6/28/12 My breath prayer for the day comes from II Cor. 8:7, "Now as you excel in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you--so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking." Excel is known as a spreadsheet software for computers. Something much more important than rows and columns of numbers is going on in this scripture. Paul is inviting the Corinthian church (and us) in becoming generous. Our ability to trust God and to let go of material things is a good indicator of Christian excellence.
Love,
Lynn
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
no fear
6/27/12 My breath prayer today is very short. They are the words that Jesus says to a leader of a synagogue who comes to Jesus because his daughter is at the point of death. All looks lost. In Mark 5:36, Jesus says to him (and to us), "Do not fear, only believe."
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
wait/hope
6/26/12 My breath prayer for the day comes from Psalm 130:5, "I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope." I like language. I have some passing knowledge of 5 languages--English, German, Greek, Hebrew, and Spanish. In Spanish, the word for "hope" is also the word for "wait." "Espero" is that word. I like how the Hebrew text of Psalm 130 also closely links waiting and hoping. Perhaps they are the same. I hope so. I wait to find out.
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Monday, June 25, 2012
bringing others to healing
from my message on 6/24/12, from Mark 2:1-12
Bringing others to healing: that's the title I decided on for this message. I went online to see what other preachers had entitled their sermons. Here are some of them: Paralytic on a platter, Digging down to a healthy understanding, Raising the Roof, Lame excuse, and Twice Healed.
Bringing others to healing places the focus on the actions of the 4 persons who help the paralyzed person. This message is the second in a series of 3 on Healing, or understanding Jesus as our Great Physician. You can help me in this message by imagining yourself as one of the 4 who carry the paralytic. You can also help me by engaging in a response. Several times I will say the lead in line, "And they said," and your response is "Oh, my aching arms!" Let's practice it once now.
So in this scene, Jesus is at home. That has a comfy feel to it...rest and quiet and doing crossword puzzles, watching TV and eating popcorn...But NO! There are crowds surrounding Jesus. I can hear the buzz, "Jesus is back in Capernahum....did you here Jesus is at home....Remember how Jesus healed all of those people last time....Let's go see Jesus." Word of mouth is still the most effective form of evangelism. Gospel and Gossip come from the same root word. There can be a kind of holy buzz that invites others to Jesus. Jesus is speaking the word to them. Crowds have gathered around Jesus. The 4 who are carrying the paralytic see the crowds, "and they said," "Oh, my aching arms!" I wonder church if we are ever the crowd. I wonder if we keep people from getting near Jesus. We got our Jesus.....tough for you. No room in the inn.
The 4 carrying the paralytic are talking among themselves. Listen in. One of them says, "There are some stairs here that go up to the roof. We could climb them, cut a hole through the roof, and lower the paralytic down." "And they said," "Oh, my aching arms!"
But they did this. They removed a section of the roof. Now this was not a Habitat for Humanity house. They didn't do through asphalt shingles and plywood decking. They didn't go through metal roofing held down by self-tapping screws. It was more like our adobe. Probably the roof was reeds and weeds and brush covered by mud that dried in the sun. Imagine the homeowner as clumps of roof fell on your head. "Thanks a lot for the new skylight!"
The 4 lower the paralytic down in front of Jesus. "And they said," "Oh, my aching arms!" They lower him down on a pallet. Do you remember going to your grandmother's house? There were not enough beds for all of the grandchildren. You slept on a couple of quilts that had been laid on the floor. That's like this pallet. Some version of this story is told in all 4 Gospels. Only Mark has this particular word for pallet. It is the word for the cheapest version of bed used by the poorest of persons. One would sleep on it at night, and during the day roll up one's few belongings in it to carry as a pack by day.
Jesus sees their faith. The paralytic's faith? Maybe, but at least some of those who carried him, their faith. We bring people to Jesus, carried on the arms of our faith. There is a book I read by Harold Koenig called The Healing Power of Faith, that talks about studies done on the power of praying for others. There have been studies done at Duke University, with double blind protocols, control groups, and other research standards. People who were prayed for, even if they didn't know it, even if the pray-ers didn't know the person, got better faster than those who didn't get prayed for. Our faith makes a difference. I heard the story of a pastor visiting a man in the hospital. "May I pray with you?" the pastor asks. I always ask permission too. The man responds, "Oh, I don't believe in all of that stuff." "Well, I have faith enough for both of us," the pastor replies. With the man's permission, he prays with him. We bring people to healing through our prayers. This is one of the most powerful ministries we have: bringing people into the presence of Jesus.
And Jesus says to the paralytic, "Child" or "Son." The Greek word is a term of endearment, but it is also used for a young child. We don't know how old the paralytic was. He could have been a child. Is there anything harder to bear? To see a sick child? Have you been to the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit? It breaks your heart.
Jesus says to the paralytic, "Your sins are forgiven." The 4 who had carried the paralytic, when they heard Jesus pronounce forgiveness, "and they said," "Oh, my aching arms!" What was Jesus supposed to say? "Rise, take up your pallet and walk." Jesus goes off script and pronounces forgiveness. I can hear the 4 carriers saying, "This is just great. His sins are forgiven, but he is still paralyzed. We get to carrying him back home." "And they said," "Oh, My aching arms!"
Listen carefully. Is there a relationship between sin and sickness? Absolutely! But sometimes in Old Testament thought and even today, sickness meant that somebody had sinned. Remember in John's Gospel in a similiar healing story, that question is raised, "Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?" Jesus says, neither. You miss the point. God's works might be shown in him through blindness and healing. There are 12 healing stories in Mark. Not once is sickness linked to sin. Sometimes sin will lead to sickness. There can be a cause and effect relationship. But not every sickness is caused by sin. Here Jesus forgives the sin first in the paralytic person because that may have been the biggest need for healing first. The person may have been cut off, separated from God through guilt and lack of forgiveness. Jesus addresses that first. It is possible to be physically healed and not forgiven. It is possible to be forgiven and not physically healed. I believe that Jesus wants complete wellness for us...in our bodies, minds, spirits, memories, and relationships. Jesus wants for us wholeness and holiness. Sometimes that complete healing is not possible.
Here Jesus gets into trouble with the religious leaders by offering forgiveness. They charge him with blasphemy. Only God can forgive sins. I wonder church if we are ever in that role of being judgmental and narrow leaders. We try to limit what God can do or who can be forgiven. Jesus has the authority to forgive sins and proves it by doing the easier thing of calling the paralytic to rise up and walk home.
Sometimes, we may the paralytic. We may need to be carried. We may need to accept help. That may be who you are today. But I hope you can see yourself as one of the 4 who carried the paralytic to Jesus. They were persistent. Everytime they met an obstacle, "and they said," "oh, my aching arms!", they did not give up. They were creative and patient. They kept bring the paralytic to Jesus. What are their names? We don't know. It could be you and me. I hope so. What is their gender? I looked it up in the Greek. It is simply the number 4. It could be male or female, of any age. It could be you and me. I hope it is. May we be those who are bringing others to healing. That's the good news I have to share.
Bringing others to healing: that's the title I decided on for this message. I went online to see what other preachers had entitled their sermons. Here are some of them: Paralytic on a platter, Digging down to a healthy understanding, Raising the Roof, Lame excuse, and Twice Healed.
Bringing others to healing places the focus on the actions of the 4 persons who help the paralyzed person. This message is the second in a series of 3 on Healing, or understanding Jesus as our Great Physician. You can help me in this message by imagining yourself as one of the 4 who carry the paralytic. You can also help me by engaging in a response. Several times I will say the lead in line, "And they said," and your response is "Oh, my aching arms!" Let's practice it once now.
So in this scene, Jesus is at home. That has a comfy feel to it...rest and quiet and doing crossword puzzles, watching TV and eating popcorn...But NO! There are crowds surrounding Jesus. I can hear the buzz, "Jesus is back in Capernahum....did you here Jesus is at home....Remember how Jesus healed all of those people last time....Let's go see Jesus." Word of mouth is still the most effective form of evangelism. Gospel and Gossip come from the same root word. There can be a kind of holy buzz that invites others to Jesus. Jesus is speaking the word to them. Crowds have gathered around Jesus. The 4 who are carrying the paralytic see the crowds, "and they said," "Oh, my aching arms!" I wonder church if we are ever the crowd. I wonder if we keep people from getting near Jesus. We got our Jesus.....tough for you. No room in the inn.
The 4 carrying the paralytic are talking among themselves. Listen in. One of them says, "There are some stairs here that go up to the roof. We could climb them, cut a hole through the roof, and lower the paralytic down." "And they said," "Oh, my aching arms!"
But they did this. They removed a section of the roof. Now this was not a Habitat for Humanity house. They didn't do through asphalt shingles and plywood decking. They didn't go through metal roofing held down by self-tapping screws. It was more like our adobe. Probably the roof was reeds and weeds and brush covered by mud that dried in the sun. Imagine the homeowner as clumps of roof fell on your head. "Thanks a lot for the new skylight!"
The 4 lower the paralytic down in front of Jesus. "And they said," "Oh, my aching arms!" They lower him down on a pallet. Do you remember going to your grandmother's house? There were not enough beds for all of the grandchildren. You slept on a couple of quilts that had been laid on the floor. That's like this pallet. Some version of this story is told in all 4 Gospels. Only Mark has this particular word for pallet. It is the word for the cheapest version of bed used by the poorest of persons. One would sleep on it at night, and during the day roll up one's few belongings in it to carry as a pack by day.
Jesus sees their faith. The paralytic's faith? Maybe, but at least some of those who carried him, their faith. We bring people to Jesus, carried on the arms of our faith. There is a book I read by Harold Koenig called The Healing Power of Faith, that talks about studies done on the power of praying for others. There have been studies done at Duke University, with double blind protocols, control groups, and other research standards. People who were prayed for, even if they didn't know it, even if the pray-ers didn't know the person, got better faster than those who didn't get prayed for. Our faith makes a difference. I heard the story of a pastor visiting a man in the hospital. "May I pray with you?" the pastor asks. I always ask permission too. The man responds, "Oh, I don't believe in all of that stuff." "Well, I have faith enough for both of us," the pastor replies. With the man's permission, he prays with him. We bring people to healing through our prayers. This is one of the most powerful ministries we have: bringing people into the presence of Jesus.
And Jesus says to the paralytic, "Child" or "Son." The Greek word is a term of endearment, but it is also used for a young child. We don't know how old the paralytic was. He could have been a child. Is there anything harder to bear? To see a sick child? Have you been to the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit? It breaks your heart.
Jesus says to the paralytic, "Your sins are forgiven." The 4 who had carried the paralytic, when they heard Jesus pronounce forgiveness, "and they said," "Oh, my aching arms!" What was Jesus supposed to say? "Rise, take up your pallet and walk." Jesus goes off script and pronounces forgiveness. I can hear the 4 carriers saying, "This is just great. His sins are forgiven, but he is still paralyzed. We get to carrying him back home." "And they said," "Oh, My aching arms!"
Listen carefully. Is there a relationship between sin and sickness? Absolutely! But sometimes in Old Testament thought and even today, sickness meant that somebody had sinned. Remember in John's Gospel in a similiar healing story, that question is raised, "Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?" Jesus says, neither. You miss the point. God's works might be shown in him through blindness and healing. There are 12 healing stories in Mark. Not once is sickness linked to sin. Sometimes sin will lead to sickness. There can be a cause and effect relationship. But not every sickness is caused by sin. Here Jesus forgives the sin first in the paralytic person because that may have been the biggest need for healing first. The person may have been cut off, separated from God through guilt and lack of forgiveness. Jesus addresses that first. It is possible to be physically healed and not forgiven. It is possible to be forgiven and not physically healed. I believe that Jesus wants complete wellness for us...in our bodies, minds, spirits, memories, and relationships. Jesus wants for us wholeness and holiness. Sometimes that complete healing is not possible.
Here Jesus gets into trouble with the religious leaders by offering forgiveness. They charge him with blasphemy. Only God can forgive sins. I wonder church if we are ever in that role of being judgmental and narrow leaders. We try to limit what God can do or who can be forgiven. Jesus has the authority to forgive sins and proves it by doing the easier thing of calling the paralytic to rise up and walk home.
Sometimes, we may the paralytic. We may need to be carried. We may need to accept help. That may be who you are today. But I hope you can see yourself as one of the 4 who carried the paralytic to Jesus. They were persistent. Everytime they met an obstacle, "and they said," "oh, my aching arms!", they did not give up. They were creative and patient. They kept bring the paralytic to Jesus. What are their names? We don't know. It could be you and me. I hope so. What is their gender? I looked it up in the Greek. It is simply the number 4. It could be male or female, of any age. It could be you and me. I hope it is. May we be those who are bringing others to healing. That's the good news I have to share.
Monday, June 18, 2012
healing with authority
from my message on 6/17/12 from Mark 1:21-34
Great!...this is just great! I start a 3 week series on healing, and the first incident is with a man who has an unclean spirit. That kind of language really goes over well in this sophisticated, educated crowd. I look at you, and I think of all the initials that are posted after your names. We have M.D., Ph.D., P.E. and that doesn't stand for physical education. That means Professional Engineer. We have physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, physical therapists, pharmacists,....and that's just the letter P. We have every medical discipline covered. I know we do, because several months ago when Jo had a fainting spell here in worship, there were 20 doctors within 20 feet of her who had her diagnosed in under 20 seconds. It's also just peacy keen, that it happens to be Father's Day, and it happens to be a man in the text who has an unclean spirit. How prejudicial!
But it seems important to Mark to begin his Gospel this way. He records Jesus first public appearance with the healing of a man with an unclean spirit. Jesus's debut happens like this: He is in Capernahum. This is no hick town. This is a good size town, much bigger than Nazereth, on the northern shore of the sea of Galilee. Jesus is in the synagogue on the sabbath to worship. There were no professional clergy, so anyone might be asked to bring the message. Jesus is asked to comment. He teaches with authority. That probably means that he did not quote other scholars. He himself was the voice of authority. The people are amazed.
Suddenly, there is an interruption. Don't you just love it when that happens in worship? A crying baby....feedback from the sound system. No, this is a major league interruption....a crazy man who has an episode. Many Saturday evenings from 5 to 7 p.m. I am listening to the Prairie Home Companion on National Public Radio, as Garrison Keillor tells stories of his fictional hometown, Lake Woebegone. I love the story where he relates what happened when the crazy lady wandered into the worship service at the Lutheran Church. All of the children and youth delighted in seeing their elders' faith tested. How would they handle this wild card?
Today, we would look at this incident in the synagogue and say, "How quaint. The ancients obviously didn't have language for mental illness, and so they ascribed the behavior to an unclean spirit." We don't use language like "unclean spirit". We certainly are uncomfortable with language like "demon possession." But stick with me for a just a moment here. It seems the man was an accepted part of the community, a regular in worship. No one had any indication of what was going on in him. It was only in the presence of Jesus, the Holy One of God, that the man acted out. It comes as an indictment to me, and to what we might do in worship. Maybe we don't convey the Holy enough so that the unholy is revealed. OUCH! It was only when the unclean spirit was confronted by holiness that the man acted out.
What are to make of "unclean spirit" and "demon possession"? I am here to tell you that what I know of evil is this: evil won't come dressed up in neon red signs that say "danger, warning, stay away, be careful." No evil will be dressed up in that which looks most like the good. We let evil in because we think it is good. We settle for what is good instead of what is godly. Our lives become crowded, unclean, possessed.
I will mention 3 possibilities. Number one on my list is money and possessions. These are not bad in and of themselves. But when they become the center of our lives we can lose our souls. We can become possessed by our possessions. We cry out, The more you own, the more you groan. We can spend so much time and energy in worrying about how much we have, how to take care of it, will it last, will the government take it, etc. Number two on my list is success and achievement. Again nothing wrong in going for the best unless it becomes the sole object of living. I watch Glee on tv. Yes, I am a Gleek. This past year, there was an episode where one of the Asian characters in high school made an A minus on a test. In his language, that A minus was called an Asian F. His parents pounded on him for his failure. Around here, it is not just academics, but sports, and all kinds of competitions. There are silent cries for help as youth engage in chemical dependency, succumb to depression, and even take their own lives. Number three on my list is simply loneliness or emptiness. We try to fill up on something. In Disicple Bible I was teaching at another church, there was a group member who was a psychologist. I remember saying that I thought our identity could only be found in true Christian community. We do not know who we are except in relationship to others and Christ. He said, "that makes a lot of sense to me. I have people with multiple personality disorder. They have no outside relationships, so they create their own universe from their minds."
I am not hearing any shrieks, anyone crying out. I wonder how close to holiness my brief comments were. Can you see how we might easily slip into having an unclean spirit or becoming possessed?
When Jesus teaches in the synagogue, the man feels threatened. He cries out, "What have you to do with us?" Notice the plural pronoun. The man feels crowded. He further shouts his fear, "Have you come to destroy us?" When Jesus confronts what is unclean in us, it will at first feel like a threat. Let me illustrate; How many of you look forward to going into surgery? Or, please, I can't wait to get that next chemo treatment. Or, oh goody, I have to go to counseling. Or, I get to go see the preacher, and confess my sins. No, we resist all of this. We are threatened by it. But the surgery may remove the tumor, or the chemo kill the cancer cells, or the counsling get to the root causes of behavior, or confession remove the guilt and shame. Jesus confronts the unclean to make clean.
He does so with authority. In the Greek text, he uses just 2 words. First, he says, "Silence," or "Hush," or "Quiet." Sceond, he says, "Leave," or "Exit." He does not reference anything or anyone else. He speaks, and it happens. His word is power. He has authority to heal. Jesus comes not to destroy, but to heal, to set free. He wants to restore all to wholeness, holiness. He is revealed first in Mark's Gospel as the Great Physician, who has authority over unclean spirits, and then in the next scene over all diseases.
That's how the first day ends. Jesus heals Peter's mother-in-law not with a word, but with a touch. Not from an unclean spirit, but from a fever. As proof of her healing, she immediately rises up and serves them supper. The people bring to him all those with ailments. The phrase "those who were sick" is literally "all those in a bad way."
Please get this message: the God revealed in Jesus is One who wants us to be well in bodies, minds, spirits, memories, and relationships. This God is not capricious, inflicting illnesses upon people to test them. This God does not punish by bringing illness. Now we can engage in some behaviors where there is a cause and effect, and we can bring harm upon ourselves. But Jesus is the Great Physician and wants only our wholeness.
I take nothing away from all of you in the healing professions. I bless you. I see you as instruments of healing in the hands of the Great Physician. The best statement I have heard came from the chief of surgery here at St. David's many years ago. It was at a workship where we clergy were learning how we could better be part of the healing team. This imminent surgeon said, "We don't heal anybody. We just try to stack the odds in their favor." You know this to be true. There will be a person who has a great prognosis who suddenly dies. There will be another one who has no chance of living who thrives. We deal with a great mystery when it comes to life and death.
But know this: Mark reveals Jesus as great, as one who has authority over all kinds of healing, as the Great Physician. That is the good news I have to share today.
Great!...this is just great! I start a 3 week series on healing, and the first incident is with a man who has an unclean spirit. That kind of language really goes over well in this sophisticated, educated crowd. I look at you, and I think of all the initials that are posted after your names. We have M.D., Ph.D., P.E. and that doesn't stand for physical education. That means Professional Engineer. We have physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, physical therapists, pharmacists,....and that's just the letter P. We have every medical discipline covered. I know we do, because several months ago when Jo had a fainting spell here in worship, there were 20 doctors within 20 feet of her who had her diagnosed in under 20 seconds. It's also just peacy keen, that it happens to be Father's Day, and it happens to be a man in the text who has an unclean spirit. How prejudicial!
But it seems important to Mark to begin his Gospel this way. He records Jesus first public appearance with the healing of a man with an unclean spirit. Jesus's debut happens like this: He is in Capernahum. This is no hick town. This is a good size town, much bigger than Nazereth, on the northern shore of the sea of Galilee. Jesus is in the synagogue on the sabbath to worship. There were no professional clergy, so anyone might be asked to bring the message. Jesus is asked to comment. He teaches with authority. That probably means that he did not quote other scholars. He himself was the voice of authority. The people are amazed.
Suddenly, there is an interruption. Don't you just love it when that happens in worship? A crying baby....feedback from the sound system. No, this is a major league interruption....a crazy man who has an episode. Many Saturday evenings from 5 to 7 p.m. I am listening to the Prairie Home Companion on National Public Radio, as Garrison Keillor tells stories of his fictional hometown, Lake Woebegone. I love the story where he relates what happened when the crazy lady wandered into the worship service at the Lutheran Church. All of the children and youth delighted in seeing their elders' faith tested. How would they handle this wild card?
Today, we would look at this incident in the synagogue and say, "How quaint. The ancients obviously didn't have language for mental illness, and so they ascribed the behavior to an unclean spirit." We don't use language like "unclean spirit". We certainly are uncomfortable with language like "demon possession." But stick with me for a just a moment here. It seems the man was an accepted part of the community, a regular in worship. No one had any indication of what was going on in him. It was only in the presence of Jesus, the Holy One of God, that the man acted out. It comes as an indictment to me, and to what we might do in worship. Maybe we don't convey the Holy enough so that the unholy is revealed. OUCH! It was only when the unclean spirit was confronted by holiness that the man acted out.
What are to make of "unclean spirit" and "demon possession"? I am here to tell you that what I know of evil is this: evil won't come dressed up in neon red signs that say "danger, warning, stay away, be careful." No evil will be dressed up in that which looks most like the good. We let evil in because we think it is good. We settle for what is good instead of what is godly. Our lives become crowded, unclean, possessed.
I will mention 3 possibilities. Number one on my list is money and possessions. These are not bad in and of themselves. But when they become the center of our lives we can lose our souls. We can become possessed by our possessions. We cry out, The more you own, the more you groan. We can spend so much time and energy in worrying about how much we have, how to take care of it, will it last, will the government take it, etc. Number two on my list is success and achievement. Again nothing wrong in going for the best unless it becomes the sole object of living. I watch Glee on tv. Yes, I am a Gleek. This past year, there was an episode where one of the Asian characters in high school made an A minus on a test. In his language, that A minus was called an Asian F. His parents pounded on him for his failure. Around here, it is not just academics, but sports, and all kinds of competitions. There are silent cries for help as youth engage in chemical dependency, succumb to depression, and even take their own lives. Number three on my list is simply loneliness or emptiness. We try to fill up on something. In Disicple Bible I was teaching at another church, there was a group member who was a psychologist. I remember saying that I thought our identity could only be found in true Christian community. We do not know who we are except in relationship to others and Christ. He said, "that makes a lot of sense to me. I have people with multiple personality disorder. They have no outside relationships, so they create their own universe from their minds."
I am not hearing any shrieks, anyone crying out. I wonder how close to holiness my brief comments were. Can you see how we might easily slip into having an unclean spirit or becoming possessed?
When Jesus teaches in the synagogue, the man feels threatened. He cries out, "What have you to do with us?" Notice the plural pronoun. The man feels crowded. He further shouts his fear, "Have you come to destroy us?" When Jesus confronts what is unclean in us, it will at first feel like a threat. Let me illustrate; How many of you look forward to going into surgery? Or, please, I can't wait to get that next chemo treatment. Or, oh goody, I have to go to counseling. Or, I get to go see the preacher, and confess my sins. No, we resist all of this. We are threatened by it. But the surgery may remove the tumor, or the chemo kill the cancer cells, or the counsling get to the root causes of behavior, or confession remove the guilt and shame. Jesus confronts the unclean to make clean.
He does so with authority. In the Greek text, he uses just 2 words. First, he says, "Silence," or "Hush," or "Quiet." Sceond, he says, "Leave," or "Exit." He does not reference anything or anyone else. He speaks, and it happens. His word is power. He has authority to heal. Jesus comes not to destroy, but to heal, to set free. He wants to restore all to wholeness, holiness. He is revealed first in Mark's Gospel as the Great Physician, who has authority over unclean spirits, and then in the next scene over all diseases.
That's how the first day ends. Jesus heals Peter's mother-in-law not with a word, but with a touch. Not from an unclean spirit, but from a fever. As proof of her healing, she immediately rises up and serves them supper. The people bring to him all those with ailments. The phrase "those who were sick" is literally "all those in a bad way."
Please get this message: the God revealed in Jesus is One who wants us to be well in bodies, minds, spirits, memories, and relationships. This God is not capricious, inflicting illnesses upon people to test them. This God does not punish by bringing illness. Now we can engage in some behaviors where there is a cause and effect, and we can bring harm upon ourselves. But Jesus is the Great Physician and wants only our wholeness.
I take nothing away from all of you in the healing professions. I bless you. I see you as instruments of healing in the hands of the Great Physician. The best statement I have heard came from the chief of surgery here at St. David's many years ago. It was at a workship where we clergy were learning how we could better be part of the healing team. This imminent surgeon said, "We don't heal anybody. We just try to stack the odds in their favor." You know this to be true. There will be a person who has a great prognosis who suddenly dies. There will be another one who has no chance of living who thrives. We deal with a great mystery when it comes to life and death.
But know this: Mark reveals Jesus as great, as one who has authority over all kinds of healing, as the Great Physician. That is the good news I have to share today.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
boasting
6/13/12 My breath prayer today comes from Psalm 20:7, where the RSV has it, "Some may boast in chariots, and some in horses, but we boast in the name of the LORD our God." The NRSV translates the word "boast" as "take pride in". The Hebrew word has connotations of remembering. I like boasting. Upon what or whom do we boast? Wealth? Health? Security? Power? Military? Government? Political party? Theological position? Gender? Race? Sexual orientation? Neighborhood?
The psalmist says that all of these things can't hold a candle to boasting in the name of the LORD our God.
Love,
Lynn
The psalmist says that all of these things can't hold a candle to boasting in the name of the LORD our God.
Love,
Lynn
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
heart's desire
6/12/12 My breath prayer for the day comes from Psalm 20:4, "May he grant you your heart's desire, and fulfill all your plans." As I walked and prayed this morning, it came to me, that I am not sure I want all my heart's desires to be granted, primarily because I don't even know what my heart desires. Some of what I desire may also not be what God desires for me. Some may actually be totally against God's desires. I would like to rewrite the verse from the psalm to something like, "may you, Lord, fulfill your heart's desire in me."
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
letting go
6/5/12 I am learning to let go, to release control, to let others lead. Several weeks ago, my church staff indicated a desire to handle staff meetings differently. Since that time, they have taken turns leading our time together. I let go. I sat back and became another staff member, not the one in charge. The meetings have gone well. Fresh perspectives are being shared. It is ok to let go.
Driving to work yesterday morning, I got the phone call that one of our dear charter members died. It was also the start of our weeklong vacation Bible school. Furthermore, the Southwest Texas Annual Conference meeting runs Thursday through Sunday this week. I let go of my plans to deal with funeral plans. In talking with the family, we worked out that I will go to conference, come back to do the funeral, and return to conference. It's my last year as chair of the order of elders, and there a few public events where I have a small role. I also let go of my desire to do music at vacation Bible school. I have mentored some younger youth and adults in the past years. They can handle it this year.
Actually, life is going pretty well today as I am learning about letting go.
Love,
Lynn
Driving to work yesterday morning, I got the phone call that one of our dear charter members died. It was also the start of our weeklong vacation Bible school. Furthermore, the Southwest Texas Annual Conference meeting runs Thursday through Sunday this week. I let go of my plans to deal with funeral plans. In talking with the family, we worked out that I will go to conference, come back to do the funeral, and return to conference. It's my last year as chair of the order of elders, and there a few public events where I have a small role. I also let go of my desire to do music at vacation Bible school. I have mentored some younger youth and adults in the past years. They can handle it this year.
Actually, life is going pretty well today as I am learning about letting go.
Love,
Lynn
Monday, June 4, 2012
adopted
from my message on 6/3//12 from Romans 8:12-17
Adopted....there was a girl named Kay in my class in Littlefield, Texas, who was adopted. I don't know how I knew that she was adopted; I just knew it. Adoptions was something we didn't talke about much. It was hush-hush, sort of taboo. Maybe you had the same experience.
Today, it is so different. You can go on the internet, and there is wealth of information and communication about adoption. I went to the Methodist Mission Home website, our adoption services provider in San Antonio. You can find out about open adoptions where the birth parents and the adoptive parents are in relationship. There are infant domestice adoptions. There are international adoptions. There are mixed race adoptions and adoptions of children with special needs. There are older child adoptions; in fact, over 3,000 older children are awaiting adoption in the State of Texas. There is something called embryo adoption, where over 500,000 frozen embryoes are up for adoption. The Methodist Mission Home charges a flat fee of $30,600 for all medical and legal concerns. Their mission statement is: Giving God's Children a Faith, a Family, a Future.
So we come to the scripture passage today where Paul writes to the church at Rome that all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. We have received not a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but a spirit of adoption, allowing us to address God as Abba, Daddy. We have this kind of intimacy with God.
I read an article this past week that revealed something I never knew before about the Jewish rite of circumcision, where an eight day old baby boy was received into the family. The birth father could decide that the child was not worthy and so would not be circumcised, and so not become a part of the family. I thought is was a done deal, that a boy would be born, circumcised and known as a family member. This article said that it was not a biological act, but a theological act, where the father could receive the child or not. Circumcision then had some element of adoption about it.
The other context is that of the Roman empire. Adoption was common, especially among emperors who would choose someone to carry on their lineage. So Paul may have had these 2 things in mind as he writes. He is trying to say we are accepted by God into the family and that our identity in the family is sure.
Now I have given you a lot of good information about adoption, but how does it feel? What is that experience like? We have a mother in this congregation, Dianne, who was willing to share her story of adopting Natasha. I give thanks to our newest staff member, Jonathan, for putting together this 3 minute video of their story. This represents about 6 hours of work.
(video of Dianne talking about the lengthy, arduous, joyous process of adopting Natasha from Russia)
Wasn't that wonderful? Can you imagine someone coming to God and saying, Here's a child? Do you want her? And God says, Yes. Bonding takes time. Can you imagine God investing that kind of time in you? Adoption is intentional. Can you imagine God saying, I really want to do this.
Revel in this for just a moment. You are adopted. You are God's child, not by biology, but by God's choice. You are wanted.
Then, consider this: all of these other followers of Jesus are adopted too. Can you imagine how we would treat one another differently if we understood each other as chosen by God, adopted into the family? Look around at these wonderful, crazy people here. All adopted. Baptists. Adopted. Catholics. Adopted. Lutherans. Adopted. Church of Christ. Adopted.....We all cry out, Abba, Daddy.
The good news I have to share with you today is that you are adopted.
Adopted....there was a girl named Kay in my class in Littlefield, Texas, who was adopted. I don't know how I knew that she was adopted; I just knew it. Adoptions was something we didn't talke about much. It was hush-hush, sort of taboo. Maybe you had the same experience.
Today, it is so different. You can go on the internet, and there is wealth of information and communication about adoption. I went to the Methodist Mission Home website, our adoption services provider in San Antonio. You can find out about open adoptions where the birth parents and the adoptive parents are in relationship. There are infant domestice adoptions. There are international adoptions. There are mixed race adoptions and adoptions of children with special needs. There are older child adoptions; in fact, over 3,000 older children are awaiting adoption in the State of Texas. There is something called embryo adoption, where over 500,000 frozen embryoes are up for adoption. The Methodist Mission Home charges a flat fee of $30,600 for all medical and legal concerns. Their mission statement is: Giving God's Children a Faith, a Family, a Future.
So we come to the scripture passage today where Paul writes to the church at Rome that all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. We have received not a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but a spirit of adoption, allowing us to address God as Abba, Daddy. We have this kind of intimacy with God.
I read an article this past week that revealed something I never knew before about the Jewish rite of circumcision, where an eight day old baby boy was received into the family. The birth father could decide that the child was not worthy and so would not be circumcised, and so not become a part of the family. I thought is was a done deal, that a boy would be born, circumcised and known as a family member. This article said that it was not a biological act, but a theological act, where the father could receive the child or not. Circumcision then had some element of adoption about it.
The other context is that of the Roman empire. Adoption was common, especially among emperors who would choose someone to carry on their lineage. So Paul may have had these 2 things in mind as he writes. He is trying to say we are accepted by God into the family and that our identity in the family is sure.
Now I have given you a lot of good information about adoption, but how does it feel? What is that experience like? We have a mother in this congregation, Dianne, who was willing to share her story of adopting Natasha. I give thanks to our newest staff member, Jonathan, for putting together this 3 minute video of their story. This represents about 6 hours of work.
(video of Dianne talking about the lengthy, arduous, joyous process of adopting Natasha from Russia)
Wasn't that wonderful? Can you imagine someone coming to God and saying, Here's a child? Do you want her? And God says, Yes. Bonding takes time. Can you imagine God investing that kind of time in you? Adoption is intentional. Can you imagine God saying, I really want to do this.
Revel in this for just a moment. You are adopted. You are God's child, not by biology, but by God's choice. You are wanted.
Then, consider this: all of these other followers of Jesus are adopted too. Can you imagine how we would treat one another differently if we understood each other as chosen by God, adopted into the family? Look around at these wonderful, crazy people here. All adopted. Baptists. Adopted. Catholics. Adopted. Lutherans. Adopted. Church of Christ. Adopted.....We all cry out, Abba, Daddy.
The good news I have to share with you today is that you are adopted.
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