from my message on Oct 28, from PBS series, from Eph. 6:5-9 and Mark 10:41-45
(show video clip of servants bustling through the large house, cleaning, straightening, making meals)
How many of you have seen Downton Abbey? Not as many as the other shows on PBS. This is the last in a series of sermons that begin with a program found on PBS and the situation found there, and then we work back to the scriptures. Cathy and I watch this show, usually on Sunday nights at 8 p.m. The third season starts in January, 2013. We love the subtle glances that convey so much meaning. We love the nuances of languages. We are Anglophiles. We love all things British.
If you haven't watched the show, it is all about relationships. We have the landed gentry upstairs. We have the servant class downstairs. It made me think about classes, about how we put people into categories.
That led me to the Ephesians text. Let me first say that this piece of scripture has been used in hurtful ways over the centuries, especially here in the USA, to justify the existence of slavery. It is one of those texts that we sometimes wish wasn't in the Bible. Stay with me a few moments as I try to explain it. The passage is part of a household code. This was common in Greek society. It was to promote order. The passage talks about the relationships between spouses, between parents and children, and between masters and slaves/servants.
Today, we may say that we don't need such codes. We don't practice such classism. But consider with me, don't we still divide ourselves along economic lines? We have the middle class, or maybe you are in the upper class, or lower class. Recently we had the Occupy Movement with its phrase, "We are the 99%." Maybe we still find ourselves separated by class.
Maybe it is in your family. You are a first-born, super-responsible person. Maybe you got the family blessing. Maybe you are the black sheep of the family. Don't we find separation here?
Maybe you are in the top 10% academically in school. That still may not help you get into college. There is a Supreme Court case right now involving the University of Texas and a student who was not admitted. She claims reverse discrimination.
On athletic teams we have varsity, and junior varsity. Even there, you have the starting team, the second team. There are depth charts. We put people into classes.
In business too, there is recognition of different strata. You may have a corner office and a primo parking space. You may toil away in a basement cubicle and park blocks away.
Where are you in the pecking order?
This leads us to the Mark passage. The 12 disciples have been going along with Jesus. Two of them, James and John ask Jesus a question, "We want you to do for us whatever we ask." "What do you want?" "We want to sit at your right hand and your left hand." It is as if they called out, "Shotgun. I call dibs." Jesus says that they don't know what they are asking. They are not able to endure the cost. The other 10 follwoers are mad. It is then that Jesus teaches about true discipleship. Jesus says that the greatest among them shall be as a servant, the first as the last. He reorders community. He turns everything topsy-turvy. Servanthood is not an obligation so much as it is a sign of Christian maturity. It is a mark of our identity as a follower of Christ.
So we relook at the Ephesian passage. It is a bit subtle, but even here the writer is saying that a new dynamic is at work. Masters and slaves/servants are now part of the same community. Master are to treat servants with dignity. Slaves are to serve not out of duty but out of love. They both have one Master with a capital M. They both are servants to Him.
How will we treat one another in Christian community? John Woolman was a Quaker who lived in the 1700's. He thought as a Christian that the institution of slavery was wrong. He went to his fellow Quakers who had slaves individually and shared his conviction. For 30 years, he persevered with patience and gentleness. He asked questions like, "What does the owning of slaves do you as a moral person? What do this teach your children?" His leadership resulted in the fact that almost universally Quakers gave up all slaves 100 years before the Civil War in the USA.
He was a servant. He studied scripture. He knew that we do not worship scripture. We worship the God revealed in scripture. He took the tiny wedge that was found in the Ephesians household code and widened it. He would use passages like Galatians 3:28, where Paul talks about how we are all one in Christ Jesus and there is no longer Jew or Greek, male or female, or slave or free, for we have all been baptized into Him. He would look at the example of Jesus who though he was the Son of God became a servant.
In Downton Abbey, there is a storyline where the landed gentry get to practice servanthood. World War I results in many battlefield wounds. The soldiers return to Brittain needing places to convalesce. The dining room and living room and study and every available space in the huge house is opened to these wounded veterans. The priviliged class come to tend to these patients. They become their servants.
What we find is that we all feel the same way deep inside. We are all vulnerable. We all get scared, get hurt, get lonely, need others. Servanthood is the great equalizer.
We should not be surprised at this in our community. We have a mission statement: Following One, Serving All. We United Methodists have our 5 vows. We say that we practice following Christ by our prayers, presence, gifts, SERVICE, and witness.
There was a great book written several years ago that captures this theme: Servant Leadership by Robert Greenleaf. His thesis is that the more powerful we become, the richer, the higher in office, then the more call to become a servant there is. He has a great quote for this election season (I voted early on this past Tuesday). "People freely respond only to individuals who are chosen as leaders because they are proven and trusted as servants."
In the book, he quotes a story from Herman Hesse's book Journey to the East. There is a caravan of men who are on a quest. Leo the servant helps them along, doing menial labor, as well as singing songs, telling stories, and mediating conflicts. The caravan gets along fine as long as Leo is with them. One day he leaves. The caravan falls apart. The men go off their separate ways. The narrator wanders for years before Leo finds him. He take him under his wing. Leo is revealed as the leader of the Order that had sponsored the quest in the first place.
Jesus is our example. Our leader acts like a servant.
How will you serve? With whom will you serve?
The good news I have to share today is that the greatest one among you is the one who acts as a servant.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood
from my message on 10/21/12, Children's Sabbath, from Mark 10:13-16
During the children's message, I sang "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood..." While singing, I took off my suit jacket and put on a blue sweater. I took off my dress shoes and put on some sneakers. I told the children that my message was very simple and powerful. I quoted Mr. Rogers without using his name, "You always make each day a special day. You know how: just by being yourself. There's only one person in the whole world that's like you, and that's you! And people cna like you exactly the way you are." I then took the time to lay my hands on each child's head, look them in the eyes, and say, "God bless you." At the early service, while I was doing this, a child (away from me) sneezed, and I said, appropriately, "God bless you." At the second service, as I approached the last child, this boy reached out his hands to me, placed them on my head, and said, "God bless you." It wasn't in the script. It was a God moment.
My message...There once was a man who treated children as if they mattered. His name was Fred Rogers. He had a degree in music. He wrote and published more than 200 songs, including that one I sang about a beautiful day in the neighborhood. He was an ordained Presbyterian minister. He was a storyteller and a puppeter. You probably know him best from his children's show on PBS, called Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. This month, my messages are based upon shows from PBS. As it is Children's Sabbath, we thought it most fitting to use Mr. Rogers. He treated children as if they mattered. For more than 33 years, he had his program on PBS. He told the truth to children. He knew that they would not tolerate any fakery. One of the most watched episodes was the show where he talked about the death of his goldfish. Over those decades he confronted real life situations like war, divorce, making friends, hurting friends and needing forgiveness. His message was always simple. There's only you in the world. People can like you just the way you are. He treated children as if they mattered. He did not treat children as if they were objects or projects.
Do you know how we can make children into projects? I am reading this Scottish author, Alexander McCall Smith. The latest series I just finished, called 44 Scotland Street, was set in Edinburgh, where I lived for one school year. I got to relive my memories through reading. He wrote the story as a serial, published daily in the newspaper, like authors used to do. Later, it became a 4 volume set. In the books, one of the main characters is a little boy named Bertie, who goes from 5 years old to 6 over the arc of the story. Bertie's mom is a woman named Irene. She calls her son, the "Bertie project." I don't want to blame this mom or any mom. She is very domineering. Her husband, Stuart, Bertie's father is no help. He is passive. He barely has any relationship with his son. He works crunching numbers for the Scottish government, and caves in to Irene's wishes. Irene has the "Bertie project" as a 5 year old playing the saxophone. Not just squeaking out notes, but playing "As Time Goes By." She forces him to try out for a teenager orchestra, and he gets in! Bertie is learning to speak Italian. He wants to play rugby and to watch trains, but Irene has him take yoga. She has painted his room pink so that he won't be into gender stereotyping. Bertie is embarrassed to have anyone over. Irene is so pushy that she alienates the staff of the school where Bertie attends, and he gets removed from the school. Irene's response is to get Bertie into psychotherapy. I wonder if we ever try to make children into projects.
I got a chance to talk to some of the parents of our children from our preschool this past week. On Wednesday and Thursday mornings, I had "Coffee with Pastor" in our Wyatt Hall. I am happy to say that some moms and dads took time to visit with me. Without revealing any names or exact quotes, I got these general impressions of parents with their children today. "Our kids have every material blessing. They want for nothing. We are so busy. We are running from soccer, to ballet, to tutoring. We never have enough time. There's got to be more to life than just "things." How can we give our children a moral compass? What if my child doesn't get into Harvard? Harvard only takes a few every year."
I told the parents that this is the very reason that the church exists...to give a foundation, a faith that helps us cope with whatever we face in life. We offer the spiritual component. That simple message of you are loved for being you is true. It is not about what grades you get or how athletic you are. We talk about being children of God, in relationship with God and with others. We are not objects or projects.
In 2 weeks time, some folks from this congregation including our director of children's ministry, Hilary Martin, are going to take a field trip to First UMC in Ft. Worth, where they do a worship service every month called Children First. Imagine a service where children take a leading role every month, where families feel welcome. No one else is doing this around here. I am excited about trying to welcome children here....as children, not projects.
Jesus treated children as if they mattered. He didn't treat them as objects or projects. In this passage he welcomes the little children. This was highly unusual behavior for that time. As I did the research, children weren't valued highly then. One reason was that many of them died. Only about 40% made it to age 16. Fathers had the power to accept a child or not. It was not a biological matter only. Some writing from that time period said that scholars should not waste their time on children. So the disciples were acting totally in harmony with the culture by screening out the children. But Jesus welcomes them.
Did you notice that the parents wanted Jesus to touch them? Every other time the word "touch" is used, it is always in relationship to healing. The parents wanted Jesus not to just touch or bless the children, but to heal them. I know that we may have sanitized this scene in our minds, with the children having scrubbed faces and in clean clothes. But what if they have stuff coming out of both ends? What if they are sick? Jesus touches them, perhaps to heal them.
Where do children need healing today? I know the national Children's Sabbath movement advocates for healthcare for children, for nutrition, for adequate funding for education. I hope we don't treat children as objects or projects, as statistics or numbers on pages.
People were bringing children to Jesus so that he might touch them. He did. He laid hands on them and blessed them. I would love for you to have that experience. What I did with the children up front, I would like for you to do with one another. I envision it being like Christmas Eve where we pass the light of Christ from one candle to another. But this time, we pass a blessing. I will lay hands on some of you in each section, saying, "God bless you." Then you pass that on to others, spreading throughout the sanctuary. It's okay if you get blessed 2 or 3 times. Let's try it.
I see that the blessing has made it all the way to the back. It doesn't have to stop there. It can continue beyond these walls and beyond this time out into the world, because there are many that don't know that they are God's children.
There once was a many who treated childen as if they mattered. His name was Jesus. He said, "Let the little children come unto me, do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God."
That's the good news I have to share.
During the children's message, I sang "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood..." While singing, I took off my suit jacket and put on a blue sweater. I took off my dress shoes and put on some sneakers. I told the children that my message was very simple and powerful. I quoted Mr. Rogers without using his name, "You always make each day a special day. You know how: just by being yourself. There's only one person in the whole world that's like you, and that's you! And people cna like you exactly the way you are." I then took the time to lay my hands on each child's head, look them in the eyes, and say, "God bless you." At the early service, while I was doing this, a child (away from me) sneezed, and I said, appropriately, "God bless you." At the second service, as I approached the last child, this boy reached out his hands to me, placed them on my head, and said, "God bless you." It wasn't in the script. It was a God moment.
My message...There once was a man who treated children as if they mattered. His name was Fred Rogers. He had a degree in music. He wrote and published more than 200 songs, including that one I sang about a beautiful day in the neighborhood. He was an ordained Presbyterian minister. He was a storyteller and a puppeter. You probably know him best from his children's show on PBS, called Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. This month, my messages are based upon shows from PBS. As it is Children's Sabbath, we thought it most fitting to use Mr. Rogers. He treated children as if they mattered. For more than 33 years, he had his program on PBS. He told the truth to children. He knew that they would not tolerate any fakery. One of the most watched episodes was the show where he talked about the death of his goldfish. Over those decades he confronted real life situations like war, divorce, making friends, hurting friends and needing forgiveness. His message was always simple. There's only you in the world. People can like you just the way you are. He treated children as if they mattered. He did not treat children as if they were objects or projects.
Do you know how we can make children into projects? I am reading this Scottish author, Alexander McCall Smith. The latest series I just finished, called 44 Scotland Street, was set in Edinburgh, where I lived for one school year. I got to relive my memories through reading. He wrote the story as a serial, published daily in the newspaper, like authors used to do. Later, it became a 4 volume set. In the books, one of the main characters is a little boy named Bertie, who goes from 5 years old to 6 over the arc of the story. Bertie's mom is a woman named Irene. She calls her son, the "Bertie project." I don't want to blame this mom or any mom. She is very domineering. Her husband, Stuart, Bertie's father is no help. He is passive. He barely has any relationship with his son. He works crunching numbers for the Scottish government, and caves in to Irene's wishes. Irene has the "Bertie project" as a 5 year old playing the saxophone. Not just squeaking out notes, but playing "As Time Goes By." She forces him to try out for a teenager orchestra, and he gets in! Bertie is learning to speak Italian. He wants to play rugby and to watch trains, but Irene has him take yoga. She has painted his room pink so that he won't be into gender stereotyping. Bertie is embarrassed to have anyone over. Irene is so pushy that she alienates the staff of the school where Bertie attends, and he gets removed from the school. Irene's response is to get Bertie into psychotherapy. I wonder if we ever try to make children into projects.
I got a chance to talk to some of the parents of our children from our preschool this past week. On Wednesday and Thursday mornings, I had "Coffee with Pastor" in our Wyatt Hall. I am happy to say that some moms and dads took time to visit with me. Without revealing any names or exact quotes, I got these general impressions of parents with their children today. "Our kids have every material blessing. They want for nothing. We are so busy. We are running from soccer, to ballet, to tutoring. We never have enough time. There's got to be more to life than just "things." How can we give our children a moral compass? What if my child doesn't get into Harvard? Harvard only takes a few every year."
I told the parents that this is the very reason that the church exists...to give a foundation, a faith that helps us cope with whatever we face in life. We offer the spiritual component. That simple message of you are loved for being you is true. It is not about what grades you get or how athletic you are. We talk about being children of God, in relationship with God and with others. We are not objects or projects.
In 2 weeks time, some folks from this congregation including our director of children's ministry, Hilary Martin, are going to take a field trip to First UMC in Ft. Worth, where they do a worship service every month called Children First. Imagine a service where children take a leading role every month, where families feel welcome. No one else is doing this around here. I am excited about trying to welcome children here....as children, not projects.
Jesus treated children as if they mattered. He didn't treat them as objects or projects. In this passage he welcomes the little children. This was highly unusual behavior for that time. As I did the research, children weren't valued highly then. One reason was that many of them died. Only about 40% made it to age 16. Fathers had the power to accept a child or not. It was not a biological matter only. Some writing from that time period said that scholars should not waste their time on children. So the disciples were acting totally in harmony with the culture by screening out the children. But Jesus welcomes them.
Did you notice that the parents wanted Jesus to touch them? Every other time the word "touch" is used, it is always in relationship to healing. The parents wanted Jesus not to just touch or bless the children, but to heal them. I know that we may have sanitized this scene in our minds, with the children having scrubbed faces and in clean clothes. But what if they have stuff coming out of both ends? What if they are sick? Jesus touches them, perhaps to heal them.
Where do children need healing today? I know the national Children's Sabbath movement advocates for healthcare for children, for nutrition, for adequate funding for education. I hope we don't treat children as objects or projects, as statistics or numbers on pages.
People were bringing children to Jesus so that he might touch them. He did. He laid hands on them and blessed them. I would love for you to have that experience. What I did with the children up front, I would like for you to do with one another. I envision it being like Christmas Eve where we pass the light of Christ from one candle to another. But this time, we pass a blessing. I will lay hands on some of you in each section, saying, "God bless you." Then you pass that on to others, spreading throughout the sanctuary. It's okay if you get blessed 2 or 3 times. Let's try it.
I see that the blessing has made it all the way to the back. It doesn't have to stop there. It can continue beyond these walls and beyond this time out into the world, because there are many that don't know that they are God's children.
There once was a many who treated childen as if they mattered. His name was Jesus. He said, "Let the little children come unto me, do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God."
That's the good news I have to share.
Monday, October 15, 2012
ACL
from my message on Oct 14, from Psalm 98, Ephesians 5:18b-20, Mk 14:26
(video clip of ACL, Austin City Limits with crowds rushing through the gates in Zilker Park to attend one of the many concerts presented at multiple stages)
How many of you have attended ACL? Well, I am glad that you have chosen to be here today. How many of you have watched the TV show Austin City Limits? It has been going on for more than 30 years now. This marks the second sermon in a series based on shows found at PBS. The worship team has challenged me to start with things going on in our culture and work back to the scriptures and Christian tradition. Today with ACL, the message is this: music takes us beyond our limits. Music takes us beyond ourselves. Music takes us into the presence of the Holy One.
The parish of St. Thomas had a school and a worshiping congregation. The school needed a choirmaster. The church needed an organist. They advertised for candidates. Their top pick took 3 weeks to consider the offer before turning it down. The second choice also declined to accept. One of the persons on the search committee wrote in his diary, "Since the best man could not be obtained, we will have to go with a mediocre choice." The third choice accepted the position, Johann Sebastian Bach!
When I do the spiritual gifts inventory with you, the most common response I get is, "I can't sing. I'm not very musical." Bach came in third! I love what the psalmist says, "Make a joyful noise to the LORD." All of creation is called to shout praise to God. Not just trained musicians, but everyone and everything in all creation. When Bach was hired at St. Thomas in Leipzig in 1722, the move was on in churches toward an operatice style with professional singers. The St. Thomas search committee was looking for someone to reverse that trend. They wanted to give the music back to the congregation. Bach wrote his chorales with that express intent. Yes the choir would sing, but there were sections for the congregation to respond back. It was like a dialogue. Music takes us beyond ourselves into the very presence of God. All of us, all of creation is called to praise.
The psalmist also says, "Sing to the LORD a new song." I know that we love our old favorites. Some of you say to me, "Why can't we sing the old songs?" I sometimes wonder, do you mean from the Cokesbury hymnal, or the 1935 hymnal, or the 1968, or the 1992? We like what is familiar to us. We get comfortable with it. But I was preparing for this message (aren't you glad!), I came across a sermon by another pastor. He had an interesting question, "What is the latest hymn that has impacted your faith?" That is a pretty good measure of one's progress in discipleship--the learning of new songs. We are trying to help people along a path of discipleship, and one of the ways we can tell someone is growing in their relationship with Christ is the learning of new songs. As we were introducing this path of discipleship concept in the worship services several months ago, Diana, our director of music and worship, taught us a new song. It has impacted my soul,
(singing)
It is the cry of my heart to follow you,
It is the cry of my heart to be close to you,
It is cry of my heart to follow,
All of the days of my life.
Why do we need new songs? Because God is not through revealing God's self. The mystery of God will never be fully captured. God is the ultimate composer. Occasionally, God will give me a song to write. I have never claimed that it was my creation. It is more like overhearing the song that God is already singing. There will always be new songs about God. They take us our of ourselves into the very presence of God.
Ephesians has that wonderful line that as a church we are to sing, "Songs and hymns and spiritual songs" to one another. Already in the early church, you find great diversity and variety in music. When I was pastor in San Saba, that county seat town, some 100 miles northwest of here, the radio station re-opened. KBAL, 1400 on your AM dial. The owners of the new station were members of my church. I asked them what kind of music they were going to play. They said, "We are going to play both kinds....County AND Western. I know at ACL there are so many different genres of music being offered. I read reviews of bands that say something like, "they are a mix of psychedelic pop, indie garage, thrash bluegrass, and ska with some Southern roots thrown in." I know sometimes in the church we have "worship wars." This service has traditional music. This service has contemporary music. Can't we sing songs and hymns and spiritual songs? Can't we move beyond ourselves into the presence of God?
Can we move beyond our prejudice, our narrowness, our sin? Music can help us do that. This pastor whose sermon has helped me understand this passage talked about another pastor whom he could not stand. I know you find that hard to believe that pastors could hold such feelings. But this other pastor had the wrong theology. His view of God was diametrically opposed to the first pastor. But the first pastor said, "But he has such a lovely bass voice....I love standing next to him and singing." That is as close as we can be in this life to another believer with whom we disagree. Music takes us beyond ourselves into the very presence of God.
Finally, Mark's gospel reports that one of the last things Jesus did in his earthly ministry was to sing. When they sang a hymn, they went out into the night. It was Thursday, Maundy Thursday, before Good Friday. Jesus had celebrated the Passover Feast with his disciples. They sang a hymn and went out into the night. The last night of his life upon this earth.
It was night. Cahty and I had tickets to the opening of the new performance hall at Texas A & M--
Corpus Christi. The architects who built it were the same architects who built our church plant in Portland down on the coast. They provided the tickets. The Corpus Christi Symphony was playing. The special guest artist was none other than Van Cliburn. You may have heard of him. He won an international piano competition Russia several years ago. He is a Ft. Worth boy, who done good. He has gone on to host his own competion. He is very tall. He came out the grand piano. It was just like Bugs Bunny in the cartoons. Before he sat down at the piano bench, he flicked out his tuxedo tails. He played beautifully. During a break between numbers, all of the lights in the new performance hall went off. All power went down. There was a gasp. It was not intended. Whether there was a technical glitch in the new space, or someone pulled a plug, or a breaker tripped, I don't know. It was a bit scary for just a moment. When the power came back on, Van Cliburn stood, and quieted everyone's anxiety. In a calm and clear voice, he said, "What a wonderful reminder in our electronic age, that even if the lights went out, the music would still go on."
Music takes us beyond our limits, beyond ourselves. All of this life is just rehearsal for eternity. The music will still go on. I like what the hymn 292 says,
(singing)
And when from death I'm free, I'll sing on, I'll sing on,
And when from death I'm free, I'll sing on,
And when from death I'm free, I'll sing and joyful be,
And through eternity, I'll sing on, I'll sing on,
And through eternity, I'll sing on.
I am reading a Scottish author, Alexander McCall Smith, right now. He made the following observation: whenever angels are mentioned, the collective term for angels is usually.....a band. We are in rehearsal. We are just practicing for the heavenly choir.
Music take us beyond ourselves. That is the good news I have to share.
(video clip of ACL, Austin City Limits with crowds rushing through the gates in Zilker Park to attend one of the many concerts presented at multiple stages)
How many of you have attended ACL? Well, I am glad that you have chosen to be here today. How many of you have watched the TV show Austin City Limits? It has been going on for more than 30 years now. This marks the second sermon in a series based on shows found at PBS. The worship team has challenged me to start with things going on in our culture and work back to the scriptures and Christian tradition. Today with ACL, the message is this: music takes us beyond our limits. Music takes us beyond ourselves. Music takes us into the presence of the Holy One.
The parish of St. Thomas had a school and a worshiping congregation. The school needed a choirmaster. The church needed an organist. They advertised for candidates. Their top pick took 3 weeks to consider the offer before turning it down. The second choice also declined to accept. One of the persons on the search committee wrote in his diary, "Since the best man could not be obtained, we will have to go with a mediocre choice." The third choice accepted the position, Johann Sebastian Bach!
When I do the spiritual gifts inventory with you, the most common response I get is, "I can't sing. I'm not very musical." Bach came in third! I love what the psalmist says, "Make a joyful noise to the LORD." All of creation is called to shout praise to God. Not just trained musicians, but everyone and everything in all creation. When Bach was hired at St. Thomas in Leipzig in 1722, the move was on in churches toward an operatice style with professional singers. The St. Thomas search committee was looking for someone to reverse that trend. They wanted to give the music back to the congregation. Bach wrote his chorales with that express intent. Yes the choir would sing, but there were sections for the congregation to respond back. It was like a dialogue. Music takes us beyond ourselves into the very presence of God. All of us, all of creation is called to praise.
The psalmist also says, "Sing to the LORD a new song." I know that we love our old favorites. Some of you say to me, "Why can't we sing the old songs?" I sometimes wonder, do you mean from the Cokesbury hymnal, or the 1935 hymnal, or the 1968, or the 1992? We like what is familiar to us. We get comfortable with it. But I was preparing for this message (aren't you glad!), I came across a sermon by another pastor. He had an interesting question, "What is the latest hymn that has impacted your faith?" That is a pretty good measure of one's progress in discipleship--the learning of new songs. We are trying to help people along a path of discipleship, and one of the ways we can tell someone is growing in their relationship with Christ is the learning of new songs. As we were introducing this path of discipleship concept in the worship services several months ago, Diana, our director of music and worship, taught us a new song. It has impacted my soul,
(singing)
It is the cry of my heart to follow you,
It is the cry of my heart to be close to you,
It is cry of my heart to follow,
All of the days of my life.
Why do we need new songs? Because God is not through revealing God's self. The mystery of God will never be fully captured. God is the ultimate composer. Occasionally, God will give me a song to write. I have never claimed that it was my creation. It is more like overhearing the song that God is already singing. There will always be new songs about God. They take us our of ourselves into the very presence of God.
Ephesians has that wonderful line that as a church we are to sing, "Songs and hymns and spiritual songs" to one another. Already in the early church, you find great diversity and variety in music. When I was pastor in San Saba, that county seat town, some 100 miles northwest of here, the radio station re-opened. KBAL, 1400 on your AM dial. The owners of the new station were members of my church. I asked them what kind of music they were going to play. They said, "We are going to play both kinds....County AND Western. I know at ACL there are so many different genres of music being offered. I read reviews of bands that say something like, "they are a mix of psychedelic pop, indie garage, thrash bluegrass, and ska with some Southern roots thrown in." I know sometimes in the church we have "worship wars." This service has traditional music. This service has contemporary music. Can't we sing songs and hymns and spiritual songs? Can't we move beyond ourselves into the presence of God?
Can we move beyond our prejudice, our narrowness, our sin? Music can help us do that. This pastor whose sermon has helped me understand this passage talked about another pastor whom he could not stand. I know you find that hard to believe that pastors could hold such feelings. But this other pastor had the wrong theology. His view of God was diametrically opposed to the first pastor. But the first pastor said, "But he has such a lovely bass voice....I love standing next to him and singing." That is as close as we can be in this life to another believer with whom we disagree. Music takes us beyond ourselves into the very presence of God.
Finally, Mark's gospel reports that one of the last things Jesus did in his earthly ministry was to sing. When they sang a hymn, they went out into the night. It was Thursday, Maundy Thursday, before Good Friday. Jesus had celebrated the Passover Feast with his disciples. They sang a hymn and went out into the night. The last night of his life upon this earth.
It was night. Cahty and I had tickets to the opening of the new performance hall at Texas A & M--
Corpus Christi. The architects who built it were the same architects who built our church plant in Portland down on the coast. They provided the tickets. The Corpus Christi Symphony was playing. The special guest artist was none other than Van Cliburn. You may have heard of him. He won an international piano competition Russia several years ago. He is a Ft. Worth boy, who done good. He has gone on to host his own competion. He is very tall. He came out the grand piano. It was just like Bugs Bunny in the cartoons. Before he sat down at the piano bench, he flicked out his tuxedo tails. He played beautifully. During a break between numbers, all of the lights in the new performance hall went off. All power went down. There was a gasp. It was not intended. Whether there was a technical glitch in the new space, or someone pulled a plug, or a breaker tripped, I don't know. It was a bit scary for just a moment. When the power came back on, Van Cliburn stood, and quieted everyone's anxiety. In a calm and clear voice, he said, "What a wonderful reminder in our electronic age, that even if the lights went out, the music would still go on."
Music takes us beyond our limits, beyond ourselves. All of this life is just rehearsal for eternity. The music will still go on. I like what the hymn 292 says,
(singing)
And when from death I'm free, I'll sing on, I'll sing on,
And when from death I'm free, I'll sing on,
And when from death I'm free, I'll sing and joyful be,
And through eternity, I'll sing on, I'll sing on,
And through eternity, I'll sing on.
I am reading a Scottish author, Alexander McCall Smith, right now. He made the following observation: whenever angels are mentioned, the collective term for angels is usually.....a band. We are in rehearsal. We are just practicing for the heavenly choir.
Music take us beyond ourselves. That is the good news I have to share.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Antiques Road Show
from my message on 10/7/12, World Communion Sunday, start of PBS series, from I Cor. 11:23-26
Start with the video clip of The Antiques Road Show with LOGO, theme music, and people standing in line holding their treasures
What do you treasure? Explain the concept of the ARS, people bringing stuff from their trunks, attics, safety deposit boxes, garage sales, trash cans to a big convention center where experts/appraisers take a look at it. They try to give it an approximate date, who made it, its rarity, the market demand for such an item. Then there's the concept of provenance, a chain of evidence that this object really is what it says it is, who its previous owners were, etc.
Shift to Paul, who lifts up the treasure we have in this feast and its provenance, "For I received from the Lord that which I handed over to you.." A little more explanation perhaps..How we have continued this feast and now we celebrate it in so many lands and languages around the world...how we are united in this communion table..
Last lines.... What's this feast worth? In the ARS, that's the question, the appraiser is always asking, "Do you have any idea how much this is worth?
Video Clip of a few items, the appraisers announcing the value at auction or what it should be insured for, the owners responses...close with clip of something truly ordinary, but of great sentimental value to its owner, who would not trade it for anything
Hold up bread...how much is this worth? Hold up receipt from HEB...$3,89. I wouldn't trade it for anything. It is priceless. What is community worth? You are not going to believe this but the church at Corinth was in conflict. Can you imagine that? People in church fighting with each other? They fought over which leader was more important, over money, over women in ministry, over marriage and sexuality, over worship, over understandings of resurrection. They even fought here at the table. It seems that worship was held in people's homes. The rich with the larger houses would often host. The other rich persons would be in the dining room having a lavish feast as they reclined around the table, while the poor crowd stood in the entryway getting maybe the leftovers. Paul reminds them of the meal Jesus had with his followers who were sinners like the Corinthians, like us, "on the night he was handed over ..." This meal comes as a gift from God to sinful human beings always. We remember that our first transgression in that garden long ago involved food. That is the context of this feast. It is not for perfect people. It is for people who are hungry for forgiveness, for reconciliation, for community. That's what happens when we eat this bread and drink of this cup, we become one, we become community. Communion leads to community. That's what we pray for our world today. One way for us to enact our prayers is that we who are rich keep sharing our bread until all of the world is fed. That's why we bring food for the food pantry on the first Sunday of the month. That's why we walked in the CROP Walk; we had 48 walkers who raised over $6,000. Texas ranks 2nd in the nation for percentage of persons who are hungry. We share our bread until they are fed. Then the world would look like this table. Then we would live in communion with one another.
(last line) What's that worth? It is priceless.
Video clip of the wax cylinder, the one of a kind, national treasure...that shatters in the appraiser's hands
The feast we share here reminds us that Jesus was shattered. It was not an accident. Not some tragic mistake of the judicial system. Jesus freely gives himself. Take bread. Take the cup. Remember the death, the sacrifice. Here's what is interesting about this bread, when it is broken, it gains in value.
We hope. Our hope is rooted in brokenness. Jesus is broken for a broken world. We are broken open, revealed for who we are. Jesus is broken "for you." Literally on our behalf. He is on our side. He is for us, not against us. We remember the Lord's death until He comes. He does come. That why we repeat this meal over and over again. Ed Shirley at St. Ed's said, "Communication tells us something we don't know. Communion deepens what we already know."
We keep eating here so that we may be for the world the body of Christ redeemed by his blood. That's the good news I have to share today.
Start with the video clip of The Antiques Road Show with LOGO, theme music, and people standing in line holding their treasures
What do you treasure? Explain the concept of the ARS, people bringing stuff from their trunks, attics, safety deposit boxes, garage sales, trash cans to a big convention center where experts/appraisers take a look at it. They try to give it an approximate date, who made it, its rarity, the market demand for such an item. Then there's the concept of provenance, a chain of evidence that this object really is what it says it is, who its previous owners were, etc.
Shift to Paul, who lifts up the treasure we have in this feast and its provenance, "For I received from the Lord that which I handed over to you.." A little more explanation perhaps..How we have continued this feast and now we celebrate it in so many lands and languages around the world...how we are united in this communion table..
Last lines.... What's this feast worth? In the ARS, that's the question, the appraiser is always asking, "Do you have any idea how much this is worth?
Video Clip of a few items, the appraisers announcing the value at auction or what it should be insured for, the owners responses...close with clip of something truly ordinary, but of great sentimental value to its owner, who would not trade it for anything
Hold up bread...how much is this worth? Hold up receipt from HEB...$3,89. I wouldn't trade it for anything. It is priceless. What is community worth? You are not going to believe this but the church at Corinth was in conflict. Can you imagine that? People in church fighting with each other? They fought over which leader was more important, over money, over women in ministry, over marriage and sexuality, over worship, over understandings of resurrection. They even fought here at the table. It seems that worship was held in people's homes. The rich with the larger houses would often host. The other rich persons would be in the dining room having a lavish feast as they reclined around the table, while the poor crowd stood in the entryway getting maybe the leftovers. Paul reminds them of the meal Jesus had with his followers who were sinners like the Corinthians, like us, "on the night he was handed over ..." This meal comes as a gift from God to sinful human beings always. We remember that our first transgression in that garden long ago involved food. That is the context of this feast. It is not for perfect people. It is for people who are hungry for forgiveness, for reconciliation, for community. That's what happens when we eat this bread and drink of this cup, we become one, we become community. Communion leads to community. That's what we pray for our world today. One way for us to enact our prayers is that we who are rich keep sharing our bread until all of the world is fed. That's why we bring food for the food pantry on the first Sunday of the month. That's why we walked in the CROP Walk; we had 48 walkers who raised over $6,000. Texas ranks 2nd in the nation for percentage of persons who are hungry. We share our bread until they are fed. Then the world would look like this table. Then we would live in communion with one another.
(last line) What's that worth? It is priceless.
Video clip of the wax cylinder, the one of a kind, national treasure...that shatters in the appraiser's hands
The feast we share here reminds us that Jesus was shattered. It was not an accident. Not some tragic mistake of the judicial system. Jesus freely gives himself. Take bread. Take the cup. Remember the death, the sacrifice. Here's what is interesting about this bread, when it is broken, it gains in value.
We hope. Our hope is rooted in brokenness. Jesus is broken for a broken world. We are broken open, revealed for who we are. Jesus is broken "for you." Literally on our behalf. He is on our side. He is for us, not against us. We remember the Lord's death until He comes. He does come. That why we repeat this meal over and over again. Ed Shirley at St. Ed's said, "Communication tells us something we don't know. Communion deepens what we already know."
We keep eating here so that we may be for the world the body of Christ redeemed by his blood. That's the good news I have to share today.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Adam
10/2/12 In Genesis, the book of our beginnings, the first book of the Bible, God creates Adam. From my understanding of Hebrew, Adam is not simply a male person. Adam represents humankind as opposed to animal kind, or bird kind, or fish kind. Adam comes from the adamah, the ground, the dust, the earth. You can see how closely Adam is linked to adamah. They come from the same root word.
There is a young man named Adam who is in the ICU currently. He has been there for 1 1/2 weeks. He has had a brain bleed. We still don't have a diagnosis. It is awful hard waiting. Many people have been praying and supporting Adam. You can too by going to http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/adamslinkard. There you will find daily updates, ways for you to contribute, and a place for you to leave your prayers and best wishes. When I checked a few minutes ago, there had been over 3500 visits to this website on Adam's behalf. May Jesus Christ be the Great Physician and bring healing to Adam.
Love,
Lynn
There is a young man named Adam who is in the ICU currently. He has been there for 1 1/2 weeks. He has had a brain bleed. We still don't have a diagnosis. It is awful hard waiting. Many people have been praying and supporting Adam. You can too by going to http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/adamslinkard. There you will find daily updates, ways for you to contribute, and a place for you to leave your prayers and best wishes. When I checked a few minutes ago, there had been over 3500 visits to this website on Adam's behalf. May Jesus Christ be the Great Physician and bring healing to Adam.
Love,
Lynn
Monday, October 1, 2012
the Jesus I never Knew: What difference he makes
from my message on 9/30/12 from Matthew 25:31-46 and Luke 17:20-21
Netflix....Netflix streaming video. For one flat rate per month, you can access a huge catalogue of shows over the internet that you can watch on your computer. Cathy and I like British shows. We found a series this summer that we really liked. The main character was a lawyer in a town in England. I think lawyers are called solicitors there. His name was Peter, a good, strong name. From the very beginning of the series, we are faced with his brother who has gone missing off the beach. Did he drown accidently? Did he take his own life? Was he faking his death to escape the mob to whom he owed a huge debt? Peter also has a sister who has mental issues; she acts out by being sexually promiscuous. Then there is a junior partner whom Peter mentors who is trying to become qualified as a solicitor. What I like best about the show is that Peter rarely goes to court. He tries to resolve differences by getting people to talk with one another. In one episode there is a food fight from 2 food trailers across the road from one another. They literally throw food at each other. It turns out that they are brothers who have been left a legacy by their father. To use churchy language, Peter tries to find reconciliation. He works within the law, but more, he works within love. Peter has a last name; it is Kingdom. The title of the series on Netflix is Kingdom.
Kingdom is the word for the day. This is the last in a sermon series on the Jesus I Never Knew. Today it is on what difference He makes. That difference can be summed up in one word: Kingdom.
We Americans may not be able to relate to this concept of kingdom to well. After all, we did not grow up with a monarchy. We are not familiar with royalty, dukes and earls, duchesses, etc. In fact, we left many countries that had these forms of government to come to this country in order to escape kings and kingdoms. We value democracy where we freely elect our officials. And please God let that come quickly and without too much pain!
Our Bible is certainly familiar with kings and kingdoms. The Hebrew people, after entering the Promised Land and having some years with judges and prophets leading them, demand that they have a king like other countries around them. They want a military leader. They want security. The prophet says, "You have your God as King. You don't know what you are asking. You won't like it." But the people continue to demand, and so Saul becomes the first king of Israel. It doesn't go well. However, the idea of a kingdom becomes part of the expectation of the Jewish people. The kingdom of God connoted peace, freedom from oppression and prosperity.
Jesus picks up on this kingdom imagery. In the passage from Matthew, we heard that those blessed by the king would enter a kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. The Kingdom of God was considered to be before time and space existed. Jesus speaks of the kingdom 53 times in Mattthew's Gospel alone. We find it in the Lord's Prayer we just said, "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingom come"... and at the end, "for thine is the kingdom, and the power.."
Then there are all of those parables of the kingdom. You say, "the kingdom of heaven is like," and I will fill in the blank. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of seeds and yet produced the largest of shrubs. The kingdom of heaven is like a little bit of yeast which when put into the dough causes the who loaf to rise. The kingdom of heaven is like the pearl of great price which a merchant sold all of his other goods in order to obtain. The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field which a man finds and invests all he has in it.
Did you notice in Matthew's Gospel it is always the Kingdom of heaven? Matthew is the most Jewish of the Gospels. Our Jewish friends do not say the word "GOD" as the Name is holy, so they substitute another word. So in Matthew it is not the Kingdom of God, but the Kingdom of heaven.
John the Baptist introduces the coming of Jesus the Messiah by proclaiming, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near." Jesus begins his ministry by repeating exactly the same words, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near." The number 1 topic that Jesus preached about is the Kingdom. No other topic comes close.
In Luke, Jesus says that this Kingdom is in the midst of you. You may be wondering today where this Kingdom is. If you watch the news, you may see only a world filled with hate, hurt, harshness. Let me hear a heavy sigh. This past week we have seen the escalation of a civil war in Syria. The United Nations have been meeting, but they are far from united. The leader of Iran dismisses the existence of Israel. The leader of Israel stands up and holds a picture of a bomb from Iran with a red line across it, explaining that there is a red line out there that Israel will not allow Iran to cross. Don't get me started on Palestine, Egypt, Yemen, Libya, and that is just in one small part of our world. There is hunger on a massive scale in famines and smaller scale right here in Austin. We have diseases and dis-ease. I know this is awfully heavy, so a little lighter touch of awfulness. This summer at the national Scrabble contest, there was cheating. Someone brought in a blank tile, like an ace up the sleeve in poker. Can you imagine it? Cheating at Scrabble? Heavy sigh.
Where is this kingdom that Jesus proclaims? It is in our midst. If we open our eyes of faith, we will see it. I had a conversion experience this past week, as I looked beyond the news to the good news. I saw Ellen Balthazar retiring after all of those years of service at Any Baby Can, which was born right out of this congregation. Lila Carl played a significant role in getting it started. ABC meets the needs of families with children who have extraordinary difficulties. I saw Marci Hursting pull together this walk for persons with mental illness. Marci has been in Bible studies and grown her soul. She went singing at our Austin State Hospital and got convinced to do something. We have the opportunity to give food again next Sunday for the Methodist Church in Granite Shoals as we supply their Grace food pantry. I went to Sunday School this morning with the Preston Wyatt class who surprised Gwen here with a bridal shower. This is how the Kingdom comes, with surprise, with hope and healing for the most vulnerable.
I saw the kingdom in your ministry with Adam Slinkard this man in his mid 20's who has this brain bleed and is in ICU. You have sent food, so much, that the family shares with others families from out of town. You have supplied ice chests and cold drinks. You have sent cards and offered prayers. You have visited in person and through the caring bridge. I checked this morning, and there had been 2,739 visits online which Adam reads. One of you brought paper towels. Laura the mom said, "Paper towels. Who knew I would find them so handy." A doctor, not even on the healing team, spent 10 hours there on Saturday, on his birthday,simply as a family friend. Our own Sara Austin has pulled together a great healing team. The family said this to me, "We would never wish this experience on anybody, but we have found through this experience how much we are loved. There is a lot of good in the world." This is how the kingdom comes.
The kingdom is not synonymous with the church. In fact, if we pay attention to that parable that Jesus told, the ones who thought they were in were actually out, and the ones who thought they were out were actually in. We as the church need to confess that we are both sheep and goats. We need to throw ourselves on the mercy of God. We are saved by grace. We can be blind and deaf to the needs around us. Jesus alone is Sovereign and saves us. He is King of kings and Lord of Lords.
It is hard to see the kingdom sometimes because it is "already and not yet' at the same time. The analogy is that the war is already over, but the mopping up battles still continue. Another analogy comes from the hymn, This is my Father's world, which has that line, "That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet."
The best translation of what Jesus says is "The kindgom of God is in the midst of 'you all''. We do this together...with God, with each other. The good news I have to share is that the kingdom is in the midst of y'all.
Netflix....Netflix streaming video. For one flat rate per month, you can access a huge catalogue of shows over the internet that you can watch on your computer. Cathy and I like British shows. We found a series this summer that we really liked. The main character was a lawyer in a town in England. I think lawyers are called solicitors there. His name was Peter, a good, strong name. From the very beginning of the series, we are faced with his brother who has gone missing off the beach. Did he drown accidently? Did he take his own life? Was he faking his death to escape the mob to whom he owed a huge debt? Peter also has a sister who has mental issues; she acts out by being sexually promiscuous. Then there is a junior partner whom Peter mentors who is trying to become qualified as a solicitor. What I like best about the show is that Peter rarely goes to court. He tries to resolve differences by getting people to talk with one another. In one episode there is a food fight from 2 food trailers across the road from one another. They literally throw food at each other. It turns out that they are brothers who have been left a legacy by their father. To use churchy language, Peter tries to find reconciliation. He works within the law, but more, he works within love. Peter has a last name; it is Kingdom. The title of the series on Netflix is Kingdom.
Kingdom is the word for the day. This is the last in a sermon series on the Jesus I Never Knew. Today it is on what difference He makes. That difference can be summed up in one word: Kingdom.
We Americans may not be able to relate to this concept of kingdom to well. After all, we did not grow up with a monarchy. We are not familiar with royalty, dukes and earls, duchesses, etc. In fact, we left many countries that had these forms of government to come to this country in order to escape kings and kingdoms. We value democracy where we freely elect our officials. And please God let that come quickly and without too much pain!
Our Bible is certainly familiar with kings and kingdoms. The Hebrew people, after entering the Promised Land and having some years with judges and prophets leading them, demand that they have a king like other countries around them. They want a military leader. They want security. The prophet says, "You have your God as King. You don't know what you are asking. You won't like it." But the people continue to demand, and so Saul becomes the first king of Israel. It doesn't go well. However, the idea of a kingdom becomes part of the expectation of the Jewish people. The kingdom of God connoted peace, freedom from oppression and prosperity.
Jesus picks up on this kingdom imagery. In the passage from Matthew, we heard that those blessed by the king would enter a kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. The Kingdom of God was considered to be before time and space existed. Jesus speaks of the kingdom 53 times in Mattthew's Gospel alone. We find it in the Lord's Prayer we just said, "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingom come"... and at the end, "for thine is the kingdom, and the power.."
Then there are all of those parables of the kingdom. You say, "the kingdom of heaven is like," and I will fill in the blank. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of seeds and yet produced the largest of shrubs. The kingdom of heaven is like a little bit of yeast which when put into the dough causes the who loaf to rise. The kingdom of heaven is like the pearl of great price which a merchant sold all of his other goods in order to obtain. The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field which a man finds and invests all he has in it.
Did you notice in Matthew's Gospel it is always the Kingdom of heaven? Matthew is the most Jewish of the Gospels. Our Jewish friends do not say the word "GOD" as the Name is holy, so they substitute another word. So in Matthew it is not the Kingdom of God, but the Kingdom of heaven.
John the Baptist introduces the coming of Jesus the Messiah by proclaiming, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near." Jesus begins his ministry by repeating exactly the same words, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near." The number 1 topic that Jesus preached about is the Kingdom. No other topic comes close.
In Luke, Jesus says that this Kingdom is in the midst of you. You may be wondering today where this Kingdom is. If you watch the news, you may see only a world filled with hate, hurt, harshness. Let me hear a heavy sigh. This past week we have seen the escalation of a civil war in Syria. The United Nations have been meeting, but they are far from united. The leader of Iran dismisses the existence of Israel. The leader of Israel stands up and holds a picture of a bomb from Iran with a red line across it, explaining that there is a red line out there that Israel will not allow Iran to cross. Don't get me started on Palestine, Egypt, Yemen, Libya, and that is just in one small part of our world. There is hunger on a massive scale in famines and smaller scale right here in Austin. We have diseases and dis-ease. I know this is awfully heavy, so a little lighter touch of awfulness. This summer at the national Scrabble contest, there was cheating. Someone brought in a blank tile, like an ace up the sleeve in poker. Can you imagine it? Cheating at Scrabble? Heavy sigh.
Where is this kingdom that Jesus proclaims? It is in our midst. If we open our eyes of faith, we will see it. I had a conversion experience this past week, as I looked beyond the news to the good news. I saw Ellen Balthazar retiring after all of those years of service at Any Baby Can, which was born right out of this congregation. Lila Carl played a significant role in getting it started. ABC meets the needs of families with children who have extraordinary difficulties. I saw Marci Hursting pull together this walk for persons with mental illness. Marci has been in Bible studies and grown her soul. She went singing at our Austin State Hospital and got convinced to do something. We have the opportunity to give food again next Sunday for the Methodist Church in Granite Shoals as we supply their Grace food pantry. I went to Sunday School this morning with the Preston Wyatt class who surprised Gwen here with a bridal shower. This is how the Kingdom comes, with surprise, with hope and healing for the most vulnerable.
I saw the kingdom in your ministry with Adam Slinkard this man in his mid 20's who has this brain bleed and is in ICU. You have sent food, so much, that the family shares with others families from out of town. You have supplied ice chests and cold drinks. You have sent cards and offered prayers. You have visited in person and through the caring bridge. I checked this morning, and there had been 2,739 visits online which Adam reads. One of you brought paper towels. Laura the mom said, "Paper towels. Who knew I would find them so handy." A doctor, not even on the healing team, spent 10 hours there on Saturday, on his birthday,simply as a family friend. Our own Sara Austin has pulled together a great healing team. The family said this to me, "We would never wish this experience on anybody, but we have found through this experience how much we are loved. There is a lot of good in the world." This is how the kingdom comes.
The kingdom is not synonymous with the church. In fact, if we pay attention to that parable that Jesus told, the ones who thought they were in were actually out, and the ones who thought they were out were actually in. We as the church need to confess that we are both sheep and goats. We need to throw ourselves on the mercy of God. We are saved by grace. We can be blind and deaf to the needs around us. Jesus alone is Sovereign and saves us. He is King of kings and Lord of Lords.
It is hard to see the kingdom sometimes because it is "already and not yet' at the same time. The analogy is that the war is already over, but the mopping up battles still continue. Another analogy comes from the hymn, This is my Father's world, which has that line, "That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet."
The best translation of what Jesus says is "The kindgom of God is in the midst of 'you all''. We do this together...with God, with each other. The good news I have to share is that the kingdom is in the midst of y'all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)