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.
Monday, September 29, 2014
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.
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