from my sermon on 2/12/12 from Col. 2:6-7
Abounding with thanksgiving...that's what Paul says. Like a bucket that can't hold anymore and spills over with gratitude....that's how we can be. We can do this because we have a God of abundance.
I love what the Psalms say. In 103:8, the LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. In Psalm 5, But I through the abundance of your steadfast love will enter your house, I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you. In Psalm 69, as for me my prayer is to you, O LORD, at an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me. And of course, our favorite Psalm, the 23rd, which says my cup runneth over.
We can be overflowing with thanksgiving because of what God has done in Jesus Christ, who lived among, died for us, and was raised again for us. In John 10:10, Jesus says that he came that we might have life and have it abundantly. In the only miracle that is record in all 4 gospels, the feeding of the multitudes, Jesus takes the offering of a few fish and loaves of bread and multiplies them so that huge crowds are fed, and abundant leftovers are taken up, many basketfuls. In Acts, it records that the church increased daily; it grew abundantly.
The word for abundance or overflowing means excessive, more than enough, be extremely rich, be left over, over and above the basic needs or expectations.
My heart is overflowing with thanksgiving today. I always try to live into these passages as I prepare the message each week. I want to tell you 4 stories of overflowing with gratitude. The weekend previous, we held a Created by God workshop here, where 5th and 6th graders get to hear about this gift of human sexuality, that we are made male and female in the image of God. I do an evaluation instrument with the young people asking them how they feel when they first get started. Almost without exception, the response is "scared." I have them draw a picture of their face when they first learned they were coming to this event. Many times it looks like that famous painting of "the scream." In the evaluation, I ask them to write how they feel now that they have finished the course. One male wrote, "I feel like I can be a man who respects his sisters." It doesn't get much better than that.
At that event, Dr. Jim Chudleigh, offered one of the devotionals on Saturday. He talked about how as a physician he had the joy of delivering babies. What happens is that he would receive this life into his hands. He was the first person to hold this new person. After a bit of cleaning up, warming up, and wrapping up, he would hand the child most often to the mother. She would hold the child in her hands. Then she most likely would hand the child off to the father. Then the child would be handed off to grandparents, other relatives, and friends. Are you following the metaphor? All through life, we are being handed off. Preachers, teachers, scout leaders...and on and on. We are always in someone's hands. Jim talked about the death of his father and the image of his children, his father's grandchildren carrying the casket in their hands to the gravesite. There the man was given into the hands of God, from whom he came. Isn't this the gospel? I was so filled with gratitude for Jim and all the small group leaders.
Then Tuesday, we had a district professionals meeting where we preachers and other church professionals in the Austin area get together to talk and eat and best of all worship. Eight of our younger clergy candidates led the worship about how they encountered Christ in other people. One of those was Abby Parker, former youth minister here. She talked about going on a mission trip to Guatemala. She would spend her free time not hanging out with the team that came from the States, but with the locals, the bus drivers and the women. She was so moved by the women who at 13,000 feet altitude would carry huge water jars on their heads, bringing the water that was used to make her weak coffee in the morning. Abby felt such community with these brothers and sisters. I felt so full of gratitude at how God was calling Abby and others into ordained ministry.
Then on Thursday, I was visiting with Pam Cho, she who is going through another round of cancer. Pam was saying how earlier her white cell count had been at 28,000. This past week it had dropped to 8. Not 8,000, or 800, or 80, but 8. Pam has a dedicated, competent healing team in the medical field. Pam is also thankful for our prayers for healing. On a lighter note, Pam gave me permission to say that before this treatment started, she was looking at losing some weight. Through this process, she has lost quite a bit, for which she gives thanks. However, she does not recommend this as a diet plan for others. There are other ways to get your weight down. My heart overflowed with joy at Pam's news.
One more story that involves Igor Petresky. For more than a year and a half, we have been walking with the Petresky family after Igor was greatly paralyzed in a diving accident. The family was given a Suburban by former church members to get to hospitals and such. Igor has made great progress in rehab, to the point that he is attending ACC as a part-time student. He is now able to do a chair to car transfer by himself....but the Suburban is too tall. His parents are straining their backs to get Igor in and out. This past week, another family in this church has offered their car which is just at the right height. My heart is full of thanksgiving.
The passage from Paul to the Colossians says that we are to stick to our faith and to stay in relationship with Jesus. Now in the next part, the verb tenses are important. They are present tense participles, meaning continuing action. In other words, we are to keep on being rooted in Christ, keep on being built up like a house in Him, keep on being established like a contract in Him, and keep on overflowing with thanksgivng. May it be so today and for ever.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
wild
2/9/12 Most mornings I walk in this park behind our house. It used to be part of a ranch south of Austin, Tx. Now there are neighborhoods all around the park, but a large area is heavily wooded and Slaughter Creek flows through it. Most mornings I see wildlife: deer, squirrels, all manners of birds in their seasons. This morning, I saw 2 coyotes. I was quite impressed, as 1, then the other appeared out of the tree line, saw me, then disappeared again. We urban dwellers need to remember that we are actually not that far from what is wild.
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
simple
2/8/12 I am reading a book right now that is kicking my theological butt. It is making me very uncomfortable because it is so true to my church situation. The book is Simple Church by Thom S. Rainer & Eric Geiger. It contrasts a program church like mine whose calendar and rooms are full of wonderful busy activities versus a simple church where the goal is to help people follow Christ. I am being convicted that we do lots of good things at the church I serve, but I am not convinced that we are helping all that many people to fall in love with Christ in worship, deepen that relationship in community in a small accounability group, and then go out to serve others. I want to make church simple.
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
witnesses
2/7/12 I have just come from a meeting of the Austin District of the United Methodist Church where we pastors and other church professional gathered for food, conversation, information, and worship. The worship was simply outstanding, mostly because it was led by 8 of our youngest clergy. Two helped with the music. Seven of them offered a testimony. Their individual witnesses were powerful. The whole of their voices added together reminded why I keep answering this call to serve Christ and His church: that Christ is alive, His love changes people, and that is the best news we have to share. So now I am witnessing to you.
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Monday, February 6, 2012
service: offering a drink to others
from my sermon on 2/5/12 from Matthew 10:40-42
"I'm parched." That's what he said. He was standing at the corner where the I-10 frontage road meets DeZavala in San Antonio. It was Thursday morning about 10:40 a.m. I just love how these scripture passages prompt me. I had made it a point to see if I had one of those bags of grace we make up in my car that morning. We put an energy bar, a fruit cup, some gum, and most importantly a water bottle into each ziplock bag. He had the sign, you've seen them, "need help....out of work...anything you can spare." Most of the time I would get another first phrase, but he said, "I'm parched." I could almost hear Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers singing, "All day I face the barren waste without the taste of water....cool water....water." I handed him the bag with the water bottle and asked, "What's your name?" "John," he said. "I'm Lynn. Bless you." "Thanks."
Is it really this simple? Is this what Jesus means when he says, "whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple--truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward." We gave you a water bottle as you entered. Our worship team's intent was to make this passage real. We want you to give it away to one of God's vulnerable ones. As a worship team, we were trying to come up with a label, something to put on the bottle. Our church name and logo was suggested. Someone else said we could write "a gift from God to you." But Diana had the best idea, "Let's just put a blank label on them, and let people write their own message or drawing." I would like for you to do that. You make it up.
Someone on the team asked, "What if people go ahead and drink from the bottle in the worship service?" We thought that would be just fine. You may be the one today who is thirsty, who is parched. The words from Jesus in this passage are about receiving someone where they are, about welcoming them, about being hospitable. You may be thirsty today for attention and affection. For some here, this is the highlight of their week, when they see more people than than they see all the other days combined. Some here may be going through a divorce, or grieving the loss of a loved one, of dealing with an addiction. If you are parched, go ahead and drink from the bottle of water, but know that something even better awaits you here at this table. There is food and drink, body and blood of Christ. You will be met at the point of your greatest need with the depth of Christ's love.
Today is the 5th Sunday in a 6 week series on the Treasures of the Transformed Life. It is about service and witness today: offering a drink to others.
It means literally offering a drink, like to the guy on the corner with a sign. But as followers of Christ, we may be called to do more. The Austin American-Statesman has been running articles on the importance of water lately, especially in light of the drought we have been experiencing (thank God for the rain of this past week, even this morning). We have seen wells dry up, lake levels plummet, and little rain fall. The article today had the startling facts: 97% of the water on earth is salty, brine water, 2.5% is caught in ice, and just .5% is fresh water. I heard that someday soon we may look at watering our lawns as like we are throwing diamonds on the ground. How precious is water! What can we followers of Christ do...to provide a cup of cold water? We may need to xeriscape our lawns, put in aerators in our show heads, capture grey water and re-use it, and capture rainwater off our rooves. What will you do locally?
As Christians, we may need to act globally. Ginghamsburg UMC in Ohio has made an impact where water is concerned. Their pastor, Michael Slaughter, several years ago was moved by the plight of dying persons in the Darfur region of Sudan. He came up with a campaign that said, Christmas Is Not Your Birthday! He said, "I want you to give at least as much to help provide water for the people in Darfur as you spend on Christmas presents." Over the last few years, they have raised millions of dollars. They dug water wells, and built pipelines, taught about sanitation, and taught about hardy crops, and established schools. Oh, most of the people in this region were Muslims. The church didn't go over there and try to convert them. They went over there because they were dying of thirst. They were parched. It took 2-3 years before the people there began to ask, "Who are you? Why are you doing this for us?" It was then after trust had been built that they could say that they were Christians from Ohio. New villages grew up around the safe water stations. One of the larger ones the people named Ohio 2. The water was their witness that they cared.
What is Christ calling you to do, to be in service, to offer a drink to others. We know that this is a metaphor, that it is more than just water. We are called to meet God's vulnerable ones at their point of need. We do this in our work places, schools, neighborhoods, not just at church.
One way for us to realize this mission is to participate in ReThink Church day. Get our your smart phones and dayplanners. For the third year, we will call off morning worship and go out into the world for service. This year on April 22, which just happens to be Earth Day...how appropriate for this water imagery. We will do those service projects like pass out water bottles on the hike and bike trail, sing in a nursing home, help take care of pets at the animal shelter, etc. What will you and your group do?
Here's how you find out what you are to do? Frederick Buechner is one of my favorite theologians and authors. Folks kept asking him about what their vocation should be, what their purpose in life was. He came up with this pithy phrase: your calling is where your greatest passion meets the world's greatest need.
If you give even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones, you will not miss your reward. It will be more than a good feeling, more than making difference....your reward will be that you get to meet Jesus. That's the good news I have to share.
"I'm parched." That's what he said. He was standing at the corner where the I-10 frontage road meets DeZavala in San Antonio. It was Thursday morning about 10:40 a.m. I just love how these scripture passages prompt me. I had made it a point to see if I had one of those bags of grace we make up in my car that morning. We put an energy bar, a fruit cup, some gum, and most importantly a water bottle into each ziplock bag. He had the sign, you've seen them, "need help....out of work...anything you can spare." Most of the time I would get another first phrase, but he said, "I'm parched." I could almost hear Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers singing, "All day I face the barren waste without the taste of water....cool water....water." I handed him the bag with the water bottle and asked, "What's your name?" "John," he said. "I'm Lynn. Bless you." "Thanks."
Is it really this simple? Is this what Jesus means when he says, "whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple--truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward." We gave you a water bottle as you entered. Our worship team's intent was to make this passage real. We want you to give it away to one of God's vulnerable ones. As a worship team, we were trying to come up with a label, something to put on the bottle. Our church name and logo was suggested. Someone else said we could write "a gift from God to you." But Diana had the best idea, "Let's just put a blank label on them, and let people write their own message or drawing." I would like for you to do that. You make it up.
Someone on the team asked, "What if people go ahead and drink from the bottle in the worship service?" We thought that would be just fine. You may be the one today who is thirsty, who is parched. The words from Jesus in this passage are about receiving someone where they are, about welcoming them, about being hospitable. You may be thirsty today for attention and affection. For some here, this is the highlight of their week, when they see more people than than they see all the other days combined. Some here may be going through a divorce, or grieving the loss of a loved one, of dealing with an addiction. If you are parched, go ahead and drink from the bottle of water, but know that something even better awaits you here at this table. There is food and drink, body and blood of Christ. You will be met at the point of your greatest need with the depth of Christ's love.
Today is the 5th Sunday in a 6 week series on the Treasures of the Transformed Life. It is about service and witness today: offering a drink to others.
It means literally offering a drink, like to the guy on the corner with a sign. But as followers of Christ, we may be called to do more. The Austin American-Statesman has been running articles on the importance of water lately, especially in light of the drought we have been experiencing (thank God for the rain of this past week, even this morning). We have seen wells dry up, lake levels plummet, and little rain fall. The article today had the startling facts: 97% of the water on earth is salty, brine water, 2.5% is caught in ice, and just .5% is fresh water. I heard that someday soon we may look at watering our lawns as like we are throwing diamonds on the ground. How precious is water! What can we followers of Christ do...to provide a cup of cold water? We may need to xeriscape our lawns, put in aerators in our show heads, capture grey water and re-use it, and capture rainwater off our rooves. What will you do locally?
As Christians, we may need to act globally. Ginghamsburg UMC in Ohio has made an impact where water is concerned. Their pastor, Michael Slaughter, several years ago was moved by the plight of dying persons in the Darfur region of Sudan. He came up with a campaign that said, Christmas Is Not Your Birthday! He said, "I want you to give at least as much to help provide water for the people in Darfur as you spend on Christmas presents." Over the last few years, they have raised millions of dollars. They dug water wells, and built pipelines, taught about sanitation, and taught about hardy crops, and established schools. Oh, most of the people in this region were Muslims. The church didn't go over there and try to convert them. They went over there because they were dying of thirst. They were parched. It took 2-3 years before the people there began to ask, "Who are you? Why are you doing this for us?" It was then after trust had been built that they could say that they were Christians from Ohio. New villages grew up around the safe water stations. One of the larger ones the people named Ohio 2. The water was their witness that they cared.
What is Christ calling you to do, to be in service, to offer a drink to others. We know that this is a metaphor, that it is more than just water. We are called to meet God's vulnerable ones at their point of need. We do this in our work places, schools, neighborhoods, not just at church.
One way for us to realize this mission is to participate in ReThink Church day. Get our your smart phones and dayplanners. For the third year, we will call off morning worship and go out into the world for service. This year on April 22, which just happens to be Earth Day...how appropriate for this water imagery. We will do those service projects like pass out water bottles on the hike and bike trail, sing in a nursing home, help take care of pets at the animal shelter, etc. What will you and your group do?
Here's how you find out what you are to do? Frederick Buechner is one of my favorite theologians and authors. Folks kept asking him about what their vocation should be, what their purpose in life was. He came up with this pithy phrase: your calling is where your greatest passion meets the world's greatest need.
If you give even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones, you will not miss your reward. It will be more than a good feeling, more than making difference....your reward will be that you get to meet Jesus. That's the good news I have to share.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
connections
2/2/12 I have just gotten back from a meeting in San Antonio. It was my last time to lead a group known as the Elders Advisory Board. They have helped me over the last 4 years to keep some 500 pastors in South Texas pulling together. As we looked back over our time together, the word that kept coming up was connection. We are bound together in community. We United Methodists are a connectional church. We are not like some denominations where each local church is free-standing. We believe that we are better together than apart. I give thanks for the 18 folks who have worked with me over the last 4 years. I give thanks that I am a pastor connected to other pastors doing the same holy work. I give thanks we can all be connected to God through Jesus Christ.
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
sin
2/1/12 Reading in Weavings magazine while sitting in the sun with my shirt off a few minutes ago (I try to fight the winter blues with a little dose of vitamin D from natural sunlight), I found a couple of quotes on sin that really resonnated with me: Sin is not a law; it is the violation of a law. Sin is not the rule; it is the exception. Jesus was never expecting to find sin in human heart; he was always looking for something good.
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
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