blessing

9/24/09 I grew up on a farm in the Panhandle of Texas. I know the value of rain. We never viewed rain as an inconvenience. We saw it as life. So the past two days I have not minded getting my feet muddy as I have been walking and praying in the mornings. I have been giving thanks, especially after the long period of drought here in central Texas.
The second time I went to the Holy Land, on the last day we were in Jerusalem in January, it was raining hard. Some were complaining, they hadn't brought rain gear, their feet were wet, etc. Our guide said, "do you know what we call rain here?" "No," we replied. He said, "Blessing."

Love,
Lynn

gluten-free

9/23/09 Last night at our worship committee meeting, I celebrated the sacrament of communion with the some 10 persons there. Lisa had bought a gluten-free loaf made with rice flour for us to try out. We have several folks in our congregation who bring their own wafer or cracker or bit of bread to communion because they have food allergies. Lisa and I were trying to find a loaf, one loaf, that we could all partake, to symbolize our unity in the body of Christ.
It was funny to do the evaluation after we had all eaten. Some asked about allergies to rice, or eggs, or milk. Would this gluten-free loaf work for them? The loaf was also too crumbly. Could it made where it stuck together better?
I was reminded of the quote from Kathleen Norris, who was asked for the first time by her little Presbyterian church to get the communion elements. As she was being checked out at the register, she pondered, "when it comes to the body and blood of Christ, is it paper or plastic bags?"
I am glad that we have a God revealed in Jesus Christ who comes into a world where other humans have food allergies and meets us where we are.

Love,
Lynn

answers to prayer

9/22/09 Thank God for the rain. I have, you have, many people have been praying for rain in this extreme drought-stricken part of the world called central Texas. This is truly an answer to prayer...to wake up to generous, life-giving rains this morning.
Yesterday, I was visiting with a man whose family I have been praying for diligently. He was sharing that a job opportunity was opening up for him today. Another answer to prayer.
It was great to see Lizzie and Don back in worship after their surgeries. Some healing going on...an answer to prayer.
Some folks are stepping up to help us with our Imagine No Malaria campaign. Some 117 lives were saved this past Sunday as we had donated more than $1170 for treated nets. Another answer to prayer.
I invite you to pray a lot. Sometimes the answer we get is no...or wait...but sometimes God answers our prayers better than we pray them.

Love,
Lynn

Gifts

from my sermon on 9/20/09 on Ephesians 4:1-16

Every one of us is gifted for ministry. Last Sunday before our contemporary service, a little 4 year old girl named Sammi, came up to me and said, "Will there be ballet music for me to dance to today?" She was wearing her tutu and dancing shoes. I said, "I don't know. Go talk to Frank (who directs the band)." I didn't know it but she did, and Frank said that it wasn't ballet music but it was ok to dance. So during the first song, Sammi took her steps and did her twirls. And we smiled. "How sweet. How precious," we thought. After the passing of the peace and the announcements, the band started playing again, and Sammi was dancing again. Now I sit on the very front pew, so my back was to the congregation, and I didn't see this, but Jay, the chair of our worship committee was walking up the aisle. Some people told me later that they were anxious, "Oh, no. He's gonna tell her to stop. He's gonna shut her down." But when Jay got to the front, he began dancing with Sammi. She would shake her little behind. Jay would shake his somewhat larger behind. It was wonderful. I was crying. I was praying, "Dear God, don't let this moment ever end."
Everyone of us is gifted for ministry--no matter how young or old, male or female, no matter our level of ability--mental, physical, or whatever. The passage says, "Each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift."
And it feels good to share our gifts. You may remember I am preaching about our basic UM beliefs, starting with our vows of prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. Today, we are on gifts. We "get to" share our gifts for the building up of the body of Christ in the world. It is like dancing together in the house of the Lord. Don't lose this joyful image.
Some of us will be intimidated by this list of gifts in the passage. "Oh, no. Not me. I am not gifted." May I bring this list down to a place we can approach them?
Apostles...."I can't be in that inner circle of 12 that was with Jesus. It's impossible," We say. But I know my Greek. An apostle is one who is sent on a mission. Could that be us?
Mara, a senior in Westlake H.S., came to my office on Thursday afternoon. She is coming up with her senior project. Everyone else in her class is shadowing a doctor, or engineer, or computer software writer. No shame in any of that, but Mara is shadowing Alan Graham, head of Mobile Loaves and Fishes. She is the only one in her class whose project involves a non-profit. Mara wants to create micro-gardens, a garden in a plastic storage bin. Each would have soil, seeds, and airholes in it. People would take them, add water, and grow vegetables. The fresh vegetables would be given to the homeless who live on the street. Pretty cool, huh? Is Mara an apostle, one sent on a mission?
Prophets are not fortune tellers but truth tellers. I am proud of some of our Sunday School classes engaging in the health care debate. The view they are bringing to the discussion is that of the poor, the most vulnerable, who often get left out of the debate. That is the role of the prophet, to speak the hard truth that comes from God.
Evangelist...now we get really scared about this one. We think that we must have "hair that praises Jesus" ( I got that from an American Baptist theologian). But you remember that we did the Unbinding Your Heart series in the spring. What we were learning is that the world wants credible witnesses, people like us who live the faith everyday, who are not afraid to talk in our families, in our neighborhoods, etc. We share good news wherever Christ sends us. That's what evanglism means, "good news." I have a "help wanted" ad in evangelism. I need help with these worship services--people to do technical direction, to film, to audiotape, to link up with our website, do podcasts. Are there some evangelists out there?
Pastors....you may think that just applies to people like me who are ordained, but the work in Greek is literally "shepherds." "Help wanted" ad again...I need some folks who can help me tend the flock. I can't do it by myself. We have formed a Caring and Calling team to follow up on person who miss worship and Sunday School for a time. You see, when someone gets overwhelmed by life, they drop out of everything, even church. We call, and say, "How's it going? We have missed you?" Are there any shepherd out there?
Teachers....okay, we are pretty clear on this gift. I want to put a challenge to the men. We tend to have lots of females who do this ministry. But children and youth desperately need to see positive male role models. We barely have enough teachers in our children and youth departments. Are some of you men gifted for teaching?
There are many more gifts that we find in letters of Paul in I Cor. 12 and Rom. 12 that go beyond our passage, but everyone is gifted for ministry for equipping the saints and building up the body of Christ.
I hope that I have made these gifts more assessible to you. Today, I am asking some of you who were afraid of being gifted to choose one passion that you may pursue. I am asking some of you who do too much to cut back one passion to be more healthy.
A great way for you to find your passion is to go to our ministry fair and take the spiritual gifts inventory. You may find it at our website also. To incentivize (I just love how we make nouns into verbs) the process, we have an anonymous donor who will give $10 for every survey taken to our Nothing but Nets campaign. Ten dollars buys a treated mosquito net for a family of four.
You may have heard that the UMC is trying to rid the continent of Africa of the treatable disease of malaria in a campaign called Imagine No Malaria. You will be hearing a lot more about this in the future. It seems to be overwhelming. How can we possibly do that?
I came across a great analogy this past week. A single snowflake seems so small, so fragile. But put enough of them together in a snowstorm, and they can stop traffic. Or put enough of us together, and we can stop a disease.
That's what this passage is about--unity. Did you see how many times "one" was used? One body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.
It was probably a baptismal creed, capturing the essentials of the faith for those who felt drawn to become part of the church. Any baptized people here?
I need to tell you a story that comes from Fred Craddock, a Disciples of Christ pastor, theologian, writer, and speaker. I don't remember all of the details, but it goes something like this:
When Fred was first starting out, he was serving a country church, that practiced baptism by going down to the riverside and baptizing person there. By the way, we UM's can baptize by immersion, "Dunking", as well. So Fred and this adult man went down into the river. Fred asked those ancient, ever-new questions: Do you reject the power of sin? Do you accept the freedom and power of God? Do you confess Jesus Christ as your saviour and want to be part of his inclusive church? The man did and was taken under the water that cleanses and brings new life. He came out on shore and was wrapped in a blanket. A big bonfire was there on the beach. He stood next to its warmth while the whole church gathered around him in a circle. One by one, the members of the church said something like this, "My name is Betty, and I cool pretty good. I would be happy to cook for you and with you for others." "My name is Tom, and I'm handy with tools. I would be happy to work for you or with you for others." On and on they went. "My name is Ralph and I like to study the Bible. I would be happy to do that with you and with others." "My name is Millie, and I like to pray. I would be happy to pray with you." After they all had their say, an older man took Fred aside, and said, "Preacher, around here, we call that baptism."
Are you baptized? Are you standing in the circle? What would say is your gift? Everyone of us has been gifted for ministry. That is the good news I have to share with you today. Amen.

suffering

9/17/09 My breath prayer today comes from James 5:13, "Are any among you suffering? They should pray." It seems simple enough. We use everything as a call to prayer, even suffering, maybe especially suffering. I started praying early this morning, even before I was fully awake. Sometimes when I am not ready to get up, yet I can't really get back to sleep, I pray. Today, I prayed particularly for those spots around our world where people are suffering from war, disease, corruption, oppression, famine, natural disaster. Suffering leads to prayer.

Love,
Lynn

help

9/16/09 My breath prayer for the day has been Ps. 124:8, "Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth." I loved starting my walk in the dark this morning breathing this prayer and seeing the conjunction of Venus with the cresent moon in the east. The earth was under my feet and the heavens were above, reminding me that the Creator of all this grandeur was our help. I like it that the pronoun is plural...our. I am part of a community. That's a part of my help also.

Love,
Lynn

Presence

from my sermon on 9/13/09 on Matthew 18:15-20

Some of you may be expecting me to say that you "have-to" be present in worship and Sunday School, but those of you who know me well know I will say we "get-to" meet the presence of Christ in the presence of some of His friends. I am in the midst of some of our UM foundation stones, our vows and what we believe. Today, we focus on what Jesus says, "Wherever 2 or 3 are gathered in my name, there I am in their midst."
The passage sounds strange to us, because we are so used to my rights, my privilges, my wants, my needs...in our individualistic culture. Especially, when we hear Jesus talk about confronting someone who has sinned. Where does that happen...I mean without someone bringing a lawsuit? I would have us slow down and see that this could be a gift, when someone cares enough about you to show you the real you in order to restore you to right relationship. Even the 2 or 3 witnesses were there as referees in order to protect the alleged and the agrieved. The whole point was to try to bring people back into community.
I know that in the early Methodist reform movement that this kind of behavior happened. In the classes that John Wesley set up, the questions were asked, "Do you want to be told of your sin, and that right plainly?" They held each other accountable.
Even today, it sometimes happens in the church. At one church I served, a Sunday School class was formed entirely of persons in 12 step groups. Every one there knew that they were only 1 drink away, 1 hit away, 1 binge away, 1 rescue attempt away at returning to a downward death spiral. They held each other accountable. As they say in 12 step programs, "We are as sick as our secrets, as healthy as our sharing." Christ shows up in confronting sin.
Secondly, the passage says that we pray together. When 2 or 3 agree together in prayer, the point is not to coerce God, but for God to form us into community. Again, in the early Methodist reform movement, the small groups would gather with the leader asking the question, "How does your soul prosper?" I love that question....how is with you and God...how are you praying? Where else in life does that question get asked? It doesn't happen at the grocery store...or with your neighbors. It is a church, small group question. Christ shows up in our praying together.
Thirdly, the passage talks about binding and loosing. This language comes from a Hebrew understanding; it meant to apply the law to new situations. John Wesley certainly wanted the early Methodists to apply the scriptures to their lives. He wrote his own translation of the NT and included study notes. He encouraged the Methodists to read the whole Bible and to read it in small groups. Today, we have given you 3rd graders you own Bible. There are going to be parts that you really like in the Bible, and parts you wish weren't in there. Guess which are the parts you need to deal with? The parts you don't like. A small group helps us to not avoid what we find in the Bible. I find that people are transformed when they read the Bible together. That's why Cathy and I have for the last 17 years taught Disciple Bible Study.
Friends, we sometimes forget that we are part of a peculiar, particular community called church. We are not necessarily therapeutic, and yet healing happens. We are not just a social club, yet fellowship happens. We are not a service group, yet good deeds happen. Church is the place where Jesus happens, and because of His presence all of these good things happen.
They especially happen in small groups. Jesus had a small group. It was always Jesus and the 12. They were diverse. Matthew was tax collector who worked for the government of Rome. Simon the zealot was trying to overthrow the government of Rome. Fishermen and learned ones, young and old. Jesus brought them together.
I know that there is a lot of sin in the world....I can measure it because there is a lot of loneliness in the world. You were not meant for loneliness. You were meant for right relationship with God and with others. Christ offers us His presence in the presence of His friends.
Teresa of Avila, a Spanish mystic of some centuries ago, said, "God has so ordained things that we grow in faith only through the instumentality of one another." We deal with Jesus in dealing with His friends. And the surest sign that Jesus comes among us is that we are transformed, made into new persons in small groups.
Today, you have the opportunity to sign up for small groups. If you take the yellow sheets, you get to find a place of believing and belonging. Life is hard enough; you don't have to do it alone. In fact, I think it is impossible to do this Christian walk alone. We are spiritually vulnerable when we don't have the comfort and challenge of a small group.
The passage toaday began with the quote from the NRSV that said, when a member of the church sins against you. The word in Greek is literally "brother." The early Christians were so close that they comsidered each other family, brother or sister in Christ.
I need to tell you a story from the time I was pastor at Laurel Heights in San Antonio. It was on a Sunday morning at the end of the early service. I was standing at the back door greeting folks as they left. One of the ushers came running up to me, "Pastor, there is an emergency phone call for you."
Are you the pastor?
Yes, I am. Who are you?
I live in the same apartment complex with George and Mary. This morning I found Mary sitting in the passenger side of the car. George wasn't behind the wheel. I said, Mary, where's George. She said, I don't know. I know that she has Alzheimer's. So I went to their apartment. I rang the bell. I knocked on the door. I called out, George, George. No answer, so I went in. I went back to their bedroom. I found George in bed, dead.
Parentheses---This is the prayer I have heard prayed so many times....I want to die peacefully in my sleep. God anwered this prayer for George. Only problem was George also prayed after Mary dies. Back to the story.
I said, How did you know to call me.
He said, I went back to Mary. Mary, every Sunday morning, I see you and George get up early. You put on nice clothes. I guess you go to church.
Mary said, We are members of Laurel Heights United Methodist Church. We are part of the Aldersgate Sunday School Class.
That's what I want for you. Even when the neurons aren't firing so well across the synapses of your brain, that you still know to whom you belong. I can't make up stories this good.
The Aldersgate Sunday School Class met that day, but not up in their 3rd floor classroom. No, they met at Mary's apartment. They brought in the food. They made the phone calls to the handful of blood relatives. They made the funeral plans. Because you see, they were her family.
You don't have to go through life alone. You get to experience the presence of Christ in the presence of some of His friends. That is the good news I have to share today. Amen.