One clown went to a very hard place...the burn unit in the hospital. Have you ever been there? I have. The first thing that gets me is the smell. I can't describe it, except to say it's awful. A nurse directed the clown to a patient who had been totally unresponsive. She was so down, so withdrawn, she showed no sign of wanting to live. The clown, a mime, entered the room with his bag of popcorn. What could he possibly do? He looked upon the precious girl, disfigured, hooked up to tubes, wrapped in bandages. He began to cry. He simply cried for her. As he did, she began to cry. It was the first response she had made to anyone since her burns. Then the clown took a kernel of popcorn. She couldn't swallow it, so he took it and soaked up her tears with the popcorn. Then he ate it. That was communion. That is passionate worship. That is coming into the presence of God. That's what we are called to do.
Amen.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
happy birthday
3/4/10 Today is my 57th birthday. I have already been blessed to wake up this morning and have a good breakfast with my wife. I have enjoyed a long walk and prayer time in the park behind our house. The traffic was not too bad on the way to the church. I just had the wonderful experience of leading chapel with the children of our pre-school. They sang "Happy Birthday" to me. That's a good way to be blessed. I have received some cards and email cards. The staff is about to take me out to lunch. I am happy.
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
just hospitality
from my sermon on 2/28/10 from Romans 12:9-13, 15:7
Ten thousand doors...the UMC has been saying "open minds, open hearts, open doors," but now we are saying 10,000 doors. Google 10,000 doors and see what the UMC is doing. It seems we want everyone to come in, not just to a building but to a relationship....not just to church but to Christ. All are welcome.
I can hear you saying, "But Pastor Lynn, we are a friendly church." That's what every church says. And then we will do the Welcoming Church survey and Transforming Congregations study and find that we can do better! Already we have updated signage, created more parking for guests and the less mobile, put a rocking chair in the back of the worship center for those with young children, trained greeters, created the Tent for fellowship time...and yet we can do better.
Today we are talking about hospitality in our ongoing study of the 5 fruitful practices. I know the book calls it radical hospitality, but I would like to call it just hospitality. For you linear thinkers, I mean first "just" as the most basic level, and secondly to look at the word hospitality, and third to look at "just" as part of justice.
So, first, hospitality at its most basic, practical level involves the card you find in your worship bulletin. The side that says WEAVE is your home work; we don't have time to do this in worship today.
(Each of us is part of God's tapestry of hospitality! WEAVE kindness and thoughtfulness throughout all we do as part of Christ's church.
W--Welcome on a personal level.
E--empathize with others; truly listen!
A--Acknowledge the concern and needs of those you meet.
V--Verify all needs have been met.
E--Exit on a personal level.)
Let's go over the 5-10-LINK rule.
5--Refers to time. Fellowship and and visiting with friends is so important in church. 5 minutes before the service starts and 5 minutes after it ends, meet someone you don't know!
10--Refers to space. Even if you are with a group of friends, when someone you don't know comes within 10 feet of you, reach out to them and invite them into your group!
LINK--Refers to connecting. When you meet someone new, immediately link them to someone else based on some common affinity (occupation, home, state, interests, etc.)
Is this scary for you to think about? Imagine being a first time guest in worship here....how much scarier is that?
I want to teach you one more thing, a line that really works in hospitality. When meeting someone new, you could say Hello....or How are you....or Welcome....they are all good. But the best thing you can say is this: Help me with your name. What that does is change the power differential. You are no longer the one with all of the answers. You have just made yourself vulnerable and the guest, the stranger the one with all of the power and information.
We are going to practice it right now in worship. I want you to get up and meet someone you don't know and say, Help me with your name. I will allow for some organized chaos. Go.
That wasn't so hard, was it? You can do it. It's just hospitality. You have heard me say it many times: God didn't make us for loneliness, God made us for community.
Secondly, about the words, hospitality to strangers is literally, love of the stranger, the unknown one. It is the opposite of xenophobia; it is philoxenia. And sometimes in the NT, where it says welcome one another, the word is literally synagogue.
I was rereading a book on hospitality this past week. There's a great quote from the chief rabbi of the united congregations of the Commonwealth, Sir Jonathan Sacks, that he came up with after 9/11 (p. 101 of Just Hospitality by Letty M. Russell):
I used to think that the greates command in the Bible was You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I was wrong. Only in 1 place does the Bible ask us to love our neighbor. In more than 30 places it commands us to love the stranger.
What happens when we love the stranger, he or she is no longer the stranger. We become community. It's just hospitality.
Thirdly, just hospitality involves justice, going way beyond these walls and Sunday morning. OUr youth wanted to practice hospitality by taking a hot meal on the mobile loaves and fishes run. They usually make sandwiches, but 2 weeks ago they made hot lasagna and fixings, boxed them up to take out on Sunday afternoon to the homeless in downtown Austin. They also wanted to take the sacrament of communion to these that live on the street. That's where I come in....I am a pastor...I needed to consecrate the elements. I wondered how would I do that. Do we have a prayer of confession and time of pardon? Is there a Thanksgiving over the elements? Do we say the Lord's Prayer? You know I didn't have a course in serminary on serving communion to the homeless. Here's what happened. A cold front had come through. The wind was blowing; the temperature was dropping. We had a box of individual communion cups with wafers on top. The homeless folks would walk right by us and head for the truck. They would ask, "What are you serving?" They were grateful for the hot meal and hot coffee. As they left the truck they passed me and some of the youth with the box of communion elements. Some stopped and asked, "What do you have?" "It's communion," one of the youth would answer. If that person wanted to have communion. The youth would pray with him or her. That was the prayer of consecration. They would then say, "there's a wafer under the pull back tab.....the body of Christ for you. There's grape juice in the cup....the blood of Christ for you."
It was just a little wafer. It was just a little grape juice. It was just hospitality. May we all practice it. Amen.
Ten thousand doors...the UMC has been saying "open minds, open hearts, open doors," but now we are saying 10,000 doors. Google 10,000 doors and see what the UMC is doing. It seems we want everyone to come in, not just to a building but to a relationship....not just to church but to Christ. All are welcome.
I can hear you saying, "But Pastor Lynn, we are a friendly church." That's what every church says. And then we will do the Welcoming Church survey and Transforming Congregations study and find that we can do better! Already we have updated signage, created more parking for guests and the less mobile, put a rocking chair in the back of the worship center for those with young children, trained greeters, created the Tent for fellowship time...and yet we can do better.
Today we are talking about hospitality in our ongoing study of the 5 fruitful practices. I know the book calls it radical hospitality, but I would like to call it just hospitality. For you linear thinkers, I mean first "just" as the most basic level, and secondly to look at the word hospitality, and third to look at "just" as part of justice.
So, first, hospitality at its most basic, practical level involves the card you find in your worship bulletin. The side that says WEAVE is your home work; we don't have time to do this in worship today.
(Each of us is part of God's tapestry of hospitality! WEAVE kindness and thoughtfulness throughout all we do as part of Christ's church.
W--Welcome on a personal level.
E--empathize with others; truly listen!
A--Acknowledge the concern and needs of those you meet.
V--Verify all needs have been met.
E--Exit on a personal level.)
Let's go over the 5-10-LINK rule.
5--Refers to time. Fellowship and and visiting with friends is so important in church. 5 minutes before the service starts and 5 minutes after it ends, meet someone you don't know!
10--Refers to space. Even if you are with a group of friends, when someone you don't know comes within 10 feet of you, reach out to them and invite them into your group!
LINK--Refers to connecting. When you meet someone new, immediately link them to someone else based on some common affinity (occupation, home, state, interests, etc.)
Is this scary for you to think about? Imagine being a first time guest in worship here....how much scarier is that?
I want to teach you one more thing, a line that really works in hospitality. When meeting someone new, you could say Hello....or How are you....or Welcome....they are all good. But the best thing you can say is this: Help me with your name. What that does is change the power differential. You are no longer the one with all of the answers. You have just made yourself vulnerable and the guest, the stranger the one with all of the power and information.
We are going to practice it right now in worship. I want you to get up and meet someone you don't know and say, Help me with your name. I will allow for some organized chaos. Go.
That wasn't so hard, was it? You can do it. It's just hospitality. You have heard me say it many times: God didn't make us for loneliness, God made us for community.
Secondly, about the words, hospitality to strangers is literally, love of the stranger, the unknown one. It is the opposite of xenophobia; it is philoxenia. And sometimes in the NT, where it says welcome one another, the word is literally synagogue.
I was rereading a book on hospitality this past week. There's a great quote from the chief rabbi of the united congregations of the Commonwealth, Sir Jonathan Sacks, that he came up with after 9/11 (p. 101 of Just Hospitality by Letty M. Russell):
I used to think that the greates command in the Bible was You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I was wrong. Only in 1 place does the Bible ask us to love our neighbor. In more than 30 places it commands us to love the stranger.
What happens when we love the stranger, he or she is no longer the stranger. We become community. It's just hospitality.
Thirdly, just hospitality involves justice, going way beyond these walls and Sunday morning. OUr youth wanted to practice hospitality by taking a hot meal on the mobile loaves and fishes run. They usually make sandwiches, but 2 weeks ago they made hot lasagna and fixings, boxed them up to take out on Sunday afternoon to the homeless in downtown Austin. They also wanted to take the sacrament of communion to these that live on the street. That's where I come in....I am a pastor...I needed to consecrate the elements. I wondered how would I do that. Do we have a prayer of confession and time of pardon? Is there a Thanksgiving over the elements? Do we say the Lord's Prayer? You know I didn't have a course in serminary on serving communion to the homeless. Here's what happened. A cold front had come through. The wind was blowing; the temperature was dropping. We had a box of individual communion cups with wafers on top. The homeless folks would walk right by us and head for the truck. They would ask, "What are you serving?" They were grateful for the hot meal and hot coffee. As they left the truck they passed me and some of the youth with the box of communion elements. Some stopped and asked, "What do you have?" "It's communion," one of the youth would answer. If that person wanted to have communion. The youth would pray with him or her. That was the prayer of consecration. They would then say, "there's a wafer under the pull back tab.....the body of Christ for you. There's grape juice in the cup....the blood of Christ for you."
It was just a little wafer. It was just a little grape juice. It was just hospitality. May we all practice it. Amen.
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