a dialogue sermon with Tina Carter from Parker Lane UMC, on Transfiguration of the Lord, from Mark 9:2-9
I'm upset....YOU'RE UPSET, WHY?
I've been reading a book...THE BIBLE?
No, yes, that and another book called Simple Church...READING THIS BOOK HAS GOTTEN YOU UPSET.
See, I am in this cont. ed. course called Healthy Church Initiative. 12 of us pastors get together 1/month to talk after reading these books. We have 2 group leaders who are taking us thr this process of really looking at what is going on in our churches. We also have 3 laypersons from our congregation who are meeting with other laypeople for other churches reading the same bookd & going thru the sam class...THIS DOESN'T SOUND TOO UPSETTING.
I know it is just a book, words on a page. But hese particular wors have rung true to me. I have been telling some of our church leaders that this book has been kicking my theological butt. The authors talk about there being 2 kinds of church: 1 is a program church and the other is one that makes disciples. The program church is busy, it fills the calendar with good events, many that have been going on for years, and it has highly qualified staff who are loved and respected. The 2nd one has a clearly defined path that leads people to fall in love with God, grow their souls in small group relationships, & sends them out to serve others. What has me upset is that we do lots of great programs, but we don't always make lots of followers of Christ. ....OUCH
Ouch is right. We do great programs like last night's That's Amore' Y'all. It was such fun. Jean was taking tickets at the door. I don't know why, but she found found several of us males to be suspect, and insisted on doing a pat down search of us in a dark room. The 3 tenors made another appearance. Many generations came together and had a good time. We do so many programs: we have men's groups, women's groups, youth groups, Sunday School classes, Bible studies, mission projects, music ministries for all ages, and on and on. At staff meetings, we spend a lot of time just trying to fit in 1 more thing on the calendar. Do we have the space? Who will be in charge? We can tire ourselves out just working on the logistics. But what has convicted me is this: are any lives changed? Has anyone grown closer to Christ? Has anyone matured in their faith?.....I SEE YOUR STRUGGLE.
So I shared this concern with my accountability group, 3 pastor friends, this past Monday morning at 7 at Chick Fil-A. They nodded their heads. They too are busy trying to keep up with all of the church programming. They cautioned me though, saying some of the programming does lead to life-changing relationships. I agree. But some doesn't. How do we choose? What might need to be cut in order to get rid of the clutter so that people can see what is the next step in following Christ?....SO WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH THE SCRIPTURE WE READ?
Right. This is the story of the transfiguration of Jesus. We don't use that word everyday...transfiguration. I'll come back to it. So Jesus is on a high mtn, figuratively closer to God, paralleling what Moses did in summit meetings with God in Exodus. Jesus is glorified, surounded by light, so bright, no earthly light comes close. 2 major players, all stars from the Hebrew faith join Jesus. Funny side note: how do we know the identity of these 2? A pastor/scholar that I read wondered if they had their names stenciled on the back of their robes like football players' jerseys: #22 Elijah and #10 Moses. The inner circle of Jesus is with him, Peter, John, James. In the presence of all this holiness, beyond description, Peter tries to tame it with words. he tries to domesticate it with memorial structures. He doesn't know what to say. He is so afraid. My fear is that we avoid encountering the Holy with words as we go to meetings and take minutes, or as we try to hang onto something good from the past by building structures and programs adn don't want to move on. We find it hard to stay in the glory of Jesus & to simply listen to him. It is much easier to crowd our lives & our churches & our calendars with our words & our programs. We especially don't want to go down the mtn to see what happens when we follow Jesus all the way to Jerusalem and to his death....SO WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?
The 1st thing I acknowledge is that I am being changed. This book the Bible and this book Simple Church and this course Healthy Church Initiative are shaking me up. We have a meeting on Tuesday where church leaders are going to be looking at 15 goals for this congregation. All of this and more are God's way of saying, "I am not through with you yet." Sometimes, I can feel old & cynical & tired. Then God comes along with a new revelation of glory. And I am transformed. The 2nd thing is that we have the right vision statement: Following One, Serving All. We need to align what we do here with that statement. We are really robust at the serving all part. But we have lots of challenges where it comes to Following One. I confess this day that we have attracted many guests here, and some have even become members here, but I am not sure we have helped them grow in their relationship with Christ. I am not sure anyone here could even tell me what would be the next step in their spiritual journey. We have not done well at making disciples, followers of Christ. Now I would like to hear about your experience at PLUM.
OUR EXPERIENCE AT PLUM IS A LITTLE DIFFERNT. ALTHOUGH WE ARE LOCATED IN A POOR NEIGBORHOOD, WE ARE A MIXTURE OF GENERATIONALLY POOR MARGIN PEOPLE & MIDDLE CLASS POPEL WHO HAVE BEEN CALLED BY GOD TO TRANSFORMATIONS RELATIONSHIPS. SO WE ARE A MIX OF BLACK, GROWN & WHITE. WE ARE A MIX OF POOR & MIDDLE CLASS. WE ARE A MIX OF EDUCATED & NOT EDUCATED. AND THE PEOPLE AT PLUM IN GENERAL ARE COMMITED TO TEH CONCEPT THAT GOD IS TRANSFORMING US ALL IN WONDERFUL & NON-PREDICTABLE WAYS. AND WE ARE THERE FOR THE LONG HAUL. QUITE FRANKLY EVERYON WHO WAS AT THE CHURCH FOR OTHER REASONS HAS LONG AGO LEFT IN FRUSTRATION. SO WE ARE PEOPLE WHO EXPECT GOD TO CHANGE US RADICALLY THROUGH RELATIONSHIP WITH ONE ANOTHER AND WITH GOD. AND BECAUSE WE COME FROM A VARIETY OF BACKGROUNDS, AND ARE GENERALLY CURIOUS, WE WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT EACH OTHER. WE UNDERSTAND THAT LIFE IS MESSY AND RELATIONSHIP IS MESSY AND SO WE EXPECT CHURCH TO BE A LITTLE MESSY.
ONE STORY MIGHT HELP TO ILLUSTRAT. I WAS RECENTLY WITH 1 OF OUR YOUNGERS. THIS LITTLE 1 WILL PROBABLY IDENTIFY HERSELF IN THE FUTURE AS BI-RACIAL, BUT RIGHT NOW SHE JUST SEES HERSELF AS 9. SHE LIVES IN HER FAMILY WITH HER ADOPTIVE FATHER. SHE HAS BEEN IN FOSTER CARE IN HER LIFETIME AND NOW HAS A FOREVER HOME. SHE ASKED ME, "PASTOR, HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TO JAIL?" AND I SAID, "YES, LOTS OF TIMES." HER RESPONSE, "FOR WHAT?' "WELL TO VISIT FOLKS, TO PRAY, TO SUPPORT STAFF WHO WORK IN PRISONS, & EVEN ONCE TO DO A WEDDING." IN HER DISGUSTING LITTLE 9 YR. OLD VOICE SHE SAID, "NO, I MEAN HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TO JAIL FOR SOMETHING?" WHEN I RESPONDED IN THE NEGATIVE, SHE SAID, "WHY NOT?" LET THAT SINK IN FOR A MOMENT. HER RESPONSE WAS WHY NOT. SO I SAID, "ACTUALLY, YOU ARE KIND OF SPECIAL BECAUSE YOU KNOW PEOPLE WHO HAVE GONE TO PRISON. MOST PEOPLE DON'T GO TO PRISON. MANY PEOPLE DON'T EVEN KNOW ANYONE WHO HAS GONE TO PRISON." SHE WAS AMAZED. I WASN'T AMAZED. THE TRUTH IS THAT STATISTICALLY SPEAKING THERE SHOULD BE AT LEAST 1 FAMIL HERE WHO HAS PERSON EXPERIENC WITH PRISON OR WHO HAS A LOVED 1 IN PRISON. THERE IS SO MUCH SHAME ASSOCIATED WITH HAVING SOMEONE IN PRISON, THAT WE FIND IT HARD TO EVEN ASK FOR PRAYERS ABOUT IT. BUT IN OUR CONGREGATION IT'S COMMON. AND ACTUALLY IT'S FAR TOO COMMON FOR OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF COLOR. READ THE NEW JIM CROW: MASS INCARCERATION IN THE AGE OF COLORBLINDNESS. IT WILL BREAK YOUR HEART. THAT KIND OF CONVERSATION DOESN'T HAPPEN WITHOUT TRUE RELATIONSHIP. AND THAT KIND OF CONVERSATION IS TRANSFORMATIONAL FOR BOTH PARTIES INVOLVED. MY HEART WAS INDEED BROKEN THAT DAY.
We connect with your story here at WUMC as we have begun a ministry called the Storybook Project where women from here go to the prison in Gatesville to help women in white read bedtime stories on tape so that their children can go to sleep hearing the sound of their voices. I am proud of this church as we go out into the community to serve. I was scared when the Bishop appointed me here at WUMC. I was afraid we would be an isolated island of rich, white folks insulated from the rest of the world. But I have been pleasantly surprised by how engaged we are with the problems of our neighbors. Any Baby Can grew out of this congregation. Mobile Loaves and Fishes are strongly supported by WUMC. Foundation for the Homeless and so many more ministries are backed by us. I just don't want us to be a bunch of do-gooders though, another service club. I want our motivation to be because we are following Jesus.
I think our denomination has the right vision statement: making disciples for the transformation of the world. I pray that we may be transformed. I looked up the Greek word that is translated as transfiguration. It is literally metamorphasis. Our English comes directly from the Greek. I pray that we may not get stuck in our cocoon of comfortableness, of "we've always done it that way." I pray we may become the butterflies God intends us to be. Jesus was transformed on the mountain. I pray we may be also. Amen.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
filling the bucket to overflowing: commitment
from my sermon on 2/12/12 from Col. 2:6-7
Abounding with thanksgiving...that's what Paul says. Like a bucket that can't hold anymore and spills over with gratitude....that's how we can be. We can do this because we have a God of abundance.
I love what the Psalms say. In 103:8, the LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. In Psalm 5, But I through the abundance of your steadfast love will enter your house, I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you. In Psalm 69, as for me my prayer is to you, O LORD, at an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me. And of course, our favorite Psalm, the 23rd, which says my cup runneth over.
We can be overflowing with thanksgiving because of what God has done in Jesus Christ, who lived among, died for us, and was raised again for us. In John 10:10, Jesus says that he came that we might have life and have it abundantly. In the only miracle that is record in all 4 gospels, the feeding of the multitudes, Jesus takes the offering of a few fish and loaves of bread and multiplies them so that huge crowds are fed, and abundant leftovers are taken up, many basketfuls. In Acts, it records that the church increased daily; it grew abundantly.
The word for abundance or overflowing means excessive, more than enough, be extremely rich, be left over, over and above the basic needs or expectations.
My heart is overflowing with thanksgiving today. I always try to live into these passages as I prepare the message each week. I want to tell you 4 stories of overflowing with gratitude. The weekend previous, we held a Created by God workshop here, where 5th and 6th graders get to hear about this gift of human sexuality, that we are made male and female in the image of God. I do an evaluation instrument with the young people asking them how they feel when they first get started. Almost without exception, the response is "scared." I have them draw a picture of their face when they first learned they were coming to this event. Many times it looks like that famous painting of "the scream." In the evaluation, I ask them to write how they feel now that they have finished the course. One male wrote, "I feel like I can be a man who respects his sisters." It doesn't get much better than that.
At that event, Dr. Jim Chudleigh, offered one of the devotionals on Saturday. He talked about how as a physician he had the joy of delivering babies. What happens is that he would receive this life into his hands. He was the first person to hold this new person. After a bit of cleaning up, warming up, and wrapping up, he would hand the child most often to the mother. She would hold the child in her hands. Then she most likely would hand the child off to the father. Then the child would be handed off to grandparents, other relatives, and friends. Are you following the metaphor? All through life, we are being handed off. Preachers, teachers, scout leaders...and on and on. We are always in someone's hands. Jim talked about the death of his father and the image of his children, his father's grandchildren carrying the casket in their hands to the gravesite. There the man was given into the hands of God, from whom he came. Isn't this the gospel? I was so filled with gratitude for Jim and all the small group leaders.
Then Tuesday, we had a district professionals meeting where we preachers and other church professionals in the Austin area get together to talk and eat and best of all worship. Eight of our younger clergy candidates led the worship about how they encountered Christ in other people. One of those was Abby Parker, former youth minister here. She talked about going on a mission trip to Guatemala. She would spend her free time not hanging out with the team that came from the States, but with the locals, the bus drivers and the women. She was so moved by the women who at 13,000 feet altitude would carry huge water jars on their heads, bringing the water that was used to make her weak coffee in the morning. Abby felt such community with these brothers and sisters. I felt so full of gratitude at how God was calling Abby and others into ordained ministry.
Then on Thursday, I was visiting with Pam Cho, she who is going through another round of cancer. Pam was saying how earlier her white cell count had been at 28,000. This past week it had dropped to 8. Not 8,000, or 800, or 80, but 8. Pam has a dedicated, competent healing team in the medical field. Pam is also thankful for our prayers for healing. On a lighter note, Pam gave me permission to say that before this treatment started, she was looking at losing some weight. Through this process, she has lost quite a bit, for which she gives thanks. However, she does not recommend this as a diet plan for others. There are other ways to get your weight down. My heart overflowed with joy at Pam's news.
One more story that involves Igor Petresky. For more than a year and a half, we have been walking with the Petresky family after Igor was greatly paralyzed in a diving accident. The family was given a Suburban by former church members to get to hospitals and such. Igor has made great progress in rehab, to the point that he is attending ACC as a part-time student. He is now able to do a chair to car transfer by himself....but the Suburban is too tall. His parents are straining their backs to get Igor in and out. This past week, another family in this church has offered their car which is just at the right height. My heart is full of thanksgiving.
The passage from Paul to the Colossians says that we are to stick to our faith and to stay in relationship with Jesus. Now in the next part, the verb tenses are important. They are present tense participles, meaning continuing action. In other words, we are to keep on being rooted in Christ, keep on being built up like a house in Him, keep on being established like a contract in Him, and keep on overflowing with thanksgivng. May it be so today and for ever.
Abounding with thanksgiving...that's what Paul says. Like a bucket that can't hold anymore and spills over with gratitude....that's how we can be. We can do this because we have a God of abundance.
I love what the Psalms say. In 103:8, the LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. In Psalm 5, But I through the abundance of your steadfast love will enter your house, I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you. In Psalm 69, as for me my prayer is to you, O LORD, at an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me. And of course, our favorite Psalm, the 23rd, which says my cup runneth over.
We can be overflowing with thanksgiving because of what God has done in Jesus Christ, who lived among, died for us, and was raised again for us. In John 10:10, Jesus says that he came that we might have life and have it abundantly. In the only miracle that is record in all 4 gospels, the feeding of the multitudes, Jesus takes the offering of a few fish and loaves of bread and multiplies them so that huge crowds are fed, and abundant leftovers are taken up, many basketfuls. In Acts, it records that the church increased daily; it grew abundantly.
The word for abundance or overflowing means excessive, more than enough, be extremely rich, be left over, over and above the basic needs or expectations.
My heart is overflowing with thanksgiving today. I always try to live into these passages as I prepare the message each week. I want to tell you 4 stories of overflowing with gratitude. The weekend previous, we held a Created by God workshop here, where 5th and 6th graders get to hear about this gift of human sexuality, that we are made male and female in the image of God. I do an evaluation instrument with the young people asking them how they feel when they first get started. Almost without exception, the response is "scared." I have them draw a picture of their face when they first learned they were coming to this event. Many times it looks like that famous painting of "the scream." In the evaluation, I ask them to write how they feel now that they have finished the course. One male wrote, "I feel like I can be a man who respects his sisters." It doesn't get much better than that.
At that event, Dr. Jim Chudleigh, offered one of the devotionals on Saturday. He talked about how as a physician he had the joy of delivering babies. What happens is that he would receive this life into his hands. He was the first person to hold this new person. After a bit of cleaning up, warming up, and wrapping up, he would hand the child most often to the mother. She would hold the child in her hands. Then she most likely would hand the child off to the father. Then the child would be handed off to grandparents, other relatives, and friends. Are you following the metaphor? All through life, we are being handed off. Preachers, teachers, scout leaders...and on and on. We are always in someone's hands. Jim talked about the death of his father and the image of his children, his father's grandchildren carrying the casket in their hands to the gravesite. There the man was given into the hands of God, from whom he came. Isn't this the gospel? I was so filled with gratitude for Jim and all the small group leaders.
Then Tuesday, we had a district professionals meeting where we preachers and other church professionals in the Austin area get together to talk and eat and best of all worship. Eight of our younger clergy candidates led the worship about how they encountered Christ in other people. One of those was Abby Parker, former youth minister here. She talked about going on a mission trip to Guatemala. She would spend her free time not hanging out with the team that came from the States, but with the locals, the bus drivers and the women. She was so moved by the women who at 13,000 feet altitude would carry huge water jars on their heads, bringing the water that was used to make her weak coffee in the morning. Abby felt such community with these brothers and sisters. I felt so full of gratitude at how God was calling Abby and others into ordained ministry.
Then on Thursday, I was visiting with Pam Cho, she who is going through another round of cancer. Pam was saying how earlier her white cell count had been at 28,000. This past week it had dropped to 8. Not 8,000, or 800, or 80, but 8. Pam has a dedicated, competent healing team in the medical field. Pam is also thankful for our prayers for healing. On a lighter note, Pam gave me permission to say that before this treatment started, she was looking at losing some weight. Through this process, she has lost quite a bit, for which she gives thanks. However, she does not recommend this as a diet plan for others. There are other ways to get your weight down. My heart overflowed with joy at Pam's news.
One more story that involves Igor Petresky. For more than a year and a half, we have been walking with the Petresky family after Igor was greatly paralyzed in a diving accident. The family was given a Suburban by former church members to get to hospitals and such. Igor has made great progress in rehab, to the point that he is attending ACC as a part-time student. He is now able to do a chair to car transfer by himself....but the Suburban is too tall. His parents are straining their backs to get Igor in and out. This past week, another family in this church has offered their car which is just at the right height. My heart is full of thanksgiving.
The passage from Paul to the Colossians says that we are to stick to our faith and to stay in relationship with Jesus. Now in the next part, the verb tenses are important. They are present tense participles, meaning continuing action. In other words, we are to keep on being rooted in Christ, keep on being built up like a house in Him, keep on being established like a contract in Him, and keep on overflowing with thanksgivng. May it be so today and for ever.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
wild
2/9/12 Most mornings I walk in this park behind our house. It used to be part of a ranch south of Austin, Tx. Now there are neighborhoods all around the park, but a large area is heavily wooded and Slaughter Creek flows through it. Most mornings I see wildlife: deer, squirrels, all manners of birds in their seasons. This morning, I saw 2 coyotes. I was quite impressed, as 1, then the other appeared out of the tree line, saw me, then disappeared again. We urban dwellers need to remember that we are actually not that far from what is wild.
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
simple
2/8/12 I am reading a book right now that is kicking my theological butt. It is making me very uncomfortable because it is so true to my church situation. The book is Simple Church by Thom S. Rainer & Eric Geiger. It contrasts a program church like mine whose calendar and rooms are full of wonderful busy activities versus a simple church where the goal is to help people follow Christ. I am being convicted that we do lots of good things at the church I serve, but I am not convinced that we are helping all that many people to fall in love with Christ in worship, deepen that relationship in community in a small accounability group, and then go out to serve others. I want to make church simple.
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
witnesses
2/7/12 I have just come from a meeting of the Austin District of the United Methodist Church where we pastors and other church professional gathered for food, conversation, information, and worship. The worship was simply outstanding, mostly because it was led by 8 of our youngest clergy. Two helped with the music. Seven of them offered a testimony. Their individual witnesses were powerful. The whole of their voices added together reminded why I keep answering this call to serve Christ and His church: that Christ is alive, His love changes people, and that is the best news we have to share. So now I am witnessing to you.
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Monday, February 6, 2012
service: offering a drink to others
from my sermon on 2/5/12 from Matthew 10:40-42
"I'm parched." That's what he said. He was standing at the corner where the I-10 frontage road meets DeZavala in San Antonio. It was Thursday morning about 10:40 a.m. I just love how these scripture passages prompt me. I had made it a point to see if I had one of those bags of grace we make up in my car that morning. We put an energy bar, a fruit cup, some gum, and most importantly a water bottle into each ziplock bag. He had the sign, you've seen them, "need help....out of work...anything you can spare." Most of the time I would get another first phrase, but he said, "I'm parched." I could almost hear Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers singing, "All day I face the barren waste without the taste of water....cool water....water." I handed him the bag with the water bottle and asked, "What's your name?" "John," he said. "I'm Lynn. Bless you." "Thanks."
Is it really this simple? Is this what Jesus means when he says, "whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple--truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward." We gave you a water bottle as you entered. Our worship team's intent was to make this passage real. We want you to give it away to one of God's vulnerable ones. As a worship team, we were trying to come up with a label, something to put on the bottle. Our church name and logo was suggested. Someone else said we could write "a gift from God to you." But Diana had the best idea, "Let's just put a blank label on them, and let people write their own message or drawing." I would like for you to do that. You make it up.
Someone on the team asked, "What if people go ahead and drink from the bottle in the worship service?" We thought that would be just fine. You may be the one today who is thirsty, who is parched. The words from Jesus in this passage are about receiving someone where they are, about welcoming them, about being hospitable. You may be thirsty today for attention and affection. For some here, this is the highlight of their week, when they see more people than than they see all the other days combined. Some here may be going through a divorce, or grieving the loss of a loved one, of dealing with an addiction. If you are parched, go ahead and drink from the bottle of water, but know that something even better awaits you here at this table. There is food and drink, body and blood of Christ. You will be met at the point of your greatest need with the depth of Christ's love.
Today is the 5th Sunday in a 6 week series on the Treasures of the Transformed Life. It is about service and witness today: offering a drink to others.
It means literally offering a drink, like to the guy on the corner with a sign. But as followers of Christ, we may be called to do more. The Austin American-Statesman has been running articles on the importance of water lately, especially in light of the drought we have been experiencing (thank God for the rain of this past week, even this morning). We have seen wells dry up, lake levels plummet, and little rain fall. The article today had the startling facts: 97% of the water on earth is salty, brine water, 2.5% is caught in ice, and just .5% is fresh water. I heard that someday soon we may look at watering our lawns as like we are throwing diamonds on the ground. How precious is water! What can we followers of Christ do...to provide a cup of cold water? We may need to xeriscape our lawns, put in aerators in our show heads, capture grey water and re-use it, and capture rainwater off our rooves. What will you do locally?
As Christians, we may need to act globally. Ginghamsburg UMC in Ohio has made an impact where water is concerned. Their pastor, Michael Slaughter, several years ago was moved by the plight of dying persons in the Darfur region of Sudan. He came up with a campaign that said, Christmas Is Not Your Birthday! He said, "I want you to give at least as much to help provide water for the people in Darfur as you spend on Christmas presents." Over the last few years, they have raised millions of dollars. They dug water wells, and built pipelines, taught about sanitation, and taught about hardy crops, and established schools. Oh, most of the people in this region were Muslims. The church didn't go over there and try to convert them. They went over there because they were dying of thirst. They were parched. It took 2-3 years before the people there began to ask, "Who are you? Why are you doing this for us?" It was then after trust had been built that they could say that they were Christians from Ohio. New villages grew up around the safe water stations. One of the larger ones the people named Ohio 2. The water was their witness that they cared.
What is Christ calling you to do, to be in service, to offer a drink to others. We know that this is a metaphor, that it is more than just water. We are called to meet God's vulnerable ones at their point of need. We do this in our work places, schools, neighborhoods, not just at church.
One way for us to realize this mission is to participate in ReThink Church day. Get our your smart phones and dayplanners. For the third year, we will call off morning worship and go out into the world for service. This year on April 22, which just happens to be Earth Day...how appropriate for this water imagery. We will do those service projects like pass out water bottles on the hike and bike trail, sing in a nursing home, help take care of pets at the animal shelter, etc. What will you and your group do?
Here's how you find out what you are to do? Frederick Buechner is one of my favorite theologians and authors. Folks kept asking him about what their vocation should be, what their purpose in life was. He came up with this pithy phrase: your calling is where your greatest passion meets the world's greatest need.
If you give even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones, you will not miss your reward. It will be more than a good feeling, more than making difference....your reward will be that you get to meet Jesus. That's the good news I have to share.
"I'm parched." That's what he said. He was standing at the corner where the I-10 frontage road meets DeZavala in San Antonio. It was Thursday morning about 10:40 a.m. I just love how these scripture passages prompt me. I had made it a point to see if I had one of those bags of grace we make up in my car that morning. We put an energy bar, a fruit cup, some gum, and most importantly a water bottle into each ziplock bag. He had the sign, you've seen them, "need help....out of work...anything you can spare." Most of the time I would get another first phrase, but he said, "I'm parched." I could almost hear Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers singing, "All day I face the barren waste without the taste of water....cool water....water." I handed him the bag with the water bottle and asked, "What's your name?" "John," he said. "I'm Lynn. Bless you." "Thanks."
Is it really this simple? Is this what Jesus means when he says, "whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple--truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward." We gave you a water bottle as you entered. Our worship team's intent was to make this passage real. We want you to give it away to one of God's vulnerable ones. As a worship team, we were trying to come up with a label, something to put on the bottle. Our church name and logo was suggested. Someone else said we could write "a gift from God to you." But Diana had the best idea, "Let's just put a blank label on them, and let people write their own message or drawing." I would like for you to do that. You make it up.
Someone on the team asked, "What if people go ahead and drink from the bottle in the worship service?" We thought that would be just fine. You may be the one today who is thirsty, who is parched. The words from Jesus in this passage are about receiving someone where they are, about welcoming them, about being hospitable. You may be thirsty today for attention and affection. For some here, this is the highlight of their week, when they see more people than than they see all the other days combined. Some here may be going through a divorce, or grieving the loss of a loved one, of dealing with an addiction. If you are parched, go ahead and drink from the bottle of water, but know that something even better awaits you here at this table. There is food and drink, body and blood of Christ. You will be met at the point of your greatest need with the depth of Christ's love.
Today is the 5th Sunday in a 6 week series on the Treasures of the Transformed Life. It is about service and witness today: offering a drink to others.
It means literally offering a drink, like to the guy on the corner with a sign. But as followers of Christ, we may be called to do more. The Austin American-Statesman has been running articles on the importance of water lately, especially in light of the drought we have been experiencing (thank God for the rain of this past week, even this morning). We have seen wells dry up, lake levels plummet, and little rain fall. The article today had the startling facts: 97% of the water on earth is salty, brine water, 2.5% is caught in ice, and just .5% is fresh water. I heard that someday soon we may look at watering our lawns as like we are throwing diamonds on the ground. How precious is water! What can we followers of Christ do...to provide a cup of cold water? We may need to xeriscape our lawns, put in aerators in our show heads, capture grey water and re-use it, and capture rainwater off our rooves. What will you do locally?
As Christians, we may need to act globally. Ginghamsburg UMC in Ohio has made an impact where water is concerned. Their pastor, Michael Slaughter, several years ago was moved by the plight of dying persons in the Darfur region of Sudan. He came up with a campaign that said, Christmas Is Not Your Birthday! He said, "I want you to give at least as much to help provide water for the people in Darfur as you spend on Christmas presents." Over the last few years, they have raised millions of dollars. They dug water wells, and built pipelines, taught about sanitation, and taught about hardy crops, and established schools. Oh, most of the people in this region were Muslims. The church didn't go over there and try to convert them. They went over there because they were dying of thirst. They were parched. It took 2-3 years before the people there began to ask, "Who are you? Why are you doing this for us?" It was then after trust had been built that they could say that they were Christians from Ohio. New villages grew up around the safe water stations. One of the larger ones the people named Ohio 2. The water was their witness that they cared.
What is Christ calling you to do, to be in service, to offer a drink to others. We know that this is a metaphor, that it is more than just water. We are called to meet God's vulnerable ones at their point of need. We do this in our work places, schools, neighborhoods, not just at church.
One way for us to realize this mission is to participate in ReThink Church day. Get our your smart phones and dayplanners. For the third year, we will call off morning worship and go out into the world for service. This year on April 22, which just happens to be Earth Day...how appropriate for this water imagery. We will do those service projects like pass out water bottles on the hike and bike trail, sing in a nursing home, help take care of pets at the animal shelter, etc. What will you and your group do?
Here's how you find out what you are to do? Frederick Buechner is one of my favorite theologians and authors. Folks kept asking him about what their vocation should be, what their purpose in life was. He came up with this pithy phrase: your calling is where your greatest passion meets the world's greatest need.
If you give even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones, you will not miss your reward. It will be more than a good feeling, more than making difference....your reward will be that you get to meet Jesus. That's the good news I have to share.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
connections
2/2/12 I have just gotten back from a meeting in San Antonio. It was my last time to lead a group known as the Elders Advisory Board. They have helped me over the last 4 years to keep some 500 pastors in South Texas pulling together. As we looked back over our time together, the word that kept coming up was connection. We are bound together in community. We United Methodists are a connectional church. We are not like some denominations where each local church is free-standing. We believe that we are better together than apart. I give thanks for the 18 folks who have worked with me over the last 4 years. I give thanks that I am a pastor connected to other pastors doing the same holy work. I give thanks we can all be connected to God through Jesus Christ.
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
sin
2/1/12 Reading in Weavings magazine while sitting in the sun with my shirt off a few minutes ago (I try to fight the winter blues with a little dose of vitamin D from natural sunlight), I found a couple of quotes on sin that really resonnated with me: Sin is not a law; it is the violation of a law. Sin is not the rule; it is the exception. Jesus was never expecting to find sin in human heart; he was always looking for something good.
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)