from my message on Ash Wednesday, from Joel 2:1-2, 12-17
A siren. A siren is what was used in the town I grew up in, Littlefield, Texas. When a storm threatened, a tornado was imminent, a siren on top of the water tower would sound. Even though we were a mile west of the city limits, we could still hear its wail. We would go down into the tornado shelter to escape the danger.
What is it for you? What is the alarm, the warning, the call to change, to seek shelter for you?
In Joel's time, it was a swarm of locusts. The crops were looking good. It was almost harvest time. Then the locusts came like an invading army, cutting down everything in their path. Joel says to blow the trumpet, to sound the alarm, to call the people to repentence. It was not the shofar, the ram's horn that was blown. It was a silver trumpet that the priests blew as sign to gather for worship, as a sign that God has come near, that the Day of the Lord was at hand, that the people were under judgment.
What is it for you? Maybe it is not a swarm of locusts. Maybe it is a butterfly. I have almost finished Barbara Kingsolver's latest book, Flight Behavior. The protaganist, Dellarobia, is going to begin a tryst, when she is stopped by what looks like fire on the trees. Due to her vanity, she has left her glasses off. It is not a fire, but a horde of monarch butterflies. They are not supposed to be here in the southern Appalachian mountains. They are supposed to winter in Old Mexico where they have been for millenia. But their ancestral grounds have had many trees cut down. Ph. D.'s come in to explain about global warming and that the butterflies are confused. It is a work of fiction, but the melting of the polar ice caps, the smog in Beijing, and the ongoing drought here in Texas are not fiction. Is this an alarm, a call to change?
What is it for you? Is it a DUI? You may have started to medicate your feelings. You need alcohol to get through the day, to go to sleep at night. Is that your alarm?
It may be a report after your annual physical. Your doctor says you are overweight. You have high blood pressure, or high cholesterol. Is that your alarm?
It may be bankruptcy. It is not just a function of the slow economic recovery, but of your overspending. Is that it for you?
It may be divorce papers where you have neglected this precious relationship of marriage. Is that it?
How are we to respond to the alarm? Joel says we can turn, can return to the LORD. When we don't know where to turn, we return to the LORD. We can return because of who God is: gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, relents from punishing. The word gracious has the underlying meaning of beauty. The word steadfast love has the meaning of unbreakable love. The word for mercy has as its root the word for womb. God desires to take us into God's very self, to welcome us home.
We are good at avoiding the alarms, at denying the sirens, the warnings. The problems seem so big, so overwhelming. What can we possibly do? Drive less, carpool more. Recycle grey water from the shower. Little things matter. Get help for addictions. Fast, exercise as a spiritual discipline with God's help, not just as diet plan. Learn generosity, gratitude instead of consuming and acquiring. Honor those close to you with God's love sustaining you.
No one is exempt from the alarm. Nursing infants and old people are called to deal with the alarm. Even brides and grooms (like Diane and Jonathan who are getting married on Saturday) are called to leave their chambers and take care of the call to repent. Even preachers, dad gum it. No one is exempt from confronting the need to repent and change.
What is the alarm for you? How will you respond? The good news is that God's fierce love will welcome us home, strengthen us to go this Lenten journey, and change. We can trust the results to God. All we are asked to do is to respond.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Monday, February 11, 2013
Declarations of your heart
from my message on Feb. 10, the last of the Extravagant Generosity series, from John 3:16 and II Cor. 8:1-7,24
We pastors are always trying new ways to get people to give generously. So this one preacher said to his congregation that whoever gave the most in the offering that morning would get to pick out 3 hymns. The ushers took the offering. They brought it to the preacher. He lifted it up and placed it on the altar table. As he looked down (and I never do this), he noticed a $1000 bill in the plate. He was so excited, and he began thanking God. He said he would like to thank also the giver. Who gave this extraordinary gift? The congregation looked around. A little old lady, a saintly one, shyly raised her hand. The preacher asked her to come up front. She slowly made her way there. "Now you may pick out 3 hymns." She saw a handsome man in the front pew and others in side sections. "I pick him and him and him."
That's not quite the way we do stewardship in this congregation! But I do like the fact that the woman felt invested in her church. Maybe you do too in this church. You feel that you have a stake, a say, a voice in what happens here. The last 3 weeks you have had the opportunity to make your feelings known as you have filled out cards in worship. The first week you answered the question: What do you love most about our church? The second week you addressed: Who in this church has had the most spiritual impact in your life? Last week you answered: What are your hopes and visions for this church? Today you make declarations of your heart. I am asking you to fill out that commitment card and bring it here to the altar.
You will be saying thank you to God. What has God given? For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever should believe in him should not perish but have eternal life. We give because we have been given to. It is called the law of reciprocity.
I listen to NPR as I drive around town, 90.5 on the FM dial, KUT here in Austin. I heard a report about the law of reciprocity that I have tried to find in print and could not. So what I report is from my memory. The story was about a sociologist who chose some 200 random families in towns around his college city. He didn't know them at all. He sent them a Christmas card. He got back more than 50% Christmas cards from these total strangers. Here's what is really interesting. He continued to get cards for years, 15 years and more!
We give because we have been given to. Paul employs the law of reciprocity in his letter to the Corinthians. He cites the example of the Macedonians. Who do we know from Macedonia? We have the Petreski family with us this morning. We have gotten to know each other over these 2 years. Paul says that the Macedonians have given generously. They have given voluntarily. They have given in good times and hard times. Paul doesn't say to the Corinthians, "Why can't you be like the Macedonians?" Boys and girls, how does that work when your parents say to you, "Why can't you be like your brother or sister?" Not too well. Paul doesn't do that here. What Paul does is this: Corinthians, look at the Macedonians and how they have responded to God's grace. The Macedonians gave themselves first to the Lord. They participated in the offering for the saints back in Jerusalem. Now Corinthians, how have you responded to God's grace? Corinthians, you excel in everything else. Why not excel in giving?
It is interesting the way Paul uses the word charis in this section. It is the word we usually translate as grace, God's love for us. But 3 other times in these few verses, it is translated as privilege of sharing and genererous undertaking. Paul doesn't call it giving; he calls it grace.
I ask you: what has God done for you? How have you been graced? We give because we have been given to. Our hurdle is sometimes we think we have earned all this, and that it hasn't been given to us. Think about it: even our ability to earn, to be productive is a gift from God. And what is forgiveness worth? Where would you buy that? How about eternal life? What is a meal brought by a friend while you are sick worth? What is a listening ear while you are depressed worth? What is a prayer for you worth?
How have you been graced? While you fill out your commitment cards, I will tell you a story of grace this past week. On Monday afternoon, I got a phone call from a man I will call Sam. Sam was a member of my former church. "Do you know why I called?" "If it is like other times, your marriage is in trouble." You see Sam had asked me to pray for him because he had an addiction to on-line pornography. He had lost several jobs over the years. He had almost lost his marriage. He had asked me to pray for him, and I have over thess last 6 years. I have tried to find him help, a pastor, a church, a counselor, in the far West Texas town where he now lives, a since I can no longer be his pastor. So he said, "No the marriage is going well. We are about to celebrate our 18th anniversary. I am calling to ask about the best places in northern New Mexico to take our kids tubing." Grace! He further told me that he had found a way to use his recovery in his addiction to coach other men with similiar problems. God had provided him with a ministry out of his addiction. Grace! I was believing that his God and Jesus, Bible and prayer thing might really be real.
How have you been graced? How will you respond with the declarations of your heart? I did some more research on the law of reciprocity. In essence, it is saying, "Thank you." The Japanese word for thank you is literally, "This will not end!" Our thank you to God's grace goes on and on. From another culture, we get another perspective. Uche who recently joined our church from Nigeria said that in his church the offering takes as long as it takes. (show the video clip)
God has graced our lives. May our thank you take the rest of our lives.
We pastors are always trying new ways to get people to give generously. So this one preacher said to his congregation that whoever gave the most in the offering that morning would get to pick out 3 hymns. The ushers took the offering. They brought it to the preacher. He lifted it up and placed it on the altar table. As he looked down (and I never do this), he noticed a $1000 bill in the plate. He was so excited, and he began thanking God. He said he would like to thank also the giver. Who gave this extraordinary gift? The congregation looked around. A little old lady, a saintly one, shyly raised her hand. The preacher asked her to come up front. She slowly made her way there. "Now you may pick out 3 hymns." She saw a handsome man in the front pew and others in side sections. "I pick him and him and him."
That's not quite the way we do stewardship in this congregation! But I do like the fact that the woman felt invested in her church. Maybe you do too in this church. You feel that you have a stake, a say, a voice in what happens here. The last 3 weeks you have had the opportunity to make your feelings known as you have filled out cards in worship. The first week you answered the question: What do you love most about our church? The second week you addressed: Who in this church has had the most spiritual impact in your life? Last week you answered: What are your hopes and visions for this church? Today you make declarations of your heart. I am asking you to fill out that commitment card and bring it here to the altar.
You will be saying thank you to God. What has God given? For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever should believe in him should not perish but have eternal life. We give because we have been given to. It is called the law of reciprocity.
I listen to NPR as I drive around town, 90.5 on the FM dial, KUT here in Austin. I heard a report about the law of reciprocity that I have tried to find in print and could not. So what I report is from my memory. The story was about a sociologist who chose some 200 random families in towns around his college city. He didn't know them at all. He sent them a Christmas card. He got back more than 50% Christmas cards from these total strangers. Here's what is really interesting. He continued to get cards for years, 15 years and more!
We give because we have been given to. Paul employs the law of reciprocity in his letter to the Corinthians. He cites the example of the Macedonians. Who do we know from Macedonia? We have the Petreski family with us this morning. We have gotten to know each other over these 2 years. Paul says that the Macedonians have given generously. They have given voluntarily. They have given in good times and hard times. Paul doesn't say to the Corinthians, "Why can't you be like the Macedonians?" Boys and girls, how does that work when your parents say to you, "Why can't you be like your brother or sister?" Not too well. Paul doesn't do that here. What Paul does is this: Corinthians, look at the Macedonians and how they have responded to God's grace. The Macedonians gave themselves first to the Lord. They participated in the offering for the saints back in Jerusalem. Now Corinthians, how have you responded to God's grace? Corinthians, you excel in everything else. Why not excel in giving?
It is interesting the way Paul uses the word charis in this section. It is the word we usually translate as grace, God's love for us. But 3 other times in these few verses, it is translated as privilege of sharing and genererous undertaking. Paul doesn't call it giving; he calls it grace.
I ask you: what has God done for you? How have you been graced? We give because we have been given to. Our hurdle is sometimes we think we have earned all this, and that it hasn't been given to us. Think about it: even our ability to earn, to be productive is a gift from God. And what is forgiveness worth? Where would you buy that? How about eternal life? What is a meal brought by a friend while you are sick worth? What is a listening ear while you are depressed worth? What is a prayer for you worth?
How have you been graced? While you fill out your commitment cards, I will tell you a story of grace this past week. On Monday afternoon, I got a phone call from a man I will call Sam. Sam was a member of my former church. "Do you know why I called?" "If it is like other times, your marriage is in trouble." You see Sam had asked me to pray for him because he had an addiction to on-line pornography. He had lost several jobs over the years. He had almost lost his marriage. He had asked me to pray for him, and I have over thess last 6 years. I have tried to find him help, a pastor, a church, a counselor, in the far West Texas town where he now lives, a since I can no longer be his pastor. So he said, "No the marriage is going well. We are about to celebrate our 18th anniversary. I am calling to ask about the best places in northern New Mexico to take our kids tubing." Grace! He further told me that he had found a way to use his recovery in his addiction to coach other men with similiar problems. God had provided him with a ministry out of his addiction. Grace! I was believing that his God and Jesus, Bible and prayer thing might really be real.
How have you been graced? How will you respond with the declarations of your heart? I did some more research on the law of reciprocity. In essence, it is saying, "Thank you." The Japanese word for thank you is literally, "This will not end!" Our thank you to God's grace goes on and on. From another culture, we get another perspective. Uche who recently joined our church from Nigeria said that in his church the offering takes as long as it takes. (show the video clip)
God has graced our lives. May our thank you take the rest of our lives.
Monday, February 4, 2013
bucket lists: visions and hopes are inspirations of the heart
From my message on Feb. 3, the third in series on Extravagant Generosity, from Joel 2:28, Col. 3:1, Matt. 6:33
I believe God has visions and hopes for us. I trust that these are more than just my need for order, my need for life to make sense, more than an existence that is just a chaotic mishmash of random events. Don't you want for there to be some order to the universe? I believe God's purposes are at work. I believe God's will will be done with us and sometimes in spite of us.
I read the Bible and look for the arc of God's purposes. One is that these purposes are inclusive. God wants to welcome as many people as possible. The prophet Joel says that God will place God's dreams in the young and the old, males and females, the poor and the privileged. From the call of Abram and Sarai, we have God sending them away from their comfortable life to a "land that I will show you," not to disrupt their lives but to a higher calling. They will be blessed to be a blessing; through them all of the families of the earth will be blessed. The prophet Jonah is sent to Ninevah, code langauge for your worst enemy and former opressor, to preach to them. Isaiah has the LORD calling Israel to be a light to the nations, so that all may ascend God's holy hill. Jesus comes as Emmanuel, God with us. From his birth, wise ones from foreign lands, Gentiles at that, and poor Jewish shepherds come to worship him. See my arms open wide as I stand behind this table, consecrating these communion elements. That is God's welcoming embrace for all people.
Another arc is that God's purposes are for our good. You may remember that verse from the prophet Jeremiah, 29:11, "For surely I know the plans that I have for you says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope." Paul in Col., says seek the higher things where Christ is. Jesus says in Matt., seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these other things shall be yours as well. God only wants what is best for us.
So I have this sermon topic that has bucket list as part of the title. I work way out ahead on these messages. Sure enough, "bucket list" made the list at Michigan Lake Superior State University of one of the most over-used phrases of 2012. The phrase was used in the movie where the 2 men were dying of cancer, but they wanted to do the things they had always wanted to do before they died, before they kicked the bucket. I am turning 60 soon. I am very aware of my mortality, but I don't want us to be motivated by fear of dying. I want us to be full of living for Jesus.
So my phrasing would be like this: God places burdens on our hearts. That's how God's visions and hopes feel. Something that won't leave you alone. You feel compelled to do it. The older I get, the less I work and the more I pray. I am ceasing to push getting my own way. It just leaves me exhausted and you frustrated. I am not longer manipulating, engineering, trying harder and longer to get my way. I am trying to listen for God's purposes. I am trying to align myself with God's purposes.
One burden that God has placed on my heart is about payday loans. I have done some research here, and they are outright usury. I wish I didn't have this burden, but I can't escape it. My research has revealed that there are some churches that are offering alternatives to payday loans, a Catholic church in Conroe, Tx, and a United Church of Christ congregation here in Austin, among others. I am trying to get these churches networked through the Texas Conference of Churches so that the poor can not get entrapped by crushing debt payments.
For this congregation, God has placed some burdens on my hearts, some hopes and visions. The number one is a clear path of discipleship. I no longer want to be busy; I want to be about helping people to follow Christ. I no longer want to fill up the calendar; I want to help people to follow Christ.
Within this path of discipleship, my heart's burden is for families with children and youth. To that end, I hope we can start a Children First worship service in the fall, a place where families will feel welcome. I talk to lots of parents who say their kids are not ready for prime time worship, they have a hard time sitting still. The Children First model is very interactive, fast-paced, with drama, music, prayer, and message. If God has placed this burden on your heart too, talk to Hilary Martin, our director of children's ministries.
We need more help in the youth area too. Diane, our director of youth ministries has done a great job of contacting youth. Youth don't just come on Sunday evening for UMYF anymore; they come all during the week. Some only come to Sunday School. Some only come to Bible Study on Monday night, or Wednesday night, or Thursday morning. Some only go on mission trips; some only sing in choir. Some only go to Six Flags over Texas. I challenged Diane to come up with a list of youth she knew. She has contact with over 100 youth. We need an assistant youth director.
What burdens are on your heart? What are God's visions and hopes for us? I want to fill out the yellow card as I tell you one story. I want to illustrate how the path of discipleship has impacted one family in our midst. Jason and Kerry started visiting us over a year ago. They found the people in the worship service to be friendly. They had questions about what we believe, and they took my Methodist 101 class. They got pregnant. They took our class on baptism and faith development. They wanted to know more about the Bible. They took the Bible from Scratch: The New Testament for Beginners. They came from another faith tradition. They told me, "We learned more about the Bible in that 8 week survey course than in all the years we spent in our other church." They had their child baptized here in December. They are now a part of the Practical Faith Sunday School class. That's what I believe God's vision is for our church.
I believe God has visions and hopes for us. I trust that these are more than just my need for order, my need for life to make sense, more than an existence that is just a chaotic mishmash of random events. Don't you want for there to be some order to the universe? I believe God's purposes are at work. I believe God's will will be done with us and sometimes in spite of us.
I read the Bible and look for the arc of God's purposes. One is that these purposes are inclusive. God wants to welcome as many people as possible. The prophet Joel says that God will place God's dreams in the young and the old, males and females, the poor and the privileged. From the call of Abram and Sarai, we have God sending them away from their comfortable life to a "land that I will show you," not to disrupt their lives but to a higher calling. They will be blessed to be a blessing; through them all of the families of the earth will be blessed. The prophet Jonah is sent to Ninevah, code langauge for your worst enemy and former opressor, to preach to them. Isaiah has the LORD calling Israel to be a light to the nations, so that all may ascend God's holy hill. Jesus comes as Emmanuel, God with us. From his birth, wise ones from foreign lands, Gentiles at that, and poor Jewish shepherds come to worship him. See my arms open wide as I stand behind this table, consecrating these communion elements. That is God's welcoming embrace for all people.
Another arc is that God's purposes are for our good. You may remember that verse from the prophet Jeremiah, 29:11, "For surely I know the plans that I have for you says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope." Paul in Col., says seek the higher things where Christ is. Jesus says in Matt., seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these other things shall be yours as well. God only wants what is best for us.
So I have this sermon topic that has bucket list as part of the title. I work way out ahead on these messages. Sure enough, "bucket list" made the list at Michigan Lake Superior State University of one of the most over-used phrases of 2012. The phrase was used in the movie where the 2 men were dying of cancer, but they wanted to do the things they had always wanted to do before they died, before they kicked the bucket. I am turning 60 soon. I am very aware of my mortality, but I don't want us to be motivated by fear of dying. I want us to be full of living for Jesus.
So my phrasing would be like this: God places burdens on our hearts. That's how God's visions and hopes feel. Something that won't leave you alone. You feel compelled to do it. The older I get, the less I work and the more I pray. I am ceasing to push getting my own way. It just leaves me exhausted and you frustrated. I am not longer manipulating, engineering, trying harder and longer to get my way. I am trying to listen for God's purposes. I am trying to align myself with God's purposes.
One burden that God has placed on my heart is about payday loans. I have done some research here, and they are outright usury. I wish I didn't have this burden, but I can't escape it. My research has revealed that there are some churches that are offering alternatives to payday loans, a Catholic church in Conroe, Tx, and a United Church of Christ congregation here in Austin, among others. I am trying to get these churches networked through the Texas Conference of Churches so that the poor can not get entrapped by crushing debt payments.
For this congregation, God has placed some burdens on my hearts, some hopes and visions. The number one is a clear path of discipleship. I no longer want to be busy; I want to be about helping people to follow Christ. I no longer want to fill up the calendar; I want to help people to follow Christ.
Within this path of discipleship, my heart's burden is for families with children and youth. To that end, I hope we can start a Children First worship service in the fall, a place where families will feel welcome. I talk to lots of parents who say their kids are not ready for prime time worship, they have a hard time sitting still. The Children First model is very interactive, fast-paced, with drama, music, prayer, and message. If God has placed this burden on your heart too, talk to Hilary Martin, our director of children's ministries.
We need more help in the youth area too. Diane, our director of youth ministries has done a great job of contacting youth. Youth don't just come on Sunday evening for UMYF anymore; they come all during the week. Some only come to Sunday School. Some only come to Bible Study on Monday night, or Wednesday night, or Thursday morning. Some only go on mission trips; some only sing in choir. Some only go to Six Flags over Texas. I challenged Diane to come up with a list of youth she knew. She has contact with over 100 youth. We need an assistant youth director.
What burdens are on your heart? What are God's visions and hopes for us? I want to fill out the yellow card as I tell you one story. I want to illustrate how the path of discipleship has impacted one family in our midst. Jason and Kerry started visiting us over a year ago. They found the people in the worship service to be friendly. They had questions about what we believe, and they took my Methodist 101 class. They got pregnant. They took our class on baptism and faith development. They wanted to know more about the Bible. They took the Bible from Scratch: The New Testament for Beginners. They came from another faith tradition. They told me, "We learned more about the Bible in that 8 week survey course than in all the years we spent in our other church." They had their child baptized here in December. They are now a part of the Practical Faith Sunday School class. That's what I believe God's vision is for our church.
Monday, January 28, 2013
The Art of Love: Relationships are Matters of the Heart
from my 2nd message in the Extravagant Generosity series, based on Deuteronomy 6:3-6, John 13:34-35
Relationships. This message is about relationships. We hunger for relationships that have intimacy, honesty, integrity.
As United Methodist pastor, I must take our church health insurance plan. Don't you just love dealing with health insurance? I know I am the only one who has ever experience this: you call the provider and you get a recorded voice that says, "Please listen to our complete menu as recent options have changed. Press 1 if you are frustrated. Press 2 if you are really mad. Press 3 if you are going ballistic." This happened many years ago, but I had worked through the meun and finally gotten a person. She said to me, "My name is Sharon. If you ever have an issue or a question, I want you to ask for me." I said, "Thank you." I was no longer a number or a statistic. I mattered. I was a person. We hunger for that kind of relationship.
I have been a pastor for some 35 years now. Many times over the years, I have visited with persons who have terminal diseases. Sometimes, the person will say to me, "I want to get to know you. I want you to know who I am. It is important to me to have a relationship with you as my pastor as I face this dying process." We hunger for relationships that matter.
You may not know this but Cathy and I are planning to take off 10 weeks this summer for a renewal leave. This church will celebrate its 40th anniversary on June 2. Then we will leave to go hiking on the Appalachian Trail. I have invited our former pastors back to preach and lead worship this summer so you can hug on them and have good memories, and I can rest. It is a win-win. To prepare for hiking, Cathy and I have bought the right clothes that wick water away from our bodies. We have the camel-bak water system. Cathy has her walking sticks. We have also been doing a lot of reading. One book was Just Passing Through by Winton Porter. He owns a lodge right on the AT, just about 40 miles from the southern starting point in Georgia. That means about 3 days into their hike, people come in with overloaded backpacks begging for help. Winton takes them to a back room where they lay out everything, and he helps them sort out what they don't need. He ships thousands of pounds of stuff by FedEx every year back home. So one day he is doing this job with someone, all of their gear strewn about, when his daughter Sierra comes up to him. "Daddy, Daddy, I want to ask you something." "What is it?" She hands over 2 quarters. "Daddy, if I give you 50 cents, will you play with me?" He stops and looks at his little girl. He calls over an assistant. "Take care of this customer. I just remembered another important appointment I have." He goes with Sierra on her favorite trail up to a springs. They find branches and play like they are their horses. We are hungry for relationships that matter.
I am here today to tell you that relationships are more important that rules. I know we have the reading from Deuteronomy where we are commanded to love. But who can remember all of the rules? Who can keep all of the rules? What we have in Deut. is the Shema, which is very important to our Jewish friends. It a prayer that is said during the day. It is repeated in a Jewish worship service. I think what it says is that God wants to have a love relationship with us. And God wants us to pass it on. The verses following the Shema talk about how parents are to teach about this love when they are at home and away, when they lie down and when they wake up, to bind them on arm and forehead, and to post them at the doorway. They are for the generations to come.
And Jesus modelled this love relationship for us. "As I have loved you, you also should love one another." We have an example of extravagant generosity to follow. I suspect that someone has taught you about love, about giving, about being generous. That was not something you were just born with. I have seen little children playing. There is a toy there that no one cares about until one child picks it up. All of a sudden all of the children must have that one toy!
Someone has modelled love and generosity for us. Who has that been for you? I would love for you to reflect and to write their name down on that card in your bulletin. Who has had the most impact on your spiritual life? For children, who has helped you to be most like Jesus?
As you consider this, I will tell you some stories that I heard from others. Kay told me about Tom Taylor. He was a former mayor here in Westlake, but more than that he was a Sunday School teacher here. Kay said, "I learned about God's love through Jesus in the Bible lessons that Tom presented." Our Taylor building is named after him.
For Margaret, it was someone from her Fellowship class. This large and healthy class pays attention to its individual members. When Margaret had her surgery at the Mayo clinic, she was surprised to find one of her class members who had flown up to be with her! That was an example of a generous, loving relationship.
Jenny is up here in our chancel choir. She said it was the youth program that initially attracted her family here, but it was the choir that sealed the deal. Dr. Diana and the choir members welcomed her. When Jenny and her family joined the church, she stood there wearing her choir robe. Dr. Diana cannot make it a conditions for everyone who joins here, but she wishes she could!
For the youth, it is not a retreat, or a mission trip, or a program, or a Sunday School class, but a person. It will be a youth director, or confirmation mentor, or Sunday School teacher, who has had the most impact.
Who has it been for you? And then who might you be called to love and to model generosity. Here's a great take-away line, "People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care." Someone is probably looking to you as an example of Christian living and giving.
I challenged you last week to make 29 gifts in 29 days, because it was good for you. How are you doing with that? You may not have been here, but you can start now. Our generosity is good for us, and it is good for others. I went reluctantly yesterday to a called session of our Southwest Texas Conference, a meeting of some 1,000 lay and clergy delegates from some 350 churches in the 78 counties of South Texas. It would have been my usual day off with Cathy. It was foggy. The traffic was fine till the last few miles on Loop 1604 approaching University UMC in San Antonio. No one told me about the construction work. Traffic was backed up for miles. I cut across a ditch, went throught neighborhoods, trying to find a way around. Liz, one of our delegates, told me later, "I got a lot of opportunites to practice extravagant generosity as I let people into traffic."
At the conference session, I was encouraged by the stories people told. We Methodists are generous. We are making a difference in people's lives. We are still providing rebuilding support after the wildfires of more than 1 1/2 years ago. Lydia Patterson Institute in El Paso is providing education for children on both sides of the border, and 95% of them are going on to college. A church is providing week end backpacks filled with food for starving children in the Rio Grande Valley. Kingdom Kamp has been going on for 30 years, offering mentally challenged adults a time to worship and to have fun together.
We are starting new churches which are drawing new persons to Christ. One of our new church pastors talked about standing in the parking lot when a man approached him. "I have been on drugs. I have depressed. I am at a loss for what to do. I need some Jesus." We as the church are not just another service club. We offer a relationship with Jesus. He is the relationship that matters.
While there I saw Abby, our former director of youth ministries. She now works at Servant Church here in Austin, as an ordained deacon. Seeing her reminded me of my recent visit with Abby. It was after some other church meeting. Abby was wearing a white circular collar, you know, one of those that says, "I'm clergy. I am set apart." I approached her. "Abby, this is the first time I have ever seen you wearing the collar. What's that about?" "After this meeting, I am going to the strip club." "Oh," I said. "Yes," she continued, "I go there once a month to witness to the girls. The collar also keeps guys from hitting on me. We've had some women start coming to Servant Church because we have reached out to them." Everyone needs some Jesus.
Who has had an impact upon your spiritual life? Give thanks for them as you write about them on the card. To whom are you called to witness this loving relationship?
Watch this video (find it our church website YouTube channel).
Relationships. This message is about relationships. We hunger for relationships that have intimacy, honesty, integrity.
As United Methodist pastor, I must take our church health insurance plan. Don't you just love dealing with health insurance? I know I am the only one who has ever experience this: you call the provider and you get a recorded voice that says, "Please listen to our complete menu as recent options have changed. Press 1 if you are frustrated. Press 2 if you are really mad. Press 3 if you are going ballistic." This happened many years ago, but I had worked through the meun and finally gotten a person. She said to me, "My name is Sharon. If you ever have an issue or a question, I want you to ask for me." I said, "Thank you." I was no longer a number or a statistic. I mattered. I was a person. We hunger for that kind of relationship.
I have been a pastor for some 35 years now. Many times over the years, I have visited with persons who have terminal diseases. Sometimes, the person will say to me, "I want to get to know you. I want you to know who I am. It is important to me to have a relationship with you as my pastor as I face this dying process." We hunger for relationships that matter.
You may not know this but Cathy and I are planning to take off 10 weeks this summer for a renewal leave. This church will celebrate its 40th anniversary on June 2. Then we will leave to go hiking on the Appalachian Trail. I have invited our former pastors back to preach and lead worship this summer so you can hug on them and have good memories, and I can rest. It is a win-win. To prepare for hiking, Cathy and I have bought the right clothes that wick water away from our bodies. We have the camel-bak water system. Cathy has her walking sticks. We have also been doing a lot of reading. One book was Just Passing Through by Winton Porter. He owns a lodge right on the AT, just about 40 miles from the southern starting point in Georgia. That means about 3 days into their hike, people come in with overloaded backpacks begging for help. Winton takes them to a back room where they lay out everything, and he helps them sort out what they don't need. He ships thousands of pounds of stuff by FedEx every year back home. So one day he is doing this job with someone, all of their gear strewn about, when his daughter Sierra comes up to him. "Daddy, Daddy, I want to ask you something." "What is it?" She hands over 2 quarters. "Daddy, if I give you 50 cents, will you play with me?" He stops and looks at his little girl. He calls over an assistant. "Take care of this customer. I just remembered another important appointment I have." He goes with Sierra on her favorite trail up to a springs. They find branches and play like they are their horses. We are hungry for relationships that matter.
I am here today to tell you that relationships are more important that rules. I know we have the reading from Deuteronomy where we are commanded to love. But who can remember all of the rules? Who can keep all of the rules? What we have in Deut. is the Shema, which is very important to our Jewish friends. It a prayer that is said during the day. It is repeated in a Jewish worship service. I think what it says is that God wants to have a love relationship with us. And God wants us to pass it on. The verses following the Shema talk about how parents are to teach about this love when they are at home and away, when they lie down and when they wake up, to bind them on arm and forehead, and to post them at the doorway. They are for the generations to come.
And Jesus modelled this love relationship for us. "As I have loved you, you also should love one another." We have an example of extravagant generosity to follow. I suspect that someone has taught you about love, about giving, about being generous. That was not something you were just born with. I have seen little children playing. There is a toy there that no one cares about until one child picks it up. All of a sudden all of the children must have that one toy!
Someone has modelled love and generosity for us. Who has that been for you? I would love for you to reflect and to write their name down on that card in your bulletin. Who has had the most impact on your spiritual life? For children, who has helped you to be most like Jesus?
As you consider this, I will tell you some stories that I heard from others. Kay told me about Tom Taylor. He was a former mayor here in Westlake, but more than that he was a Sunday School teacher here. Kay said, "I learned about God's love through Jesus in the Bible lessons that Tom presented." Our Taylor building is named after him.
For Margaret, it was someone from her Fellowship class. This large and healthy class pays attention to its individual members. When Margaret had her surgery at the Mayo clinic, she was surprised to find one of her class members who had flown up to be with her! That was an example of a generous, loving relationship.
Jenny is up here in our chancel choir. She said it was the youth program that initially attracted her family here, but it was the choir that sealed the deal. Dr. Diana and the choir members welcomed her. When Jenny and her family joined the church, she stood there wearing her choir robe. Dr. Diana cannot make it a conditions for everyone who joins here, but she wishes she could!
For the youth, it is not a retreat, or a mission trip, or a program, or a Sunday School class, but a person. It will be a youth director, or confirmation mentor, or Sunday School teacher, who has had the most impact.
Who has it been for you? And then who might you be called to love and to model generosity. Here's a great take-away line, "People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care." Someone is probably looking to you as an example of Christian living and giving.
I challenged you last week to make 29 gifts in 29 days, because it was good for you. How are you doing with that? You may not have been here, but you can start now. Our generosity is good for us, and it is good for others. I went reluctantly yesterday to a called session of our Southwest Texas Conference, a meeting of some 1,000 lay and clergy delegates from some 350 churches in the 78 counties of South Texas. It would have been my usual day off with Cathy. It was foggy. The traffic was fine till the last few miles on Loop 1604 approaching University UMC in San Antonio. No one told me about the construction work. Traffic was backed up for miles. I cut across a ditch, went throught neighborhoods, trying to find a way around. Liz, one of our delegates, told me later, "I got a lot of opportunites to practice extravagant generosity as I let people into traffic."
At the conference session, I was encouraged by the stories people told. We Methodists are generous. We are making a difference in people's lives. We are still providing rebuilding support after the wildfires of more than 1 1/2 years ago. Lydia Patterson Institute in El Paso is providing education for children on both sides of the border, and 95% of them are going on to college. A church is providing week end backpacks filled with food for starving children in the Rio Grande Valley. Kingdom Kamp has been going on for 30 years, offering mentally challenged adults a time to worship and to have fun together.
We are starting new churches which are drawing new persons to Christ. One of our new church pastors talked about standing in the parking lot when a man approached him. "I have been on drugs. I have depressed. I am at a loss for what to do. I need some Jesus." We as the church are not just another service club. We offer a relationship with Jesus. He is the relationship that matters.
While there I saw Abby, our former director of youth ministries. She now works at Servant Church here in Austin, as an ordained deacon. Seeing her reminded me of my recent visit with Abby. It was after some other church meeting. Abby was wearing a white circular collar, you know, one of those that says, "I'm clergy. I am set apart." I approached her. "Abby, this is the first time I have ever seen you wearing the collar. What's that about?" "After this meeting, I am going to the strip club." "Oh," I said. "Yes," she continued, "I go there once a month to witness to the girls. The collar also keeps guys from hitting on me. We've had some women start coming to Servant Church because we have reached out to them." Everyone needs some Jesus.
Who has had an impact upon your spiritual life? Give thanks for them as you write about them on the card. To whom are you called to witness this loving relationship?
Watch this video (find it our church website YouTube channel).
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
EKG: Ministry flows from the Heart
from my message on Jan 20, 2013, week 1 of Extravagant Generosity, from I Tim. 6:17-19, Matthew 6:21
What would you do if I told you that giving was good for you? That generosity is good for your heart? I looked at some studies from reputable universities and hospitals published by people with initials behind their names like M.D. and Ph.D. These studies showed that generosity is good for you. You are happier. Giving activates the region of the brain associated with pleasure and that there is the release of oxytocin, dopamin, and seratonin. You are healthier. Generous persons live longer, have a decrease in their stress levels, have lower blood pressure, and a boost to their immune systems. You connect with other people. Giving persons have more and better social interactions.
I share with you the story of Cami Walker who was a well paid ad executive. She was in her early 30's and had just gotten married when she was diagnosed with MS, multiple sclerosis. She lost the use of her hands, vision in one eye, and then much mobility. Within 2 years, she had quit her job, grown dependent upon her husband for almost everything, and developed an addiction to prescription drugs.
One night in a low mental state, she called her spiritual guide, Mbali, a South African medicene woman. She only wanted to whine and complain. Mbali cut her off and gave her a task: give away 29 gifts in 29 days. Cami couldn't believe it. "I can barely get out of bed. How can I do this?" "It doesn't have to be material. Just give something away every day."
The first day, Cami called a friend who also had MS, but in a more advanced state. The friend delighted in the call. Cami felt lighter. "IT does feel good to give." Then just got a call out of the blue for a consulting job. She took herself to breakfast to celebrate. An anonymous guy paid for it!
She wrote a NY Times bestseller, 29 Gifts: How a month of giving can change your life. She inspire a world of giving, spreading to over 48 countries and many dollars and hours of giving. She got her health back. The disease stopped its progression. She kicked the drug habit. Her marriage grew stronger.
Giving is good for you. We start these four weeks of Extravagant Generosity. Let's see, 4 x 7 = 28 days. I wonder if you could practice 29 days of generosity to see what difference it might make in your life.
Remember, I only want what is best for you. That's why I invite you to give. Sometimes people complain, "The church is always asking for money." Yes, we take an offering every week. It's good for you. It reminds you to practice health and wholeness and holiness. I guess you could thank me for asking for money. It is good for you.
Let's take an EKG test right now. There is a columnist in our Austin paper who writes on financil matters. Scott Burns usually has keen insights. Months ago he wrote about a book by Philip Slater that come out in 1983 entitled Wealth Addiction. Inside the cover of Scott's book, Philip wrote, Money is America's most powerful drug. Here's how it weakens us and how we can free ourselves." Take this EKG test to see how you are doing when it comes to giving and generosity:
Do you accumulate money without any immediate plans to use it?
Are you obessed with displaying your wealth through possessions (showing off)?
Do you use money to gain power or advantage?
Do you crave recognition and use your money to get it?
Can you not stop spending even when it isn't necessary to spend?
One key thought: do you have more possessions, but less use? You may own homes you never visit, have shoes you never wear, collect watches or car or golf clubs you never use.
St. Paul in his letter to Timothy has some counsel to save our souls. He says, "Do good, be rich in good works, ready to share." I know you love the original Greek, so "ready to share" comes from the Greek work koinania, our word for fellowship and community. We are all in this together.
There is a school district outside of New Orleans that has 4,000 special needs kids. St. Tammany had all of these kids that saw themselves as helpless because they were always receiving, never giving. Jeanie Bernard met with janitors, parents, teachers, administrators, and PTA's to find out what some of the needs of the district were. The children went along to discover how they could give.
One autistic boy was so agressive that people were afraid of him. But they found that he liked to pick up the attendance forms from the classroom doors. It was a job that needed to be done, and he could do it. It was amazing the change that came over him. He became a different person! He was no longer someone who needed help; he could provide help. The whole system changed as the district understood that everyone was ready to share. Giving is good for us.
I think you get it. I challenged you more than 5 1/2 years ago to become a 50/50 church where we spent 50% on internal ministries and 50% on others. We are not there yet, but we continue to grow. What I love about this church is how generous you are. Any Baby Can was born out of this congregationl. Mobile Loaves and Fishes has their executive offices in our Bldg M. You go out on many runs to feed the homeless with ML & F. You host Interfaith Hospitality Network 2 weeks a year to help people transition out of being homeless. You gave $3,224.06 on Christmas eve to our Methodist Mission Home in San Antonio so that Marc and Shantelle could adopt a child. You are going on Point in the World today to take clothes to the homeless at Church under the Bridge. You have giving over $35,000 to Imagine No Malaria which has purchased more than 3,500 mosquito nets saving lives in Africa. You youth go to fix up homes in N. Carolina at ReCre. You provide space on Fridays for Al-Anon so that family members dealing with addictions can keep on course.
What do you love about our church? Watch this video, and then fill out your card.
Keep giving. It's good for you, and for God's world.
What would you do if I told you that giving was good for you? That generosity is good for your heart? I looked at some studies from reputable universities and hospitals published by people with initials behind their names like M.D. and Ph.D. These studies showed that generosity is good for you. You are happier. Giving activates the region of the brain associated with pleasure and that there is the release of oxytocin, dopamin, and seratonin. You are healthier. Generous persons live longer, have a decrease in their stress levels, have lower blood pressure, and a boost to their immune systems. You connect with other people. Giving persons have more and better social interactions.
I share with you the story of Cami Walker who was a well paid ad executive. She was in her early 30's and had just gotten married when she was diagnosed with MS, multiple sclerosis. She lost the use of her hands, vision in one eye, and then much mobility. Within 2 years, she had quit her job, grown dependent upon her husband for almost everything, and developed an addiction to prescription drugs.
One night in a low mental state, she called her spiritual guide, Mbali, a South African medicene woman. She only wanted to whine and complain. Mbali cut her off and gave her a task: give away 29 gifts in 29 days. Cami couldn't believe it. "I can barely get out of bed. How can I do this?" "It doesn't have to be material. Just give something away every day."
The first day, Cami called a friend who also had MS, but in a more advanced state. The friend delighted in the call. Cami felt lighter. "IT does feel good to give." Then just got a call out of the blue for a consulting job. She took herself to breakfast to celebrate. An anonymous guy paid for it!
She wrote a NY Times bestseller, 29 Gifts: How a month of giving can change your life. She inspire a world of giving, spreading to over 48 countries and many dollars and hours of giving. She got her health back. The disease stopped its progression. She kicked the drug habit. Her marriage grew stronger.
Giving is good for you. We start these four weeks of Extravagant Generosity. Let's see, 4 x 7 = 28 days. I wonder if you could practice 29 days of generosity to see what difference it might make in your life.
Remember, I only want what is best for you. That's why I invite you to give. Sometimes people complain, "The church is always asking for money." Yes, we take an offering every week. It's good for you. It reminds you to practice health and wholeness and holiness. I guess you could thank me for asking for money. It is good for you.
Let's take an EKG test right now. There is a columnist in our Austin paper who writes on financil matters. Scott Burns usually has keen insights. Months ago he wrote about a book by Philip Slater that come out in 1983 entitled Wealth Addiction. Inside the cover of Scott's book, Philip wrote, Money is America's most powerful drug. Here's how it weakens us and how we can free ourselves." Take this EKG test to see how you are doing when it comes to giving and generosity:
Do you accumulate money without any immediate plans to use it?
Are you obessed with displaying your wealth through possessions (showing off)?
Do you use money to gain power or advantage?
Do you crave recognition and use your money to get it?
Can you not stop spending even when it isn't necessary to spend?
One key thought: do you have more possessions, but less use? You may own homes you never visit, have shoes you never wear, collect watches or car or golf clubs you never use.
St. Paul in his letter to Timothy has some counsel to save our souls. He says, "Do good, be rich in good works, ready to share." I know you love the original Greek, so "ready to share" comes from the Greek work koinania, our word for fellowship and community. We are all in this together.
There is a school district outside of New Orleans that has 4,000 special needs kids. St. Tammany had all of these kids that saw themselves as helpless because they were always receiving, never giving. Jeanie Bernard met with janitors, parents, teachers, administrators, and PTA's to find out what some of the needs of the district were. The children went along to discover how they could give.
One autistic boy was so agressive that people were afraid of him. But they found that he liked to pick up the attendance forms from the classroom doors. It was a job that needed to be done, and he could do it. It was amazing the change that came over him. He became a different person! He was no longer someone who needed help; he could provide help. The whole system changed as the district understood that everyone was ready to share. Giving is good for us.
I think you get it. I challenged you more than 5 1/2 years ago to become a 50/50 church where we spent 50% on internal ministries and 50% on others. We are not there yet, but we continue to grow. What I love about this church is how generous you are. Any Baby Can was born out of this congregationl. Mobile Loaves and Fishes has their executive offices in our Bldg M. You go out on many runs to feed the homeless with ML & F. You host Interfaith Hospitality Network 2 weeks a year to help people transition out of being homeless. You gave $3,224.06 on Christmas eve to our Methodist Mission Home in San Antonio so that Marc and Shantelle could adopt a child. You are going on Point in the World today to take clothes to the homeless at Church under the Bridge. You have giving over $35,000 to Imagine No Malaria which has purchased more than 3,500 mosquito nets saving lives in Africa. You youth go to fix up homes in N. Carolina at ReCre. You provide space on Fridays for Al-Anon so that family members dealing with addictions can keep on course.
What do you love about our church? Watch this video, and then fill out your card.
Keep giving. It's good for you, and for God's world.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
the Pursuit of Happyness
from my message on Baptism of the Lord Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013, from Isaiah 43:1-7, Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
(video clip from the Pursuit of Happyness where Chris Gardner tells his son, "If you have a dream, you can't let anybody take it from you; you gotta protect it)
Do you have a dream? Israel had almost forgotten God's dream for them. They had been in captivity in a foreign land, not just for days, or years, but decades and generations. They had almost forgotten their worth in God's eyes. They had almost forgotten God's movement in their lives.
But now, in this part of Isaiah, they are coming home. And the passage begins, "But now," as God says, "I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, and you are mine." God says that they can "Fear not," that God will protect them through fire and water.
Is it because Israel deserves this? Is it because they have worked hard to earn it? Or because they are good enough? No! God says, and this is the message I want you to take home, "Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you."
I had read this passage many times. I had studied it, but I had not really heard it, gotten it in my soul, until many years ago when I heard Cecil Williams preach on it at Ministers' Week at my seminary, Perkins in Dallas. Cecil is native Texan, from San Angelo. He went to school here in Austin, at Huston-Tillotson. He went to Perkins for his theological degree. He came back here to Austin to be a chaplain at Huston-Tillotson. But where he made his mark was at Glide Memorial UMC in San Francisco. Now, this was not a plum appointment. It was in the Tenderloin District. It was where if you wanted to buy drugs, you would go there. Or to sell your body for drugs, you would go there. If you were homeless, that's where you hung out. Cecil saw it as a great mission field. He reached out to all kinds of people and welcomed them at Glide. He preached good news to the poor. And they heard it. He told them about a God, who said, "Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you." The church grew and grew. On the same pew, you could find a bank president and a prostitute. You could find a captain of industry and a homeless person. Lives were being changed by the gospel. Cathy and I went to worship there when we were vacationing in California, many years before I heard Cecil at Ministers' Week.
So Cecil was preaching to all of us stuffy preachers at Ministers' Week in the big auditorium at SMU. He was trying to give us his context for ministry. He told about a man who came to worship with KKK tatooed on his forehead. You know what KKK stands for. I may not have told you that Cecil is African-American. This man was so full of racism and hatred. He would spew and vent at Cecil, even during worship. Can you imagine that here? Someone shouting insults at me while I was trying to lead worship?
Cecil said, "I preached the KKK right off that man's forehead!" We forget the kind of power we have. Now, I believe in psychology. I often refer people to mental health professionals. I even believe in politics. I know that operate in systems of power, that we need to work together to enact laws, and that we need to address problems together. But Church, we have another kind of power. We have a God, who says to us, "Because you are precious in my sight and honored, and I love you." That message changes people's lives.
What does the movie the Pursuit of Happyness have to do with all this? Chris Gardner came to Cecil Williams and Glide for help. Cecil has a cameo role in the movie. Glide was known to provide 3,000 meals a day ( you do the math of how many per year). They were the primary provider of social services for San Francisco. They had adult ed. courses, 12 step groups, abuse recovery groups, and housing for the homeless. That's why Chris came. He had invested his money in some bone density machines, that were 10% better than x-ray machines, but cost twice as much. He was trying to sell them, but nobody was buying. His wife was working double shifts at a laundry. They got further and further behind in their bills. The car was towed. They got evicted from their apartment. The wife/mother left. Chris and his son were homeless on the streets of San Francisco. Chris went to Glide and Cecil. Glide couldn't help. But Cecil sent Chris to another shelter that could. Chris got an opportunity to become a stockbroker intern.
You are bothered by that spelling of "Happyness." In the opening scenes of the movie, Chris is dropping off his son at his daycare. Right outside is another shop that has the word "Happyness" in the store's name. It is owned my a person of foreign ancestry who doesn't speak English. Chris tells the man to correct the spelling. The shop owner simply replies in a stream of unintelligible words. At the end of the movie, Chris gets a full time job as a stockbroker. The bosses ask him if he is happy. He cries. He goes to his son's daycare past the shop with "Happyness," and hugs his son.
Please understand this: that as much as you may be pursuing "happyness," God is pursuing you and your "happyness" even more. All God wants to say to you is, "Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you." God wants you as an individual, of course, but also, all y'all. God is welcoming people from the north, and south, and east, and west. Sons and daughters are being drawn from afar. God's love is fierce, never gives up. God is pursuing us. God only wants our deepest "happyness."
God's pursuit of us is shown in Jesus' baptism. Jesus doesn't need to be baptized. He has no sin that needs to be cleansed. He is not going the wrong direction and needs to repent, literally, "to turn around." Jesus is baptized to join us in our sin, our brokenness, our pain. God meets us where we are in Jesus. And Jesus needs to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit as he begins his ministry, "You are my son, the beloved one, with whom I am well pleased." But we may need to hear it even more, "You are my child, the beloved one, with whom I am well pleased."
It is the same message we got from God in Isaiah, "Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you."
Can you accept that about yourself? Can you claim your identity in your baptism? If so, then can you see that God has that desire for others, for everyone? That God only wants our deepest "happyness." The good news is what God says about us, "Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you."
(video clip from the Pursuit of Happyness where Chris Gardner tells his son, "If you have a dream, you can't let anybody take it from you; you gotta protect it)
Do you have a dream? Israel had almost forgotten God's dream for them. They had been in captivity in a foreign land, not just for days, or years, but decades and generations. They had almost forgotten their worth in God's eyes. They had almost forgotten God's movement in their lives.
But now, in this part of Isaiah, they are coming home. And the passage begins, "But now," as God says, "I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, and you are mine." God says that they can "Fear not," that God will protect them through fire and water.
Is it because Israel deserves this? Is it because they have worked hard to earn it? Or because they are good enough? No! God says, and this is the message I want you to take home, "Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you."
I had read this passage many times. I had studied it, but I had not really heard it, gotten it in my soul, until many years ago when I heard Cecil Williams preach on it at Ministers' Week at my seminary, Perkins in Dallas. Cecil is native Texan, from San Angelo. He went to school here in Austin, at Huston-Tillotson. He went to Perkins for his theological degree. He came back here to Austin to be a chaplain at Huston-Tillotson. But where he made his mark was at Glide Memorial UMC in San Francisco. Now, this was not a plum appointment. It was in the Tenderloin District. It was where if you wanted to buy drugs, you would go there. Or to sell your body for drugs, you would go there. If you were homeless, that's where you hung out. Cecil saw it as a great mission field. He reached out to all kinds of people and welcomed them at Glide. He preached good news to the poor. And they heard it. He told them about a God, who said, "Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you." The church grew and grew. On the same pew, you could find a bank president and a prostitute. You could find a captain of industry and a homeless person. Lives were being changed by the gospel. Cathy and I went to worship there when we were vacationing in California, many years before I heard Cecil at Ministers' Week.
So Cecil was preaching to all of us stuffy preachers at Ministers' Week in the big auditorium at SMU. He was trying to give us his context for ministry. He told about a man who came to worship with KKK tatooed on his forehead. You know what KKK stands for. I may not have told you that Cecil is African-American. This man was so full of racism and hatred. He would spew and vent at Cecil, even during worship. Can you imagine that here? Someone shouting insults at me while I was trying to lead worship?
Cecil said, "I preached the KKK right off that man's forehead!" We forget the kind of power we have. Now, I believe in psychology. I often refer people to mental health professionals. I even believe in politics. I know that operate in systems of power, that we need to work together to enact laws, and that we need to address problems together. But Church, we have another kind of power. We have a God, who says to us, "Because you are precious in my sight and honored, and I love you." That message changes people's lives.
What does the movie the Pursuit of Happyness have to do with all this? Chris Gardner came to Cecil Williams and Glide for help. Cecil has a cameo role in the movie. Glide was known to provide 3,000 meals a day ( you do the math of how many per year). They were the primary provider of social services for San Francisco. They had adult ed. courses, 12 step groups, abuse recovery groups, and housing for the homeless. That's why Chris came. He had invested his money in some bone density machines, that were 10% better than x-ray machines, but cost twice as much. He was trying to sell them, but nobody was buying. His wife was working double shifts at a laundry. They got further and further behind in their bills. The car was towed. They got evicted from their apartment. The wife/mother left. Chris and his son were homeless on the streets of San Francisco. Chris went to Glide and Cecil. Glide couldn't help. But Cecil sent Chris to another shelter that could. Chris got an opportunity to become a stockbroker intern.
You are bothered by that spelling of "Happyness." In the opening scenes of the movie, Chris is dropping off his son at his daycare. Right outside is another shop that has the word "Happyness" in the store's name. It is owned my a person of foreign ancestry who doesn't speak English. Chris tells the man to correct the spelling. The shop owner simply replies in a stream of unintelligible words. At the end of the movie, Chris gets a full time job as a stockbroker. The bosses ask him if he is happy. He cries. He goes to his son's daycare past the shop with "Happyness," and hugs his son.
Please understand this: that as much as you may be pursuing "happyness," God is pursuing you and your "happyness" even more. All God wants to say to you is, "Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you." God wants you as an individual, of course, but also, all y'all. God is welcoming people from the north, and south, and east, and west. Sons and daughters are being drawn from afar. God's love is fierce, never gives up. God is pursuing us. God only wants our deepest "happyness."
God's pursuit of us is shown in Jesus' baptism. Jesus doesn't need to be baptized. He has no sin that needs to be cleansed. He is not going the wrong direction and needs to repent, literally, "to turn around." Jesus is baptized to join us in our sin, our brokenness, our pain. God meets us where we are in Jesus. And Jesus needs to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit as he begins his ministry, "You are my son, the beloved one, with whom I am well pleased." But we may need to hear it even more, "You are my child, the beloved one, with whom I am well pleased."
It is the same message we got from God in Isaiah, "Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you."
Can you accept that about yourself? Can you claim your identity in your baptism? If so, then can you see that God has that desire for others, for everyone? That God only wants our deepest "happyness." The good news is what God says about us, "Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you."
Monday, January 7, 2013
"!"
from my message on Epiphany, Jan. 6, 2013, from Matthew 2:1-12
Happy New Year ! (Exclamation point!) Don't you just love punctuation? (Question mark?) Punctuation tells us how to interpret things. (period.) Whether it's "Hi." (period) or "Hi!" (exclamation point!)
Happy Epiphany! (Exclamation point!) I'll stop doing that punctuation thing now. But Epiphany is defined as "appearance, or manifestation," and that's just too boring and dull. An exclamation point comes closer to the meaning of the word. Surprising, unexpected, exciting, startling....come close to the meaning of Epiphany.
In the printing world, an exclamation point is called a screamer, a gasper, or a startler. In slang, it is called a shout pole. Today, could we read the scripture passage in this light, as if it is full of exclamation points?
Pagan astrologers! Whose ancestors had taken the Jews into captivity! Are following a star! On a long journey! To find the new king! of the Jews!
They visit Herod and the royal court! absolutely throwing them into a tizzy! They are discombobulated! Threatened!
Our earliest manuscripts of the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament had no punctuation marks. We had to supply them. Maybe we still do. How about reading the Bible with more exclamation points.
In the very beginning, there was nothing, a void, an emptiness. Then God speaks...and it is! God says, "Light!" and there's light! God says "land!" and there's land! Bird! Cow! Human being! God speaks, and it happens! Can God still do that? Speak a word and it's so?
God calls the least likely to lead. God taps Abram and Sarai to become the start of a great people. They are old, barren, way beyond the age of bearing children. God says that they are going to have children more than the stars in the sky, more than the sand grains on the shore. They laugh. I was with my friends from Texas A & M on New Year's. We were all at the Wesley Foundation together, the Methodist student ministry. I was leading them in a worship service at the First UMC in Mason, Tx, on New Year's Eve. I asked them to give witness how God had been moving in their lives. Brent said that he was resonating with the Abram and Sarai story. No matter how old we became, God still had plans for us. We never retired from the faith. Abram and Sarai have a child in their old age! They name him, "Isaac," which means "laughter."
Reading the Bible we find the most interesting choices God has for leaders. Gideon, who is the youngest member of the least clan, the most afraid, hiding out from the Midianites, is chosen to be a judge of Israel!
Esther wins a beauty contest, and becomes queen of Persia. She turns out to be more than just a pretty face, and saves the Jewish people from destruction by evil forces!
How about you? Can you see that God might be calling you. even you?!
Can you approach this new year with an exclamation point? Forty years ago, in January of 1973, the Austin District Superintendent, appointed a pastor to canvass this area of town to see about starting another UMC. Ben McGee, visited in homes and businesses. People in this area thought it was too far to drive to University UMC or Faith UMC. They started meeting in Eanes Elementary and a new UMC was consecrated in June of 1973. God is still surprising, raising up new converts to the faith, birthing new congregations. This past year, we gave birth to a new worship/service emphasis in this congregation called the Point. I have plans for us to launch a new service called "Children First" aimed at young children and their families this next year. God still has an exclamation point for us.
God is God of the Epiphany. God is God of the exclamation point. If this is true, then Assad might step aside and stop the blood bath in Syria. If this is true, then Israel and Palestine might actually talk to one another about peace plans. If this is true, and I know this is hard to believe, but members of Congress might actually work together on solving problems instead of cutting each other down.
God is God of the Epiphany. God is God of the exclamation point. Why this God might even welcome wayward children home with a feast! Why this god might even welcome self-righteous, self-satisfied children home! Why this God might even welcome you, who don't always keep your new year's resolutions! Why this God might even forgive you who find it hard to forgive other, or to forgive yourself!
How will you live into Epiphany, into an exclamation point? The wise men were led by a star. What star will you follow? The wise men were on a journey. Where are you on the journey? The wise men found Jesus in a house in Bethlehem. Where you find Jesus?
In the Spanish language, punctuation marks are found at the beginning of the sentence to let you know what is coming up. For example, an upside down exclamation point is placed at the beginning of an exclamatory sentence. Can you put an exclamation point at the beginning of this new year?
Where did the exclamation point come from? It wasn't found in the English language until the 15th century. Some scholars think it came from the Latin word for joy, io. If you can imagine the o being placed under the i, you would have an early "!". Joy gives birth to exclamation. When the wise men saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy! May we be also.
Our Unitarian/Universalist friends have a phrase you will find on their worship bulletins or websites. It goes, "Never put a period where God intends for there to be a comma." As pastor of this UMC, in this new year, on Epiphany, I say, "Never put a period where God intends for there to be an exclamation point!"
Happy New Year ! (Exclamation point!) Don't you just love punctuation? (Question mark?) Punctuation tells us how to interpret things. (period.) Whether it's "Hi." (period) or "Hi!" (exclamation point!)
Happy Epiphany! (Exclamation point!) I'll stop doing that punctuation thing now. But Epiphany is defined as "appearance, or manifestation," and that's just too boring and dull. An exclamation point comes closer to the meaning of the word. Surprising, unexpected, exciting, startling....come close to the meaning of Epiphany.
In the printing world, an exclamation point is called a screamer, a gasper, or a startler. In slang, it is called a shout pole. Today, could we read the scripture passage in this light, as if it is full of exclamation points?
Pagan astrologers! Whose ancestors had taken the Jews into captivity! Are following a star! On a long journey! To find the new king! of the Jews!
They visit Herod and the royal court! absolutely throwing them into a tizzy! They are discombobulated! Threatened!
Our earliest manuscripts of the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament had no punctuation marks. We had to supply them. Maybe we still do. How about reading the Bible with more exclamation points.
In the very beginning, there was nothing, a void, an emptiness. Then God speaks...and it is! God says, "Light!" and there's light! God says "land!" and there's land! Bird! Cow! Human being! God speaks, and it happens! Can God still do that? Speak a word and it's so?
God calls the least likely to lead. God taps Abram and Sarai to become the start of a great people. They are old, barren, way beyond the age of bearing children. God says that they are going to have children more than the stars in the sky, more than the sand grains on the shore. They laugh. I was with my friends from Texas A & M on New Year's. We were all at the Wesley Foundation together, the Methodist student ministry. I was leading them in a worship service at the First UMC in Mason, Tx, on New Year's Eve. I asked them to give witness how God had been moving in their lives. Brent said that he was resonating with the Abram and Sarai story. No matter how old we became, God still had plans for us. We never retired from the faith. Abram and Sarai have a child in their old age! They name him, "Isaac," which means "laughter."
Reading the Bible we find the most interesting choices God has for leaders. Gideon, who is the youngest member of the least clan, the most afraid, hiding out from the Midianites, is chosen to be a judge of Israel!
Esther wins a beauty contest, and becomes queen of Persia. She turns out to be more than just a pretty face, and saves the Jewish people from destruction by evil forces!
How about you? Can you see that God might be calling you. even you?!
Can you approach this new year with an exclamation point? Forty years ago, in January of 1973, the Austin District Superintendent, appointed a pastor to canvass this area of town to see about starting another UMC. Ben McGee, visited in homes and businesses. People in this area thought it was too far to drive to University UMC or Faith UMC. They started meeting in Eanes Elementary and a new UMC was consecrated in June of 1973. God is still surprising, raising up new converts to the faith, birthing new congregations. This past year, we gave birth to a new worship/service emphasis in this congregation called the Point. I have plans for us to launch a new service called "Children First" aimed at young children and their families this next year. God still has an exclamation point for us.
God is God of the Epiphany. God is God of the exclamation point. If this is true, then Assad might step aside and stop the blood bath in Syria. If this is true, then Israel and Palestine might actually talk to one another about peace plans. If this is true, and I know this is hard to believe, but members of Congress might actually work together on solving problems instead of cutting each other down.
God is God of the Epiphany. God is God of the exclamation point. Why this God might even welcome wayward children home with a feast! Why this god might even welcome self-righteous, self-satisfied children home! Why this God might even welcome you, who don't always keep your new year's resolutions! Why this God might even forgive you who find it hard to forgive other, or to forgive yourself!
How will you live into Epiphany, into an exclamation point? The wise men were led by a star. What star will you follow? The wise men were on a journey. Where are you on the journey? The wise men found Jesus in a house in Bethlehem. Where you find Jesus?
In the Spanish language, punctuation marks are found at the beginning of the sentence to let you know what is coming up. For example, an upside down exclamation point is placed at the beginning of an exclamatory sentence. Can you put an exclamation point at the beginning of this new year?
Where did the exclamation point come from? It wasn't found in the English language until the 15th century. Some scholars think it came from the Latin word for joy, io. If you can imagine the o being placed under the i, you would have an early "!". Joy gives birth to exclamation. When the wise men saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy! May we be also.
Our Unitarian/Universalist friends have a phrase you will find on their worship bulletins or websites. It goes, "Never put a period where God intends for there to be a comma." As pastor of this UMC, in this new year, on Epiphany, I say, "Never put a period where God intends for there to be an exclamation point!"
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