from my message on Nov. 16, 2014, from Matthew 25:14-30
Thank you. Thank you for your prayers. I was not here last Sunday. I missed leading worship for the first time in 36 1/2 years of ministry, because 12 days ago I had a spot removed from my tongue. I appreciate all of the cards, letters, emails, but especially your prayers.
I thank the competent staff members we have here and the faithful lay leadership. I thank my medical team: Tony, my dentist, and Geoff my primary care doc. I thank my ENT doc, an Aggie like myself, who went far beyond veterinarian medicine.
I thank my wife, Cathy who has been terrific. She has given me foot massages to take my focus off my tongue. She has made interesting smoothies, including a spinach apple one.
12 days ago, a very small, less than 1 mm lesion was removed from my tongue. This past week the pathology revealed that it had squamous cell carcinoma. Scans of my neck and chest on Wednesday this past week proved to be all clear, so no spread. So we caught it small and early. Word to all of you, especially you men, please do your well care checkups. Please don't play tough; ask for help when you need it.
In an abundance of caution, my ENT doc is going to take out the margins from the former site. That means I will have another surgery this Friday morning and will not be in worship next Sunday. Pastor Nancy will preach.
About this time, I can hear you say, "Mabel, he looks really good up there. He talks just fine. He looks like he walked 20,818 steps, 10.1 miles, on his pedometer yesterday at McKinney Falls State Park. I bet he just had this surgery to get out of preaching about stewardship last week."
No, I really enjoy preaching, even about stewardship. I am here today to lower anxiety. I wanted to talk with you directly, calmly so we could move on as a church. This passage of scripture is about stewardship, how we handle all that has entrusted with us, but it even more about dealing with anxiety. Will we respond to God's gracious gifts out of fear or out of faith? Will we respond out of joy or anxiety?
I have preached on this passage numerous times over the years. This time, I had a fantasy. I imagined Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the Gospel writers, engaged in a video conference call. This would be a neat trick since they lived not only in different places but in different decades. Anyhow, Luke says, "Someday in the future churches are going to have stewardship campaigns and will need some stories from Jesus about return on investment. Anybody got something?"
Matthew says, "Yes, I do. It's the one where the master trusts his property to his servants. The one who had 5 talents made 5 more talents. The one with 2 made 2 more. The one with 1 hid his in the ground."
Luke, "Yeah, but how does that end?"
Matthew, "Not so great. The one with one talent was afraid. He hid his talent in the ground. He was cast out where there was great wailing and gnashing of teeth."
Luke, "That's harsh. He didn't do anything wrong. He didn't embezzle, swindle, commit fraud, or waste it. In fact, he followed rabbinic law which said if somebody entrusted you with their money and you buried it in the ground, you were no longer liable for it."
Matthew, "Yes, but he played it safe. He didn't do anything with it. He took no risks. Someday there may be a pastor in Westlake Hills who is too nice, too forgiving, who will need a passage to challenge people."
I don't know why but Mark and John remained silent.
So you see this is not just a passage about stewardship but more about fear, fear of risking, fear of taking responsibility.
I went back to work this past Monday. The first thing I did was attend my continuing ed. course on family systems with Dr. Doug Hester. The topic was regression: how under stress and anxiety, people tend to move to lower maturity levels. People will act to relieve the anxiety of the moment rather than act on principle and long term views. People will look for quick fixes. A rabbi/psychotherapist I like, Edwin Friedman, once said, "the pursuit of certainty today is a form of idolatry."
Can you identify? Do you know something about anxiety? I started to bring you a blood pressure cuff. I wanted to see how you would respond to the following words: ebola.......global warming......the so called Islamic State......Russia invading Ukraine.
The news media doesn't help. They feed our addiction for more anxiety. There was a wonderful cartoon in the paper this past Wednesday from the comic strip B.C. A man is handing stone tablet for the broadcast to the presenter. "Here's your copy of tonight's news cast." The presenter responds, "It's exactly the same as yesterday." "Just read it." The presenter shouts, "Everybody panic!" In the last frame, the presenter asks, "Should I just hand onto this for tomorrow night?" "Might as well."
Anxiety cuts off options. We bury ourselves in fear. We lose perspective. Don't you wish there was a way out?
There is way. You are practicing it right now. Being in worship is the best thing you can do in this anxious world. The way out is following Jesus, responding to God's gracious gifts by giving thanks, by giving back. ROI could stand for risking over insecurity, or releasing our insecurity.
I have known some anxiety lately....with this cancer diagnosis on my tongue. The Monday night before my Tuesday surgery, we had a church council meeting. Kay the chairperson and I were in the kitchen getting ice from the machine. She asked, "How are you doing with that?" "I'm scared," I said. "I scared of the pain. I'm scared I won't be able to talk well." She said, "I get it. I have a place on my tongue too." Then I got to say the line I had been waiting all of my life to say, "I'll show you mine, if you show me yours." Kay stuck out her tongue at me. I stuck out my tongue at her. This moment will go on my highlight film of best moments in ordained ministry!
Humor is a great way for dealing with our anxiety. We need more humor in the church! We need each other to keep perspective.
We need to worship. Last Sunday, I attended the early service at Oak Hill UMC. I say way in the back by myself. I was just starting to talk again, to chew again. You don't know how much you miss chewing until it is taken away from you. They had the sacrament of communion. The bread was real crusty. I dipped in the juice. "The body of Christ, the blood of Christ." I wept. It was what I was hungry for. It is the treasure that we have been given. We need not bury it. The world is hungry for what we have. Let's share it.
I have been reflecting on how I have invested my life. I would not take back a single moment I have spent preaching the gospel. I would not trade anything for Bible studies I've led or Sunday School lessons I've taught. I would still choose to sleep on that thin mattress on that bunk bed in New Orleans church so I could do home repair after Hurricane Katrina. I would not take back leaning on the hood of a Suburban with youth from San Saba at 2 a.m. while they questioned why their friend, the star quarterback was killed in a boating accident. I would still make those 1000's of hospital calls, because now I know what it feels like to be on the receiving end. I would not take back any of the money I have given in church, because it was never mine to begin with. All I have I have been given. All I have given has been multiplied many times over for good, for God.
The last Sunday before my surgery was All Saints. As I worshiped here, I thought, "If I am not going to be able to speak much anymore, I want some of my last words to be 'Alleluia.'" I sang out loud.
What will you do? Will you operate out of fear or out of joy? I want to hear the master say to me someday, "Well done, good and trustworthy servant. You have been faithful over a little. I will trust you with even more. Enter into the joy of your master!"
Amen.
Monday, November 17, 2014
Monday, October 27, 2014
God's Good News
from my message on Oct. 26, 2014, from I Thes. 2:1-8
Good news. Could you use some good news today? Have you had enough bad news to last you for a while? I have only good news for you today. I have noticed that the TV newscasts have started ending their presentations with an uplifting story, a story of courage, or a story of generosity or sacrifice. I wish the whole newscast was that way! I promise you my message today--first, middle, and last--is only good news.
The good news is that God loves us. God created us and called us very good. God sends his Son, Jesus, as the fullest expression of that love, living, dying, and rising again for us. Jesus promises his Spirit to be with us forever, encouraging us, strengthening us. We have been empowered to share this good news with others.
Last Sunday, we got to practice this, as we called off worship services here in order to be in service to others in something we called ReThink Church Plus One. Let's watch this video of how we witnessed to God's good news at work in us. (go to our website, www.westlake-umc.org to watch the video).
You can look at the back page of the worship bulletin to see all of the different projects and the leaders who headed them up. I want to thank you. I am proud of you and how you witnessed to God's good news.
I want you to hear from one project, a youth who helped with kickball at Odom Elementary. (go to website to listen to my message and the youth witness).
In a moment, I am going to have you share in 2's or 3's some of God's good news. It could be about what you did for ReThink Church Plus One or it could be another God-sighting or how God is moving in your life. You may not have something to share; you may be the one who needs to hear good news today. That is perfectly fine too.
To prime the pumps, I want to share some stories from last week. The cookie baggers packaged 3,424, cookies, or 856 servings for Mobile Loaves and Fishes. This does not count the Oreos that were sampled for quality control! The blood drive received 17 pints of blood, with 9 others willing to give, but could not donate for a variety of reasons. Twelve persons registered with the National Tissue Registry. 28 learned CPR and First Aid techniques. The instructor said how great it was to teach a group who "wanted" to be there, instead of "had" to be there. 37 attended the Which Way Home movie from the year 2009, which showed us that the problem of children desiring to enter the US from Central America was not a new phenomena. There are 393 unaccompanied minors in Travis County in 2014 so far, that Justice for Our Neighbors is helping. We had a guest family attend the English Conversation Class at Parker Lane UMC last Sunday, and the whole family, adults and children, got involved enthusiastically. Our senior game day party saw intergenerational participation. One older couple who was given a ride had not been out of their house in the last 2 weeks.
Talk among yourselves now and share God's good news.
You can do it! You can share God's good news! The word for good news here is in Greek, euangelion, from which we get the word evangelism. We sometimes translate it as gospel.
I read an article this past week that asked why it is only "good" news. Why not "great" news or "extraordinary" news? I like it that it is understated, kind of like us. We are not pushy. The letter from Paul to the church in Thessalonika says that we share good news out of genuineness, not greed or trickery. I like how it says that we share not only God's good news but our very lives. I believe that this is countercultural. We have become too accustomed to expecting bad news. We followers of Christ practice healing in the midst of hurt, offer shelter in the midst of homeless, give food in the midst of hunger, and offer relationship in the midst of loneliness.
There is a world out there that is dying to hear God's good news.
You know how I like to end my messages: That's the good I have to share with you today. The thing is: you have good news to share also. Amen.
Good news. Could you use some good news today? Have you had enough bad news to last you for a while? I have only good news for you today. I have noticed that the TV newscasts have started ending their presentations with an uplifting story, a story of courage, or a story of generosity or sacrifice. I wish the whole newscast was that way! I promise you my message today--first, middle, and last--is only good news.
The good news is that God loves us. God created us and called us very good. God sends his Son, Jesus, as the fullest expression of that love, living, dying, and rising again for us. Jesus promises his Spirit to be with us forever, encouraging us, strengthening us. We have been empowered to share this good news with others.
Last Sunday, we got to practice this, as we called off worship services here in order to be in service to others in something we called ReThink Church Plus One. Let's watch this video of how we witnessed to God's good news at work in us. (go to our website, www.westlake-umc.org to watch the video).
You can look at the back page of the worship bulletin to see all of the different projects and the leaders who headed them up. I want to thank you. I am proud of you and how you witnessed to God's good news.
I want you to hear from one project, a youth who helped with kickball at Odom Elementary. (go to website to listen to my message and the youth witness).
In a moment, I am going to have you share in 2's or 3's some of God's good news. It could be about what you did for ReThink Church Plus One or it could be another God-sighting or how God is moving in your life. You may not have something to share; you may be the one who needs to hear good news today. That is perfectly fine too.
To prime the pumps, I want to share some stories from last week. The cookie baggers packaged 3,424, cookies, or 856 servings for Mobile Loaves and Fishes. This does not count the Oreos that were sampled for quality control! The blood drive received 17 pints of blood, with 9 others willing to give, but could not donate for a variety of reasons. Twelve persons registered with the National Tissue Registry. 28 learned CPR and First Aid techniques. The instructor said how great it was to teach a group who "wanted" to be there, instead of "had" to be there. 37 attended the Which Way Home movie from the year 2009, which showed us that the problem of children desiring to enter the US from Central America was not a new phenomena. There are 393 unaccompanied minors in Travis County in 2014 so far, that Justice for Our Neighbors is helping. We had a guest family attend the English Conversation Class at Parker Lane UMC last Sunday, and the whole family, adults and children, got involved enthusiastically. Our senior game day party saw intergenerational participation. One older couple who was given a ride had not been out of their house in the last 2 weeks.
Talk among yourselves now and share God's good news.
You can do it! You can share God's good news! The word for good news here is in Greek, euangelion, from which we get the word evangelism. We sometimes translate it as gospel.
I read an article this past week that asked why it is only "good" news. Why not "great" news or "extraordinary" news? I like it that it is understated, kind of like us. We are not pushy. The letter from Paul to the church in Thessalonika says that we share good news out of genuineness, not greed or trickery. I like how it says that we share not only God's good news but our very lives. I believe that this is countercultural. We have become too accustomed to expecting bad news. We followers of Christ practice healing in the midst of hurt, offer shelter in the midst of homeless, give food in the midst of hunger, and offer relationship in the midst of loneliness.
There is a world out there that is dying to hear God's good news.
You know how I like to end my messages: That's the good I have to share with you today. The thing is: you have good news to share also. Amen.
Monday, October 13, 2014
JOY
from my message on Oct. 12, 2014, from Philippians 4:1-9
Sing with me, I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart (Where?)
Down in my heart, down in my heart.
I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart (Where?)
Down in my heart to stay.
Is that true? Do you have that joy...in your heart?
Joy....life in Christ is marked by joy. Joy is much deeper than any passing emotion like happiness or sadness. You can have joy even though the scores from the football games of yesterday didn't go your way.
Paul writes to the church in Philippi, a Roman colony in Macedonia. He calls them "my joy and my crown." He tells them, "Rejoice in the Lord, always; again, I say, Rejoice."
Next Sunday, Oct. 19, we will observe ReThink Church Plus One, a time when we will go out into the world to serve others. We will do this not out of guilt or obligation, but joy.
I have a memory device for you. JOY will be an acronym. The J stands for Jesus. Our joy is rooted in him. Notice how many times in the passage Paul says, "in the Lord." Stand firm ...in the Lord. Keep your hearts and minds... in Christ Jesus, in the Lord. Rejoice...in the Lord.
I don't discount that there are other revelations of God and other world religions, but we have a particular revelation in Jesus Christ. When I was sharing this idea of ReThink Church Plus One this summer with some focus groups, Kevin said, "I really like it. It is exactly what Jesus did. He didn't say, 'Here's a bunch of theology or here's a lot of rules to memorize.' He said, 'Follow me.' When they followed Him, they saw him heal people, teach people, feed people. Then later, they asked Him, 'What happened there? What did it mean?' Then Jesus could tell them about how the Kingdom of God had come close to them. Their lives were changed."
This is joy, following Jesus and seeing lives changed.
The O stand for Others. We realize that we can gain wisdom from others, even as we are called to serve others. The list of admirable qualities that Paul quotes from, things that are true, holy, just, pure, lovely, worthy of praise, actually comes from Greek philosophy. We can find Jesus everywhere. We can take the best insights from anywhere.
Paul says that we are to show gentleness or generosity or consideration to all people. We begin right here in community. You are not going to believe it, but there was conflict in the early church! Do you know something about conflict in church? If you don't, you will. It is bound to happen.
Apparently 2 leaders in the church, 2 women were in disagreement. Paul invites others, an unknown person, Clement, and other co-workers, to help them resolve this.
Gerard, a member of this church, has been the leader on some 31 builds for Habitat for Humanity homes. I like to work on his Friday crew. I like to take my hammer and hit things. Once upon a time some years ago, 2 members of this church were in conflict and were part of the Friday crew. I noticed that Gerard paired them up, intentionally I think, to build cabinets together. Lots of little screws, nuts and bolts to put in. It was amazing how the differences dissolved as they worked together. There is much joy in resolution.
ReThink Church projects for others will help us overcome our conflicts too.
Y stands for You. You cannot do this Christian walk alone. You cannot know who you are except by being in relationship with Jesus and Others. There is great joy in knowing who you are and your purpose here.
ReThink Church Plus One will give you an opportunity for joy. You can fill out the hard copy insert in your bulletin, go on-line at our church website, or call the office. Join us in joy next Sunday.
Watch the video to see some more ways you can get involved.
I am encouraging you to invite someone to serve alongside of you, your Plus One. I have a story from a hero of mine, Fred Craddock, a professor of preaching. I will quote it almost verbatim to bring Jesus, Others, and You together.
When I was pastoring in Tennessee, there was a girl about 7 years old who came to our church regularly for Sunday School, and sometimes here parents let her stay for the worship service. They didn't come. We had a circular drive at that church. It was built for people who let their children off and drove on. We didn't want to inconvenience them, so we had a circular drive. But they were very faithful, Mom and Dad. They had moved from New Jersey with the new chemical plant. He was upwardly mobile; they were both very ambitious; and they didn't come to church. There wasn't really any need for that, I guess.
But on Saturday nights, the whole town knew of their parties. They gave parties, not for entertainment, but as part of the upwardly mobile thing. That determined who was invited: the right people, the one just above, and finally on up to the boss. And those parties ere full of drinking and wild and vulgar things. Everybody knew. But there was their beautiful girl every Sunday.
One Sunday morning I looked out, and she was there. I thought, "Well, she's with her friends." but it was her Mom and Dad. After the sermon, at the close of the service, as is the custom at my church, came an invitation to discipleship, and Mr. and Mrs. Mom and Dad came to the front. They confessed their faith in Christ. Afterward I asked, "What prompted this?"
They said, "Well, do you know about our parties?" And I said, "Yeah, I have heard about your parties."
They said, "Well, we had one last night again, and it got a little loud, and it got a little rough, and there was too much drinking. We woke up our daughter, and she came downstairs to the 3rd step. She saw that we were eating and drinking, and she said, "Oh, can I say the blessing? God is great, God is good, let us thank him for our food. Good-night, everybody.' She went back upstairs.
People started saying, "Oh, my land, it's time to go. We've got to be going. We've stayed way too long." Within 2 minutes the room was empty.
Mr. and Mrs. Mom and Dad began cleaning up, picking up crumpled napkins and wasted and spilled peanuts and half-eaten sandwiches, and taking empty glasses on trays to the kitchen. And with 2 trays, he and she met on either side of the sink, they looked at each other, and he expressed what both were thinking: "Where do we think we're going?" The moment of truth.
There is more joy in heaven over one who repents that 99 that have no need of repentance. Joy comes in relationship with Jesus and Others. That's the good news I have to share with you today.
Sing with me, I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart (Where?)
Down in my heart, down in my heart.
I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart (Where?)
Down in my heart to stay.
Is that true? Do you have that joy...in your heart?
Joy....life in Christ is marked by joy. Joy is much deeper than any passing emotion like happiness or sadness. You can have joy even though the scores from the football games of yesterday didn't go your way.
Paul writes to the church in Philippi, a Roman colony in Macedonia. He calls them "my joy and my crown." He tells them, "Rejoice in the Lord, always; again, I say, Rejoice."
Next Sunday, Oct. 19, we will observe ReThink Church Plus One, a time when we will go out into the world to serve others. We will do this not out of guilt or obligation, but joy.
I have a memory device for you. JOY will be an acronym. The J stands for Jesus. Our joy is rooted in him. Notice how many times in the passage Paul says, "in the Lord." Stand firm ...in the Lord. Keep your hearts and minds... in Christ Jesus, in the Lord. Rejoice...in the Lord.
I don't discount that there are other revelations of God and other world religions, but we have a particular revelation in Jesus Christ. When I was sharing this idea of ReThink Church Plus One this summer with some focus groups, Kevin said, "I really like it. It is exactly what Jesus did. He didn't say, 'Here's a bunch of theology or here's a lot of rules to memorize.' He said, 'Follow me.' When they followed Him, they saw him heal people, teach people, feed people. Then later, they asked Him, 'What happened there? What did it mean?' Then Jesus could tell them about how the Kingdom of God had come close to them. Their lives were changed."
This is joy, following Jesus and seeing lives changed.
The O stand for Others. We realize that we can gain wisdom from others, even as we are called to serve others. The list of admirable qualities that Paul quotes from, things that are true, holy, just, pure, lovely, worthy of praise, actually comes from Greek philosophy. We can find Jesus everywhere. We can take the best insights from anywhere.
Paul says that we are to show gentleness or generosity or consideration to all people. We begin right here in community. You are not going to believe it, but there was conflict in the early church! Do you know something about conflict in church? If you don't, you will. It is bound to happen.
Apparently 2 leaders in the church, 2 women were in disagreement. Paul invites others, an unknown person, Clement, and other co-workers, to help them resolve this.
Gerard, a member of this church, has been the leader on some 31 builds for Habitat for Humanity homes. I like to work on his Friday crew. I like to take my hammer and hit things. Once upon a time some years ago, 2 members of this church were in conflict and were part of the Friday crew. I noticed that Gerard paired them up, intentionally I think, to build cabinets together. Lots of little screws, nuts and bolts to put in. It was amazing how the differences dissolved as they worked together. There is much joy in resolution.
ReThink Church projects for others will help us overcome our conflicts too.
Y stands for You. You cannot do this Christian walk alone. You cannot know who you are except by being in relationship with Jesus and Others. There is great joy in knowing who you are and your purpose here.
ReThink Church Plus One will give you an opportunity for joy. You can fill out the hard copy insert in your bulletin, go on-line at our church website, or call the office. Join us in joy next Sunday.
Watch the video to see some more ways you can get involved.
I am encouraging you to invite someone to serve alongside of you, your Plus One. I have a story from a hero of mine, Fred Craddock, a professor of preaching. I will quote it almost verbatim to bring Jesus, Others, and You together.
When I was pastoring in Tennessee, there was a girl about 7 years old who came to our church regularly for Sunday School, and sometimes here parents let her stay for the worship service. They didn't come. We had a circular drive at that church. It was built for people who let their children off and drove on. We didn't want to inconvenience them, so we had a circular drive. But they were very faithful, Mom and Dad. They had moved from New Jersey with the new chemical plant. He was upwardly mobile; they were both very ambitious; and they didn't come to church. There wasn't really any need for that, I guess.
But on Saturday nights, the whole town knew of their parties. They gave parties, not for entertainment, but as part of the upwardly mobile thing. That determined who was invited: the right people, the one just above, and finally on up to the boss. And those parties ere full of drinking and wild and vulgar things. Everybody knew. But there was their beautiful girl every Sunday.
One Sunday morning I looked out, and she was there. I thought, "Well, she's with her friends." but it was her Mom and Dad. After the sermon, at the close of the service, as is the custom at my church, came an invitation to discipleship, and Mr. and Mrs. Mom and Dad came to the front. They confessed their faith in Christ. Afterward I asked, "What prompted this?"
They said, "Well, do you know about our parties?" And I said, "Yeah, I have heard about your parties."
They said, "Well, we had one last night again, and it got a little loud, and it got a little rough, and there was too much drinking. We woke up our daughter, and she came downstairs to the 3rd step. She saw that we were eating and drinking, and she said, "Oh, can I say the blessing? God is great, God is good, let us thank him for our food. Good-night, everybody.' She went back upstairs.
People started saying, "Oh, my land, it's time to go. We've got to be going. We've stayed way too long." Within 2 minutes the room was empty.
Mr. and Mrs. Mom and Dad began cleaning up, picking up crumpled napkins and wasted and spilled peanuts and half-eaten sandwiches, and taking empty glasses on trays to the kitchen. And with 2 trays, he and she met on either side of the sink, they looked at each other, and he expressed what both were thinking: "Where do we think we're going?" The moment of truth.
There is more joy in heaven over one who repents that 99 that have no need of repentance. Joy comes in relationship with Jesus and Others. That's the good news I have to share with you today.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Christ for the World
from my message on World Communion Sunday, Oct. 5, 2014, from Philippians 3:4b-14
I got to thinking about it this past week. It was exactly 40 years ago that I found myself worshiping at Niccholson Square Methodist Church in Edinburgh, Scotland. Here's how I got there. I was a farmboy from the Panhandle of Texas and hadn't really traveled much. I had been to Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Colorado. But I had received a Rotary Foundation Fellowship that allowed me to study anywhere I wanted to in the world. I chose Edinburgh University.
I thought that they talked funny. Ye looking all pealy wally (sickly, ashen faced). If ye can say it's a braw, bricht, moon lit nicht ta nicht, ye all richt, ye ken (if you can say it's a bold, bright moon light night tonight, you're alright, you know). Whooo r yu (who are you)?
They thought I talked funny. "My name is Ly--un." "Pleased to meet your Leon." "No, it's Ly-un." We Texans make one syllable words into two.
I arrived in Edinburgh at the end of September, 1974. I didn't know a single soul. I lived in a bed-sit, a family rented me a room with breakfast for a pound a day, 4 floors up in tenement housing, at 52 Leith Walk. At the end of my first week there, Sunday came around. I was used to attending worship. I found Niccholson Square Methodist Church, only 2 Methodist churches in this city of 1/2 million, next to the campus.
Worship was very similar to here. They sang hymns, had prayers, read scripture, received a sermon. It was the first Sunday of October, and they had the sacrament of communion. The preacher said it was World Communion Sunday. As I knelt there and received the bread and juice, it hit me. People in Littlefield, Texas, 4,000 miles and 6 time zones away, were also taking communion this day. People in Australia, Africa, Asia were also sharing in this meal. What a large table! Christ came for the whole world. Every nation, language, tribe, ethnicity is included.
After worship, I was hanging around talking with the preacher and some other families. One of the families asked if I had lunch plans. I didn't. They invited me into their home. I felt like the sacrament of communion was continued at their dining table as I was accepted there. They didn't ask who my parents were, how old I was, what grades I made, what my political beliefs were, or where I was on the theological spectrum. They simply accepted me as another follower of Christ.
In this passage of scripture, Paul gives his credentials, noting how righteous and educated and holy he is. However, he says that none of that matters at all. All of those accolades are worth nothing compared to knowing Jesus as Lord.
Today, at this table, we won't be checking ID's. All are welcome here. There are many who may not know that they are welcome here. You may be called to extend this sacrament, to take it home, to take it into the world, so all can come home.
Ronnie is doing that with the English Conversation Class with the Matu community in East Austin. Watch the video of one project that you might do on ReThink Church day Plus One, on Oct. 19.
I hope you are feeling called to your particular project where you can extend Christ's love out into the world. I hope you are feeling called to inviting your Plus One, that friend, relative, associate, or neighbor to serve alongside you. Please go online to register how you will extend this world communion feast on Oct. 19. There are many people who are hungry, not just for food, but also for shelter, for relationships, for meaning. The good news is that Christ came for the world, the whole world.
I got to thinking about it this past week. It was exactly 40 years ago that I found myself worshiping at Niccholson Square Methodist Church in Edinburgh, Scotland. Here's how I got there. I was a farmboy from the Panhandle of Texas and hadn't really traveled much. I had been to Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Colorado. But I had received a Rotary Foundation Fellowship that allowed me to study anywhere I wanted to in the world. I chose Edinburgh University.
I thought that they talked funny. Ye looking all pealy wally (sickly, ashen faced). If ye can say it's a braw, bricht, moon lit nicht ta nicht, ye all richt, ye ken (if you can say it's a bold, bright moon light night tonight, you're alright, you know). Whooo r yu (who are you)?
They thought I talked funny. "My name is Ly--un." "Pleased to meet your Leon." "No, it's Ly-un." We Texans make one syllable words into two.
I arrived in Edinburgh at the end of September, 1974. I didn't know a single soul. I lived in a bed-sit, a family rented me a room with breakfast for a pound a day, 4 floors up in tenement housing, at 52 Leith Walk. At the end of my first week there, Sunday came around. I was used to attending worship. I found Niccholson Square Methodist Church, only 2 Methodist churches in this city of 1/2 million, next to the campus.
Worship was very similar to here. They sang hymns, had prayers, read scripture, received a sermon. It was the first Sunday of October, and they had the sacrament of communion. The preacher said it was World Communion Sunday. As I knelt there and received the bread and juice, it hit me. People in Littlefield, Texas, 4,000 miles and 6 time zones away, were also taking communion this day. People in Australia, Africa, Asia were also sharing in this meal. What a large table! Christ came for the whole world. Every nation, language, tribe, ethnicity is included.
After worship, I was hanging around talking with the preacher and some other families. One of the families asked if I had lunch plans. I didn't. They invited me into their home. I felt like the sacrament of communion was continued at their dining table as I was accepted there. They didn't ask who my parents were, how old I was, what grades I made, what my political beliefs were, or where I was on the theological spectrum. They simply accepted me as another follower of Christ.
In this passage of scripture, Paul gives his credentials, noting how righteous and educated and holy he is. However, he says that none of that matters at all. All of those accolades are worth nothing compared to knowing Jesus as Lord.
Today, at this table, we won't be checking ID's. All are welcome here. There are many who may not know that they are welcome here. You may be called to extend this sacrament, to take it home, to take it into the world, so all can come home.
Ronnie is doing that with the English Conversation Class with the Matu community in East Austin. Watch the video of one project that you might do on ReThink Church day Plus One, on Oct. 19.
I hope you are feeling called to your particular project where you can extend Christ's love out into the world. I hope you are feeling called to inviting your Plus One, that friend, relative, associate, or neighbor to serve alongside you. Please go online to register how you will extend this world communion feast on Oct. 19. There are many people who are hungry, not just for food, but also for shelter, for relationships, for meaning. The good news is that Christ came for the world, the whole world.
Monday, September 29, 2014
Running on Empty
from my message on Sept. 28, 2014, from Phil. 2:1-13
Here's something we rarely say to each other, "Have an empty day!" When we see our children off to school, we don't usually say, "Go and be empty!" We don't leave our friends with the words, "I wish for you emptiness!"
No, we are about filling up. We want full bellies....full bank accounts.....especially we want full calendars.
We are a little bit scared of emptiness.
A pastor friend of mine recently came back from a silent retreat at Lebh Shomea. This is a Catholic house of quiet and prayer near Sarita, Tx. You don't talk there. Even at meals, it is quiet. The only time you may talk is at morning communion service, where you exchange the peace of Christ and participate in the liturgy. My friend said he really needed to be there. He needed a time to vacate, to know emptiness.
We go on vacations, but we rarely experience them as emptiness. We often try to fill them. "We have just enough time to make it to the Battleship Texas. Let's go. If we hurry, we can make it."
We may fell like Jackson Browne in his song, Running on Empty. I never really listened to the words before. It seems like the faster he went, the more he tried to do, the more he felt empty. All of the trivial stuff didn't satisfy.
I heard from one of our members about a friend of his who went to a retreat house on a Greek island. It too was a house of quiet and prayer. The only one who spoke was the retreat master. This retreat master showed the man to his tiny room, with simple bed, desk, lamp. He wished him good night, saying he would see him for breakfast in the morning. It was so quiet, that the many slept hard. He woke up hungry. He went to the dining hall, late for breakfast. He asked the retreat master if he could still get something to eat. "Yes," the retreat master replied. "We were starting to get worried about you. You have slept for 3 days." Running on empty is our theme.
Before I get to Paul's counsel to the Philippians, I have one more encounter from this past week. I visited with Tina Carter, pastor at Parker Lane UMC. We have done several things with this sister congregation over the years. They are only 8 miles away, but a world away from us here in Westlake Hills. In East Austin, they have much more diversity according to race, languages, socio-economic levels, education levels. Tina says, "We do one thing really well." "What's that?" I asked. "We hang out really well. We do relationships really well." This is making room, clearing space, cultivating emptiness.
That's what Paul offers to the Philipppians. They were filled up with pettiness. I know we never get caught up in pettiness today! We never major in the minors! We never fill up on selfish trivialities! Paul's cure for their community was clever. He sang them a song, a song they knew. He didn't preach to them. He didn't offer a bunch of theology. He didn't give them a lot of rules. He sang a song from their hymn book. That's what verses 6-11 are, a song. The song says, "Have this mind among yourselves that was in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God did not count equality with God as a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, freely accepting death, even death on the cross."
His counsel to them is emptiness. He says, "Learn your part in the song. Join in the harmony with others. Follow the example of Christ." I ask you, can you sing all the parts of a song. We had one person at the early service who said that they had that kind of range. But I asked, "Can you sing them all at the same time?" No, we are to empty ourselves, find our part, and do it well, for the sake of the community. There are many voices. Each is important.
I remind you about the nature of music. The notes are important, but so are the rests! The emptiness is part of the music.
I have a way for you to practice this song of faith; it is ReThink Church Plus 1 on Oct. 19. We are going to call off worship services here to be in service out in the world. We are going to invite a guest alongside of us, our Plus One.
You see the bulletin insert with its list of projects. New ones are being created each week. This past week Matt asked me if the youth basketball team that practices in our gym could go out and repair nets on city or church playgrounds. I said, Yes, that is exactly what I want to have happen here. Be creative. Be entrepreneurs of the Spirit.
Here's a video of Senior Caregivers. It captures well that idea of "hanging out," of having no agenda but simply to be in relationship with someone, of creating emptiness so Christ can move in.
Most of our projects this year are not just one shot, let's feel good about ourselves projects. They are about establishing relationships, about hanging out with God's people, about emptying ourselves of our agendas.
One other way you can practice this emptiness is with your Plus One. Someone in this church suggested it to me: take this list of projects to your Plus One and have them choose the one they feel drawn to. I hope you are praying for your Plus One, maybe have even invited them already.
I close with a story on altruism. I heard it on NPR as I was driving around this past week. Altruism is giving, even giving sacrificially with no thought of reward or payment, maybe even doing so anonymously. The story on the radio started with a woman on the east coast who donated a kidney to another woman she didn' know on the west coast. The researcher was trying to find out what motivated here to do that. She did a study of other altruists. She found in brain scans that altruists have enlarged amygdalas. They are sensitive to others' pain. She found that psychopaths have stunted amygdalas. What we do here in worship, our singing, our praying, our serving together in community is all brain training! It is growing our amygdalas. We can have the mind of Christ!
The researcher was asked why she was interested in this field. She said, When I was a young woman, my car broke down in the fast lane, the passing land on the interstate. I was stuck there. A man came along. He got my car off the road. He got cars to go around. He got me help. Then he drove away. I never got his name." We have Christ who has set for us an example to follow.
I wish for you emptiness, so that you may be filled with the presence of Christ. That's the good news I have to share.
Here's something we rarely say to each other, "Have an empty day!" When we see our children off to school, we don't usually say, "Go and be empty!" We don't leave our friends with the words, "I wish for you emptiness!"
No, we are about filling up. We want full bellies....full bank accounts.....especially we want full calendars.
We are a little bit scared of emptiness.
A pastor friend of mine recently came back from a silent retreat at Lebh Shomea. This is a Catholic house of quiet and prayer near Sarita, Tx. You don't talk there. Even at meals, it is quiet. The only time you may talk is at morning communion service, where you exchange the peace of Christ and participate in the liturgy. My friend said he really needed to be there. He needed a time to vacate, to know emptiness.
We go on vacations, but we rarely experience them as emptiness. We often try to fill them. "We have just enough time to make it to the Battleship Texas. Let's go. If we hurry, we can make it."
We may fell like Jackson Browne in his song, Running on Empty. I never really listened to the words before. It seems like the faster he went, the more he tried to do, the more he felt empty. All of the trivial stuff didn't satisfy.
I heard from one of our members about a friend of his who went to a retreat house on a Greek island. It too was a house of quiet and prayer. The only one who spoke was the retreat master. This retreat master showed the man to his tiny room, with simple bed, desk, lamp. He wished him good night, saying he would see him for breakfast in the morning. It was so quiet, that the many slept hard. He woke up hungry. He went to the dining hall, late for breakfast. He asked the retreat master if he could still get something to eat. "Yes," the retreat master replied. "We were starting to get worried about you. You have slept for 3 days." Running on empty is our theme.
Before I get to Paul's counsel to the Philippians, I have one more encounter from this past week. I visited with Tina Carter, pastor at Parker Lane UMC. We have done several things with this sister congregation over the years. They are only 8 miles away, but a world away from us here in Westlake Hills. In East Austin, they have much more diversity according to race, languages, socio-economic levels, education levels. Tina says, "We do one thing really well." "What's that?" I asked. "We hang out really well. We do relationships really well." This is making room, clearing space, cultivating emptiness.
That's what Paul offers to the Philipppians. They were filled up with pettiness. I know we never get caught up in pettiness today! We never major in the minors! We never fill up on selfish trivialities! Paul's cure for their community was clever. He sang them a song, a song they knew. He didn't preach to them. He didn't offer a bunch of theology. He didn't give them a lot of rules. He sang a song from their hymn book. That's what verses 6-11 are, a song. The song says, "Have this mind among yourselves that was in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God did not count equality with God as a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, freely accepting death, even death on the cross."
His counsel to them is emptiness. He says, "Learn your part in the song. Join in the harmony with others. Follow the example of Christ." I ask you, can you sing all the parts of a song. We had one person at the early service who said that they had that kind of range. But I asked, "Can you sing them all at the same time?" No, we are to empty ourselves, find our part, and do it well, for the sake of the community. There are many voices. Each is important.
I remind you about the nature of music. The notes are important, but so are the rests! The emptiness is part of the music.
I have a way for you to practice this song of faith; it is ReThink Church Plus 1 on Oct. 19. We are going to call off worship services here to be in service out in the world. We are going to invite a guest alongside of us, our Plus One.
You see the bulletin insert with its list of projects. New ones are being created each week. This past week Matt asked me if the youth basketball team that practices in our gym could go out and repair nets on city or church playgrounds. I said, Yes, that is exactly what I want to have happen here. Be creative. Be entrepreneurs of the Spirit.
Here's a video of Senior Caregivers. It captures well that idea of "hanging out," of having no agenda but simply to be in relationship with someone, of creating emptiness so Christ can move in.
Most of our projects this year are not just one shot, let's feel good about ourselves projects. They are about establishing relationships, about hanging out with God's people, about emptying ourselves of our agendas.
One other way you can practice this emptiness is with your Plus One. Someone in this church suggested it to me: take this list of projects to your Plus One and have them choose the one they feel drawn to. I hope you are praying for your Plus One, maybe have even invited them already.
I close with a story on altruism. I heard it on NPR as I was driving around this past week. Altruism is giving, even giving sacrificially with no thought of reward or payment, maybe even doing so anonymously. The story on the radio started with a woman on the east coast who donated a kidney to another woman she didn' know on the west coast. The researcher was trying to find out what motivated here to do that. She did a study of other altruists. She found in brain scans that altruists have enlarged amygdalas. They are sensitive to others' pain. She found that psychopaths have stunted amygdalas. What we do here in worship, our singing, our praying, our serving together in community is all brain training! It is growing our amygdalas. We can have the mind of Christ!
The researcher was asked why she was interested in this field. She said, When I was a young woman, my car broke down in the fast lane, the passing land on the interstate. I was stuck there. A man came along. He got my car off the road. He got cars to go around. He got me help. Then he drove away. I never got his name." We have Christ who has set for us an example to follow.
I wish for you emptiness, so that you may be filled with the presence of Christ. That's the good news I have to share.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Job Openings
from my message on Sept. 21, 2014, from Matthew 20:1-16
How much are you worth? I came to be your pastor in June of 2007, just in time to walk with you through the Great Recession. Many of you lost jobs, or had your job down-sized, right-sized. You may have had to take a lesser paying position, or a longer commute. Some of you lost homes.
It was hard. What you thought was secure...wasn't. How you looked at yourself...well, you had to take another look. What you thought you were worth....was called into question.
It was especially hard on males. Many females suffered too, but we males have a lot of our identity tied up in what we "do." There was the feeling of shame, of "I feel less than" who I am intended to be. It was difficult for males to visit with me about their vulnerability. I remember an encounter with a man in our neighborhood whom I knew well. He had had a nice big house and a good steady job. But he got upside down in his house loan. The sale of it fell through. He lost his job. The replacement job he thought he had fell through. Temporary work and short term contracts were spotty. He drained his bank account. He came to see me when he need fuel for his car. I filled up his tank on his BMW with diesel so he could make an appointment with a possible temp job. His feeling of shame was palpable.
Those who went through the Great Recession felt like "this is not right," "this shouldn't be happening to me," "it's not fair," "I've got the MBA," "I've worked hard," "I have years of experience."
We feel the same way when we hear this parable that Jesus tells. We have a strong reaction. Especially when those who worked only 1 hour get the same pay as those who have worked all day long. We want to grumble, "It's not fair!"
It isn't fair. But hear the parable from another context. Justo Gonzalez is theologian who was born in Cuba. Those of you who have taken Christian Believer will recognize him as the weekly presenter. He was educated in Cuba and later in the USA. He has taught in seminaries in the USA and is a clergy member of the Rio Grande Conference of the United Methodist Church. When he reads this parable in a Latino setting, he gets another response. Many of the hearers may be day laborers. They may be those men standing outside of Home Depot. You have seen them when you have shopped there. They are waiting on a contractor to come by in his pickup truck, looking for framers, drywallers, landscapers, painters. When Justo reads that line where those who have worked only 1 hour get the same pay as those who have worked all day, the congregation breaks out into clapping. "Yes," they say, "that's the way it should be!"
Because it is not about fairness. It is about grace. Grace is always amazing. "Grace that can be calculated and expected is no longer grace." Get playful with me for a moment. Can you hear us complaining to God, "Susie got more heaven than I did. Johnny got more eternal life than I did." Will anybody receive any more grace than anyone else?
God revealed in Jesus Christ wants everybody to be invited to His holy work. There are job openings for everyone.....first, last, everyone in between. Jesus seeks out everyone. "You are valuable to me. I have work for you, " He says. Look at his hand stretched out on the cross. They are open to everyone. Isn't this the message of the whole Bible. All are welcome.
We are invited to be a part of these job openings. On Oct. 19, we are going to live into ReThink Church + 1. We are going to call off worship services here in order to be in service out in the world. Plus we are going to invite someone to join us in making a difference in the world, our Plus One. You can find more information and sign up at our website.
Watch an example of Mobile Loaves and Fishes.
When we first did ReThink Church 4 years ago, one of the projects we did was Church Under the Bridge. This congregation meets with homeless people at 7th and I-35. We were passing out clothes there. Stephen was helping one woman who was fairly well dressed. She had not been on the streets very long. She said, "Everyone of us is just one angry boss away from being where I am." We are all vulnerable.
One of our members was struggling last week with who to invite as her Plus One. Another member helped her with clarifying questions. "Is your son part of a sports team?" "Yes, he plays football." "Does he have friends on the team?" "Well, yes, he does?" "Do all of them have a church home?" "Well, no, they don't" "Could you invite one of them?" "What a great idea!"
Then this same member said, "But I don't know what service project to do." Our guiding member said, "Well, you could get a bunch of cookies and little sandwich bags. Put 3 cookies to each bag. We use these as desserts for the Mobile Loaves and Fishes meals." "What a great idea!"
That's how easy it is to find a project and invite someone to join you. There are job openings for everyone!
I invite you to be in prayer about the project that you are drawn to. I invite you to be in prayer about the friend, relative, associate, or neighbor who may be your Plus One.
There is a poem that is really resonating with me, especially as I consider job openings. It is only 5 lines written by John O'Donohue, an Irish poet, from his book, To Bless the Space Between Us:
May I have the courage today
To live the live that I would love,
To postpone my dream no longer
But do at last what I came here for
And waste my life on fear no more.
The good news is that God has many job openings for you and your plus one.
How much are you worth? I came to be your pastor in June of 2007, just in time to walk with you through the Great Recession. Many of you lost jobs, or had your job down-sized, right-sized. You may have had to take a lesser paying position, or a longer commute. Some of you lost homes.
It was hard. What you thought was secure...wasn't. How you looked at yourself...well, you had to take another look. What you thought you were worth....was called into question.
It was especially hard on males. Many females suffered too, but we males have a lot of our identity tied up in what we "do." There was the feeling of shame, of "I feel less than" who I am intended to be. It was difficult for males to visit with me about their vulnerability. I remember an encounter with a man in our neighborhood whom I knew well. He had had a nice big house and a good steady job. But he got upside down in his house loan. The sale of it fell through. He lost his job. The replacement job he thought he had fell through. Temporary work and short term contracts were spotty. He drained his bank account. He came to see me when he need fuel for his car. I filled up his tank on his BMW with diesel so he could make an appointment with a possible temp job. His feeling of shame was palpable.
Those who went through the Great Recession felt like "this is not right," "this shouldn't be happening to me," "it's not fair," "I've got the MBA," "I've worked hard," "I have years of experience."
We feel the same way when we hear this parable that Jesus tells. We have a strong reaction. Especially when those who worked only 1 hour get the same pay as those who have worked all day long. We want to grumble, "It's not fair!"
It isn't fair. But hear the parable from another context. Justo Gonzalez is theologian who was born in Cuba. Those of you who have taken Christian Believer will recognize him as the weekly presenter. He was educated in Cuba and later in the USA. He has taught in seminaries in the USA and is a clergy member of the Rio Grande Conference of the United Methodist Church. When he reads this parable in a Latino setting, he gets another response. Many of the hearers may be day laborers. They may be those men standing outside of Home Depot. You have seen them when you have shopped there. They are waiting on a contractor to come by in his pickup truck, looking for framers, drywallers, landscapers, painters. When Justo reads that line where those who have worked only 1 hour get the same pay as those who have worked all day, the congregation breaks out into clapping. "Yes," they say, "that's the way it should be!"
Because it is not about fairness. It is about grace. Grace is always amazing. "Grace that can be calculated and expected is no longer grace." Get playful with me for a moment. Can you hear us complaining to God, "Susie got more heaven than I did. Johnny got more eternal life than I did." Will anybody receive any more grace than anyone else?
God revealed in Jesus Christ wants everybody to be invited to His holy work. There are job openings for everyone.....first, last, everyone in between. Jesus seeks out everyone. "You are valuable to me. I have work for you, " He says. Look at his hand stretched out on the cross. They are open to everyone. Isn't this the message of the whole Bible. All are welcome.
We are invited to be a part of these job openings. On Oct. 19, we are going to live into ReThink Church + 1. We are going to call off worship services here in order to be in service out in the world. Plus we are going to invite someone to join us in making a difference in the world, our Plus One. You can find more information and sign up at our website.
Watch an example of Mobile Loaves and Fishes.
When we first did ReThink Church 4 years ago, one of the projects we did was Church Under the Bridge. This congregation meets with homeless people at 7th and I-35. We were passing out clothes there. Stephen was helping one woman who was fairly well dressed. She had not been on the streets very long. She said, "Everyone of us is just one angry boss away from being where I am." We are all vulnerable.
One of our members was struggling last week with who to invite as her Plus One. Another member helped her with clarifying questions. "Is your son part of a sports team?" "Yes, he plays football." "Does he have friends on the team?" "Well, yes, he does?" "Do all of them have a church home?" "Well, no, they don't" "Could you invite one of them?" "What a great idea!"
Then this same member said, "But I don't know what service project to do." Our guiding member said, "Well, you could get a bunch of cookies and little sandwich bags. Put 3 cookies to each bag. We use these as desserts for the Mobile Loaves and Fishes meals." "What a great idea!"
That's how easy it is to find a project and invite someone to join you. There are job openings for everyone!
I invite you to be in prayer about the project that you are drawn to. I invite you to be in prayer about the friend, relative, associate, or neighbor who may be your Plus One.
There is a poem that is really resonating with me, especially as I consider job openings. It is only 5 lines written by John O'Donohue, an Irish poet, from his book, To Bless the Space Between Us:
May I have the courage today
To live the live that I would love,
To postpone my dream no longer
But do at last what I came here for
And waste my life on fear no more.
The good news is that God has many job openings for you and your plus one.
Monday, September 15, 2014
Thinking of others
from my message on Sept. 14, 2014 from Romans 14:1-12
Warning! I am a doctor, but not a medical one. I have a doctor of ministry degree. Still, I give you fair warning. What I am about to say may cause you high blood pressure, heart palpitations, dry mouth, loss of sleep, skin rash, and other side effects. The word I have for you is Evangelism (gasp!).
This word has grown scary for us. I wish it weren't the case. The word evangelism simply means "good news." In fact, I think we Christians have the best news. We have been forgiven, set free from sin, offered new life in Christ, shown love in Jesus Christ, called to serve others. It is good news that we can live lives that matter.
When we Methodists began as a reform movement in the 1700's, we were the best in the world at evangelism. We sent preachers to meet the people where they were, in the market places, in coal fields. We offered communion to everybody; we still do. We sang Charles Wesley's hymns with fervor. We had small group accountability where people prayed for one another and learned to talk of their faith. We were advocates for the most vulnerable. We were against child labor, slavery, and debtors' prisons. We ministered to those with alcohol addictions, started schools and hospitals. We had good news, not just in words but also in deeds.
The problem is that we have more recently seen lots of bad examples of evangelism. We have endured televangelists. Some had makeup caked on that could stop a rocket propelled grenade. Can I get an Amen? Some had hair that could preach Jesus. Give me a Hallelujah!
We are afraid that we might have to get white shirts and black ties and ride bicycles, witnessing to strangers.
That's really scary for us, making cold calls about our faith. A few weeks ago, I was sitting in my LazyBoy recliner on a Saturday, doing the cross word puzzles in the newspaper. The doorbell rang. I admit that on my days' off, I sometimes don't answer the doorbell. These persons were persistent. Cathy wasn't around. I went to the door. There was a mom with a little girl, maybe 6 years old. The little girl was trying to back away. She was saying, "I don't want to. Don't make me." The mom was pushing her towards me, "You can do it. Go ahead and give it to him." The little girl handed me the literature from her church. I was really upset. It bordered on child abuse for me.
I am not asking you to do anything like this. So breathe. We are in the 2nd week of 6 weeks of welcoming others. We are getting ready for ReThink Church + 1 on Oct. 19. On that Sunday, we will not have worship services here; we will go out to be in service to others.
The first challenge I have for you today is to be drawn to a service project. We are highlighting IHN, Interfaith Hospitality Network today. This past week we hosted 4 families at our church who are waiting more permanent housing. In fact, on Wednesday, one of the families got their own apartment! So we ended the week with only 3 families. That's good news!
Watch the video of Morris Moore explaining IHN and how you can help.
Take the bulletin insert and look at the starter list of service projects. You can create your own too. Be in prayer about what project you are drawn to.
The second challenge is to be drawn to inviting someone to serve alongside you, your Plus One. In the Urban Dictionary, a Plus One is that unnamed guest that you bring with you to an event. "She's with me; she's my plus one."
We are going to start practicing our inviting today. We are not going to accost, badger, judge, etc. We are going to be talking to people we already know.
I share a true story at this point, from St. Andrew's UMC in San Antonio. This congregation spent 6 hours on a Saturday getting training in welcoming others, instead of the 6 weeks like we are doing here. At the end of the workshop, a woman of the church walks outside. There is someone she knows, but barely, an acquaintance from the neighborhood. This other woman is walking her dog, along the sidewalk right in front of the church. The woman from the church screws up her courage. She is going to do it. She is going to invite the dog walker woman. "Hello," she says. The dogwalker responds nicely, "Oh, hello." "Say, I want to invite you to my church." "Is this your church here?" Why, yes, we would love to have you." It is going so well.....The dogwalker asks, "So, you are a member here?" "Yes." The dogwalker says, "So, can I get in under your membership?"
Wow. We have a lot of misinformation to overcome. We have a lot of work to do in sharing good news with others.
Paul has some good counsel for us at this point from his letter to the church at Rome. It's not the best text for evangelism, but it will do. You may think it is just about what to eat or what holidays to observe, but there's more to it than that. Paul says for the strong to welcome the weak. His basic message is this: No one is superior to anyone else; be careful that you don't think you know best for someone else. He says we are all servants of one another, servants ultimately of God. We all belong to God. Who does God welcome? God welcomes everyone.
The word for welcome here means to receive or accept, to take in as a guest, even to partake food with. We invite someone to join in the feast of life with us.
We are going to practice thinking of others by talking in pairs about a friend you might have. Surely you have one friend. Do that visiting now.
Now take this yellow card and write these 4 letters down the side
F
R
A
N
They stand for
Friends
Relatives
Associates
Neighbors
Start generating some names under each category, some Plus Ones, you might invite to serve with you on Oct. 19, to make a difference in the world. Parents, siblings, cousins, business acquaintances, people on sports teams with you, people you see at Starbucks, people on your block. I bet you can come up with at least one name of a Plus One. These are the ones we know already and sometimes forget to invite.
I want you to be in prayer for that person or persons. Place this yellow card where you can be reminded of these names: on the refrigerator door, on the bathroom mirror, on your computer screen, on your car dashboard.
I believe that people are desperate for meaning and for belonging. We can be thinking of others and to invite them to God's good news in Jesus Christ.
Paul quotes the prophet Isaiah, that every knee shall bow and every tongue will give praise to God. God won't quit until all of God's children know how much they are loved. What good news!
What project are you drawn to? Who's your Plus One?
Warning! I am a doctor, but not a medical one. I have a doctor of ministry degree. Still, I give you fair warning. What I am about to say may cause you high blood pressure, heart palpitations, dry mouth, loss of sleep, skin rash, and other side effects. The word I have for you is Evangelism (gasp!).
This word has grown scary for us. I wish it weren't the case. The word evangelism simply means "good news." In fact, I think we Christians have the best news. We have been forgiven, set free from sin, offered new life in Christ, shown love in Jesus Christ, called to serve others. It is good news that we can live lives that matter.
When we Methodists began as a reform movement in the 1700's, we were the best in the world at evangelism. We sent preachers to meet the people where they were, in the market places, in coal fields. We offered communion to everybody; we still do. We sang Charles Wesley's hymns with fervor. We had small group accountability where people prayed for one another and learned to talk of their faith. We were advocates for the most vulnerable. We were against child labor, slavery, and debtors' prisons. We ministered to those with alcohol addictions, started schools and hospitals. We had good news, not just in words but also in deeds.
The problem is that we have more recently seen lots of bad examples of evangelism. We have endured televangelists. Some had makeup caked on that could stop a rocket propelled grenade. Can I get an Amen? Some had hair that could preach Jesus. Give me a Hallelujah!
We are afraid that we might have to get white shirts and black ties and ride bicycles, witnessing to strangers.
That's really scary for us, making cold calls about our faith. A few weeks ago, I was sitting in my LazyBoy recliner on a Saturday, doing the cross word puzzles in the newspaper. The doorbell rang. I admit that on my days' off, I sometimes don't answer the doorbell. These persons were persistent. Cathy wasn't around. I went to the door. There was a mom with a little girl, maybe 6 years old. The little girl was trying to back away. She was saying, "I don't want to. Don't make me." The mom was pushing her towards me, "You can do it. Go ahead and give it to him." The little girl handed me the literature from her church. I was really upset. It bordered on child abuse for me.
I am not asking you to do anything like this. So breathe. We are in the 2nd week of 6 weeks of welcoming others. We are getting ready for ReThink Church + 1 on Oct. 19. On that Sunday, we will not have worship services here; we will go out to be in service to others.
The first challenge I have for you today is to be drawn to a service project. We are highlighting IHN, Interfaith Hospitality Network today. This past week we hosted 4 families at our church who are waiting more permanent housing. In fact, on Wednesday, one of the families got their own apartment! So we ended the week with only 3 families. That's good news!
Watch the video of Morris Moore explaining IHN and how you can help.
Take the bulletin insert and look at the starter list of service projects. You can create your own too. Be in prayer about what project you are drawn to.
The second challenge is to be drawn to inviting someone to serve alongside you, your Plus One. In the Urban Dictionary, a Plus One is that unnamed guest that you bring with you to an event. "She's with me; she's my plus one."
We are going to start practicing our inviting today. We are not going to accost, badger, judge, etc. We are going to be talking to people we already know.
I share a true story at this point, from St. Andrew's UMC in San Antonio. This congregation spent 6 hours on a Saturday getting training in welcoming others, instead of the 6 weeks like we are doing here. At the end of the workshop, a woman of the church walks outside. There is someone she knows, but barely, an acquaintance from the neighborhood. This other woman is walking her dog, along the sidewalk right in front of the church. The woman from the church screws up her courage. She is going to do it. She is going to invite the dog walker woman. "Hello," she says. The dogwalker responds nicely, "Oh, hello." "Say, I want to invite you to my church." "Is this your church here?" Why, yes, we would love to have you." It is going so well.....The dogwalker asks, "So, you are a member here?" "Yes." The dogwalker says, "So, can I get in under your membership?"
Wow. We have a lot of misinformation to overcome. We have a lot of work to do in sharing good news with others.
Paul has some good counsel for us at this point from his letter to the church at Rome. It's not the best text for evangelism, but it will do. You may think it is just about what to eat or what holidays to observe, but there's more to it than that. Paul says for the strong to welcome the weak. His basic message is this: No one is superior to anyone else; be careful that you don't think you know best for someone else. He says we are all servants of one another, servants ultimately of God. We all belong to God. Who does God welcome? God welcomes everyone.
The word for welcome here means to receive or accept, to take in as a guest, even to partake food with. We invite someone to join in the feast of life with us.
We are going to practice thinking of others by talking in pairs about a friend you might have. Surely you have one friend. Do that visiting now.
Now take this yellow card and write these 4 letters down the side
F
R
A
N
They stand for
Friends
Relatives
Associates
Neighbors
Start generating some names under each category, some Plus Ones, you might invite to serve with you on Oct. 19, to make a difference in the world. Parents, siblings, cousins, business acquaintances, people on sports teams with you, people you see at Starbucks, people on your block. I bet you can come up with at least one name of a Plus One. These are the ones we know already and sometimes forget to invite.
I want you to be in prayer for that person or persons. Place this yellow card where you can be reminded of these names: on the refrigerator door, on the bathroom mirror, on your computer screen, on your car dashboard.
I believe that people are desperate for meaning and for belonging. We can be thinking of others and to invite them to God's good news in Jesus Christ.
Paul quotes the prophet Isaiah, that every knee shall bow and every tongue will give praise to God. God won't quit until all of God's children know how much they are loved. What good news!
What project are you drawn to? Who's your Plus One?
Monday, September 8, 2014
In One Word
from my message on Sept. 7, 2014, from Romans 13:8-10
Commandments. You may have heard we have commandments in the church. How many? 10! I am sure that you can name them all.
1. No other gods, worship Yahweh alone
2. No graven images
3. Respect God's name
4. Remember the Sabbath, it's about rest
5. Honor parents, in fact, all elders
6. No murder
7. No adultery, take care of sexuality
8. No stealing
9. No false witness
10. No coveting
I had a pecan buyer in my church in San Saba. He said, "Preacher, I've broken all the commandments but 2, and I'm not telling you which 2."
I am sure that you have kept all of these commandments.
If you read the Old Testament carefully, especially the first 5 books, you will find that these 10 commandments have been expanded to 613 commandments! Things like, you can't eat pork or shrimp, you can wear 2 different kinds of cloth together, you can't get a tattoo. I am sure that you have kept all of those too.
I am glad that when Jesus comes along and is asked about what is the greatest commandment, he says, To love God with all of one's being, and to love neighbor as oneself. Paul in this letter to Rome, keeps it simple, saying the whole law is fulfilled in one word, "love your neighbor as yourself."
Easier to say than to do. The college ethics professor said, "It is quite possible to make an A in this class and still be a lousy person." To love neighbor takes it out of the world of theory and makes it very concrete. As the Peanuts cartoon has Linus saying, "I love mankind; it's people I can't stand."
To love neighbor as oneself might look like this story:
Years ago, a Johns Hopkins professor gave a group of graduate students this assignment: Go to the slums. Take 200 boys, between the ages of 12 and 16, and investigate their background and environment. Then predict their chances for the future.
The students, after consulting social statistics, talking to the boys and compiling much data, concluded that 90 percent of the boys would spend some time in jail.
Twenty-five years later, another group of graduate students was given the job of testing the prediction. They went back to the same area. Some of the boys - by then men - were still there, a few had died, some had moved away, but they got in touch with 180 of the original 200. They found that only four of the group had ever been sent to jail.
Why was it that these men, who had lived in a breeding place of crime, had such a surprisingly good record? The researchers were continually told: "Well, there was a teacher ..."
They pressed further and found that in 75 percent of the cases it was the same woman. The researchers went to this teacher, now living in a home for retired teachers. How had she exerted this remarkable influence over that group of children? Could she give them any reason why these boys should have remembered her?
"No," she said, "no, I really couldn't." And then, thinking back
over the years, she said musingly, more to herself than to her
questioners: "I loved those boys. ..."
Commandments. You may have heard we have commandments in the church. How many? 10! I am sure that you can name them all.
1. No other gods, worship Yahweh alone
2. No graven images
3. Respect God's name
4. Remember the Sabbath, it's about rest
5. Honor parents, in fact, all elders
6. No murder
7. No adultery, take care of sexuality
8. No stealing
9. No false witness
10. No coveting
I had a pecan buyer in my church in San Saba. He said, "Preacher, I've broken all the commandments but 2, and I'm not telling you which 2."
I am sure that you have kept all of these commandments.
If you read the Old Testament carefully, especially the first 5 books, you will find that these 10 commandments have been expanded to 613 commandments! Things like, you can't eat pork or shrimp, you can wear 2 different kinds of cloth together, you can't get a tattoo. I am sure that you have kept all of those too.
I am glad that when Jesus comes along and is asked about what is the greatest commandment, he says, To love God with all of one's being, and to love neighbor as oneself. Paul in this letter to Rome, keeps it simple, saying the whole law is fulfilled in one word, "love your neighbor as yourself."
Easier to say than to do. The college ethics professor said, "It is quite possible to make an A in this class and still be a lousy person." To love neighbor takes it out of the world of theory and makes it very concrete. As the Peanuts cartoon has Linus saying, "I love mankind; it's people I can't stand."
To love neighbor as oneself might look like this story:
Years ago, a Johns Hopkins professor gave a group of graduate students this assignment: Go to the slums. Take 200 boys, between the ages of 12 and 16, and investigate their background and environment. Then predict their chances for the future.
The students, after consulting social statistics, talking to the boys and compiling much data, concluded that 90 percent of the boys would spend some time in jail.
Twenty-five years later, another group of graduate students was given the job of testing the prediction. They went back to the same area. Some of the boys - by then men - were still there, a few had died, some had moved away, but they got in touch with 180 of the original 200. They found that only four of the group had ever been sent to jail.
Why was it that these men, who had lived in a breeding place of crime, had such a surprisingly good record? The researchers were continually told: "Well, there was a teacher ..."
They pressed further and found that in 75 percent of the cases it was the same woman. The researchers went to this teacher, now living in a home for retired teachers. How had she exerted this remarkable influence over that group of children? Could she give them any reason why these boys should have remembered her?
"No," she said, "no, I really couldn't." And then, thinking back
over the years, she said musingly, more to herself than to her
questioners: "I loved those boys. ..."
Love makes the difference. The word for love that is used 5 times in this short passage is agape. It is God's love for us. It is the sacrificial love that Christ demonstrated in his life, death, and resurrection. Sometimes, when we experience that love, that forgiveness, that newness of life, we are able to love others as ourselves.
You may remember Chuck Colson from the Nixon years. He had a powerful conversion to the Christian faith. He said this:
Several years ago my son Chris and I were discussing the evidences for God. As I argued that if there were no God, it would be impossible to account for moral law, my grandson Charlie, then 4, interrupted.
"But Grandpa," he said, "there is a God." I nodded, assuring him that I agreed.
"See, if there wasn't a God, Grandpa," he continued, "people couldn't love each other."
Charlie is right. Only the overarching presence and provision of God assures that both Christian and non-Christian enjoy human dignity and a means to escape our naturally sinful condition. Without His presence, we could not long survive together on this planet.
-Charles Colson, Kingdoms in Conflict (New York: William Morrow/Zondervan
Publishing House, 1987), 71.
"But Grandpa," he said, "there is a God." I nodded, assuring him that I agreed.
"See, if there wasn't a God, Grandpa," he continued, "people couldn't love each other."
Charlie is right. Only the overarching presence and provision of God assures that both Christian and non-Christian enjoy human dignity and a means to escape our naturally sinful condition. Without His presence, we could not long survive together on this planet.
-Charles Colson, Kingdoms in Conflict (New York: William Morrow/Zondervan
Publishing House, 1987), 71.
I challenge you to love one another in a particular way. On October 19, we are not going to have worship services here; we are going to be in service to God's wider world. Plus I am challenging you to invite someone, your Plus One, to join you in mission that day. I am challenging you to be in prayer about what mission you are drawn to and most especially to your Plus One. Who is God putting on your heart to invite?
The good news is that Christ loves us, and because of that we can love one another.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
A Bucket Full
from my message on Aug.31, 2014, from Rom. 12:9-13
James was his name. He was the head baseball coach at Concordia Lutheran College back at the old campus along I-35 and north of 32nd street here in Austin. He was a member of my church, St. John's UMC. It was a small baseball program; he might have had an assistant coach. To tell you how small it was, I once attended a game on campus. A foul ball was hit over the backstop, landing on a car, which set off its alarm. The folks in the stands looked at one another and said, "Ruth, I think it hit your car."
James was married to a beautiful woman. They had 3 little children. James asked for a luncheon meeting one day. We ate at a restaurant on Burnet Road. I will never forget how he shared with me, "There has been this twitching in my arms. I am trying to not worry about it. I am talking to the doctors." Here I insert a word from the Panhandle of Texas, dad gummit, it was ALS.
This terrible disease started to rob him of movement and capabilities. One year, James and his family were on the cover of the Sunday Parade magazine as the poster family for ALS. I was only his pastor for a couple of years before I had to move. I remember how James's shoulders started drooping, how he shrunk. He died of ALS.
I suspect you have a "James", someone you know who has had ALS. Let's share those names out loud or deep in hearts in prayer now in worship. We have 2 members of our congregation who have been diagnosed with ALS.
ALS is short for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It is commonly called Lou Gehrig's disease after the Yankee baseball player who had been an iron man, never missing a game or a grounder, till he was diagnosed with it. It is an awful disease. Today we are going to meet this disease with hope. Today we are going to participate in the Ice Bucket Challenge.
Have you heard about it? It is not some marketing ploy. It is a grass roots movement that took off only in mid-July. You can see an example of a challenge from the youth group from Manchaca UMC to our youth here.
The challenge has been extremely successful. Last year from late July to late August, the ALS Association raised $2.6 million; this year over the same period, they raised $88.5 million! There have been 1.9 million new donors.
I looked it up on line, and there are rules! Ice water. Not ice only---ouch! Not just plain water--bland! But ice water. One of our youth was telling me about a video from a scientist who studies in this field. He said the shock of ice water with its accompanying tensing up of muscles and pain is similar to the feeling of ALS, if only for a fraction of a second.
It is supposed to be done not on a parking lot, but where the water can go back to the earth. Especially in this drought plagued area, we will do it on our back lawn here. In California, there were some vine growers, in their drought who substituted wine for water. We won't do that here!
You are supposed to respond to a challenge by getting soaked yourself or at least making a donation. I will be doing both. I am giving $100. You can give also by placing your donation in this bucket in the narthex after worship.
Here's some hope. I am astounded at the power of social media. This movement has gone "viral" as we say today. Facebook, Twitter, etc. have gotten the word out. It shows how connected we all are. In Christian terms, it shows how we are made for community, for doing this life together. I wish we could share our faith as easily as we shared this ice bucket challenge.
Some more hope comes from the word challenge. We seem to respond well to a challenge. I realize that as your pastor, I don't challenge you enough sometimes. "It's okay, that's alright, you're accepted," is what I say. Challenges call forth the best in us. Did you hear the challenges in the letter to the Romans? There were a bucketful of them: loving, forgiving, giving, serving, welcoming.
I want to leave you with a hopeful story. When I was pastor in Portland down on the Texas coast, I had a man who visited our church, who had ALS. He had lost the ability to speak. He had a little keyboard that he would type out responses on with a pencil. Once, just before I left Portland, I asked him, "How do you feel about having this disease? It's not fair? It's awful? Are you mad at God? Is there anything in scripture that describes what you are going through?" He tapped out his answer. I never would have expected it. He wrote, Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name (Psalm 103:1). I was amazed at his faith. We will join him and all those we love with this disease to find a cure.
It is not a gimmick, what we do this day, in the ice bucket challenge. There is a person who writes liturgy who captures it well. Maren Tirabassi has written a poem, "Ice Bucket Challenge." Listen as I pour water into the baptismal font.
James was his name. He was the head baseball coach at Concordia Lutheran College back at the old campus along I-35 and north of 32nd street here in Austin. He was a member of my church, St. John's UMC. It was a small baseball program; he might have had an assistant coach. To tell you how small it was, I once attended a game on campus. A foul ball was hit over the backstop, landing on a car, which set off its alarm. The folks in the stands looked at one another and said, "Ruth, I think it hit your car."
James was married to a beautiful woman. They had 3 little children. James asked for a luncheon meeting one day. We ate at a restaurant on Burnet Road. I will never forget how he shared with me, "There has been this twitching in my arms. I am trying to not worry about it. I am talking to the doctors." Here I insert a word from the Panhandle of Texas, dad gummit, it was ALS.
This terrible disease started to rob him of movement and capabilities. One year, James and his family were on the cover of the Sunday Parade magazine as the poster family for ALS. I was only his pastor for a couple of years before I had to move. I remember how James's shoulders started drooping, how he shrunk. He died of ALS.
I suspect you have a "James", someone you know who has had ALS. Let's share those names out loud or deep in hearts in prayer now in worship. We have 2 members of our congregation who have been diagnosed with ALS.
ALS is short for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It is commonly called Lou Gehrig's disease after the Yankee baseball player who had been an iron man, never missing a game or a grounder, till he was diagnosed with it. It is an awful disease. Today we are going to meet this disease with hope. Today we are going to participate in the Ice Bucket Challenge.
Have you heard about it? It is not some marketing ploy. It is a grass roots movement that took off only in mid-July. You can see an example of a challenge from the youth group from Manchaca UMC to our youth here.
The challenge has been extremely successful. Last year from late July to late August, the ALS Association raised $2.6 million; this year over the same period, they raised $88.5 million! There have been 1.9 million new donors.
I looked it up on line, and there are rules! Ice water. Not ice only---ouch! Not just plain water--bland! But ice water. One of our youth was telling me about a video from a scientist who studies in this field. He said the shock of ice water with its accompanying tensing up of muscles and pain is similar to the feeling of ALS, if only for a fraction of a second.
It is supposed to be done not on a parking lot, but where the water can go back to the earth. Especially in this drought plagued area, we will do it on our back lawn here. In California, there were some vine growers, in their drought who substituted wine for water. We won't do that here!
You are supposed to respond to a challenge by getting soaked yourself or at least making a donation. I will be doing both. I am giving $100. You can give also by placing your donation in this bucket in the narthex after worship.
Here's some hope. I am astounded at the power of social media. This movement has gone "viral" as we say today. Facebook, Twitter, etc. have gotten the word out. It shows how connected we all are. In Christian terms, it shows how we are made for community, for doing this life together. I wish we could share our faith as easily as we shared this ice bucket challenge.
Some more hope comes from the word challenge. We seem to respond well to a challenge. I realize that as your pastor, I don't challenge you enough sometimes. "It's okay, that's alright, you're accepted," is what I say. Challenges call forth the best in us. Did you hear the challenges in the letter to the Romans? There were a bucketful of them: loving, forgiving, giving, serving, welcoming.
I want to leave you with a hopeful story. When I was pastor in Portland down on the Texas coast, I had a man who visited our church, who had ALS. He had lost the ability to speak. He had a little keyboard that he would type out responses on with a pencil. Once, just before I left Portland, I asked him, "How do you feel about having this disease? It's not fair? It's awful? Are you mad at God? Is there anything in scripture that describes what you are going through?" He tapped out his answer. I never would have expected it. He wrote, Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name (Psalm 103:1). I was amazed at his faith. We will join him and all those we love with this disease to find a cure.
It is not a gimmick, what we do this day, in the ice bucket challenge. There is a person who writes liturgy who captures it well. Maren Tirabassi has written a poem, "Ice Bucket Challenge." Listen as I pour water into the baptismal font.
Of course, they’ve borrowed
our sacrament,
the one we let become warm
and small and personal and private
and cheap.
They got it right –
a big splash in front of everyone,
for the sake of those
living with ALS,
a wild, re-jordaned,
cold compassion, soaking --
holy defiant dove and all
to heal
lou gehrig’s disease.
Amen to the
celebrities and CEO’s,
the politicians and techies
and ordinary folks
who may not be our go-to saints
but teach us something
about our fonts,
and our old three-holy punch –
a bucketful of icy and shocking,
of public and embarrassing,
a bucketful
of siding with the healing
of someone else,
a bucketful of awkward
possible rejection,
wet and turning
to someone we love saying –
I challenge you to live baptized.
Monday, August 25, 2014
Transformers
from my message on Aug. 24, 2014, from Rom. 12:1-8
(video clip from Transformers recent movie) Anybody see this movie? It is like the 4th in a series. Anybody have these toys? I know our boys who are now 32 and 30 years of age used to play with these Transformers. Is is a car or a robot? Is it a plane or a robot? They transform.
Our God is about transformation. The old line is that God loves us just the way we are, but God loves us far too much to leave us that way. Repeat after me: Thank God, we are not who we once were. Thank God, we are not who we will be. We are being transformed.
Paul says, Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds. I know you like it when I do the Greek words with you. The word for transformed here is metamorphsis. It has an outward component. It is the same word used when Jesus is transfigured on the mountaintop, when his clothes glow bright white. It has an inner component, as here, Paul says our minds are renewed. That word for renewing of minds is found only in Christian literature. I like it that our God is about changing our minds!
Which is more important, the outward or the inward? Both! Which comes first? It could be either. Sometimes God does that interior work first, and the actions follow. For some of us, it is like we are in AA. We have to fake it till we make it. We go through the motions of loving and serving and giving until we actually become loving and serving and giving.
Transformation looks like this (video clip of our work at the back to school blast at Parker Lane UMC last Sunday)
We are being transformed in order to transform others. For a school setting, I will share a report I heard on National Public Radio as I was driving around this past week. It talked about the MVP, Mentors in Violence Prevention. These were seniors in high school who shepherded incoming freshmen. Often they were athletes and others who were looked up to as role models. These MVP's would not keep silent in situations of bullying or when a young woman was taken advantage of. One MVP was the captain of the football team. He said about those he mentors, "I try to get into their heads." Transformed by the renewing of our minds.
Thank God, we are not who we once were. Thank God, we are not who we will be.
Then this past week, I heard again about this talk called the Last Lecture. You can look it up online by Jerry Pausch. It is subtitled Realizing your Childhood Dreams. He was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University in virtual reality. He starts by saying, I was diagnosed with liver cancer a month ago and given 3-4 months to live; you do the math. The talk is very upbeat, humorous. It is not particularly religious our spiritual, but we Methodists have been trained to find good news everywhere.
In the talk he says about fundamentals, we're going to work on the things those other 21 players are doing. Jerry wanted to be a NFL football player. He never made it. He started playing football in middle school. The first few practices, the coach never even brought a football to the field. They worked on blocking and tackling and other techniques. When Jerry asked the coach why they didn't get to use a football, the coach asked, How many players on the field at a time? 22! And how many of them are touching the ball at any one time? 1! We're going to work on the things those other 21 players are doing. Jerry learned the fundamentals and teamwork.
Another saying was experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted. He wanted to become the captain of the USS Enterprise. It didn't happen. He did get to meet William Shatner who played Capt. James T. Kirk. Jerry had his virtual reality team set up the command deck of the USS Enterprise for William to use.
Another saying was the brick wall is there to show you how much you want things. Jerry wanted to be an Imagineer for Disney. He got rejected time and again. He finally figured a way to take sabbatical leave, write a paper and work at Disney. He continued to consult for them.
Another saying was wait long enough and people will astound and amaze you. He said we get impatient with ourselves and others too quickly.
The best saying was maybe the most important thing is to help others realize their dreams instead of realizing your own. His last years were spent in recruiting students from across the disciplines in a class of 50 where they could work in teams on creative projects. He said it was the best work he did.
We are being transformed for others. All of those gifts listed here in Romans are for building up the community. Prophecy and teaching and giving and serving are not just for ourselves but for others.
Let's practice that now as we bless students, parents, and workers in our schools--teachers, administrators and support staff.
Thank God, we are not who we once were. Thank God, we are not who we will be. That's the good news have to share.
(video clip from Transformers recent movie) Anybody see this movie? It is like the 4th in a series. Anybody have these toys? I know our boys who are now 32 and 30 years of age used to play with these Transformers. Is is a car or a robot? Is it a plane or a robot? They transform.
Our God is about transformation. The old line is that God loves us just the way we are, but God loves us far too much to leave us that way. Repeat after me: Thank God, we are not who we once were. Thank God, we are not who we will be. We are being transformed.
Paul says, Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds. I know you like it when I do the Greek words with you. The word for transformed here is metamorphsis. It has an outward component. It is the same word used when Jesus is transfigured on the mountaintop, when his clothes glow bright white. It has an inner component, as here, Paul says our minds are renewed. That word for renewing of minds is found only in Christian literature. I like it that our God is about changing our minds!
Which is more important, the outward or the inward? Both! Which comes first? It could be either. Sometimes God does that interior work first, and the actions follow. For some of us, it is like we are in AA. We have to fake it till we make it. We go through the motions of loving and serving and giving until we actually become loving and serving and giving.
Transformation looks like this (video clip of our work at the back to school blast at Parker Lane UMC last Sunday)
We are being transformed in order to transform others. For a school setting, I will share a report I heard on National Public Radio as I was driving around this past week. It talked about the MVP, Mentors in Violence Prevention. These were seniors in high school who shepherded incoming freshmen. Often they were athletes and others who were looked up to as role models. These MVP's would not keep silent in situations of bullying or when a young woman was taken advantage of. One MVP was the captain of the football team. He said about those he mentors, "I try to get into their heads." Transformed by the renewing of our minds.
Thank God, we are not who we once were. Thank God, we are not who we will be.
Then this past week, I heard again about this talk called the Last Lecture. You can look it up online by Jerry Pausch. It is subtitled Realizing your Childhood Dreams. He was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University in virtual reality. He starts by saying, I was diagnosed with liver cancer a month ago and given 3-4 months to live; you do the math. The talk is very upbeat, humorous. It is not particularly religious our spiritual, but we Methodists have been trained to find good news everywhere.
In the talk he says about fundamentals, we're going to work on the things those other 21 players are doing. Jerry wanted to be a NFL football player. He never made it. He started playing football in middle school. The first few practices, the coach never even brought a football to the field. They worked on blocking and tackling and other techniques. When Jerry asked the coach why they didn't get to use a football, the coach asked, How many players on the field at a time? 22! And how many of them are touching the ball at any one time? 1! We're going to work on the things those other 21 players are doing. Jerry learned the fundamentals and teamwork.
Another saying was experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted. He wanted to become the captain of the USS Enterprise. It didn't happen. He did get to meet William Shatner who played Capt. James T. Kirk. Jerry had his virtual reality team set up the command deck of the USS Enterprise for William to use.
Another saying was the brick wall is there to show you how much you want things. Jerry wanted to be an Imagineer for Disney. He got rejected time and again. He finally figured a way to take sabbatical leave, write a paper and work at Disney. He continued to consult for them.
Another saying was wait long enough and people will astound and amaze you. He said we get impatient with ourselves and others too quickly.
The best saying was maybe the most important thing is to help others realize their dreams instead of realizing your own. His last years were spent in recruiting students from across the disciplines in a class of 50 where they could work in teams on creative projects. He said it was the best work he did.
We are being transformed for others. All of those gifts listed here in Romans are for building up the community. Prophecy and teaching and giving and serving are not just for ourselves but for others.
Let's practice that now as we bless students, parents, and workers in our schools--teachers, administrators and support staff.
Thank God, we are not who we once were. Thank God, we are not who we will be. That's the good news have to share.
A crumby story
from my message on Aug. 17, 2014, from Mt. 15:21-28
What a crumby story! It's so crumby, it must be true.
First, it must be true, because everybody needs a vacation, even Jesus. Here, Jesus has left Israel and gone to the coastal region. The religious leaders have been plotting against him. He needs to get away.
I am just back from vacation. Just one quick story from northern Michigan, from Sleeping Bear Dune National Park. I hiked up this huge sand dune. You think we have sand dunes on the Texas coast. This sand dune was on steroids. I got to the top of the dune....and there was another one. I climbed it...and there was another one. It took me 4 dunes to get to the top where I could see Lake Michigan way off over there. At the top, as I was catching my breath, a father and young son came panting up. The little boy said, "Dad, now can we call the helicopter?"
On my way down, it was fun. I could run. A young couple was struggling to climb up. Every few steps, the girl said, "My calves hurt...my calves hurt." The boy said, "Yeah, well my ears hurt from you saying that your calves hurt."
Did you get a vacation this summer? Where did you go?
Jesus shows his human side. He tries to get away. He doesn't want to be bothered, especially by the squawking of this woman. The Greek word used to describe her crying out is that of a raven screeching. "Help me, Help me," she squawks. The disciples are like Jesus' posse. They run interference for Jesus. Not another demand upon the Master. Let him rest.
Is worship time like a vacation for you? Is it rest? Sabbath? Don't we need a break, an escape from the news cycle of awfulness? Just for an hour can we not hear about Israel fighting Gaza, or Ebola, or Russia and Ukraine? No squawking for help. the world is a crumby place sometime.
On vacation, I actually got to worship. Oh, I'm in worship a lot and leading worship a lot, but rarely do I get to worship. Cathy and I worshiped at Rancho de Taos Presbyterian Church in New Mexico. They a wonderful little congregation. There were 34 in worship; I know because I am a preacher, and I counted. When we sang the songs, I could barely choke the words out. I was in the presence of holiness. It is what I needed. We sat on the back, right hand side. They had the sacrament of communion. I went forward. The server placed a tiny piece of bread in my hands, a crumb. It was enough. It was just what I needed. Life can be crumby sometimes. We need a vacation, sabbath.
Second, the story must be true, because I wouldn't have included it in the Bible. If I were the editor, and I saw this story, I would have written "dele" for delete by it. Jesus doesn't come across very well in this story. He seems to have all of the cultural and religions biases of his day. Jesus is laser focused on his mission. He says, I was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. He is quoting Isaiah. He says to the woman, It is not right to take the children's food and give it to the dogs. What is he calling her? A Dog! Yes, she is a woman, a foreigner, not a Jew, but a dog?!
The story must be true because the woman is laser focused on helping her child. What would you do for your child? The woman begs, sacrifices. You do too. I know what you do for your children. You take them in carpools all over the place to all kinds of activities. You put aside money for college. One family in this church has a parent who has given a kidney for the child. What you do? If you were a mother in Central America, what would you do? Would you put your child on a train to the US? This mother risks embarrassment. She will cross any barrier to get help for her child.
She has a snappy comeback. Even the dogs get to eat the crumbs from the master's table. She would be satisfied with just a crumb from Jesus. That's all she needs. Are you the parent in this story? Are you the child?
Third, this story must be true, because Jesus answers her plea. We are in relationship with God through Jesus. Our prayers count. We matter to Jesus. The universe is not fated.
Abraham bargains with God over the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. If I find 50 righteous persons, would you still destroy the whole city? 45? 40? Look it up in Genesis. We can wrestle with God. God can change God's mind.
Then there's Moses up on the mountain with God. God is going to destroy the Hebrews because they have made a golden calf. Moses says, Whoa, there God. Is that what you really want to do? Look it up in Exodus. Moses talks God out of that reaction.
Our prayers count. Especially those prayers that lead to inclusion, to community. I think this crumby story got included in the Bible because it illustrates that Jesus really wants to include all kinds of people, even foreign women whose daughters are demon possessed. He praises her as having "great" faith, the only time he uses that adjective with faith. Peter, his trusted disciple has been called a "little" faith.
The story has been included because even those persons we may consider crumby are loved by God. I hope you find your place in this crumby story.
What a crumby story! It's so crumby, it must be true.
First, it must be true, because everybody needs a vacation, even Jesus. Here, Jesus has left Israel and gone to the coastal region. The religious leaders have been plotting against him. He needs to get away.
I am just back from vacation. Just one quick story from northern Michigan, from Sleeping Bear Dune National Park. I hiked up this huge sand dune. You think we have sand dunes on the Texas coast. This sand dune was on steroids. I got to the top of the dune....and there was another one. I climbed it...and there was another one. It took me 4 dunes to get to the top where I could see Lake Michigan way off over there. At the top, as I was catching my breath, a father and young son came panting up. The little boy said, "Dad, now can we call the helicopter?"
On my way down, it was fun. I could run. A young couple was struggling to climb up. Every few steps, the girl said, "My calves hurt...my calves hurt." The boy said, "Yeah, well my ears hurt from you saying that your calves hurt."
Did you get a vacation this summer? Where did you go?
Jesus shows his human side. He tries to get away. He doesn't want to be bothered, especially by the squawking of this woman. The Greek word used to describe her crying out is that of a raven screeching. "Help me, Help me," she squawks. The disciples are like Jesus' posse. They run interference for Jesus. Not another demand upon the Master. Let him rest.
Is worship time like a vacation for you? Is it rest? Sabbath? Don't we need a break, an escape from the news cycle of awfulness? Just for an hour can we not hear about Israel fighting Gaza, or Ebola, or Russia and Ukraine? No squawking for help. the world is a crumby place sometime.
On vacation, I actually got to worship. Oh, I'm in worship a lot and leading worship a lot, but rarely do I get to worship. Cathy and I worshiped at Rancho de Taos Presbyterian Church in New Mexico. They a wonderful little congregation. There were 34 in worship; I know because I am a preacher, and I counted. When we sang the songs, I could barely choke the words out. I was in the presence of holiness. It is what I needed. We sat on the back, right hand side. They had the sacrament of communion. I went forward. The server placed a tiny piece of bread in my hands, a crumb. It was enough. It was just what I needed. Life can be crumby sometimes. We need a vacation, sabbath.
Second, the story must be true, because I wouldn't have included it in the Bible. If I were the editor, and I saw this story, I would have written "dele" for delete by it. Jesus doesn't come across very well in this story. He seems to have all of the cultural and religions biases of his day. Jesus is laser focused on his mission. He says, I was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. He is quoting Isaiah. He says to the woman, It is not right to take the children's food and give it to the dogs. What is he calling her? A Dog! Yes, she is a woman, a foreigner, not a Jew, but a dog?!
The story must be true because the woman is laser focused on helping her child. What would you do for your child? The woman begs, sacrifices. You do too. I know what you do for your children. You take them in carpools all over the place to all kinds of activities. You put aside money for college. One family in this church has a parent who has given a kidney for the child. What you do? If you were a mother in Central America, what would you do? Would you put your child on a train to the US? This mother risks embarrassment. She will cross any barrier to get help for her child.
She has a snappy comeback. Even the dogs get to eat the crumbs from the master's table. She would be satisfied with just a crumb from Jesus. That's all she needs. Are you the parent in this story? Are you the child?
Third, this story must be true, because Jesus answers her plea. We are in relationship with God through Jesus. Our prayers count. We matter to Jesus. The universe is not fated.
Abraham bargains with God over the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. If I find 50 righteous persons, would you still destroy the whole city? 45? 40? Look it up in Genesis. We can wrestle with God. God can change God's mind.
Then there's Moses up on the mountain with God. God is going to destroy the Hebrews because they have made a golden calf. Moses says, Whoa, there God. Is that what you really want to do? Look it up in Exodus. Moses talks God out of that reaction.
Our prayers count. Especially those prayers that lead to inclusion, to community. I think this crumby story got included in the Bible because it illustrates that Jesus really wants to include all kinds of people, even foreign women whose daughters are demon possessed. He praises her as having "great" faith, the only time he uses that adjective with faith. Peter, his trusted disciple has been called a "little" faith.
The story has been included because even those persons we may consider crumby are loved by God. I hope you find your place in this crumby story.
Monday, July 21, 2014
Wait for the harvest
from my message on July 20, 2014, from Matthew 1324-30, 36-43
Picture this: Bend, Texas. Not Big Bend on the Rio Grande, but Bend on the Colorado River, just above lake Buchanan. We are next to the Bend United Methodist Church, under a brush arbor. It is just a roof overhead, open sides. The valley is back here. Can you hear the cattle lowing? The cicadas? The Doves? The lay leader of the church is also the song leader. We are singing out of the old Cokesbury hymnal. The piano is out of tune. It's alright. There is a thunderhead building across over there in the distance. The lay leader says, "some of you who are not from around here are afraid it might rain. Some of us who live here are afraid it might not rain." We are at the Bend UMC revival. Three days of preaching and singing, hoping to get people to make a commitment to Christ. The lay leader introduces the preacher, Dave Mosser. Dave and I went to seminary together. We played on the soccer team together. I was a midfielder. He was a striker, one who scored goals. Dave preached on this passage from Matthew. I will never forget it. I won't do it with exact words, but it went something like this:
This parable that Jesus told, maybe it is just a simple story about judgment. In Matthew's gospel, just before these kingdom parables, the religious leaders, the Pharisees have hit Jesus pretty hard. They have questioned his authority. They have even begun a plot to kill him. Jesus' own family has started to doubt him. Maybe Jesus told a story about God's judgment at the last days when the harvest would reveal who was good and who was not. Harvest was an Old Testament metaphor for judgment. Do you think that's what this parable is about?
Maybe it is a simple story that got made into an allegory by the early church. They were the ones who made each part of the story stand for something: sower is the Son of Man, the good seed are the children of the kingdom, etc. Maybe there were undergoing the same kind of persecution that Jesus went through. They interpreted the parable for their time, saying that God would judge at the harvest. That truth gave them assurance. Is that what this story is about?
Maybe this story is about the inner workings of the church itself. Maybe as the church grew in numbers, maybe there grew a concern about purity. Maybe some persons were lax in their faith or even denied their faith. Surely they would need to be removed, rooted out. I know that this never happens in the church today, this desire to correct others who have gone the wrong way. (laughter) Is the church ever entirely pure?
You know where I think all of the denomination within the Christian Church come from? I think it is from our desire to correct each other, to try to get it right this time. I looked it up again this week in my book on American Christianity. There are over 250 major denominations in the US! At least 19 of them have Methodist or Wesleyan in their name! We are not the United Methodist Church. At best, we are the uniting Methodist Church. Our desire for purity that leads us to root out the bad people, maybe that's the meaning of this story. Is that what you think?
Maybe it's not just about the church. In the story, the field is identified as the world. Maybe God's judgment is upon the whole world. Is that what you think?
Are you getting irritated with me? I know I was with Dave. "Come on. What's the point? Just spit it out."
The point of this story is very simple, just one word......Wait. Say it to yourself. Say it out loud. Wait.
In this parable, I think we are the slaves, the workers in the fields. We are anxious. We are impatient. "Where did these weeds come from? Do you want us to go out right now and pull up all the weeds?
The master, says, Wait. Verse 30, "let them both grow together until the harvest...at harvest time..the reapers will gather up the weeds and burn them....but gather up the wheat into my barn."
In my research this past week, I came across a great quote, from ...you are going to love this book The Pastor's Survival Manual. "Workaholics harm themselves and others by caving in to the persistent urge to do something, take action, or control events when the opposite is needed. Workaholics are reluctant to let matters unfold naturally, so they rush in to fill the perceived void of inactivity with anything that will keep themselves busy and events churning. As a result, problems often grow larger because workaholics cannot leave them alone. Situations get worse because of irritation from their constant tinkering, from forcing premature activity, or from spending too much time with small matters, thereby granting them greater importance." Do any of you identify with this quote? The master's response is Wait.
I am part of an oppressed minority. I am an Aggie American. Yes, I have a degree from Texas A & M. I grew up on farm. I get Jesus' simple message in the wheat and the weeds. When the wheat and weeds were both immature, they both looked nearly identical. So how could you pull up only the weeds? When they both grew to maturity, then their roots were intertwined. So how could you pull up the weeds without destroying the wheat too? The message is clear. Wait, wait for the harvest.
We can apply this teaching to a very personal level. There was a magazine that had been sitting on my desk for weeks. I picked it up this past week, and the right article was waiting for me. A pastor in our UMC was writing about his daughter JoJo. She was in college and irritated at a male classmate. She was about to go "full force" on him. This pastor, Kirk Byron Jones, said, you don't want JoJo to go full force on you. She was so sure she was right. More importantly , she was sure that he was wrong. Just before she went full force, she paused, and began to listen. As she listened, her viewpoint changed. She wasn't so right. He wasn't so wrong. Wait.
We can apply this teaching even on the international stage. We have a crisis on the Texas border. A lot of undocumented people from Central America are showing up. Many of them are women and children. Many of them are young children. One response has been a series of protests: signs, barbed wire, "we don't want you here." I am not sure that is the most helpful response, but I understand where it is coming from. On the other side, we have a rescue mentality. "Let's send a bunch of food and clothing and water and supplies to help." Yes, we need to take care of some immediate needs for these vulnerable ones. But Wait. Something deeper is going on here.
We have been doing this mission study on Helping Without Hurting. So many times, we rich, white, powerful American Christians rush in and cause more harm than good in our attempts to help. Wait. What is causing all of these people to come to our border? Can you imagine sending your children more than a thousand miles to some strange land? How bad must it be in Central America?
National Public Radio had an insightful report on this situation last week. Many people are escaping gang violence in Honduras. These gangs have their origins in Los Angeles! Members of gangs in LA were deported back to Central America. They had no family, no connections, so in order to cope they banded together and became powerful. Now they intimidate children to sell drugs like in today's Austin American-Statesman article. If you don't they beat you up, or kill your father.
There is a crisis at our border, but to solve it, it will take a long term approach, a long term relationship with people in Central America. Wait.
We need to wait, because we are not the final judge. Only God is. Aren't you glad that Jesus waited on his 12 disciples? One betrayed him, one denied him, all deserted him, yet he didn't weed them out.
I did my work in spiritual direction at Boston College. One of the nuns there had a great definition for sin. She said, Sin is the failure to pause. Wait. BC is a Jesuit university. The Jesuits have a wonderful way of making decisions. In hard situations, they make a tentative decision. Then they wait. They live with that tentative decision for a while to see if they have consolation, peace, assurance, before making the final decision.
The good news I have for you today is....Wait.
Picture this: Bend, Texas. Not Big Bend on the Rio Grande, but Bend on the Colorado River, just above lake Buchanan. We are next to the Bend United Methodist Church, under a brush arbor. It is just a roof overhead, open sides. The valley is back here. Can you hear the cattle lowing? The cicadas? The Doves? The lay leader of the church is also the song leader. We are singing out of the old Cokesbury hymnal. The piano is out of tune. It's alright. There is a thunderhead building across over there in the distance. The lay leader says, "some of you who are not from around here are afraid it might rain. Some of us who live here are afraid it might not rain." We are at the Bend UMC revival. Three days of preaching and singing, hoping to get people to make a commitment to Christ. The lay leader introduces the preacher, Dave Mosser. Dave and I went to seminary together. We played on the soccer team together. I was a midfielder. He was a striker, one who scored goals. Dave preached on this passage from Matthew. I will never forget it. I won't do it with exact words, but it went something like this:
This parable that Jesus told, maybe it is just a simple story about judgment. In Matthew's gospel, just before these kingdom parables, the religious leaders, the Pharisees have hit Jesus pretty hard. They have questioned his authority. They have even begun a plot to kill him. Jesus' own family has started to doubt him. Maybe Jesus told a story about God's judgment at the last days when the harvest would reveal who was good and who was not. Harvest was an Old Testament metaphor for judgment. Do you think that's what this parable is about?
Maybe it is a simple story that got made into an allegory by the early church. They were the ones who made each part of the story stand for something: sower is the Son of Man, the good seed are the children of the kingdom, etc. Maybe there were undergoing the same kind of persecution that Jesus went through. They interpreted the parable for their time, saying that God would judge at the harvest. That truth gave them assurance. Is that what this story is about?
Maybe this story is about the inner workings of the church itself. Maybe as the church grew in numbers, maybe there grew a concern about purity. Maybe some persons were lax in their faith or even denied their faith. Surely they would need to be removed, rooted out. I know that this never happens in the church today, this desire to correct others who have gone the wrong way. (laughter) Is the church ever entirely pure?
You know where I think all of the denomination within the Christian Church come from? I think it is from our desire to correct each other, to try to get it right this time. I looked it up again this week in my book on American Christianity. There are over 250 major denominations in the US! At least 19 of them have Methodist or Wesleyan in their name! We are not the United Methodist Church. At best, we are the uniting Methodist Church. Our desire for purity that leads us to root out the bad people, maybe that's the meaning of this story. Is that what you think?
Maybe it's not just about the church. In the story, the field is identified as the world. Maybe God's judgment is upon the whole world. Is that what you think?
Are you getting irritated with me? I know I was with Dave. "Come on. What's the point? Just spit it out."
The point of this story is very simple, just one word......Wait. Say it to yourself. Say it out loud. Wait.
In this parable, I think we are the slaves, the workers in the fields. We are anxious. We are impatient. "Where did these weeds come from? Do you want us to go out right now and pull up all the weeds?
The master, says, Wait. Verse 30, "let them both grow together until the harvest...at harvest time..the reapers will gather up the weeds and burn them....but gather up the wheat into my barn."
In my research this past week, I came across a great quote, from ...you are going to love this book The Pastor's Survival Manual. "Workaholics harm themselves and others by caving in to the persistent urge to do something, take action, or control events when the opposite is needed. Workaholics are reluctant to let matters unfold naturally, so they rush in to fill the perceived void of inactivity with anything that will keep themselves busy and events churning. As a result, problems often grow larger because workaholics cannot leave them alone. Situations get worse because of irritation from their constant tinkering, from forcing premature activity, or from spending too much time with small matters, thereby granting them greater importance." Do any of you identify with this quote? The master's response is Wait.
I am part of an oppressed minority. I am an Aggie American. Yes, I have a degree from Texas A & M. I grew up on farm. I get Jesus' simple message in the wheat and the weeds. When the wheat and weeds were both immature, they both looked nearly identical. So how could you pull up only the weeds? When they both grew to maturity, then their roots were intertwined. So how could you pull up the weeds without destroying the wheat too? The message is clear. Wait, wait for the harvest.
We can apply this teaching to a very personal level. There was a magazine that had been sitting on my desk for weeks. I picked it up this past week, and the right article was waiting for me. A pastor in our UMC was writing about his daughter JoJo. She was in college and irritated at a male classmate. She was about to go "full force" on him. This pastor, Kirk Byron Jones, said, you don't want JoJo to go full force on you. She was so sure she was right. More importantly , she was sure that he was wrong. Just before she went full force, she paused, and began to listen. As she listened, her viewpoint changed. She wasn't so right. He wasn't so wrong. Wait.
We can apply this teaching even on the international stage. We have a crisis on the Texas border. A lot of undocumented people from Central America are showing up. Many of them are women and children. Many of them are young children. One response has been a series of protests: signs, barbed wire, "we don't want you here." I am not sure that is the most helpful response, but I understand where it is coming from. On the other side, we have a rescue mentality. "Let's send a bunch of food and clothing and water and supplies to help." Yes, we need to take care of some immediate needs for these vulnerable ones. But Wait. Something deeper is going on here.
We have been doing this mission study on Helping Without Hurting. So many times, we rich, white, powerful American Christians rush in and cause more harm than good in our attempts to help. Wait. What is causing all of these people to come to our border? Can you imagine sending your children more than a thousand miles to some strange land? How bad must it be in Central America?
National Public Radio had an insightful report on this situation last week. Many people are escaping gang violence in Honduras. These gangs have their origins in Los Angeles! Members of gangs in LA were deported back to Central America. They had no family, no connections, so in order to cope they banded together and became powerful. Now they intimidate children to sell drugs like in today's Austin American-Statesman article. If you don't they beat you up, or kill your father.
There is a crisis at our border, but to solve it, it will take a long term approach, a long term relationship with people in Central America. Wait.
We need to wait, because we are not the final judge. Only God is. Aren't you glad that Jesus waited on his 12 disciples? One betrayed him, one denied him, all deserted him, yet he didn't weed them out.
I did my work in spiritual direction at Boston College. One of the nuns there had a great definition for sin. She said, Sin is the failure to pause. Wait. BC is a Jesuit university. The Jesuits have a wonderful way of making decisions. In hard situations, they make a tentative decision. Then they wait. They live with that tentative decision for a while to see if they have consolation, peace, assurance, before making the final decision.
The good news I have for you today is....Wait.
Monday, July 14, 2014
Hope for the Harvest
from my message on July 13, 2014, from Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
May I tell you a story? He lived in a little town, where there was not much to do. He and little brother had little money with which to do anything anyway. So they thought, "There's a pool table in the Methodist church. Let's shoot pool there." The door was locked, so they broke in. They were having fun shooting pool. The big brother scratched on a shot. The cue ball went flying off the table across the floor. He went after it. He found it in the hand of a big man standing there, the preacher of the church. Argghh! What was going to happen? What was he going to say? He said, "What if I got you your own key so you could play pool whenever you wanted, and could bring your friends?" Wow! Can you believe it?
And then the camera turned to the old man being interviewed, because this was a video the United Methodist Church produced. He said, "I was that young boy. I am now a retired United Methodist pastor. I became a pastor largely because of what that pastor and that church did for me. Over the years, I have helped hundreds of persons come to faith in Jesus Christ."
This story is so outrageous, so unexpected, that it has to be of God. Some seed falls on good soil, and it produces 100 fold. It is a story of hope.
I love to tell stories. When I came to be your pastor 7 years ago, in my very first sermon, I asked, May I tell you a story? My dad was a great storyteller. I aspire to be half the storyteller he was. Jesus like to tell stories. He followed in a great line of Old Testament prophets who got their points across by saying, "there was basket of good figs and a basket of rotten figs..." "a potter had a vessel that was spoiled in his hands and he flattened it, and began reshaping the clay..."
There's an old Jewish saying, God loved stories, so he created humankind.
In today's scripture, Jesus tells a story, a parable. If you come to worship over the next few weeks, you will get to hear some more stories of Jesus. Parables give us room to move around and find our place within the story. We don't so much interpret them as they interpret us. I think that at the earliest telling Jesus told a story that had but one point, the parable, like we find in the first 9 verses. I think it is about hope for the harvest. I think the second part of the reading came from the early church. It is an allegory, where each part is assigned a meaning: the sower is Jesus, the soils are the different responses to the good news of Jesus, etc. The allegory came from a time when the early church was under persecution and many were resistant to accepting Christ or were finding it easy to drop their new Christian faith. Even if came later, the story is still true.
The story is one of hope. I want to read each part of the story through the lens of hope. So the seed that fell on the path and was picked up by birds maybe was intended to be planted somewhere else. You know your botany, how plants spread. Birds eat seeds from here and poop them out over there, and the species expands. I am not making this up. Plants travel to new places this way. Maybe the seed didn't find root here but someplace else.
In a book called Overhearing the Gospel, there is a story of a man who had lost his faith. He was taking a shortcut through the early evening through a cemetery. He heard an old man talking to his grandson on the other side of the hedge. He paused. The old man was trying to explain to his grandson about the death of his son, the young one's father. He talked about the resurrection and hope. The man who was taking the shortcut through the cemetery got the good news that was intended somewhere else. Even the seed that falls on the path and is carried away by birds may be a story of hope.
Some seed falls on rocky ground with thin soil. It grows rapidly and then dies quickly. I am going to be in the cool mountains of New Mexico soon, at Angel Fire. I love driving through Cimmaron Canyon. There are sheer granite cliffs hundreds of feet high. Coming out of those cliffs you will see some tall pine trees. How do they grow? There is no soil at all! Seeds grow in the most unlikely of places, even flowers between cracks in city sidewalks.
Our United Methodist church will plant missions where there seems to be little or no soil. We will go to ghettos, depressed inner cities, centers of drug abuse, etc. Some of those seed grow and bear fruit even in these most unlikely places.
Some seeds fell among thorns and weeds which choked out the plants. The story said that it was cares of this world and the lure of wealth that got in the way. Maybe we in Westlake can identify with this part of the story. Anybody here know some anxiety or worry over finances more than faith?
When I first started in ministry, I was pretty cocky, pretty sure. I went to the senior pastor at St. John's here in Austin, where I was the associate pastor. I said, "We should be doing more for the poor, the hungry, the vulnerable. We are too rich, too comfortable around here." Mal Hierholzer said, "Don't the rich and comfortable need the gospel too....maybe more so?" Seeds of hope are planted even among thorns. Maybe even here in our community.
Then there is the good soil, where the seed bear up to 100 fold. In biblical times, a harvest of 7-10 times was considered good. 100 times would be wonderful. There is hope for the harvest.
This parable is not about efficiency and effectiveness. This God throws seeds out everywhere, not just the good soil. This God lavishes his grace upon us.
This church is not efficient or effective either (smile). It is summertime. We print way too many bulletins. Look at all of that paper wasted. We baptize people who don't understand what they are getting into. And we will serve communion to absolutely anyone!
When I was senior pastor at St. John's here in Austin, I remember a time when it was Boy Scout Sunday. A woman from the neighborhood brought her den with her in their uniforms. I knew her. Our kids went to the same elementary school together. It happened that we had the sacrament of communion that Sunday. She came forward with her den to receive. She came to me. I broke off a piece of bread, and said, "The body of Christ for you." She burst into tears. She was shattered right there in front of me. Later that afternoon, I called her on the phone. "What happened there in worship when I served you communion?" She said, "That was the first time in more than 20 years that I had communion. When I was younger, my parents got a divorce. Our church shunned us. I was not going to go back ever again. Today was the first day I felt welcomed back." She became active in our church. There is hope for the harvest.
The story is not so much about us and the 4 soils. It is about God who will throw seeds out absolutely everywhere, because some of them produce up to 100 fold.
Let me sing it for you from Godspell:
Find your place in the story. It is a story of hope. Amen.
May I tell you a story? He lived in a little town, where there was not much to do. He and little brother had little money with which to do anything anyway. So they thought, "There's a pool table in the Methodist church. Let's shoot pool there." The door was locked, so they broke in. They were having fun shooting pool. The big brother scratched on a shot. The cue ball went flying off the table across the floor. He went after it. He found it in the hand of a big man standing there, the preacher of the church. Argghh! What was going to happen? What was he going to say? He said, "What if I got you your own key so you could play pool whenever you wanted, and could bring your friends?" Wow! Can you believe it?
And then the camera turned to the old man being interviewed, because this was a video the United Methodist Church produced. He said, "I was that young boy. I am now a retired United Methodist pastor. I became a pastor largely because of what that pastor and that church did for me. Over the years, I have helped hundreds of persons come to faith in Jesus Christ."
This story is so outrageous, so unexpected, that it has to be of God. Some seed falls on good soil, and it produces 100 fold. It is a story of hope.
I love to tell stories. When I came to be your pastor 7 years ago, in my very first sermon, I asked, May I tell you a story? My dad was a great storyteller. I aspire to be half the storyteller he was. Jesus like to tell stories. He followed in a great line of Old Testament prophets who got their points across by saying, "there was basket of good figs and a basket of rotten figs..." "a potter had a vessel that was spoiled in his hands and he flattened it, and began reshaping the clay..."
There's an old Jewish saying, God loved stories, so he created humankind.
In today's scripture, Jesus tells a story, a parable. If you come to worship over the next few weeks, you will get to hear some more stories of Jesus. Parables give us room to move around and find our place within the story. We don't so much interpret them as they interpret us. I think that at the earliest telling Jesus told a story that had but one point, the parable, like we find in the first 9 verses. I think it is about hope for the harvest. I think the second part of the reading came from the early church. It is an allegory, where each part is assigned a meaning: the sower is Jesus, the soils are the different responses to the good news of Jesus, etc. The allegory came from a time when the early church was under persecution and many were resistant to accepting Christ or were finding it easy to drop their new Christian faith. Even if came later, the story is still true.
The story is one of hope. I want to read each part of the story through the lens of hope. So the seed that fell on the path and was picked up by birds maybe was intended to be planted somewhere else. You know your botany, how plants spread. Birds eat seeds from here and poop them out over there, and the species expands. I am not making this up. Plants travel to new places this way. Maybe the seed didn't find root here but someplace else.
In a book called Overhearing the Gospel, there is a story of a man who had lost his faith. He was taking a shortcut through the early evening through a cemetery. He heard an old man talking to his grandson on the other side of the hedge. He paused. The old man was trying to explain to his grandson about the death of his son, the young one's father. He talked about the resurrection and hope. The man who was taking the shortcut through the cemetery got the good news that was intended somewhere else. Even the seed that falls on the path and is carried away by birds may be a story of hope.
Some seed falls on rocky ground with thin soil. It grows rapidly and then dies quickly. I am going to be in the cool mountains of New Mexico soon, at Angel Fire. I love driving through Cimmaron Canyon. There are sheer granite cliffs hundreds of feet high. Coming out of those cliffs you will see some tall pine trees. How do they grow? There is no soil at all! Seeds grow in the most unlikely of places, even flowers between cracks in city sidewalks.
Our United Methodist church will plant missions where there seems to be little or no soil. We will go to ghettos, depressed inner cities, centers of drug abuse, etc. Some of those seed grow and bear fruit even in these most unlikely places.
Some seeds fell among thorns and weeds which choked out the plants. The story said that it was cares of this world and the lure of wealth that got in the way. Maybe we in Westlake can identify with this part of the story. Anybody here know some anxiety or worry over finances more than faith?
When I first started in ministry, I was pretty cocky, pretty sure. I went to the senior pastor at St. John's here in Austin, where I was the associate pastor. I said, "We should be doing more for the poor, the hungry, the vulnerable. We are too rich, too comfortable around here." Mal Hierholzer said, "Don't the rich and comfortable need the gospel too....maybe more so?" Seeds of hope are planted even among thorns. Maybe even here in our community.
Then there is the good soil, where the seed bear up to 100 fold. In biblical times, a harvest of 7-10 times was considered good. 100 times would be wonderful. There is hope for the harvest.
This parable is not about efficiency and effectiveness. This God throws seeds out everywhere, not just the good soil. This God lavishes his grace upon us.
This church is not efficient or effective either (smile). It is summertime. We print way too many bulletins. Look at all of that paper wasted. We baptize people who don't understand what they are getting into. And we will serve communion to absolutely anyone!
When I was senior pastor at St. John's here in Austin, I remember a time when it was Boy Scout Sunday. A woman from the neighborhood brought her den with her in their uniforms. I knew her. Our kids went to the same elementary school together. It happened that we had the sacrament of communion that Sunday. She came forward with her den to receive. She came to me. I broke off a piece of bread, and said, "The body of Christ for you." She burst into tears. She was shattered right there in front of me. Later that afternoon, I called her on the phone. "What happened there in worship when I served you communion?" She said, "That was the first time in more than 20 years that I had communion. When I was younger, my parents got a divorce. Our church shunned us. I was not going to go back ever again. Today was the first day I felt welcomed back." She became active in our church. There is hope for the harvest.
The story is not so much about us and the 4 soils. It is about God who will throw seeds out absolutely everywhere, because some of them produce up to 100 fold.
Let me sing it for you from Godspell:
All Good Gifts
Guitar Chords and
Lyrics
INTRO: (A _ Em) 2x
A
Em G
D
We plough the fields
and scatter the good seed on the land
A
B/A Dm
A9
But it is fed and
watered by God's almighty hands
A
Em
G
D
He sends the snow in
winter, the warmth to swell the grain
C#m7
DM7
Ebm7
E - Esus - E
The breezes and the
sunshine, the soft refreshing rain
REFRAIN:
A DM7
GM7-CM7
All good gifts around
us,
A
DM7 GM7-CM7
Are sent from heaven
above
F#m7(pause) C#m7-F#m7(pause)
C#m7
G - D
So thank the Lord,
thank the Lord for all His love
A
Em G
D
We thank Thee then, oh
Father, for all things bright and good
A
B/A Dm
A9
The seed time and the
harvest, our life, our health, our food
A
Em
G
D
No gifts we have to
offer, for all Thy love imparts
C#m7
DM7
Ebm7
E - Esus - E
But that which Thou
desirest- our humble, thankful hearts.
(Ref)
Bridge:
D
A
DM7 - GM7 - CM7
I really want to thank You, Lord
A
DM7
GM7 - CM7
I want to thank You Lord, thank You for all Your love
A
DM7
GM7
CM7
Oh thank You Lord, I want to thank You Lord.
Asus - A
Thank You, Lord.Find your place in the story. It is a story of hope. Amen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)