from my sermon on 5/30/10 from John 16:12-15
The Episcopal bishop was asking questions of the confirmation class as bishops are wont to do. Who can explain the Trinity? One boy with a lisp replied, Ith one God in three perthons, Father, Thon and Holy Thpirit. I am sorry, said the bishop, but I didn't understand what you said. Thath okay, said the boy, you're not thuppoth to. Ith a mythery.
Today we recognize our graduation seniors. I have no advice or counsel to give you. Everybody else has done a fine job doing that, so I have none to offer. But since it is also Trinity Sunday, I do want to tell you what God is like. I want to invite you to be embraced by the mystery.
I am uncomfortable with those who have God all figured out...to 3 significant decimal places. Any mystery fully explained ceases to be a mystery.
You seniors are about to enter a time of questioning and exploring. As I read the literature on faith development, this may your most intense time of pondering about God. I love it when you go off to college and then come back and talk with. Pastor Lynn, you say, Prayer is not working for me any more, the words of the Bible have grown silent, and worship seems hollow. And I will say to you, thank God, you've grown disillusioned! You are coming closer to the nature of the true God. I encourage you to ask your questions and leave some old beliefs behind. Because when it comes to understanding God, it's a mystery.
It's why we like sports events. We don't know how it will come out. We stay for the last 2 minutes to see if Kobe can pull it out one more time for the Lakers. It's why we watch Dancing with the stars or American Idol. We don't know how it will end. It's a mystery, and that's attractive.
Scott Peck wrote The Road Less Traveled and many other books about his exploration for a faith a life that matters. He was finally baptized as a Christian. In one of his books he talks about a time when he really struggled. I think he was at a prep school called Andover Newton. He was in crisis, so he went to the smartest person he knew, his math teachter, of course! He laid out his dilemma. The teacher was a sensitive listener. At the end, Scott Peck, asked, What should I do? After a long silence, the teacher responded, "I don't know." Scott Peck said it was the perfect answer. If the smartest person I knew didn't know what was the right thing to do, then it was okay for me not to know. It's a mystery.
There is a danger in trying to capture God by our definitions. God will ever remain beyond our taming or domesticating.
There is also the danger of thinking we know nothing about God. We Christians believe we have a revealing of who God is in Jesus Christ. This One is All God and All Human All at the same time. It's a mystery.
In this passage Jesus is not trying to write a doctrine for the church; he is talking about His relationship with His Father and the Spirit. It is from this passage and some others that the Church came up with the doctrine of the Trinity about the 4th century.
Jesus is giving His farewell speech. He says, I have so much more to say to you. Any parents in the house today? I wonder if this is how you feel. It's seems that just yesterday, this child popped into the world, and you were doing midnight feedings and changing diapers and then you were putting training wheels on the bicycle and then you were handing the keys to the car and now you are sending them off to college. Where did the time go? It's a mystery.
I remember taking our older son Joel off to A & M. We unloaded all of his stuff and put it into his dorm room. Then I hugged him good-bye and got in my car to drive back home. It should be unlawful to drive in this condition. I had to pull off of the highway and cry. I have so much more I wanted to say to you.
Jesus says that what He has to say you cannot bear now. If I were to tell any of you what is going to happen in the next 4 years, you would not be able to bear it. It would be overwhelming. If you were to know what was going to happen ....for better, for worse...no one would get married. If you were to know the joy and the pain, no one would have children. It would be too much. Jesus says that the Spirit will give us what we need in bite sizes. I think AA has it right ....one day at a time.
Jesus says that the Spirit will guide us into all truth. The word for guide is the same as way in I am the way, the truth and the life. The Spirit will lead us in the way...and it is always to a new place, someplace we haven't been before, leaving the old behind, trusting in the leading.
I appreciate those who come back to see me and say, "I don't believe in God any more." I will say to them, "Tell me about this God that you don't believe in." Most of the time, I can say honestly to them, "That's exactly the God I don't believe in too." To encounter fully the presence of God, we will be leaving behind old images and definitions. It is a mystery.
Jesus says that when the Spirit comes, the Spirit will declare to you....3 times...declare, declare, declare. My current working image of God is a pesky God, a God who will not leave us alone, who will keep coming to us until we find our deepest happiness. All God wants is to commune with us, to be one with us, because God by nature as Trinity is community.
One more story of a 30 yr old pastor in S. Africa. He was assigned to be an associate pastor without any formal training for the ministry. His sermons were long and his positions forthright. After 2 years, he finally got to go to seminary. After that experience, he said, I have read theologians, and philosophers, and novelists. Now things are not so clear-cut, so self-evident. I have more questions. Seminary has been more about unlearning. I have less to say and more to listen. It is a mystery.
I have just finished reading Barbara Kingsolver's latest book, the Lacuna. A lucuna is part of a manuscript that is missing. She contends that the part that is missing about a spouse, a friend, a situation--what is unknown--is the most interesting part of who we are. There's a lot we don't know about God. It's a mystery...and that is the good news I have to share with you.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
desperate
5/27/10 Hardly a day passes without someone calling me on the phone or coming by the office with their story of desperate need. In 32 years of ministry, I cannot remember a time when I have heard such a litany of hardship. I am a professional nurturer, care-taker, rescuer, but here I feel so helpless. I have no pot of money to give for the rent/ utility bill/ food. I say to these desperate ones that we support the groups that can help them like Salvation Army, Caritas, Foundation for the Homeless, Mobile Loaves and Fishes. I pray for the people who come my way who are desperate.
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
majestic
5/26/10 In Disciple I Bible Study, one of the ways that we encounter the word of God is to memorize scripture. One of the first passages we learn by heart is Psalm 8. My breath prayer for the day is the first and last verse of that psalm, "O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" As I walked this morning, I tried to stay in the moment and be aware of the majesty of God in all creation around me--the birds singing, the wildflowers still putting on their show, and even my breathing. To get caught up in God's majesty sure helps one to get perspective on life.
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
delight
5/25/10 My breath prayer today comes from Proverbs 8:30, "I daily his delight, rejoicing before him daily." The passage is talking about wisdom, how wisdom is the first of God's creations, how wisdom is a partner in forming those creations. But I took the passage as personal to me....that God delights in me which results in my rejoicing before Him. May it be true in your life today also.
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Monday, May 24, 2010
greater things
from my sermon on May 23, Pentecost, from John 14:8-17
The one believing in me will do the works that I do and greater works will he do. This is what Jesus says. Do you believe it?
Jesus taught, for just 3 years in a tiny part of the Middle East. Today the teachings of Jesus have spread throughout the world in schools, universities, seminaries, Sunday Schools, internet resources and the Bible in some 2000 dialects. Greater things.
Jesus healed. Today, we have gotten so used to the miracles we hardly pay attention any more. Heart transplants don't make the news anymore. We have surgeries, medicenes, therapies, rehab facilities, counseling, hospitals, clinics. Even dreaded diseases like HIV are no longer a death knell. We have ways of dealing with it and so many other maladies. Greater things.
Jesus raised the dead. I have seen it physically. I have been there in the hospital when we thought all hope was gone. The next week this same lady ran over my foot as she wheeled herself down the hall in her wheelchair. I have seen it relationally. I have watched marriages that were headed for divorce be reconciled and couples come together again. I have seen it spiritually. I have seen persons who were slaves to their addictions have an encounter with the Divine, their Higher Power, and literally go from death to life. Greater things.
Jesus more than anything proclaimed the gospel, the good news in his name. Peter on this Pentecost, some 2000 years ago, went from the denier of Christ to the evangelist of Christ. On that day some 3000 believed and were baptized. From that beginning, followers of Jesus have taken the gospel to every point of the compass across the globe. Greater things.
I went to a cont. ed. event a few weeks ago at University UMC in San Antonio where this came home to me. Reggie McNeal, a butterball of a man, was given one of the worst slots, 1 p.m. on the second day, right after lunch, the sleepy time. But he had the fire. He told us that the fastest growing religion in the world today is Christianity. In India, they are preparing for 1 million new church starts. In China, it is double that, 2 million new church starts. In Indonesia, after the tsunami, so many people were impressed with the Christian response to that disaster, that they wanted to be part of that movement too. In Africa, in the last century, the continent went from being 3% Christian to 47%. Eighty percent of Christians today are non-white, living in the southern hemisphere. Pentecost is happening! Happening everywhere except ....the USA, W. Europe, and Australia. The biggest mission field may be right outside of our doors.
We have gotten into a maintainence mode. We have gotten Jesus' words mixed up. We thought Jesus said, "Thy church come..." when he actually said, thy kingdom come. We thought he said, "I came that they may have church and have it abundantly..." when he actually said, that they may have life. We thought he said, "For God so loved the church that he gave his only son..." when he actually said, loved the world. We miss greater things because we have mixed up his words.
What Jesus says here is "If you ask anything in my name, I will do it." Does to pray in Jesus name mean that it is like magic? No. Does it mean a blank check that we fill in with anything that we like? No. Does it mean that we have to end every prayer by saying, "In Jesus name"? No.
I think to pray in Jesus name means to pray like Jesus prays, for what Jesus prays. Remember last week when I asked you to listen for what Jesus is praying? That's what it means. One man in our prayer group says it is being mentored by Jesus. The more we pray in his name, the more our prayers are shaped by him.
It is like ringing this handbell. We learn to get in tune with Jesus prayer. Then greater things can happen because we are all in harmony with him and one another. And great things can happen like Imagine No Malaria. UM's listened and found that they were called to rid the continent of Africa of this disease in just a few years. And we are doing it. Greater things.
We can do greater things because we live on this side of the resurrection. Jesus promised us his Holy Spirit to be with us and in us forever. He will not leave us orphaned but will empower us with his Spirit. I have seen this power at work in this congregation. Two years ago we bought Bldg M. I wish I could say that I engineered this project, but it was a gift of the Holy Spirit, as people came together and worked together. Now we have handbells practicing over there, and Sunday school classes meeting, and offices for Score and Mobile Loaves and Fishes. How did we ever get by without M? You have become even more welcoming. I love talking to guests who say this is the friendliest church that they have visited. You allow me to take chances like a few weeks ago when we called of worship and Sunday school here so we could Rethink Church. We met the presence of Christ in those that we served in the community that morning.
What greater things does Christ hold for us? Two come to my mind. I would like to start another worship service to attract a whole other congregation here. Additionally, I would like to start a satellite site maybe in the Bee Caves area.
Christ has greater things in store for us. That is the good news I have to share today.
The one believing in me will do the works that I do and greater works will he do. This is what Jesus says. Do you believe it?
Jesus taught, for just 3 years in a tiny part of the Middle East. Today the teachings of Jesus have spread throughout the world in schools, universities, seminaries, Sunday Schools, internet resources and the Bible in some 2000 dialects. Greater things.
Jesus healed. Today, we have gotten so used to the miracles we hardly pay attention any more. Heart transplants don't make the news anymore. We have surgeries, medicenes, therapies, rehab facilities, counseling, hospitals, clinics. Even dreaded diseases like HIV are no longer a death knell. We have ways of dealing with it and so many other maladies. Greater things.
Jesus raised the dead. I have seen it physically. I have been there in the hospital when we thought all hope was gone. The next week this same lady ran over my foot as she wheeled herself down the hall in her wheelchair. I have seen it relationally. I have watched marriages that were headed for divorce be reconciled and couples come together again. I have seen it spiritually. I have seen persons who were slaves to their addictions have an encounter with the Divine, their Higher Power, and literally go from death to life. Greater things.
Jesus more than anything proclaimed the gospel, the good news in his name. Peter on this Pentecost, some 2000 years ago, went from the denier of Christ to the evangelist of Christ. On that day some 3000 believed and were baptized. From that beginning, followers of Jesus have taken the gospel to every point of the compass across the globe. Greater things.
I went to a cont. ed. event a few weeks ago at University UMC in San Antonio where this came home to me. Reggie McNeal, a butterball of a man, was given one of the worst slots, 1 p.m. on the second day, right after lunch, the sleepy time. But he had the fire. He told us that the fastest growing religion in the world today is Christianity. In India, they are preparing for 1 million new church starts. In China, it is double that, 2 million new church starts. In Indonesia, after the tsunami, so many people were impressed with the Christian response to that disaster, that they wanted to be part of that movement too. In Africa, in the last century, the continent went from being 3% Christian to 47%. Eighty percent of Christians today are non-white, living in the southern hemisphere. Pentecost is happening! Happening everywhere except ....the USA, W. Europe, and Australia. The biggest mission field may be right outside of our doors.
We have gotten into a maintainence mode. We have gotten Jesus' words mixed up. We thought Jesus said, "Thy church come..." when he actually said, thy kingdom come. We thought he said, "I came that they may have church and have it abundantly..." when he actually said, that they may have life. We thought he said, "For God so loved the church that he gave his only son..." when he actually said, loved the world. We miss greater things because we have mixed up his words.
What Jesus says here is "If you ask anything in my name, I will do it." Does to pray in Jesus name mean that it is like magic? No. Does it mean a blank check that we fill in with anything that we like? No. Does it mean that we have to end every prayer by saying, "In Jesus name"? No.
I think to pray in Jesus name means to pray like Jesus prays, for what Jesus prays. Remember last week when I asked you to listen for what Jesus is praying? That's what it means. One man in our prayer group says it is being mentored by Jesus. The more we pray in his name, the more our prayers are shaped by him.
It is like ringing this handbell. We learn to get in tune with Jesus prayer. Then greater things can happen because we are all in harmony with him and one another. And great things can happen like Imagine No Malaria. UM's listened and found that they were called to rid the continent of Africa of this disease in just a few years. And we are doing it. Greater things.
We can do greater things because we live on this side of the resurrection. Jesus promised us his Holy Spirit to be with us and in us forever. He will not leave us orphaned but will empower us with his Spirit. I have seen this power at work in this congregation. Two years ago we bought Bldg M. I wish I could say that I engineered this project, but it was a gift of the Holy Spirit, as people came together and worked together. Now we have handbells practicing over there, and Sunday school classes meeting, and offices for Score and Mobile Loaves and Fishes. How did we ever get by without M? You have become even more welcoming. I love talking to guests who say this is the friendliest church that they have visited. You allow me to take chances like a few weeks ago when we called of worship and Sunday school here so we could Rethink Church. We met the presence of Christ in those that we served in the community that morning.
What greater things does Christ hold for us? Two come to my mind. I would like to start another worship service to attract a whole other congregation here. Additionally, I would like to start a satellite site maybe in the Bee Caves area.
Christ has greater things in store for us. That is the good news I have to share today.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Pentecost
5/20/10 I have been blogging for about a year now, trying to communicate the gospel to a whole new group of people who may first come to know Christ through the internet. This is exactly what Pentecost is about. The Holy Spirit (the presence of God in every present moment) came upon a group of people who were holed up in Jerusalem. They were given the gift of speech, of communicating with people from all around the world. That day 3000 were baptized, professing their belief in Jesus as the messiah. I pray, "Come Holy Spirit this Pentecost."
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
proofreading
5/19/10 I am not good at proofreading. This became painfully obvious as someone who is good at it handed me back last Sunday's prayer list with all of the corrections on it. I had misspellings, people in the wrong category, people left off, and people that should have been added. So this week I am inviting that person and our prayer team to preview the prayer list. It was amazing at how much they caught. One, this says that I tend to be a big picture kind of guy who doesn't do as well at the details. Two, this says that we need each other to do church well.
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
children of God
5/18/10 My breath prayer for today comes from Romans 8:14, "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God." As I walked this morning, I tried to breathe in deeply and stay in the moment. The word for Spirit can also be translated as breath. I prayed for my usual list of family and friends and leaders and parishioners, but I tried to hold them all before God as His children. They were not just my siblings or co-workers or persons living with cancer or couples struggling with marriage but as children of God.
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Monday, May 17, 2010
Jesus prays for unity
from my sermon on May 16, 2010, from John 17:20-26
Why can't we all just get along? March 3, 1991, an African-American male, Rodney King, was stopped by 4 LAPD officers. They beat him with nightsticks over 50 times. It was caught on videotape by a neighbor and shown many times on TV. The next year the 4 officers were acquitted of all charges in state court. You are not going to believe this, but rioting broke out in LA. Rodney went on TV, and this is exactly what he said:
People, I just want to to say, you know, can we all get along? Can we ge along? Can we stop making it, makeing it horrible for the older people and the kind?..It's just not right. It's not right. It's not, it's not going to change anything. We'll, we'll get our justice....Please, we can get along here. we all can get along. I mean, we're all stuck here for a while. Let' stry to work it out . Let's try to bear it. Let's try to beat it. Let's try to work it out.
Why can't we all just get along? You may have seen the bumper stickers. I know I have even in our church parking lot. Coexist. The crescent moon of the Islam faith is the letter C. The Jewish star makes the letter X. The cross of the Christian faith makes the letter T. Other symbols of other faiths make up the other letters.
Why can't we all just get along? Even in the church we have a hard time. A pastor friend of mine went to his new church. First meeting of the United Methodist Men was to prepare for the men's annual spaghetti dinner. One group said, meatballs. Another group said, meat sauce. Meatballs. Meatsauce. Meatballs. Meat sauce. He couldn't believe it, fighting over spaghetti. He started to make a motion for real parmesean cheese just to get them off topic.
Why can't we all just get along? Surely after thousands of years of evolution, of people working on it we could do a better job of resolving conflict. I would like to give you some pointers on things that sometimes work.
One are the HEART principles that we practice around here. H is for hear me and understand me. E is even if you disagree, don't make me wrong. A is for acknowledge the greatness within me. R is for remember to look for my loving intentions. T is for tell me the truth with compassion. Even as great as these principles are, I know trainers of the Heart Principles who can go absolutely bonkers over certain issues.
Anther technique is that of forming consensus. I try to have as few votes as possible because votes always create winners and loser. Consensus doesn't mean everyone has to agree about everything. It can mean that those who disagree will go along with the rest in order to keep community.
Another is that of rotating bliss. This means you don't always get your way, but you can sometimes. I use when trying to get a secretary to take minutes of a meeting. You can have that joy this time, and next time it will be another person's.
Why can't we all just get along? When I googled that phrase the past week, the first article that came up was from a law professor at SMU, a professional mediator. He said that we don't get along because we assume that conflict can be solved by reason. We are about 2% rational and 98% emotional he calculates. When faced with a problem, we can quickly go to our subhuman brain, which gets anxious, then perceives the problem as a threat, and then we react out of fear. We do have a choice. We can pause and reflect. This is what the life of prayer and spirituality are all about. The more mature we are, the more we can respond, instead of reacting.
In this passage, Jesus doesn't give problem solving techniqus or advice or counsel. Jesus prays. This whole 17th chapter of John is a long prayer, called the high priestly prayer. Jesus prays to his Father. He prays for us. He prays for our unity. If you get nothing else out of this sermon today, listen for Jesus praying for us. This may be a new concept for you. You may be trying to fill up your prayer time with lots of words with requests and lists. Today I invite you to listen. My Catholic friends at Boston College were very comfortable with this. Their worship services would often have long time of silence, so that we could hear Jesus praying for us. I wonder how we did with the 18 seconds of silence that Lisa had in the prayers of the people earlier.
Some of you find it hard to ask for anything in prayer, and this kind of praying is perfect for you. You tell me, I only ask for "thy will be done." This is what we are doing in our listening, seeking that will. As we overhear Jesus praying here, we find out that he is praying always for our unity. Unity, not uniformity. The Son is not the Father, yet they are one. We are called to that same intimacy and closeness. We are the community for whom Jesus prays. We look the unity that exists between the Father and the Son.
Today, can you hear Jesus praying...for our unity. As I reflected over some recent events, I tried to hear what Jesus was praying about them. The law in Arizona to question any one about their immigration status comes to mind. "Show me your papers." Fear...suspicion, blaming.. I heard Jesus weeping. I had a friend in a former church who got stopped while driving his wife's Volvo instead of his old pickup truck. What was the charge, I asked. He said, DWH. What's a DWH? Driving while Hispanic, he said.
There was a doctor who performed late term abortions who was ushering at his church on Sunday morning, when a man came into the narthex and shot him dead at point blank range. I heard Jesus weeping. When I have reflected on violence lately, I heard Jesus praying this: I am tired of people killing other people in my name.
We are called to listen to Jesus pray for us and our unity so we may be witnesses to the world, to those who don't believe yet, so that they may become one with us too. It came to me that we are called to become a sacrament, an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual presence that Christ is with us. Sometimes we actually become this sacrament. When the church people stood up for civil rights with those who didn't have power and voice, we came close to what Jesus was praying for us. Today in the UMC when some are in the Reconciling Movement, those who stand with all of different sexual orientation, we become part of Jesus prayer for unity.
Listen for what Jesus is praying for us...to become one. A last point about this involves Billy Abraham at Perkins School of Theology. He is doing research to prove that such activity--prayer and meditation actually rewires the brain. This listening to Jesus praying brings about a physical change. We can receive a whole range of responses to conflict.
Why can't we all just get along? We can.....we can do this better...when we pause and hear what Jesus is praying for us. That is the good news I have to share today.
Why can't we all just get along? March 3, 1991, an African-American male, Rodney King, was stopped by 4 LAPD officers. They beat him with nightsticks over 50 times. It was caught on videotape by a neighbor and shown many times on TV. The next year the 4 officers were acquitted of all charges in state court. You are not going to believe this, but rioting broke out in LA. Rodney went on TV, and this is exactly what he said:
People, I just want to to say, you know, can we all get along? Can we ge along? Can we stop making it, makeing it horrible for the older people and the kind?..It's just not right. It's not right. It's not, it's not going to change anything. We'll, we'll get our justice....Please, we can get along here. we all can get along. I mean, we're all stuck here for a while. Let' stry to work it out . Let's try to bear it. Let's try to beat it. Let's try to work it out.
Why can't we all just get along? You may have seen the bumper stickers. I know I have even in our church parking lot. Coexist. The crescent moon of the Islam faith is the letter C. The Jewish star makes the letter X. The cross of the Christian faith makes the letter T. Other symbols of other faiths make up the other letters.
Why can't we all just get along? Even in the church we have a hard time. A pastor friend of mine went to his new church. First meeting of the United Methodist Men was to prepare for the men's annual spaghetti dinner. One group said, meatballs. Another group said, meat sauce. Meatballs. Meatsauce. Meatballs. Meat sauce. He couldn't believe it, fighting over spaghetti. He started to make a motion for real parmesean cheese just to get them off topic.
Why can't we all just get along? Surely after thousands of years of evolution, of people working on it we could do a better job of resolving conflict. I would like to give you some pointers on things that sometimes work.
One are the HEART principles that we practice around here. H is for hear me and understand me. E is even if you disagree, don't make me wrong. A is for acknowledge the greatness within me. R is for remember to look for my loving intentions. T is for tell me the truth with compassion. Even as great as these principles are, I know trainers of the Heart Principles who can go absolutely bonkers over certain issues.
Anther technique is that of forming consensus. I try to have as few votes as possible because votes always create winners and loser. Consensus doesn't mean everyone has to agree about everything. It can mean that those who disagree will go along with the rest in order to keep community.
Another is that of rotating bliss. This means you don't always get your way, but you can sometimes. I use when trying to get a secretary to take minutes of a meeting. You can have that joy this time, and next time it will be another person's.
Why can't we all just get along? When I googled that phrase the past week, the first article that came up was from a law professor at SMU, a professional mediator. He said that we don't get along because we assume that conflict can be solved by reason. We are about 2% rational and 98% emotional he calculates. When faced with a problem, we can quickly go to our subhuman brain, which gets anxious, then perceives the problem as a threat, and then we react out of fear. We do have a choice. We can pause and reflect. This is what the life of prayer and spirituality are all about. The more mature we are, the more we can respond, instead of reacting.
In this passage, Jesus doesn't give problem solving techniqus or advice or counsel. Jesus prays. This whole 17th chapter of John is a long prayer, called the high priestly prayer. Jesus prays to his Father. He prays for us. He prays for our unity. If you get nothing else out of this sermon today, listen for Jesus praying for us. This may be a new concept for you. You may be trying to fill up your prayer time with lots of words with requests and lists. Today I invite you to listen. My Catholic friends at Boston College were very comfortable with this. Their worship services would often have long time of silence, so that we could hear Jesus praying for us. I wonder how we did with the 18 seconds of silence that Lisa had in the prayers of the people earlier.
Some of you find it hard to ask for anything in prayer, and this kind of praying is perfect for you. You tell me, I only ask for "thy will be done." This is what we are doing in our listening, seeking that will. As we overhear Jesus praying here, we find out that he is praying always for our unity. Unity, not uniformity. The Son is not the Father, yet they are one. We are called to that same intimacy and closeness. We are the community for whom Jesus prays. We look the unity that exists between the Father and the Son.
Today, can you hear Jesus praying...for our unity. As I reflected over some recent events, I tried to hear what Jesus was praying about them. The law in Arizona to question any one about their immigration status comes to mind. "Show me your papers." Fear...suspicion, blaming.. I heard Jesus weeping. I had a friend in a former church who got stopped while driving his wife's Volvo instead of his old pickup truck. What was the charge, I asked. He said, DWH. What's a DWH? Driving while Hispanic, he said.
There was a doctor who performed late term abortions who was ushering at his church on Sunday morning, when a man came into the narthex and shot him dead at point blank range. I heard Jesus weeping. When I have reflected on violence lately, I heard Jesus praying this: I am tired of people killing other people in my name.
We are called to listen to Jesus pray for us and our unity so we may be witnesses to the world, to those who don't believe yet, so that they may become one with us too. It came to me that we are called to become a sacrament, an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual presence that Christ is with us. Sometimes we actually become this sacrament. When the church people stood up for civil rights with those who didn't have power and voice, we came close to what Jesus was praying for us. Today in the UMC when some are in the Reconciling Movement, those who stand with all of different sexual orientation, we become part of Jesus prayer for unity.
Listen for what Jesus is praying for us...to become one. A last point about this involves Billy Abraham at Perkins School of Theology. He is doing research to prove that such activity--prayer and meditation actually rewires the brain. This listening to Jesus praying brings about a physical change. We can receive a whole range of responses to conflict.
Why can't we all just get along? We can.....we can do this better...when we pause and hear what Jesus is praying for us. That is the good news I have to share today.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
who is my neighbor?
5/13/10 Cathy and I don't really know our neighbors. We don't do things--walk, eat meals, visit, work with, worship with--those people who live next to us. We have a diverse group around us with many races, ages, size of family, etc., from our limited observations as people walk by our house, but we don't really know them.
This past week our next door neighbors were going to be gone for several days, and they asked us to pick up their newspapers and to watch their house. This we dutifully did. They did not arrive back at the time they said they would. In fact, they got back more than a day late. I was reading a novel in the front of our house when I heard a cab pull up with our neighbors. I immediately went out and returned to them their papers and asked how they were doing. Their plane had been delayed and they spent an extra night in Las Vegas. They thanked me for watching over their house. It was the longest conversation that we had had.
The next day there was a Harley-Davidson motorcycle parked on a trailer in front of their house. When I went to get the mail, my neighbor was out front working on it. I asked him if he got a new toy. No, it belonged to a friend of his who had died, and now he was trying to resolve his friend's estate. The bike had some minor issues (needed battery, throttle cable, etc.). He went on and on about how to get the bike ready to sell. This was now the longest conversation we had had.
At this point, I need to mention that for months I have been praying for my neighbors in the mornings when I go out walking. My prayer is for the adults to mature in Christ, for marriages to be healed, for the adults to be good parents, and for the kids to learn a lot in school. I pray for their work, their play, and their praying. I am getting to know my neighbors.
Love,
Lynn
This past week our next door neighbors were going to be gone for several days, and they asked us to pick up their newspapers and to watch their house. This we dutifully did. They did not arrive back at the time they said they would. In fact, they got back more than a day late. I was reading a novel in the front of our house when I heard a cab pull up with our neighbors. I immediately went out and returned to them their papers and asked how they were doing. Their plane had been delayed and they spent an extra night in Las Vegas. They thanked me for watching over their house. It was the longest conversation that we had had.
The next day there was a Harley-Davidson motorcycle parked on a trailer in front of their house. When I went to get the mail, my neighbor was out front working on it. I asked him if he got a new toy. No, it belonged to a friend of his who had died, and now he was trying to resolve his friend's estate. The bike had some minor issues (needed battery, throttle cable, etc.). He went on and on about how to get the bike ready to sell. This was now the longest conversation we had had.
At this point, I need to mention that for months I have been praying for my neighbors in the mornings when I go out walking. My prayer is for the adults to mature in Christ, for marriages to be healed, for the adults to be good parents, and for the kids to learn a lot in school. I pray for their work, their play, and their praying. I am getting to know my neighbors.
Love,
Lynn
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
clear water
5/11/10 I left the house at 5:30 this morning to be at Brackenridge Hospital for Evelyn's back surgery. I've known Bob and Evelyn since 1979, and I was glad to spend some time and to pray with them. Getting out this early meant I didn't have time to walk this morning, so after Evelyn was taken into surgery and I got Bob to the waiting room, I said my good-bye and headed to the pool to swim. Deep Eddy pool was on my way and open when I got there about 7:30. Not many people were there. Two guys were down in the deep end dressed in military fatigues, treading water. I asked them if I could swim a line. "Sure," one of them answered. I said, "you must be doing some kind of training." "Yeah," he replied, "this clear water is sure different from the Tigris and Euphrates." I prayed for them and al those in the military as I swam in clear water.
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Monday, May 10, 2010
reminder
from my sermon on Mother's Day, May 9, 2010, from John 14:23-29
When I was growing up, the only bike I wanted was a Schwinn, 10 speed Continental. It was on the back cover of Boy's Life magazine. I begged, I pleaded, I prayed to get one, and so of course, I got a used, 1 speed bike with fat tires (which are all the rage now, but that's another story). I was disappointed, and I longed for the day when I might get my own Continental bike. It took me till I was 26 years old, married, living in Austin. I went to a garage sale, and there was a used Contintental for $62, which I bought. I loved that bike. I rode it around Austin. When we moved to San Saba, that county seat town, I often rode to my intown visits on that bike. People thought I was a Mormon missionary! One day I rode my bike to my bank on the corner of Hwy 190 and Hwy 16 where the one stop light is in San Saba. I parked it in front of the plate glass windows and walked inside. There was one of my church members, Sanoma. She said, "you like to ride your bike." "Yes, I do. It's get great gas mileage...ha, ha, ha." She said, "Nip used to like to ride his bike." Nip had been her husband before he died. I asked, "What kind of bike did he have?" She replied, "Nip had only the best of everything. I believe it was a Schwinn, a Paramount I think." I said, "I'd like to see that bike." She said, "You can have it." "No, Sonoma, I said I would like to see it." She answered, "You can have it."
And so the next week, I went to the storage shed behind their house, and Sonoma gave me this 15 speed, Schwinn Paramount bike. This is the kind of bike you could get on starting on one coast and ride to the other coast. It was about the best bike in the world when it came out, and still isn't too shabby. After that time, Sonoma kept giving me gifts. On my birthday or Christmas or just any old time, she would let me come over and pick out some of Nip's tools. I got this near 8 way wrench, c-clamps, rubber mallet, and mini-sledge, and this whole tool box.
And here's the point. I never knew Nip, but I know Nip. I know Nip by the things he left behind, the things that Sonoma gave me. I know Nip because of the stories that Sonoma told. Sonoma would remind me, would bring Nip to my mind, by the good gifts she gave and by what she said.
Jesus said that he was going away, but that he would send the Holy Spirit to remind his followers of all that he said and did. If you get my analogy, Sonoma plays the role of the Holy Spirit to Nip's Jesus.
It has long been a deep theological question: How can we possibly know Jesus? He lived and died and was raised from the dead a long time ago. The witness from our scripture this morning is that every believer can have access to Jesus through the Holy Spirit whom Jesus promised to send, to remind us of what he taught and lived.
And what gender is this Holy Spirit? We say Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Spirit cannot be an "it", must be a person, so what gender? On this Mother's Day, I would like to make the case for the Holy Spirit to be feminine. Now in Greek, the word for spirit is pneuma, and it is neuter. But in Hebrew, the word is ruah, and it is feminine. I think we could say that the Holy Spirit could be "she." Moreover, the word used here with Holy Spirit is Advocate. Do moms advocate for their children? The word in Greek is paraclete. It can also be traslated as counselor, comforter, helper. Do these sound like things moms might do? The literal translation of paraclete is one along side. Moms are on our side, aren't they? Moms are also "reminder-ers". I made that word up, but that's what the Holy Spirit does in this passage, remind us for all time who Jesus is.
We need to be reminded because life gets tough sometimes. One more gift from the Holy Spirit, one more tool I bring out is a coping saw. I am not making this name up. This instument of carpentry is a coping saw. Do you need help coping today? It is hard to cope sometimes. This past week we had someone try to set off a car bomb in Times Square. Thankfully, he was inept in his bomb-making, but it raises our fears. That kind of thing is only supposes to happen over there, not here. There was another bomb in New York City this past week. A trader on Wall street typed in "billion" instead of "million" in a sell order which set off a panic, the Dow Jones going down a thousand points in 16 minutes. We have an oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico and a volcano in Iceland. On and on the litany of woes goes on. Do you need help coping today?
Jesus said the Holy Spirit would come to remind us of what he taught. Here's what he taught to help us cope: Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Neither let them be afraid.
These reminders are not just for us as individuals but for the community that gathers in Jesus's name. When our Jewish friends greet one another, they say....shalom. When they bless each other, they say...shalom. When they leave each other, they say...shalom. When Jesus was leaving, he said....shalom. We need to say that to each other now...shalom.
I remind you that we are not alone. The Holy Spirit whom Jesus promised is with us to remind us: Peace I leave with you. That is the good news I have to share.
When I was growing up, the only bike I wanted was a Schwinn, 10 speed Continental. It was on the back cover of Boy's Life magazine. I begged, I pleaded, I prayed to get one, and so of course, I got a used, 1 speed bike with fat tires (which are all the rage now, but that's another story). I was disappointed, and I longed for the day when I might get my own Continental bike. It took me till I was 26 years old, married, living in Austin. I went to a garage sale, and there was a used Contintental for $62, which I bought. I loved that bike. I rode it around Austin. When we moved to San Saba, that county seat town, I often rode to my intown visits on that bike. People thought I was a Mormon missionary! One day I rode my bike to my bank on the corner of Hwy 190 and Hwy 16 where the one stop light is in San Saba. I parked it in front of the plate glass windows and walked inside. There was one of my church members, Sanoma. She said, "you like to ride your bike." "Yes, I do. It's get great gas mileage...ha, ha, ha." She said, "Nip used to like to ride his bike." Nip had been her husband before he died. I asked, "What kind of bike did he have?" She replied, "Nip had only the best of everything. I believe it was a Schwinn, a Paramount I think." I said, "I'd like to see that bike." She said, "You can have it." "No, Sonoma, I said I would like to see it." She answered, "You can have it."
And so the next week, I went to the storage shed behind their house, and Sonoma gave me this 15 speed, Schwinn Paramount bike. This is the kind of bike you could get on starting on one coast and ride to the other coast. It was about the best bike in the world when it came out, and still isn't too shabby. After that time, Sonoma kept giving me gifts. On my birthday or Christmas or just any old time, she would let me come over and pick out some of Nip's tools. I got this near 8 way wrench, c-clamps, rubber mallet, and mini-sledge, and this whole tool box.
And here's the point. I never knew Nip, but I know Nip. I know Nip by the things he left behind, the things that Sonoma gave me. I know Nip because of the stories that Sonoma told. Sonoma would remind me, would bring Nip to my mind, by the good gifts she gave and by what she said.
Jesus said that he was going away, but that he would send the Holy Spirit to remind his followers of all that he said and did. If you get my analogy, Sonoma plays the role of the Holy Spirit to Nip's Jesus.
It has long been a deep theological question: How can we possibly know Jesus? He lived and died and was raised from the dead a long time ago. The witness from our scripture this morning is that every believer can have access to Jesus through the Holy Spirit whom Jesus promised to send, to remind us of what he taught and lived.
And what gender is this Holy Spirit? We say Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Spirit cannot be an "it", must be a person, so what gender? On this Mother's Day, I would like to make the case for the Holy Spirit to be feminine. Now in Greek, the word for spirit is pneuma, and it is neuter. But in Hebrew, the word is ruah, and it is feminine. I think we could say that the Holy Spirit could be "she." Moreover, the word used here with Holy Spirit is Advocate. Do moms advocate for their children? The word in Greek is paraclete. It can also be traslated as counselor, comforter, helper. Do these sound like things moms might do? The literal translation of paraclete is one along side. Moms are on our side, aren't they? Moms are also "reminder-ers". I made that word up, but that's what the Holy Spirit does in this passage, remind us for all time who Jesus is.
We need to be reminded because life gets tough sometimes. One more gift from the Holy Spirit, one more tool I bring out is a coping saw. I am not making this name up. This instument of carpentry is a coping saw. Do you need help coping today? It is hard to cope sometimes. This past week we had someone try to set off a car bomb in Times Square. Thankfully, he was inept in his bomb-making, but it raises our fears. That kind of thing is only supposes to happen over there, not here. There was another bomb in New York City this past week. A trader on Wall street typed in "billion" instead of "million" in a sell order which set off a panic, the Dow Jones going down a thousand points in 16 minutes. We have an oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico and a volcano in Iceland. On and on the litany of woes goes on. Do you need help coping today?
Jesus said the Holy Spirit would come to remind us of what he taught. Here's what he taught to help us cope: Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Neither let them be afraid.
These reminders are not just for us as individuals but for the community that gathers in Jesus's name. When our Jewish friends greet one another, they say....shalom. When they bless each other, they say...shalom. When they leave each other, they say...shalom. When Jesus was leaving, he said....shalom. We need to say that to each other now...shalom.
I remind you that we are not alone. The Holy Spirit whom Jesus promised is with us to remind us: Peace I leave with you. That is the good news I have to share.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
healing of the nations
5/6/10 Part of my meditation this morning comes from the final scene in our Bible, the Revelation to John, chapter 22, where the vision is of a river of life and a tree of life. The tree produces fruit year round. And the part I like best is "and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations." We are a global village where what happens around the world is almost instantly communicated. Earthquakes, wars, famines, oil spills, oppression, and the litany of woes goes on...are piled upon us. I could get overwhelmed by all of this negativity, but I try to use the sharing of this information as a clal to prayer. May this vision of God's intent for us come true--that there is a tree of life where the leaves are for the healing of the nations.
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
the love command
5/5/10 from my sermon on 5/2 from John 13:31-35
Jesus says, A new commandment I give you, that you love one another. My first response is, Jesus, you have got to be kidding. Christians, your followers....commanded to love one another? Do you know that we fight over the color of the carpet in the parlor? If someone sits in "our" pew, we snarl at them. And take away our favorite staff member (pastor, youth director, music leader) and we will start a civil war. Don't get me started on how we treat other denominations. At the church of the holy speluchre in Jerusalem, some 7 denominations fight over the same space, where Jesus was supposed to have been buried and raised again. The conflict is so intense that the keys to the complex are held in the hands of a Muslim family!
And new....what is so new about this commandment. Don't we have it from Lev. 19:18, that we are to love our neighbors. Thankfully, I read some commentaries that helped me out of this corner. New can mean something that previously existed but now is fully understood. What is new here is how Jesus reveals love...not just in words, but as the Word made flesh.
This passage is part of Jesus' farewell speech, his last will and testament. Additionally, Judas has just gone out into the night in order to betray Jesus. Right after this, Peter will deny Jesus. Yet Jesus has washed their feet, served them, loved them. He loves them to the very end.
So when Jesus says that we are commanded to love, as He has loved us, we have a very clear picture of what love means. The only way that we can love one another is because we have been loved by Him. We can't give what we ain't got.
"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." Notice it does not say to love the vulnerable, the poor, or enemies, but one another. Why is that? We cannot go into the world without the support of a loving community, where we are loved as Chirst loves. Last week we participated in Rethink Church where we engaged in local missions instead of coming here for worship. It went pretty well, didn't it? But before we could that kind of outreach, we need to practice inreach here. We needed to experience the love that we were going to share with others.
The early church was known for this. In a document from the 1st century, a Roman functionary wrote, "See these Christians, how they love one another." This has always been our identity. It is one of the surest signs of the resurrection of Christ, that occasionally He shows up in the way we love one another.
Today the confirmation class is leading the worship service. Have you been loved? How have parents, mentors, Sunday school teachers, music teachers, others shaped you, modelled love for you? All of you reflect on your lives...can you see how you have been loved, like Jesus loves. I know for sure that I have been loved into the ordained ministry. There have been people in my past who loved me in spite of myself. This love is powerful. It is a sign of the resurrection.
So love for one another is a commandment. But much more than that it is a gift.
Love,
Lynn
Jesus says, A new commandment I give you, that you love one another. My first response is, Jesus, you have got to be kidding. Christians, your followers....commanded to love one another? Do you know that we fight over the color of the carpet in the parlor? If someone sits in "our" pew, we snarl at them. And take away our favorite staff member (pastor, youth director, music leader) and we will start a civil war. Don't get me started on how we treat other denominations. At the church of the holy speluchre in Jerusalem, some 7 denominations fight over the same space, where Jesus was supposed to have been buried and raised again. The conflict is so intense that the keys to the complex are held in the hands of a Muslim family!
And new....what is so new about this commandment. Don't we have it from Lev. 19:18, that we are to love our neighbors. Thankfully, I read some commentaries that helped me out of this corner. New can mean something that previously existed but now is fully understood. What is new here is how Jesus reveals love...not just in words, but as the Word made flesh.
This passage is part of Jesus' farewell speech, his last will and testament. Additionally, Judas has just gone out into the night in order to betray Jesus. Right after this, Peter will deny Jesus. Yet Jesus has washed their feet, served them, loved them. He loves them to the very end.
So when Jesus says that we are commanded to love, as He has loved us, we have a very clear picture of what love means. The only way that we can love one another is because we have been loved by Him. We can't give what we ain't got.
"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." Notice it does not say to love the vulnerable, the poor, or enemies, but one another. Why is that? We cannot go into the world without the support of a loving community, where we are loved as Chirst loves. Last week we participated in Rethink Church where we engaged in local missions instead of coming here for worship. It went pretty well, didn't it? But before we could that kind of outreach, we need to practice inreach here. We needed to experience the love that we were going to share with others.
The early church was known for this. In a document from the 1st century, a Roman functionary wrote, "See these Christians, how they love one another." This has always been our identity. It is one of the surest signs of the resurrection of Christ, that occasionally He shows up in the way we love one another.
Today the confirmation class is leading the worship service. Have you been loved? How have parents, mentors, Sunday school teachers, music teachers, others shaped you, modelled love for you? All of you reflect on your lives...can you see how you have been loved, like Jesus loves. I know for sure that I have been loved into the ordained ministry. There have been people in my past who loved me in spite of myself. This love is powerful. It is a sign of the resurrection.
So love for one another is a commandment. But much more than that it is a gift.
Love,
Lynn
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
home
5/4/10 I heard a great sermon today from one of our younger clergy, Eric, who preached at our Austin District professionals meeting and worship service. He talked about the concept of home. He is trying to reach out with the gospel of Christ to young adults. One of his working definitions of who is a young adult is not about age, but about home. They have left their parents's house, but they have not year established their own home: career, committed relationship, a house. I know that our two sons certainly fall into this definition. They still are in transition.
The good news is that God makes a home with us. God won't be tied down. God camps out with us. Like the Ark of the Covenant traveling in a tent across the wilderness, like the Word made flesh in Jesus who literally "tents" with us , God makes a home wherever we are. God and the journey, not a place, is our home.
Love,
Lynn
The good news is that God makes a home with us. God won't be tied down. God camps out with us. Like the Ark of the Covenant traveling in a tent across the wilderness, like the Word made flesh in Jesus who literally "tents" with us , God makes a home wherever we are. God and the journey, not a place, is our home.
Love,
Lynn
Monday, May 3, 2010
Macedonia
5/3/10 One of the lessons for the week comes from Acts 16:9-15, where Paul has a vision of a man pleading with him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." What got to me was the timing of this passage with what was going on in my life. On Saturday night I performed a marriage in which the bride was from Macedonia (think just north of Greece in the former Yugoslavia). Stefanija had her parents come over to join in the festivities. The father of the groom had found 2 Univerisity of Texas students who spoke Serbian to serve as translators for the weekend. In the book of Acts, Paul's going to Macedonia is the start of the spread of the gospel to Europe. Stefanija is Greek Orthodox. The faith continues in Macedonia.
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
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