from my sermon on Oct. 30, 2011, from I Thes. 2:9-13
Tomorrow is .....Halloween. For us in the church it is All Hallow's Eve, the day before All Saints's Day. For much of the culture it is a day about ghosts, goblins, and witches. It is a scary day. Can I tell you something even scarier than Halloween? The Church is being transformed. Can I tell you something even more exciting? The Church is being transformed.
Today is Reformation Sunday. When I told the worship team that I was thinking about preaching on the Great Reformation, they said....yawn...boring... wake me up when you are finished. But stick with me just a minute. About 500 years ago, on October 31, 1517, on Halloween, a priest in the Roman Catholic Church named Martin Luther nailed 95 theses on the door of the church in Witttenburg, Germany. It is easy to mark the Great Reformation to that exact date. However, a process had been going on for some time before including: Gutenburg's invention of the printing press in 1440 that made the Bible available to the masses in their native languages, Columbus who sailed the ocean blue in 1492 thereby reshaping all of the maps of the world, and Copernicus who in 1514 proved that the earth revolved around the sun no longer making the Earth the center of the universe.
I read a book recently entitled the Great Emergence by Phyllis Tickle who says "about every 500 years the Church feels compelled to hold a giant rummage sale." In order for God to do God's new thing some old things have to be cleared out of the way.
Stay with me. Five hundred years before the Great Reformation was the Great Schism. In 1054, the Greek/Eastern Church based in Constantinople split from the Roman/Western Church based in Rome. They fought over such things as leavened bread versus unleavened bread and whether the Spirit come from the Father only or from the Father and the Son.
Five hundred years before that was a pope named Gregory the Great who gave rise to the monastic movement. After the fall of Rome and the beginning of the dark ages, culture, scholarship, worship, Bible study, literacy, etc., was carried on through the monastaries.
Five hundred years before that was the birth of Jesus the Christ. We Christians say that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
Phyllis Tickle says that today, 500 years after the Great Reformation, we are in the midst of the Great Emergence. Let me illustrate. I have a niece named Beth. She grew up in a strong UM family. Both of her parents are active in their local church in Abilene. Her grandfather was a UM pastor, even serving as an assistant to the Bishop in the North Texas Conference. I performed Beth's marriage to Alex. They are not a part of any denomination or any local congregation. They are however, very active in a home church. Wherever they have lived, they have started a worshiping fellowship in their apartment complex or block. They read the Bible, pray, sing, look out for one another. When one is sick, they take care of the kids. They bring meals. They play together. It sounds a lot like the first century of Christianity. They have plenty of problems, issues, and conflicts in their house church just like the institutional church, but they continue to follow Jesus in their own way.
A second example is from United Methodist Youth Fellowship, which meets on Sunday evenings. The whole time I have been here this program has struggled. It seems like the youth around here are over-committed, tired, wanting to rest or do homework on Sunday evening. However, the Bible studies are thriving. Monday night the Sr. Hi's meet in people's homes. Wednesday night the Middle Schoolers meet at Starbuck's. On Thursday morning, the Sr Hi's meet before school at Tx Honey Baked Ham. It seems like the youth want to meet Jesus in the Bible. The mission trips thrive. In the summer, there are trips to North Carolina or to the Tx coast or around Austin. The youth have gone to Central America and to Uganda. It seems like they want to meet Jesus in the touching of other people in service.
A third illustration is from something I have called "Rethink Church." Each of the last 2 years I have called off morning worship, and we have gone out to "be" the church in the world. Some of you have asked if we could do this every Sunday. And the answer is "yes." In fact, the new movement within this congregation called the "Point" is doing exactly that. Each week this group gathers to worship and scatters to serve. The start of each worship service involves some mission outreach: making flood buckets, or fire relief kits, or bags of grace to hand to those who live on the street.
Let me tell how I feel about this Great Emergence. I don't like it. It is messy. It is challenging. It is hard. And I love it. Look at this stack of books. Don't they make a lovely flower arrangement!? Here is some of what I am reading: Recreating the Church, Journey in the Wilderness, Direct Hit, Shaped by God's Heart, Simple Church, the Externally Focused Church, Communicating for a Change, Unbinding the Gospel, Leadership without Easy Answers. Are you geting this? A Great Emergence is happening. It is messy like cleaning out the inside of that pumpkin for Halloween in order to make room for the light inside. It is happening with us and sometimes in spite of us. You know our typical UM way of doing things? Let form a committee to study this and report back in 4 years! This is much messier and challenging. I don't like and I love it. The native Americans have a phrase for it: stumbling is moving ahead faster! That's what I am doing, stumbling forward.
I have 3 pieces of good news from the Great Emergence. Phyllis Tickle says: 1. a new, more vital form of Christianity does emerge, 2. the organized expression of Christianity is reconstituted into a more pure and less bound expression of its former self, 3. the faith has spread dramatically into new geographic and demographic areas. When the attic gets cleaned out, the Spirit has room to revitalize the Church.
I could have come up with a lot of scripture tie-ins, but I am glad to find this line in this morning's reading, I Thes. 2:12, " urging and encouraging you and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory." Get the emphasis, God's own kingdom and glory. We have a role to play, but God is doing this sometimes in spite of us.
What does this look like? This past Tuesday, we had a Bd of Ordained Ministry meeting. We had so much to do that we spent 2 hours in prayer, listening, discerning, and worshiping. We asked more questions than we came to answers. We committed to fasting. God is doing something new in our midst.
Our worship leader was John Elford, now the pastor at University UMC here in Austin. I knew John down on the coast where I was at Portland and he was at St. John's in Corpus Christi. He told us about a time there when a young man came to him and said, "Say pastor, me and my band were wondering if we could practice at the church. It's Christian music." John wanting to be encouraging said, "Sure, just don't play between noon and 2 p.m. because that's when the preschool kids have their nap time." The band respected the time limits. They were given a key to a room, and they practiced. John said, "they were loud." After some time, the young man came to John, "Say, pastor, we would like to have a worship service for some other young people. Would that be OK?" John wanting to be encouraging said, "Sure." He worked with them. At the worship service, he came prepared, wearing ear plugs. The music was loud. Not just heavy metal, but shredding metal. During one song he leaned over to his wife Linda and asked, "What do you think about this?" She replied, "What? What did you say?"
John said, "contrast that with what we do." (I put a cloth over my arm). Hello, my name is Lynn and I will be your server today. Would you care for a spot of worship? We have our traditional fare at 11:15. If you like something a bit edgier, you might like to try our 9 contemporary service.
Back at the shred metal service, the young ones were engaged with their whole being. They were dancing, shouting, head banging, sweating, singing, laughing. It reminds of the first great commandment: You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart and soul and mind and strength. They were living it. They were totally involved with worshiping God.
The good news is that there is a Great Emergence happening in our midst.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
reading list
10/27/11 There is a corner of my desk that always has a stack of books on it that I would like to read. Because I have just started a cont. ed. course called Healthy Church Initiative, I will now actually pick up the books and read them. I thought I would give you my reading list in case you would like to read along.
ReCreating the Church--Leadership for the Postmodern Age by Richard Hamm
Direct Hit by Paul Borden
Shaped by God's Heart by Milfred Minatrea
Simple Church by Thom Rainer & Eric Geiger
The Externally Focused Church by Rick Rusaw & Eric Swanson
Communicating for a Change by Andy Stanley & Lane Jones
Unbinding the Gospel by Martha Grace Reese
In addition, I have just finished The Great Emergence by Phyllis Tickle and Journey in the Wilderness by Gil Rendle.
If you get the drift of these titles, the church is being transformed by the mighty power of God so that the gospel my reach a new generation.
Love,
Lynn
ReCreating the Church--Leadership for the Postmodern Age by Richard Hamm
Direct Hit by Paul Borden
Shaped by God's Heart by Milfred Minatrea
Simple Church by Thom Rainer & Eric Geiger
The Externally Focused Church by Rick Rusaw & Eric Swanson
Communicating for a Change by Andy Stanley & Lane Jones
Unbinding the Gospel by Martha Grace Reese
In addition, I have just finished The Great Emergence by Phyllis Tickle and Journey in the Wilderness by Gil Rendle.
If you get the drift of these titles, the church is being transformed by the mighty power of God so that the gospel my reach a new generation.
Love,
Lynn
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
the times they are a'changing
10/26/11 I had an all day meeting of the Bd. of Ordained Ministry yesterday. We had so much to do that we spent probably 2 hours in prayer, listening, discerning, holy conferencing, and worshiping. We are changing the way we do things. We spent a lot of time on "adaptive" work, i.e., issues where the problem is not clear, the solutions are unclear, and the response is that everyone must learn something. We generated more questions than answers. It might seem to be frustrating, but it is actually liberating and empowering. "What if? How can we? Where is Christ in all this?" we ask.
We have gotten so radical that we are taking our prayers to the next level. We are actually going to be fasting along side our praying. We are going to slow down, we are going to get hungry...not just for food, but for God's will.
The times they are a'changing.
Love,
Lynn
We have gotten so radical that we are taking our prayers to the next level. We are actually going to be fasting along side our praying. We are going to slow down, we are going to get hungry...not just for food, but for God's will.
The times they are a'changing.
Love,
Lynn
Monday, October 24, 2011
accountability
10/24/11 I have just come from my twice a month accountability group meeting with a couple of other pastors. Without revealing too much, let me say that we are honest with each other, telling each other what is going on in our lives, in our churches, in our families, and in our souls. We pray for one another out loud, while holding hands.....in our quiet corner of Chick Fil-A. I know that is very important for me to be there at 7 a.m. on a Monday to see my fellow pilgrims on this journey. John Wesley said that we are to watch over one another in love. So our group does...by holding each other accountable.
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Sunday, October 23, 2011
TLC
from my sermon on 10/23/11 from I Thes. 2:1-8
"But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children." Nurse...what do imagine when I say that word? I bet it is a female. There are a lot of male nurses, but still today in the USA, some 93% of nurses are female. Now, some people say that Paul doesn't respect women, but look at the image here. He says that he, Timothy, and Silvanus have come to be with the Thessalonians like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. Paul, a male, uses a feminine image to describe the nurturing relationship he has with this congregation. We know it is a feminine image because the word literally means a "wet nurse," a woman who is lactating, who breast feeds another person's child. How glad she is when she gets to tend her own child!
Our impressions of nurses as female come from some of our examples of nurses. A famous nurse in Great Britain was Florence Nightingale. I "goolged" her this past week. She came from a privileged background. She took care of soldiers in the Crimean War. She was called "the Lady with the Lamp."
Another example is especially dear to me because we share the same last name...Clara Barton. She followed Florence Nightingale by several years and here in the States. She began a school that grew quickly. When it came time to hire a principal for the school, the board hired a male at twice the pay they were giving Clara. Clara left and became the first woman to work for the US Patent Office. Later when the Civil War began, Clara became a nurse. She worked at 16 battlefield sites. She improved standards for care and was elevated to the head of all nurses for the Union side. She was called the "Angel of the Battlefield." After the war, she started a service to connect missing service men with their families against strong opposition, because it revealed the severity of the problem. Later, she went to Europe to find out more about the Red Cross. She pushed for it to include non-war situations. Due to her efforts, the Red Cross began addressing any disaster where life and property losses were great. She got the Red Cross started in the USA and became its first president, serving in that role for 22 years.
Today, lets pause and affirm nurses in our midst. Please stand where you are so we can recognize you. I looked up some quotes about nurses this past week. An anonymous author said, " Nurses may not be angels, but they are the next best thing." Thank you nurses.
How many of you like to do crossword puzzles like I do? If you ever see a clue that says, "name a 5 letter word for TLC," write the word "nurse." Nurses are the epitome of Tender Loving Care. A nurse writes, "bound by paperwork, short on hands, sleep, and energy, nurses are rarely short on caring."
Nurses combine TLC and professionalism. I once knew a charge nurse named Alice. She was in charge of a hospital floor, some 30 rooms, during the graveyard shift. When she first started, it was maddening. The call button was going off all the time. There was never time to do all of the paperwork. She prayed about the situation. It came to her to change the dynamic. What she started to do was this: at the beginning of each shift, she would visit every patient's room. She would say, "I am Alice. I am your charge nurse. If you need anything tonight, you just hit that call button. I want you to know that I and my staff are here for you." It would take some 2 hours to make a personal connection with each of her patients, but after a while, the calls went to practically nothing. Most people simply wanted to know that someone cared for them.
What does all of this have to do with the Confirmation Class that starts today? We are called to be their nurses, tenderly caring for them.
One of my heroes in the faith is Will Spong. For years he taught at the Episcopal Seminary here. I took a year long CPE, Clinical Pastoral Education course with him, when I first started out in ministry. Many of you have taken his courses or gone to him for counseling. One day he told us the role that he was called to fulfill as a Christian. He said, "My image is that of being a midwife." We asked, "What does that mean?" He said, "A midwife is highly trained, highly skilled, has lots of experience. She is with people in an intense period for a brief time where new life has the potential for breaking in, and she realizes she is not in control." This is a pretty good image for us as we help some young people for a short time come to potentially "new life."
One more nursing image...these confirmands need more than just their parents and mentors. They need us. Last Sunday we celebrated Children's Sabbath. Last Sunday we performed 2 baptisms of children to whom we made promises of bringing them up in the Christian faith.
One of my other heroes in the faith is Jim Wallis, who started the Sojourners ministry in Washingon, D. C., that work with the most vulnerable people there. He was listening to NPR and heard the following story:
A reporter was covering the conflict in the middle of Sarajevo in the 1990's. He saw a little girl shot by a sniper. The reporter threw down his pad and pencil, and stopped being a reporter, and became a human being. He rused to the man who was holding the child. and helped them into his car. As the reporter stepped on the accelerator, racing to the hospital, the man holding the bleeding child said, "Hurry, my friend, my child is still alive." Two minutes later, "Hurry, my friend, my child is still breathing." Then, "Hurry, my friend, my child is still warm." Finally, "Hurry. Oh, God, my child is getting cold." When they got to the hospital, the little girl was dead. As the 2 men were in the lavatory, washing the blood off, the man turned to the reporter and said, "this is a terrible task for me. Now I must go and tell her father that his child is dead. He will be heartbroken." The reporter was amazed. He looked at the grieving man, "I thought she was your child." The man looked back and said, "no, but aren't they all our children."
Aren't they all our children? Paul says that he was gentle among them, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. We are called to be nurses, to practice tender, loving care. That is the good news I have to share today.
"But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children." Nurse...what do imagine when I say that word? I bet it is a female. There are a lot of male nurses, but still today in the USA, some 93% of nurses are female. Now, some people say that Paul doesn't respect women, but look at the image here. He says that he, Timothy, and Silvanus have come to be with the Thessalonians like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. Paul, a male, uses a feminine image to describe the nurturing relationship he has with this congregation. We know it is a feminine image because the word literally means a "wet nurse," a woman who is lactating, who breast feeds another person's child. How glad she is when she gets to tend her own child!
Our impressions of nurses as female come from some of our examples of nurses. A famous nurse in Great Britain was Florence Nightingale. I "goolged" her this past week. She came from a privileged background. She took care of soldiers in the Crimean War. She was called "the Lady with the Lamp."
Another example is especially dear to me because we share the same last name...Clara Barton. She followed Florence Nightingale by several years and here in the States. She began a school that grew quickly. When it came time to hire a principal for the school, the board hired a male at twice the pay they were giving Clara. Clara left and became the first woman to work for the US Patent Office. Later when the Civil War began, Clara became a nurse. She worked at 16 battlefield sites. She improved standards for care and was elevated to the head of all nurses for the Union side. She was called the "Angel of the Battlefield." After the war, she started a service to connect missing service men with their families against strong opposition, because it revealed the severity of the problem. Later, she went to Europe to find out more about the Red Cross. She pushed for it to include non-war situations. Due to her efforts, the Red Cross began addressing any disaster where life and property losses were great. She got the Red Cross started in the USA and became its first president, serving in that role for 22 years.
Today, lets pause and affirm nurses in our midst. Please stand where you are so we can recognize you. I looked up some quotes about nurses this past week. An anonymous author said, " Nurses may not be angels, but they are the next best thing." Thank you nurses.
How many of you like to do crossword puzzles like I do? If you ever see a clue that says, "name a 5 letter word for TLC," write the word "nurse." Nurses are the epitome of Tender Loving Care. A nurse writes, "bound by paperwork, short on hands, sleep, and energy, nurses are rarely short on caring."
Nurses combine TLC and professionalism. I once knew a charge nurse named Alice. She was in charge of a hospital floor, some 30 rooms, during the graveyard shift. When she first started, it was maddening. The call button was going off all the time. There was never time to do all of the paperwork. She prayed about the situation. It came to her to change the dynamic. What she started to do was this: at the beginning of each shift, she would visit every patient's room. She would say, "I am Alice. I am your charge nurse. If you need anything tonight, you just hit that call button. I want you to know that I and my staff are here for you." It would take some 2 hours to make a personal connection with each of her patients, but after a while, the calls went to practically nothing. Most people simply wanted to know that someone cared for them.
What does all of this have to do with the Confirmation Class that starts today? We are called to be their nurses, tenderly caring for them.
One of my heroes in the faith is Will Spong. For years he taught at the Episcopal Seminary here. I took a year long CPE, Clinical Pastoral Education course with him, when I first started out in ministry. Many of you have taken his courses or gone to him for counseling. One day he told us the role that he was called to fulfill as a Christian. He said, "My image is that of being a midwife." We asked, "What does that mean?" He said, "A midwife is highly trained, highly skilled, has lots of experience. She is with people in an intense period for a brief time where new life has the potential for breaking in, and she realizes she is not in control." This is a pretty good image for us as we help some young people for a short time come to potentially "new life."
One more nursing image...these confirmands need more than just their parents and mentors. They need us. Last Sunday we celebrated Children's Sabbath. Last Sunday we performed 2 baptisms of children to whom we made promises of bringing them up in the Christian faith.
One of my other heroes in the faith is Jim Wallis, who started the Sojourners ministry in Washingon, D. C., that work with the most vulnerable people there. He was listening to NPR and heard the following story:
A reporter was covering the conflict in the middle of Sarajevo in the 1990's. He saw a little girl shot by a sniper. The reporter threw down his pad and pencil, and stopped being a reporter, and became a human being. He rused to the man who was holding the child. and helped them into his car. As the reporter stepped on the accelerator, racing to the hospital, the man holding the bleeding child said, "Hurry, my friend, my child is still alive." Two minutes later, "Hurry, my friend, my child is still breathing." Then, "Hurry, my friend, my child is still warm." Finally, "Hurry. Oh, God, my child is getting cold." When they got to the hospital, the little girl was dead. As the 2 men were in the lavatory, washing the blood off, the man turned to the reporter and said, "this is a terrible task for me. Now I must go and tell her father that his child is dead. He will be heartbroken." The reporter was amazed. He looked at the grieving man, "I thought she was your child." The man looked back and said, "no, but aren't they all our children."
Aren't they all our children? Paul says that he was gentle among them, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. We are called to be nurses, to practice tender, loving care. That is the good news I have to share today.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
satisfied
10/20/11 My breath prayer for the day comes from Psalm 90:14, "Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days." What does it take to be satisfied? A song from my growing up years from the Rolling Stones had a line, "I can't get no satisfaction." Is it money, sex, power, fame?
The psalmist says what satisfies is the steadfast love, that is, the covenant love of God. That is what lasts, what fills, what brings deep joy, what satisfies.
I like to begin my day in prayer and in walking and breathing that prayer. I find that if I don't start this way, it is hard to ever make it up. I like to begin my day being satisfied by being in the presence of God and God's love.
I like it that the psalmist has the plural pronouns...satisfy us....that we may rejoice. My prayers include other people that I hold before God's love. We become community in prayer.
I like it that the psalmist ends the verse in rejoicing. With that feeling, I can go through the day satisfied.
Love,
Lynn
The psalmist says what satisfies is the steadfast love, that is, the covenant love of God. That is what lasts, what fills, what brings deep joy, what satisfies.
I like to begin my day in prayer and in walking and breathing that prayer. I find that if I don't start this way, it is hard to ever make it up. I like to begin my day being satisfied by being in the presence of God and God's love.
I like it that the psalmist has the plural pronouns...satisfy us....that we may rejoice. My prayers include other people that I hold before God's love. We become community in prayer.
I like it that the psalmist ends the verse in rejoicing. With that feeling, I can go through the day satisfied.
Love,
Lynn
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
dwelling place
10/19/11 Last evening Cathy and I were walking down the center path of the park behind our house. The sun was going down in the west. I looked through the brush and saw what looked like a tarp, it was in camo, very hard to distinguish from the surrounding greenery. I paused. It was someone's home.
We have had issues with several people living in our park. We have cleaned up their camps before. It is not safe. It is not sanitary.
Back at our house, I called the police. They heard my story. They tried to find the camp on their own in the dark. At 9 p.m., I tried to help them to find it in the dark. No luck.
This morning, I walked the path again. In the daylight, I found it, well hidden. I called the police again. I waited for them. At last, they came. I led them to the person's home, the tent in the woods.
My breath for the day is appropriately Psalm 90:1, "Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations." I have been pondering what it means to have a home, or to be homeless. Home is a place, but it is more than a place; it is a person. I hope the homeless man or woman in our park knows that he/she has a home in God at least. I hope that the system will help him or her also find a home that is warm, safe, and structured here on earth, a dwelling place.
Love,
Lynn
We have had issues with several people living in our park. We have cleaned up their camps before. It is not safe. It is not sanitary.
Back at our house, I called the police. They heard my story. They tried to find the camp on their own in the dark. At 9 p.m., I tried to help them to find it in the dark. No luck.
This morning, I walked the path again. In the daylight, I found it, well hidden. I called the police again. I waited for them. At last, they came. I led them to the person's home, the tent in the woods.
My breath for the day is appropriately Psalm 90:1, "Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations." I have been pondering what it means to have a home, or to be homeless. Home is a place, but it is more than a place; it is a person. I hope the homeless man or woman in our park knows that he/she has a home in God at least. I hope that the system will help him or her also find a home that is warm, safe, and structured here on earth, a dwelling place.
Love,
Lynn
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
wisdom
10/18/11 My breath prayer for the day comes from Exodus 34:9, "Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid hands on him." I pray for wisdom. I know that is more than a simple matter of some leader laying hands on me. I am an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church; hands have been laid on me. A bishop in the church said "Take thou authority." I know that that one physical act in one worship service did not impart to me wisdom.
I like the phrasing from Exodus, "the spirit of wisdom." That's what I am praying for, a growing sense of wisdom, a gradual filling up of wisdom, an ongoing relationship that makes me wise.
Today a cold front blew in, as I was taking my morning walk. I felt the tremendous power of the wind. Maybe that's the beginning of wisdom, to be humble before God and God's majesty, to be blown by God's wisdom.
Love,
Lynn
I like the phrasing from Exodus, "the spirit of wisdom." That's what I am praying for, a growing sense of wisdom, a gradual filling up of wisdom, an ongoing relationship that makes me wise.
Today a cold front blew in, as I was taking my morning walk. I felt the tremendous power of the wind. Maybe that's the beginning of wisdom, to be humble before God and God's majesty, to be blown by God's wisdom.
Love,
Lynn
Monday, October 17, 2011
imitation Christians
from my sermon on Children's Sabbath from I Thessalonians 1:1-10
Boys and girls, there once was a man named Paul. You may have heard of him. He started a lot of new churches when the church first started. One of those that he started was in Thessalonika (show map). As you can see, it was on the sea, and it was on a major highway that ran east and west. It was a major city back 2,000 years ago, and still is today (show picture of modern Thessalonika in the background with ancient ruins in the foreground). You may say, "Well that's a long way off." But Thessalonika is next to Macedonia. Whom do we know from Macedonia? (show picture of the Petreski family) We know Igor and his parents, Sonja and Zvonko. They are from Macedonia and have become part of our church family.
Paul cared about the people in the churches he started, but he couldn't always be with them, so he would write them letters. In fact, this letter we have is the first one he wrote. In fact, it is the earliest writing of anything in the New Testament.
In the letter, he says that he is thankful for the Thessalonians. He is most thankful that they imitated him and the Lord Jesus. Boys and girls, how do we learn best? By imitating. The teacher writes the ABC's on the board, you learn to copy the shapes by imitating him or her. The teacher writes the 123's on the board, and you imitate him or her. You learn the Lord's prayer by imitating your parents and your teachers around you. We are imitation Christians, not fake Christians, but ones who learn what it is to be a Christian by imitating Him and other believers.
I have a great story about learning to imitate, "One" by Kathryn Otoshi. (show the book pages on the screen) (it is how the color Blue and other colors are bullied by the color Red, until the number 1 comes along and stands up to Red. Then the other colors learn to stand up to Red also. Even Blue does. They all become numbers. They all count! Even Red wants to count and is invited in.) Who is the ONE we follow? We imitate Jesus. Around here we say, "Following One, Serving All."
We are imitation Christians, learning to be Christlike, little Christs, by following Him. Then others see our example and want to become Christlike too. Little Sami sure has learned. Sami is 7 years old. I heard from Sami's mom that Sami saw one of the teachers on the playground standing all by herself. Sami went over to her and asked, "Are you lonely?" "I'm OK, "said the teacher. Sami said, "If you are ever lonely, you can always pray to God, then you are not alone." "Well," said the teacher, "thanks for that. Where did you learn that?" Sami replied, "At Westlake United Methodist Church."
There are some people who may feel lonely today. Who will stand with them, for them? I heard that if a child doesn't learn to read by the 4th grade, they have a slim chance of making it in life. I had a member in my former church named Ron. He worked at an oil refinery. One afternoon a week though he worked at a school, helping children learn to read. That's an example to follow. Who will stand with these children?
I was reading an article by a Methodist bishop named Will Willimon. He had one of his pastors invite him to a thriving church in north Alabama. The pastor knew that bishops can sometimes get down. Bishop Willimon was surprised to see the front 4 pews of the once dying church filled with children and youth. "Where did all of these children come from?" he asked. The pastor said, "Only 4 of them are related to people at this church." "Whose children are they?" the Bishop inquired. "They belong to Jesus. He has loaned them to us for a little while," the pastor responded. The church was in the middle of people who had problems with drug abuse. Many times the police would come and take parents away. The church learned of this situation and had 6 families get certified to become foster families. They established trust with the police and child protective services. The authorities knew that they could call these families by night or by day, and someone would take care of the children. I am glad that Sulinda is in worship today. She has taken some 12 children into her home over the years, and in fact, just got a new child last night. That's a good example to follow. Who will stand with these children?
I am proud to be a Texan, but I am not proud of one fact. Out of the 50 states, where does Texas stand when it comes to uninsured children? Dead last. 50th out of 50. Over 1 million children, maybe 1.3 million children without health insurance. Who will stand with these children?
I am asking you to imitate Christ. I am asking you to stand with children.
Boys and girls, there once was a man named Paul. You may have heard of him. He started a lot of new churches when the church first started. One of those that he started was in Thessalonika (show map). As you can see, it was on the sea, and it was on a major highway that ran east and west. It was a major city back 2,000 years ago, and still is today (show picture of modern Thessalonika in the background with ancient ruins in the foreground). You may say, "Well that's a long way off." But Thessalonika is next to Macedonia. Whom do we know from Macedonia? (show picture of the Petreski family) We know Igor and his parents, Sonja and Zvonko. They are from Macedonia and have become part of our church family.
Paul cared about the people in the churches he started, but he couldn't always be with them, so he would write them letters. In fact, this letter we have is the first one he wrote. In fact, it is the earliest writing of anything in the New Testament.
In the letter, he says that he is thankful for the Thessalonians. He is most thankful that they imitated him and the Lord Jesus. Boys and girls, how do we learn best? By imitating. The teacher writes the ABC's on the board, you learn to copy the shapes by imitating him or her. The teacher writes the 123's on the board, and you imitate him or her. You learn the Lord's prayer by imitating your parents and your teachers around you. We are imitation Christians, not fake Christians, but ones who learn what it is to be a Christian by imitating Him and other believers.
I have a great story about learning to imitate, "One" by Kathryn Otoshi. (show the book pages on the screen) (it is how the color Blue and other colors are bullied by the color Red, until the number 1 comes along and stands up to Red. Then the other colors learn to stand up to Red also. Even Blue does. They all become numbers. They all count! Even Red wants to count and is invited in.) Who is the ONE we follow? We imitate Jesus. Around here we say, "Following One, Serving All."
We are imitation Christians, learning to be Christlike, little Christs, by following Him. Then others see our example and want to become Christlike too. Little Sami sure has learned. Sami is 7 years old. I heard from Sami's mom that Sami saw one of the teachers on the playground standing all by herself. Sami went over to her and asked, "Are you lonely?" "I'm OK, "said the teacher. Sami said, "If you are ever lonely, you can always pray to God, then you are not alone." "Well," said the teacher, "thanks for that. Where did you learn that?" Sami replied, "At Westlake United Methodist Church."
There are some people who may feel lonely today. Who will stand with them, for them? I heard that if a child doesn't learn to read by the 4th grade, they have a slim chance of making it in life. I had a member in my former church named Ron. He worked at an oil refinery. One afternoon a week though he worked at a school, helping children learn to read. That's an example to follow. Who will stand with these children?
I was reading an article by a Methodist bishop named Will Willimon. He had one of his pastors invite him to a thriving church in north Alabama. The pastor knew that bishops can sometimes get down. Bishop Willimon was surprised to see the front 4 pews of the once dying church filled with children and youth. "Where did all of these children come from?" he asked. The pastor said, "Only 4 of them are related to people at this church." "Whose children are they?" the Bishop inquired. "They belong to Jesus. He has loaned them to us for a little while," the pastor responded. The church was in the middle of people who had problems with drug abuse. Many times the police would come and take parents away. The church learned of this situation and had 6 families get certified to become foster families. They established trust with the police and child protective services. The authorities knew that they could call these families by night or by day, and someone would take care of the children. I am glad that Sulinda is in worship today. She has taken some 12 children into her home over the years, and in fact, just got a new child last night. That's a good example to follow. Who will stand with these children?
I am proud to be a Texan, but I am not proud of one fact. Out of the 50 states, where does Texas stand when it comes to uninsured children? Dead last. 50th out of 50. Over 1 million children, maybe 1.3 million children without health insurance. Who will stand with these children?
I am asking you to imitate Christ. I am asking you to stand with children.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
glory
10/12/11 My breath prayer comes from Exodus 33:18, where Moses makes a bold request of the LORD, "Moses said, 'Show me your glory, I pray." The LORD grants this request in a backhanded way. The LORD hides Moses in the cleft of a rock, covered by the LORD's hand, and passes by, and shows Moses his backside. I am reminded of that military courtroom scene where Jack Nicholson says to the younger officer who demands the truth, "You want the truth. You can't handle the truth!" We too can't handle the glory of the LORD. It would overwhelm us, terrify us.
I saw the backside of the LORD's glory this morning. On my walk, as I was nearing our house, a coyote crossed in front of me. As I was walking to put my yogurt in the refrigerator at church, one of the pre-school teachers saw me and just opened up with something going on in her life. I simply listened.
Show me your glory, I pray.
Love,
Lynn
I saw the backside of the LORD's glory this morning. On my walk, as I was nearing our house, a coyote crossed in front of me. As I was walking to put my yogurt in the refrigerator at church, one of the pre-school teachers saw me and just opened up with something going on in her life. I simply listened.
Show me your glory, I pray.
Love,
Lynn
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
favor
10/11/11 My breath prayer for the day comes from Exodus 33:17, The LORD said to Moses, "I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name." Moses asks the LORD to demonstrate his favor by going with the people as they travel across the wilderness. The LORD agrees to do this. Is there any greater favor the LORD could show us than by going with us?
Monday, October 10, 2011
whatever
from my sermon on 10/9/11 from Philippians 4:1-9
Whatever.....say it with me, but you have to drop your voice as you say it...whatever. This the word of resignation, of giving up, of saying "It doesn't matter." Whatever. It reminds me of that bumper sticker, "Apathy may be our problem, but who cares?" Or the other one, "Indecision may or may not be our problem." Whatever.
The church can be good at saying "Whatever." We can be good at not facing our problems. We have had many years of loss of membership or worse, loss of discipleship. Whatever. We have a gap in relevance to the culture. Whatever. We have had a loss of trust with clergy sexual abuse and televangelist money schemes. Whatever.
Paul doesn't say, "Whatever." He says, "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is anything of excellence, anything worthy of praise, think about these things."
You are not going to believe this but the church in Philippi was experiencing conflict. Paul loved this congregation. He had visited them at least 3 times, and they had sent him gifts while he was in prison. The conflict was between 2 church leaders, 2 women. Some may think of Paul as putting women down, but read the text carefully. He calls Euodia and Syntyche "co-workers" and ones who "struggled beside me in the work of the gospel." Paul often affirms women as leaders in the early church. Guess what? Church leaders have problems too! Does Paul run from it? NO! He sends the church a letter to be read out loud in a worship service that names names. How would you like that?
We have a conflict going on right now: our relationship with Parker Lane UMC. Did you know that there are Christians on the other side of I-35. They may of a different demographic from people around here. For the past 2 years we have explored an experiment, working with Parker Lane. We have done Vacation Bible School together. We have given backpacks to Linder Elementary which is served by Parker Lane. We have done a Children's Craft fair together. Our youth have met for youth fellowship on Sunday evenings together and done missions together. This relationship between the youth groups is now entering a cooling off period. There have been some conversations and emails about the relationship. I have a meeting on Wednesday with Tina Carter the pastor at Parker Lane. She has been invited to talk to the Fellowship Sunday school class. Our youth director, J.D., has been asked to preach at Parker Lane. I don't know how it will all work out. I do know that we are trying to focus on whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, anything of excellence, anything worthy of praise.
Then there is a second thing Paul addresses. (skit of Wee Hour Worry with married couple in bed, waking up at 3:30 a.m. worrying over sounds in the night, daughter in AP English class, braces for her.)
Alfred E. Neuman of Mad magazine asks, "What? Me, worry?" We do worry. What keeps you up at night? What do you chew on like a dog with a bone?
Last weekend I attended my 40th high school reunion. I know I don't look that old. Did you miss me? I left the church in good hands with pastor Judy, Laura Lincoln, and Diana--strong women leaders. I had not been back in a long time. I attended my 10th reunion, and nothing in between. My little town had really hurt me in my senior year when I was quarterback and captain of my football team, and they blamed me for the losing season. In my own mind it was huge, something that I had agonized over for 40 years. When I went back to the reunion, it was a non-event to my classmates. Not one mentioned it. They all talked about marriages and children and work and where they lived. What was so huge in me was so small to others. I was released from this burden.
Paul says, "Don't worry." He is in prison when he writes this. How can he say, "Don't worry" ? His focus is somewhere else. He says, "Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice." I read somewhere that the church will die from terminal seriousness! Paul looks beyond his current situation to see God at work and gives praise....like today for the rain. He says the Lord is near. He means near in time. The Lord is coming soon. Everything will pass away. It doesn't last forever. But the word "near" comes from the root word for crook of the elbow. The Lord is holding us close, in an embrace, hugging us.
That's why Paul can say, "Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." It's not that we simply stop worrying; we replace the worry with prayer. I actually practice this. Sometimes I wake up at 3 in the morning. I bring the worry into my consciousness, then I take it before God, and then I let it go. I also start quoting memory verses, "cast all your anxiety upon him, for he cares about you," and "the LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want."
And the peace of God stands like a sentry, a guard upon you. You replace worry with whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable. We thing about...that is, take into account, consider, these things. We replace worry with these virtues. And we keep on doing them as Paul suggests. It is a spiritual discipline.
This list of virtues...Paul didn't just make up. He got them from the Greek culture around him. He met the culture where they were. How could we do that today? How could we find good, find God in the culture? Right now we have Occupy Wall Street, and to a lesser degree, Occupy Austin going on. What can we get from this protest against greed? Someone very important died this past week....yes, Steve Jobs. What an impact he has had.....imac, iphone, ipod, ipad..What can we get from this desire for connectivity?
I know our new Point movement is trying to do this...meet people where they are. The church gathers for worship and scatters for service. Today till it rained, they were going to go down on the hike and bike trail to get funds for wildfire relief.
Whatever. The word can be translated, "all that is." All that is true, all that is honorable, all that is just, all that is pure, all that is pleasing, all that is commendable.
God is doing whatever God can, all that God can to meet us where we are, and to hold us in God's embrace.
Whatever.....say it with me, but you have to drop your voice as you say it...whatever. This the word of resignation, of giving up, of saying "It doesn't matter." Whatever. It reminds me of that bumper sticker, "Apathy may be our problem, but who cares?" Or the other one, "Indecision may or may not be our problem." Whatever.
The church can be good at saying "Whatever." We can be good at not facing our problems. We have had many years of loss of membership or worse, loss of discipleship. Whatever. We have a gap in relevance to the culture. Whatever. We have had a loss of trust with clergy sexual abuse and televangelist money schemes. Whatever.
Paul doesn't say, "Whatever." He says, "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is anything of excellence, anything worthy of praise, think about these things."
You are not going to believe this but the church in Philippi was experiencing conflict. Paul loved this congregation. He had visited them at least 3 times, and they had sent him gifts while he was in prison. The conflict was between 2 church leaders, 2 women. Some may think of Paul as putting women down, but read the text carefully. He calls Euodia and Syntyche "co-workers" and ones who "struggled beside me in the work of the gospel." Paul often affirms women as leaders in the early church. Guess what? Church leaders have problems too! Does Paul run from it? NO! He sends the church a letter to be read out loud in a worship service that names names. How would you like that?
We have a conflict going on right now: our relationship with Parker Lane UMC. Did you know that there are Christians on the other side of I-35. They may of a different demographic from people around here. For the past 2 years we have explored an experiment, working with Parker Lane. We have done Vacation Bible School together. We have given backpacks to Linder Elementary which is served by Parker Lane. We have done a Children's Craft fair together. Our youth have met for youth fellowship on Sunday evenings together and done missions together. This relationship between the youth groups is now entering a cooling off period. There have been some conversations and emails about the relationship. I have a meeting on Wednesday with Tina Carter the pastor at Parker Lane. She has been invited to talk to the Fellowship Sunday school class. Our youth director, J.D., has been asked to preach at Parker Lane. I don't know how it will all work out. I do know that we are trying to focus on whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, anything of excellence, anything worthy of praise.
Then there is a second thing Paul addresses. (skit of Wee Hour Worry with married couple in bed, waking up at 3:30 a.m. worrying over sounds in the night, daughter in AP English class, braces for her.)
Alfred E. Neuman of Mad magazine asks, "What? Me, worry?" We do worry. What keeps you up at night? What do you chew on like a dog with a bone?
Last weekend I attended my 40th high school reunion. I know I don't look that old. Did you miss me? I left the church in good hands with pastor Judy, Laura Lincoln, and Diana--strong women leaders. I had not been back in a long time. I attended my 10th reunion, and nothing in between. My little town had really hurt me in my senior year when I was quarterback and captain of my football team, and they blamed me for the losing season. In my own mind it was huge, something that I had agonized over for 40 years. When I went back to the reunion, it was a non-event to my classmates. Not one mentioned it. They all talked about marriages and children and work and where they lived. What was so huge in me was so small to others. I was released from this burden.
Paul says, "Don't worry." He is in prison when he writes this. How can he say, "Don't worry" ? His focus is somewhere else. He says, "Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice." I read somewhere that the church will die from terminal seriousness! Paul looks beyond his current situation to see God at work and gives praise....like today for the rain. He says the Lord is near. He means near in time. The Lord is coming soon. Everything will pass away. It doesn't last forever. But the word "near" comes from the root word for crook of the elbow. The Lord is holding us close, in an embrace, hugging us.
That's why Paul can say, "Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." It's not that we simply stop worrying; we replace the worry with prayer. I actually practice this. Sometimes I wake up at 3 in the morning. I bring the worry into my consciousness, then I take it before God, and then I let it go. I also start quoting memory verses, "cast all your anxiety upon him, for he cares about you," and "the LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want."
And the peace of God stands like a sentry, a guard upon you. You replace worry with whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable. We thing about...that is, take into account, consider, these things. We replace worry with these virtues. And we keep on doing them as Paul suggests. It is a spiritual discipline.
This list of virtues...Paul didn't just make up. He got them from the Greek culture around him. He met the culture where they were. How could we do that today? How could we find good, find God in the culture? Right now we have Occupy Wall Street, and to a lesser degree, Occupy Austin going on. What can we get from this protest against greed? Someone very important died this past week....yes, Steve Jobs. What an impact he has had.....imac, iphone, ipod, ipad..What can we get from this desire for connectivity?
I know our new Point movement is trying to do this...meet people where they are. The church gathers for worship and scatters for service. Today till it rained, they were going to go down on the hike and bike trail to get funds for wildfire relief.
Whatever. The word can be translated, "all that is." All that is true, all that is honorable, all that is just, all that is pure, all that is pleasing, all that is commendable.
God is doing whatever God can, all that God can to meet us where we are, and to hold us in God's embrace.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
wilderness
10/6/11 I have been reading a book by Gil Rendle entitled Journey in the Wilderness: New Life for Mainline Churches. I don't like much of what he says because it means I will need to keep changing, growing, stretching, trusting.....and that involves risk and pain. In fact, Gil says at every new birth, there must be 2 factors: pain and possibility. The Church is undergoing great upheaval. We don't know how everything will come out. I pray that this time may be like that time long ago when the LORD led his people across the wilderness toward a Promised Land. The people had to trust that there would be "daily bread," supplied by the LORD, just enough for that day. I know that later scholars, priests, theologians, etc., looked back on the time in the wilderness as a honeymoon with God. There was an intimacy, a trusting relationship, that was like no other time. May it be so for our time as well.
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
mighty doings
10/5/11 My breath prayer for the day comes from Psalm 106:2, "Who can utter the mighty doings of the LORD, or declare his praise?" If we could drop the "g" to make doings to doin's, it would be a perfect saying (or sayin') for Texas. As I walked this morning, I tried not to fill up all of the time with words as I wondered at the marvel of God's creation, as I considered how God has moved in my life in the past, and as I give thanks for how God is blessing me today. Who has the words....who can utter the mighty doin's of the LORD?
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
changed mind
10/4/11 My prayer verse for the day comes from Exodus 32:14, "And the LORD changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people." This is the NRSV translation. The older RSV translation says, The LORD repented of the evil that he planned to bring on his people. I am glad that God can change his mind. I am glad that God can "repent." We think that repentence is something that only humans need to do, but it seems that is something that God needs to do from time to time. Moses has interceded before God on behalf of the people and gets God to change his mind. Do our prayers matter? Can we get God to change his mind?
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Monday, October 3, 2011
40th high school reunion
10/3/11 Over the past weekend, I attended my 40th high school reunion in Littlefield, Texas. I had last attended one of these 30 years ago at the 10th reunion. I had let my little town wound me. I have held onto these hurts for a long time. When I was with the group of 30 to 40 people that drifted in and out over Friday night and Saturday evening, I found that the things that had grown so large in my memory were not even on others' radar. No one mentioned the losing football season of my senior year and the town's blaming me for all of the losses. We mostly talked about our families and our current work. We recalled some memories, but they were about stuff that I had not really counted as important. One woman said I gave her a blue ceramic pony when we were in first grade together. I had no recollectin of it at all. I attended thte football game on Friday night, which Littelfield won over Childress. The stands were only moderately full. Not many were paying attention to what was happening on the field. Most were chatting with their neighbors, watching their kids eat popcorn, etc. Mistakes were made on the field--fumbles, penalties, interceptions, blown calls by the refs---and life went on.
Overall the 40th reunion was a healing event. I enjoyed reconnecting with my classmates. I tried to be a good listener. Some seemed interested in hearing what was going on with me. I am glad I went to my 40th. The 40 years of the Hebrews children wandering in the desert was good for them too.
Love,
Lynn
Overall the 40th reunion was a healing event. I enjoyed reconnecting with my classmates. I tried to be a good listener. Some seemed interested in hearing what was going on with me. I am glad I went to my 40th. The 40 years of the Hebrews children wandering in the desert was good for them too.
Love,
Lynn
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