from my sermon on 9/23/12 from Luke 7:36-50
When I am invited out to eat, I usually go! It is not a big moral decision for me. I like to eat. I enjoy company. If someone is hosting, preparing the meal, and doing the dishes, I'm ususally there. People like me what I like to eat. I am an omnivore. I never met a food I didn't like.
Jesus like to eat as well. So when Simon invites him to his house, Jesus goes. This is not the only time that Jesus eats with Pharisees. In Luke's Gospel, 2 other times Jesus eats with Pharisees. In fact, in Luke, we find Jesus eating a lot. It seems he will eat with just about anybody. He eats with Levi a tax collector and Zaccheus a chief tax collector. He feeds a crowd of more than 5,000 with a few loaves and fishes. He eats with Mary and Martha in their home. Remember how one of them sat at Jesus' feet and the other was complaining at having to do all the work in preparing the meal. I call this story, "Gritching in the Kitchen." I can't say the other word I could use. Jesus has a Passover meal with his disciples...his followers who betray him, deny him, and desert him. Only in Luke do we find Jesus breaking bread with his disciples on Easter evening at Emmaus, revealing himself to them in resurrected form. Also in Luke Jesus proves that he has resurrected body by eating fish with his disciples. It seems Jesus will eat with just about anybody. In fact, he is accused of eating with tax collectors and sinners.
Then in Luke, Jesus tells lots of stories that involve eating. In the story of the prodigal son, this wayward one is welcomed back with a feast of the fatted calf. There is a story of a king who gives a marriage banquet that the guests refuse to attend. Jesus makes the point not to invite those who can invite you back, but to invite the poor, the maimed, the blind, the lame....the vulnerable ones. There is the story of the rich man who feasted sumptously every day and the poor man Lazarus at his gates whom he never recognized.
Why do we have so much eating in Luke? What's this got to do with the message for today? We are in the third week of this sermon series on the Jesus I Never Knew, talking today about Why Jesus Came, his Mission. I can sum up in mission in one image, a table, a table that welcomes everybody. In the book, The Jesus I Never Knew, the author cites how the Jewish faith considers every table to be a little Temple. It is a place of worship. Let me be clear: Jesus wants to welcome as many people as possible to the table. This is the table of acceptance, of love, of forgiveness.
This reminds me of what happened the second time I went to the Holy Land. It is a long plane ride. You arrive in Israel jet lagged, exhausted. They heard you through customs and passport control and onto your tour bus. Some 40 of us pilgrims...we are not tourists, but pilgrims. Our guide gets on the bus microphone while we are still in the parking lot of the airport. He says, "My name is David, and I am Jewish. This is our bus driver, Ishmael, and he is Muslim. I know all of you are Christians. This is what I have to say to you, 'Welcome home.'"
Now it may be written in the instruction manual for all tour guides in Israel to say these words at the beginning of the trip, "Welcome home," but they are still the right words to say. We starting driving toward Jerusalem, and stopped some 7 miles outside of town at the village of Emmaus. The sun was going down. A monastary on the hill above us rang its bells. David had us gathered on a grassy area. He said, "I want to welcome you in the way that people have been welcomed here for millenia." He took a piece of flat bread (I do this too). He broke it and passed it among us.
I want to say to you today, Welcome home. Take a piece of this flatbread and eat, if you want to. I went to some effort to find some that was wheat and gluten free. It is just a piece of bread. It is like a small echo of the sacrament of communion. It is like a small foretaste of the kingdom of God.
Do you know what it is like to feel welcomed, accepted, forgiven? I went to Boston College to do some study in spiritual direction. Boston College is a Jesuit Catholic university. We had the orienation session on a Sunday night. They talked about the class schedule. They talked about there being chapel every day, including communion every Monday-Wednesday-Friday. After the presenation, I approached the priest who was in charge of the chapel. I said, "I know that you have restrictions on who can take communion. Listen, I am a United Methodist and I....." He said, "Hold on. You are welcome here." The next day at noon, attended chapel. The priest gave the invitation to receive. I went forward. I held my hands up. The priest put a little piece of bread into my hands, and said, "The body of Christ for you." I went to the chalice. Do you know they use real wine? Not like the grape juice we do. It had a zing to it. "The blood of Christ for you." I wept. I was included.
I am so glad that in our United Methodist tradition that we practice an open table, taht all are welcome. You here me say month after month, "If you are willing to receive whatever Christ has at this table, then you are welcome here."
I cannot think of a better image for Jesus' mission than a table where all are welcome. I tried to make his mission about the Great Commission from Matthew 28, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching them all that I have commanded you." I tried to make his mission about the mirlacles and healings that illustrated his power. I tried to make his mission about his teachings. But nothing captures so succinctly and so well his mission as a table of forgiveness and love for all. He doesn't just speak it; he models it.
And so Jesus eats with Simon. He wants to eat with the woman who washes and anoints his feet. It is funny how the woman shows more hospitality to Jesus than the host Simon does. The woman already gets it: she is loved and accepted.
Jesus has a question for Simon and for us: Do you see this woman? Ouch! We all have blind spots, people we would rather not see, not invite to the table. The main thing I hate about preaching is that the first person I preach to is me. So there he was on the corner of N. Lamar and 5th street with his sign that said, "Native American. Need Food. Anything Helps." And I kept both hands on the steering wheel and stared straight ahead. I stayed in my insulated bubble of the car. When I got home that evening, I went to HEB, and I bought the gallon storage bags, granola bars, water bottles, etc. to make bags of grace so that I wouldn't be caught again without something to give. Remember how I have instructed you to engage the folks on the street by asking them their name so that we can make this a personal transaction and not a business one. Do you see this man? Do you see this woman?
We know that direct aid is good, but that it is not enough. I appreciate Alan Graham of Mobile Loaves & Fishes so much. Yes, there is direct aid as those canteen trucks make their runs to feed the homeless on the streets of Austin. But Alan says, it is more to do with dignity. That's what he wants. That's what the homeless want....dignity. Alan sees the men and women. He knows their names. He has a vision of providing dignity. He took me to a new store off S. 1st St. and Ben White. There people are learning trades. They take furniture that homes have thrown away. Imagine 3 chairs with the bottoms torn out. They place a 2 x 12 across the 3 chairs and make a bench. They sand it and stain it and sell it for $80. Imagine a man renting one of those bicycle ice cream carts. For 8 hours of work during a festival downtown, he can clear a few hundred dollars. Alan took me to East Austin where they have 27 acres of land. He wants to build a village for the homeless. There is a teepee. Can you imagine living in a teepee for $200 a month. If I were a kid, I would think that would be so cool. They have taken travel trailers and rehabbed them and rent them for $300, or $400 a month of whatever the person can afford. The vision is of a community that works together, taking care of gardens, doing the trash pick-up, handling security, going to 12 step groups together. Do you see this man? Do you see this woman? All are welcome.
All are welcome. Last night Cathy and I went to the Pride Parade. I cannot tell you how uncomfortable I am still after all these years. I grew up in the Panhandle of Texas where we didn't say the words, gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgenderer. We didn't think such things existed. I don't mean to make you uncomfortable either. I found last night that all were welcome. It was the 21 st year to have this parade. Twent-one years ago there were 2 Methodist pastors brave enough to walk. Last night there were some 8 Methodist congregations and over 200 Methodists walking. As we walked, people in the parade and along the sides were shouting "Woooo, wooo." I was not a "wooooer." I was walking for my brother David and for all those who may have felt like they had not been welcomed by the Church. This table is one of welcome, acceptance, love.
When I did my work for my doctorate here at Austin Seminary, I had a guy in one of my classes who was the pastor of the Metropolitan Community Chruch in Dallas. The MCC is radically welcoming, especially of the gay community. He said, "We have communion every week in our congregaion. We lay on hands for healing every week. People often tell me that this is the only touch that they get every week." I cannot think of a better image for Jesus' mission that the table that welcomes all.
Let's sing it, "Be present at our table Lord, be here and everywhere adored, Thy creatures bless and grant that we, may feast in fellowship with thee. Amen."
Monday, September 24, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
the Jesus I never knew, why he came: Message
from my message on 9/16/12 from Luke 6:20-31
Grace. I wanted to condense Jesus' message down to just one word, and I wanted that word to be "grace." That's a good word....God's love for us.....unmerited....undeserved...nothing we can do to earn it. Grace is a good word for us United Methodists. We tend not to emphasize judgment so much as we do grace. If you were to put Jesus's message to us in just one word, you couldn't do much better than grace.
Today, we are in the second week of 4 week sermon series on the Jesus I never knew. Today it is about why he came and his message.
Although grace is a good summary for Jesus' message, I couldn't stop there. See, I read the commentaries. I study. I reflect. Another good word for Jesus' message that came through that process and especially through this scripture we had read is "reversal." Jesus blesses the most unlikely ones: poor, empty, weeping, the hated. Jesus says woe to the rich, full, laughing, well-liked. Jesus turns things upside down. It has been like that from the beginning of Luke's gospel, as we read the birth stories of Jesus and John the Baptist. Jesus is coming to take the powerful and mighty down. He is coming to raise the weak and vulnerable up. Reversal is a good word for Jesus' message.
I found another good word that captures Jesus' message. It is especially pointed at men. I don't mean to exclude women in this word, but sometimes I need to make things clear for those of the male gender. The word for Jesus' message is challenge. The passage that we had read has plenty of challenge in it: loving enemies, turning the other cheek, doing unto others, etc. Men like a challenge. I found the example in a book written by Ernest Shakleton in 1909, who recounted how he recruited men for his Anarctic exploration. He put an ad in the London Times newspaper that said the following: "Men wanted for hazardous darkness and constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success." Hundreds of men applied! We guys like something that challenges us, pushes the boundaries. Certainly Jesus' message does this.
There were some one word summaries that didn't cut it. Law is one of those. Jesus is not trying to impose some new rules on us. "Ought" and "should" and "must" don't work for Jesus' message.
Another one that does cut it is masochism. Jesus is not trying to get us to enjoy pain and suffering. Jesus' message is not about masochism.
Another one word summary that doesn't work is politics. I got a little playful at this point. I imagined Jesus gathering the 12 disciples together, his closest advisors, his cabinet if you will. They were having a stategy session. I can imagine them saying to Jesus, "You might want to tone down your message. All of this woe to the rich, full, laughing, and well-liked is not going over that well. It is not reaching our target demographic."
Jesus' message is not to be popular but to gain disciples. We don't always like what Jesus has to say. In fact we like Luke's version less than Matthew's version. I know you were expecting those 9 Beattitudes from Matthew's Gospel, from the Sermon on the Mount in chapter 5. But here Jesus is on the plain. Jesus comes down to join us where we are. He is down to earth. I know you were expecting to hear "Blessed are the poor in spirit, " but here we have simply blessed are the poor. Jesus practices real world values according to Luke. There is no spin. Jesus does not practice politics.
I was trying to find just one word that captured Jesus' message. It finally came to me Friday night, while Cathy and I were watching TV. I know that we are the only ones who do this, but we record a lot of the programs that we like, and then when we have time on Friday and Saturday, we go through them, cutting out the commercials. It really doesn't matter what show it was, but the 2 main characters are in a hospital room. They are both CIA operatives. One of them, Annie, has been shot and is in a coma. The other is Augie and he is holding her hand. Augie says, "Annie....I need you now...and I never need anybody."
That's the one word that gets at Jesus' message: need....or needy. When you are poor, empty, weeping, hated, you are needy. The families that stayed with us this week through Interfaith Hospitality Network, who are homless, they get it. When we are vulnerable, we need others, we need a savior. We who are rich, full, laughing, well-liked.....it is hard for us to see that we need others and a savior. The danger is in trusting in our competence, safety, wealth, and security.
The passage from Luke has all of the pronouns and verb tenses in the plural. "Y'all " is found throughout. We need one another. We don't do this Christian walk alone.
Let's be honest, who can live this kingdom calling without a community of faith and a savior. Can you love your enemies? Can you turn the other cheek? Can you bless those who curse you? Can you give to everyone who begs? Can you do unto others as you would have them do unto you? I can't. Not by myself. I need a community of faith. I need a savior.
Need is a good one word summary for Jesus' message. And that comes very close to the word grace. That's the good news I have to share today.
Grace. I wanted to condense Jesus' message down to just one word, and I wanted that word to be "grace." That's a good word....God's love for us.....unmerited....undeserved...nothing we can do to earn it. Grace is a good word for us United Methodists. We tend not to emphasize judgment so much as we do grace. If you were to put Jesus's message to us in just one word, you couldn't do much better than grace.
Today, we are in the second week of 4 week sermon series on the Jesus I never knew. Today it is about why he came and his message.
Although grace is a good summary for Jesus' message, I couldn't stop there. See, I read the commentaries. I study. I reflect. Another good word for Jesus' message that came through that process and especially through this scripture we had read is "reversal." Jesus blesses the most unlikely ones: poor, empty, weeping, the hated. Jesus says woe to the rich, full, laughing, well-liked. Jesus turns things upside down. It has been like that from the beginning of Luke's gospel, as we read the birth stories of Jesus and John the Baptist. Jesus is coming to take the powerful and mighty down. He is coming to raise the weak and vulnerable up. Reversal is a good word for Jesus' message.
I found another good word that captures Jesus' message. It is especially pointed at men. I don't mean to exclude women in this word, but sometimes I need to make things clear for those of the male gender. The word for Jesus' message is challenge. The passage that we had read has plenty of challenge in it: loving enemies, turning the other cheek, doing unto others, etc. Men like a challenge. I found the example in a book written by Ernest Shakleton in 1909, who recounted how he recruited men for his Anarctic exploration. He put an ad in the London Times newspaper that said the following: "Men wanted for hazardous darkness and constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success." Hundreds of men applied! We guys like something that challenges us, pushes the boundaries. Certainly Jesus' message does this.
There were some one word summaries that didn't cut it. Law is one of those. Jesus is not trying to impose some new rules on us. "Ought" and "should" and "must" don't work for Jesus' message.
Another one that does cut it is masochism. Jesus is not trying to get us to enjoy pain and suffering. Jesus' message is not about masochism.
Another one word summary that doesn't work is politics. I got a little playful at this point. I imagined Jesus gathering the 12 disciples together, his closest advisors, his cabinet if you will. They were having a stategy session. I can imagine them saying to Jesus, "You might want to tone down your message. All of this woe to the rich, full, laughing, and well-liked is not going over that well. It is not reaching our target demographic."
Jesus' message is not to be popular but to gain disciples. We don't always like what Jesus has to say. In fact we like Luke's version less than Matthew's version. I know you were expecting those 9 Beattitudes from Matthew's Gospel, from the Sermon on the Mount in chapter 5. But here Jesus is on the plain. Jesus comes down to join us where we are. He is down to earth. I know you were expecting to hear "Blessed are the poor in spirit, " but here we have simply blessed are the poor. Jesus practices real world values according to Luke. There is no spin. Jesus does not practice politics.
I was trying to find just one word that captured Jesus' message. It finally came to me Friday night, while Cathy and I were watching TV. I know that we are the only ones who do this, but we record a lot of the programs that we like, and then when we have time on Friday and Saturday, we go through them, cutting out the commercials. It really doesn't matter what show it was, but the 2 main characters are in a hospital room. They are both CIA operatives. One of them, Annie, has been shot and is in a coma. The other is Augie and he is holding her hand. Augie says, "Annie....I need you now...and I never need anybody."
That's the one word that gets at Jesus' message: need....or needy. When you are poor, empty, weeping, hated, you are needy. The families that stayed with us this week through Interfaith Hospitality Network, who are homless, they get it. When we are vulnerable, we need others, we need a savior. We who are rich, full, laughing, well-liked.....it is hard for us to see that we need others and a savior. The danger is in trusting in our competence, safety, wealth, and security.
The passage from Luke has all of the pronouns and verb tenses in the plural. "Y'all " is found throughout. We need one another. We don't do this Christian walk alone.
Let's be honest, who can live this kingdom calling without a community of faith and a savior. Can you love your enemies? Can you turn the other cheek? Can you bless those who curse you? Can you give to everyone who begs? Can you do unto others as you would have them do unto you? I can't. Not by myself. I need a community of faith. I need a savior.
Need is a good one word summary for Jesus' message. And that comes very close to the word grace. That's the good news I have to share today.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
hospitality & performance anxiety
9/12/12 Yesterday we hosted the Austin District professionals meeting. This means that pastors, Christian educators, church musicians, youth directors, etc., who work in United Methodist congregations in the Austin area gathered at Westlake UMC, where I am senior pastor. The bishop, Jim Dorff, was coming to the meeting. He was to install our new District Superintendent, Steve Purdy, as a part of the worship service. I wanted everything to go well: parking, greeting, food, fellowship, worship. It was like I was back in school again, trying to please the "big people" in my life: parents, teachers, principals, coaches. All of my super-responsible, perfectionistic, people-pleasing tendancies came back to haunt me. I get a bit hyper. I focus on details more than usual. I read non-verbal cues.
Everything went exceedingly well. Our laypeople from the welcoming committee did a super job helping folks to find parking and the worship center. Our fellowship committee did a terrific job with the food and decorations. My church staff did a great job with music, audio visual support, greeting, logistics, etc. I could not have been more pleased. I heard so many compliments of how we came across.
By the time we were cleaning up about 1:30 p.m., I was exhausted. Thanks be to God, I had no evening meetings last night, because I was spent.
Love,
Lynn
Everything went exceedingly well. Our laypeople from the welcoming committee did a super job helping folks to find parking and the worship center. Our fellowship committee did a terrific job with the food and decorations. My church staff did a great job with music, audio visual support, greeting, logistics, etc. I could not have been more pleased. I heard so many compliments of how we came across.
By the time we were cleaning up about 1:30 p.m., I was exhausted. Thanks be to God, I had no evening meetings last night, because I was spent.
Love,
Lynn
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
footnotes
9/11/12 My breath prayer for the day comes from Proverbs 1:23, "Give heed to my reproof; I will pour out my thoughts to you; I will make my words known to you." This verse is good just as it is translated. However, the footnotes add another layer of meaning. "Give heed," the footnote says could also be understood as "turn, return." I think it is the Hebrew word shuv, which is often used for repentance, to turn back to the LORD. "Thoughts" could be translated as "spirit," which I believe in Hebrew is ruach. So the verse could be taken as "Return to my reproof; I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you."
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Monday, September 10, 2012
The Jesus I Thought I Knew
from my message on 9/9/12, from Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 2:21
I was reading my Windows magazine from Austin Seminar this past week where I saw an article by Prof. Cythia Rigby of their staff. It was "Knowing our Limits & Laughing with Joy." She related her favorite Peanuts cartoon. Snoopy is on top of his doghouse typing. Charlie Brown comes up and says, "I hear that you are writing a book on theology. I hope you have a good title." "I have the perfect title," thinks Snoopy. "Has it ever occured to you that you might be wrong?"
We just saw the drama of the 4 rabbis who were so wrapped up in the interpretation of scriptures that they missed the Messiah being born right outside their door. Has it ever occured to you that you might be wrong?
Today we start a 4 part series on the Jesus I Never Knew. Today's message is the Jesus I thought I knew. We might have gotten it wrong.
I start with my memories of Jesus. It is ok for you to go off with your own memories. I begin with preschool, simply because our preschool here at WUMC began this past week. You need to know that for little boys Spiderman is very big this year. For little girls, it is Hello Kitty. One little girl came with her pink cowgirl boots on that had flashing lights. She was styling. One father came up to me unsolicited as I was out greeting the families coming in. He said, "I need to tell you that we love this school. Our girls are so happy here. They are getting exactly the values that we want them to have. They feel safe and loved." That is my first impression of Jesus too, from preschool, at the Methodist Church in Lubbock. I knew I was safe and loved.
I had some conflicting feeling about Jesus. I remember at any early age going into the sanctuary, in the dark, I don't know why. I remember feeling afraid, in awe. This was Jesus' house. I remember Christmas Eve or some other time where there were candles. My dad took me to a separate room with my own candle. I thought it was special for me. Looking back, I can see that it was probably because I was a fire hazard!
Other conflicting feelings about Jesus. I must have been around 3 rd grade. I had the impression that I was supposed to keep rules and be good. One Sunday after worship we were headed to Thornton's Cafeteria for lunch. The big deal was to beat the Baptists in line there. As we were driving, mom and dad and 4 kids, I proudly announced, "I caught David with his eyes open during the prayer." To which my parents replied, "And how did you know that?" Oops, I had just incriminated myself.
Growing on up as a senior in high school, I made a personal decision for Jesus Christ as my Savior. It was at a revival. It was very emotional. I felt forgiven of my sins by Jesus. I knew that I could not save myself by being good enough, or keeping all of the rules. I felt a burden lifted.
Going on to college, I read the Bible for the first time. I found that Jesus was alive and still speaking through the words of the Bible. I felt a call to ministry, so I went on to seminary. Please don't go to seminary unless you feel called. It can be very challenging. Your views of Jesus can be called into question. I learned about exegesis, where you dig out the meaning of the Bible. I learned about the historical-critical method where you try to find out the kernal of truth of the Bible in its original context and then apply that truth today. At the end of my seminary experience, we had the Perkins Revue, where we shared skits and songs of our life together. I wrote a song called These were a few of my former beliefs, to the tune of These Are a Few of My Favorite Things from The Sound of Music. I can't remember all of it, but one verse went something like this:
Walking on water, and parable of seeds,
Five loaves and two fishes, five thousand he feeds... ....you get the idea
Then the refrain each time: When I'm praying in my closet, and I'm feeling sad. I simply remember my former beliefs, and then I don't feel so bad.
As a pastor I have experienced Jesus in family systems training, Jesus as CEO in Total Quality Management, in conflict resolution, and today as spiritual direction as I try to spend time in quiet and reflection.
So every time, I thought I had Jesus figured out, I came to this: has it ever occured to you that you might be wrong?
So today I say to you that Jesus won't be contained, be constrained, or be classified by us. He won't be controlled by governments, political parties, military forces, or even the religious institution. Jesus won't be defined by us. He defines us.
Which brings us to the scriptures for today. Matthew first identifies Jesus as Messiah. Messiah means "anointed one." In the Old Testament, prophets and kings were set aside by anointing, by having olive oil poured over them. There grew the expectation of The Anointed One, God's chosen instrument. In Matthew and Luke, the baby is to be named Jesus. Jesus is an updated form of the Old Testament name of Joshua, which literally means, the LORD saves. Jesus is called to save his people from their sins. In Matthew, Jesus is callled Emmanuel, which means God with us.
I need to confess to you today that I find this concept a bit scary. I don't want Jesus to be with me always and everywhere. There are places and times that I would rather hide. We don't want God with us. It can be in those dark places of our thinking or doing or speaking. We don't always say the word Jesus as a blessing. Sometimes we utter "Jesus" as a curse.
The opposite is also true. We are desperate for a God with us, Emmanuel. We have been promoting this path of discipleship. More than 100 of you have taken the Assessment of my Spiritual Journey. Pastor Jim has been scoring those blindly. He was sharing with us as a staff his general impressions of what he saw represented in those surveys. He said that there was a lot of loneliness, a hunger for a relationship with God and with a faith community. This is exactly what God wants for us and the reason we have Jesus, God with us. I know you are wondering why we are reading this birth stories here in the dog days of summer. We should read them at Christmas. It is crazy isn't it, to read them at this time of year. We are doing it to illustrate that is is just as crazy to have a God that wants to be near us, all of the time, Emmanuel.
So this message of "has it ever occured to you that you might be wrong" comes down to this: you might need to give up the Jesus that you thought you knew in order to receive the Jesus who is. The only way to know him is to follow him, to be his disciple, to grow in relationship with him.
Let me sing it:
Sweet little Jesus boy, born in a manger
Sweet litte holy child, didn't know who you wuz
Didn't know you'd come to save us Lord, take our sins away,
Our eyes wuz blind, we couldn't see, we didn't know who you wuz.
Long time ago, you wuz born,
Born in a manger Lord, sweet little Jesus boy
You have shown how, and we are trying,
Master, you have shown us how, even as you were dying.
This world treat you mean Lord, treat me mean too,
But that's how things are done down here, we didn't know it was you
Sweet, little Jesus boy, born in a manger
Sweet little holy child, we didn't who you wuz.
The good news I have to share is that sometimes you have to give up the Jesus you thought you knew in order to receive the Jesus who is.
I was reading my Windows magazine from Austin Seminar this past week where I saw an article by Prof. Cythia Rigby of their staff. It was "Knowing our Limits & Laughing with Joy." She related her favorite Peanuts cartoon. Snoopy is on top of his doghouse typing. Charlie Brown comes up and says, "I hear that you are writing a book on theology. I hope you have a good title." "I have the perfect title," thinks Snoopy. "Has it ever occured to you that you might be wrong?"
We just saw the drama of the 4 rabbis who were so wrapped up in the interpretation of scriptures that they missed the Messiah being born right outside their door. Has it ever occured to you that you might be wrong?
Today we start a 4 part series on the Jesus I Never Knew. Today's message is the Jesus I thought I knew. We might have gotten it wrong.
I start with my memories of Jesus. It is ok for you to go off with your own memories. I begin with preschool, simply because our preschool here at WUMC began this past week. You need to know that for little boys Spiderman is very big this year. For little girls, it is Hello Kitty. One little girl came with her pink cowgirl boots on that had flashing lights. She was styling. One father came up to me unsolicited as I was out greeting the families coming in. He said, "I need to tell you that we love this school. Our girls are so happy here. They are getting exactly the values that we want them to have. They feel safe and loved." That is my first impression of Jesus too, from preschool, at the Methodist Church in Lubbock. I knew I was safe and loved.
I had some conflicting feeling about Jesus. I remember at any early age going into the sanctuary, in the dark, I don't know why. I remember feeling afraid, in awe. This was Jesus' house. I remember Christmas Eve or some other time where there were candles. My dad took me to a separate room with my own candle. I thought it was special for me. Looking back, I can see that it was probably because I was a fire hazard!
Other conflicting feelings about Jesus. I must have been around 3 rd grade. I had the impression that I was supposed to keep rules and be good. One Sunday after worship we were headed to Thornton's Cafeteria for lunch. The big deal was to beat the Baptists in line there. As we were driving, mom and dad and 4 kids, I proudly announced, "I caught David with his eyes open during the prayer." To which my parents replied, "And how did you know that?" Oops, I had just incriminated myself.
Growing on up as a senior in high school, I made a personal decision for Jesus Christ as my Savior. It was at a revival. It was very emotional. I felt forgiven of my sins by Jesus. I knew that I could not save myself by being good enough, or keeping all of the rules. I felt a burden lifted.
Going on to college, I read the Bible for the first time. I found that Jesus was alive and still speaking through the words of the Bible. I felt a call to ministry, so I went on to seminary. Please don't go to seminary unless you feel called. It can be very challenging. Your views of Jesus can be called into question. I learned about exegesis, where you dig out the meaning of the Bible. I learned about the historical-critical method where you try to find out the kernal of truth of the Bible in its original context and then apply that truth today. At the end of my seminary experience, we had the Perkins Revue, where we shared skits and songs of our life together. I wrote a song called These were a few of my former beliefs, to the tune of These Are a Few of My Favorite Things from The Sound of Music. I can't remember all of it, but one verse went something like this:
Walking on water, and parable of seeds,
Five loaves and two fishes, five thousand he feeds... ....you get the idea
Then the refrain each time: When I'm praying in my closet, and I'm feeling sad. I simply remember my former beliefs, and then I don't feel so bad.
As a pastor I have experienced Jesus in family systems training, Jesus as CEO in Total Quality Management, in conflict resolution, and today as spiritual direction as I try to spend time in quiet and reflection.
So every time, I thought I had Jesus figured out, I came to this: has it ever occured to you that you might be wrong?
So today I say to you that Jesus won't be contained, be constrained, or be classified by us. He won't be controlled by governments, political parties, military forces, or even the religious institution. Jesus won't be defined by us. He defines us.
Which brings us to the scriptures for today. Matthew first identifies Jesus as Messiah. Messiah means "anointed one." In the Old Testament, prophets and kings were set aside by anointing, by having olive oil poured over them. There grew the expectation of The Anointed One, God's chosen instrument. In Matthew and Luke, the baby is to be named Jesus. Jesus is an updated form of the Old Testament name of Joshua, which literally means, the LORD saves. Jesus is called to save his people from their sins. In Matthew, Jesus is callled Emmanuel, which means God with us.
I need to confess to you today that I find this concept a bit scary. I don't want Jesus to be with me always and everywhere. There are places and times that I would rather hide. We don't want God with us. It can be in those dark places of our thinking or doing or speaking. We don't always say the word Jesus as a blessing. Sometimes we utter "Jesus" as a curse.
The opposite is also true. We are desperate for a God with us, Emmanuel. We have been promoting this path of discipleship. More than 100 of you have taken the Assessment of my Spiritual Journey. Pastor Jim has been scoring those blindly. He was sharing with us as a staff his general impressions of what he saw represented in those surveys. He said that there was a lot of loneliness, a hunger for a relationship with God and with a faith community. This is exactly what God wants for us and the reason we have Jesus, God with us. I know you are wondering why we are reading this birth stories here in the dog days of summer. We should read them at Christmas. It is crazy isn't it, to read them at this time of year. We are doing it to illustrate that is is just as crazy to have a God that wants to be near us, all of the time, Emmanuel.
So this message of "has it ever occured to you that you might be wrong" comes down to this: you might need to give up the Jesus that you thought you knew in order to receive the Jesus who is. The only way to know him is to follow him, to be his disciple, to grow in relationship with him.
Let me sing it:
Sweet little Jesus boy, born in a manger
Sweet litte holy child, didn't know who you wuz
Didn't know you'd come to save us Lord, take our sins away,
Our eyes wuz blind, we couldn't see, we didn't know who you wuz.
Long time ago, you wuz born,
Born in a manger Lord, sweet little Jesus boy
You have shown how, and we are trying,
Master, you have shown us how, even as you were dying.
This world treat you mean Lord, treat me mean too,
But that's how things are done down here, we didn't know it was you
Sweet, little Jesus boy, born in a manger
Sweet little holy child, we didn't who you wuz.
The good news I have to share is that sometimes you have to give up the Jesus you thought you knew in order to receive the Jesus who is.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
be opened
9/6/12 My breath prayer today comes from Mark 7:34. Jesus is in a healing cycle. People are bringing others for him to make them well. A deaf man who also has a speech impediment is brought to him. Jesus gets very up close and personal to the man by putting his fingers into his ears and spitting and touching his tongue. Then he says a wonderful word in Aramaic, "Ephphatha." Our English translation is "Be opened."
That is my prayer for myself and for you today, "Be opened." As I walked this morning, I opened myself to the sounds around me: crickets, birds, train whistle. I opened myself to sights: shadows of trees from teh moonlight, constellations of stars in the sky, lights coming on in homes. I pray that I may be opened to God and to God's possibilites, especially for healing today. Be opened.
Love,
Lynn
That is my prayer for myself and for you today, "Be opened." As I walked this morning, I opened myself to the sounds around me: crickets, birds, train whistle. I opened myself to sights: shadows of trees from teh moonlight, constellations of stars in the sky, lights coming on in homes. I pray that I may be opened to God and to God's possibilites, especially for healing today. Be opened.
Love,
Lynn
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
johnny appleseed
9/5/12 On Sunday, after the morning worship services, Cathy and I went to a birthday lunch and party for a member of our church who was turning 95. The setting was a house owned by the daughter of son-in-law of the honored man. Right on Lake Austin, the grounds around the house were magnificent, with plants, shrubs, trees, and flowers. This was only proper as the home owners ran a nursery/landscape business here in Austin. As I met another daughter and son-in-law of the birthday boy, they too owned a nursery in Brenham. It came time to say grace over the meal. Usually people turn to me, asking me to say a prayer. But no....one daughter said, "Everybody make a circle and hold hands. In our family we sing, Johnny Appleseed."
Oh, the Lord's been good to me, and so I thank the Lord, for giving me, the things I need, the sun, the rain, and the appleseed. Oh, the Lord's been good to me. Amen.
How appropriate I thought. In the midst of all the natural beauty with the lake and flora, and with families involved with growing plants that we should sing Johnny Appleseed.
Love,
Lynn
Oh, the Lord's been good to me, and so I thank the Lord, for giving me, the things I need, the sun, the rain, and the appleseed. Oh, the Lord's been good to me. Amen.
How appropriate I thought. In the midst of all the natural beauty with the lake and flora, and with families involved with growing plants that we should sing Johnny Appleseed.
Love,
Lynn
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
mirror, mirror
from my message on 9/2/12, from James 1:17-27
(show video clips from various Snow White films, where the evil queen asks that question, "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?")
There are lots of mirrors in literature. Frank, who leads our praise band, and is an English major, says that whenever you find a mirror in literature, it is always a reflection of who we are. (I look into the mirror I have set up on the chancel) When you look into the mirror, what do you see?
Of course, one of the classic stories of looking in the mirror is that of Narcissus. You probably have heard of this ancient story from Greek and Roman times. Narcissus was hunting in a land that was bounded by water. His potential lover was a girl named Echo. When she at last found him, she was rejected by him. He was so vain. In his hunting, Narcissus grew thirsty. He looked down into a pool of water. There he saw the most beautiful face he had ever seen.....His Own! He tried to kiss the face, but it disappeared. He tried to get a drink of water, but the face disappreared. At last, he dies of thirst, staring into the beautiful face. As you have read your psychology, you know that we have a condition that comes from this story known as narcissism. It is to be totally self-absorbed.
Today, we have many mirrors in our houses, cars, purses, etc. But we don't need a literal mirror to look at ourselves, because we have this thing, you may have heard of, called the internet. There was a girl, a 13 year old girl, who was insecure about the way that she looked. Can you imagine that? Nearly every 13 year old girl is insecure about her looks. What does she do? She posts a video of herself on YouTube. She entitles it, "Am I Ugly?" She got more than 5.5 million hits. She got more than 130,000 comments, some kind and some not so kind. Is this what we need to look at ourselves?
The Bible passage has something to say at this point. The book of James is wisdom literature, like the Old Testament books of Proverbs or Ecclesiastes or some of the Psalms. It is full of practical advice, how to cope with life. James says to be doers of the word, not hearers only, or we will be like those who look in the mirror and upon going away will forget what we look like. James says to look into the perfect law, the law of liberty. Three things I take away from this passage.
One, we look into the perfect law, the law of liberty. I take that to mean we read the Bible. That's how we are to look at ourselves. You may know that I teach human sexuality. One course for 5th and 6th graders and their parents is called Created by God. I will be offering this course here the first weekend of February, 2013. This a paid commercial announcement. At one of the early sessions in the weekend, I retell the first creation story we find in Genesis. I love how that magnificent poem builds, as God creates light, land, sky, water, animals, fish, birds. At the pinnacle of creation, God creates humankind in God's own image. Male and female God makes them in God's own likeness. Every other time, God has said that what God has created is "good." After creating human beings, God says that it is "very good." Except that there is no word for very in Hebrew. What the text literally says is "good good." So I take a mirror like this one, (don't worry, this is not my compact, I borrowed this one, I left mine at home.) I go to each person, have them look at themselves and say, "Good, Good." That is what God says to us in the words of the Bible, the perfect law, the law of liberty, "Good, Good." We can't hear that too much.
Two, the passage says "those". It is looking with a community, by a community, to see who we are. I shared this sermon topic with several people asking for their help. One said to me, "My mother could look at me with her eyes. She saw the best in me, even when I could not see it. She looked at me with eyes of love." Or as a friend of mine from college days said about her church friends, "They love me in spite of myself." What a gift it is to be seen by others who love us, who can remind us of our best selves.
Three, we can see ourselves in others, especially the most vulnerable. The passage talks about being quick to listen, sloooooow to speak, and sloooooow to anger. It talks about true religion being that which takes care of the orphan and the widow. This is how we get beyond self-absorption. We see the face of Christ in the most vulnerable around us.
When you look in the mirror, what do you see? What does God see?
Let's listen to some wisdom from Michael Jackson. (music video of his "I'm looking at the man in the mirror)
The good news is that we can change. The good news is that God looks at us and calls us Good, Good.
(show video clips from various Snow White films, where the evil queen asks that question, "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?")
There are lots of mirrors in literature. Frank, who leads our praise band, and is an English major, says that whenever you find a mirror in literature, it is always a reflection of who we are. (I look into the mirror I have set up on the chancel) When you look into the mirror, what do you see?
Of course, one of the classic stories of looking in the mirror is that of Narcissus. You probably have heard of this ancient story from Greek and Roman times. Narcissus was hunting in a land that was bounded by water. His potential lover was a girl named Echo. When she at last found him, she was rejected by him. He was so vain. In his hunting, Narcissus grew thirsty. He looked down into a pool of water. There he saw the most beautiful face he had ever seen.....His Own! He tried to kiss the face, but it disappeared. He tried to get a drink of water, but the face disappreared. At last, he dies of thirst, staring into the beautiful face. As you have read your psychology, you know that we have a condition that comes from this story known as narcissism. It is to be totally self-absorbed.
Today, we have many mirrors in our houses, cars, purses, etc. But we don't need a literal mirror to look at ourselves, because we have this thing, you may have heard of, called the internet. There was a girl, a 13 year old girl, who was insecure about the way that she looked. Can you imagine that? Nearly every 13 year old girl is insecure about her looks. What does she do? She posts a video of herself on YouTube. She entitles it, "Am I Ugly?" She got more than 5.5 million hits. She got more than 130,000 comments, some kind and some not so kind. Is this what we need to look at ourselves?
The Bible passage has something to say at this point. The book of James is wisdom literature, like the Old Testament books of Proverbs or Ecclesiastes or some of the Psalms. It is full of practical advice, how to cope with life. James says to be doers of the word, not hearers only, or we will be like those who look in the mirror and upon going away will forget what we look like. James says to look into the perfect law, the law of liberty. Three things I take away from this passage.
One, we look into the perfect law, the law of liberty. I take that to mean we read the Bible. That's how we are to look at ourselves. You may know that I teach human sexuality. One course for 5th and 6th graders and their parents is called Created by God. I will be offering this course here the first weekend of February, 2013. This a paid commercial announcement. At one of the early sessions in the weekend, I retell the first creation story we find in Genesis. I love how that magnificent poem builds, as God creates light, land, sky, water, animals, fish, birds. At the pinnacle of creation, God creates humankind in God's own image. Male and female God makes them in God's own likeness. Every other time, God has said that what God has created is "good." After creating human beings, God says that it is "very good." Except that there is no word for very in Hebrew. What the text literally says is "good good." So I take a mirror like this one, (don't worry, this is not my compact, I borrowed this one, I left mine at home.) I go to each person, have them look at themselves and say, "Good, Good." That is what God says to us in the words of the Bible, the perfect law, the law of liberty, "Good, Good." We can't hear that too much.
Two, the passage says "those". It is looking with a community, by a community, to see who we are. I shared this sermon topic with several people asking for their help. One said to me, "My mother could look at me with her eyes. She saw the best in me, even when I could not see it. She looked at me with eyes of love." Or as a friend of mine from college days said about her church friends, "They love me in spite of myself." What a gift it is to be seen by others who love us, who can remind us of our best selves.
Three, we can see ourselves in others, especially the most vulnerable. The passage talks about being quick to listen, sloooooow to speak, and sloooooow to anger. It talks about true religion being that which takes care of the orphan and the widow. This is how we get beyond self-absorption. We see the face of Christ in the most vulnerable around us.
When you look in the mirror, what do you see? What does God see?
Let's listen to some wisdom from Michael Jackson. (music video of his "I'm looking at the man in the mirror)
The good news is that we can change. The good news is that God looks at us and calls us Good, Good.
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