8/30/11 The Old Testament lesson for this week comes from Exodus 12, which has the background of and the instructions for keeping the Passover. Each family is to take an unblemished lamb, cook it, and eat it, not leaving a single scrap left over. As I reflected on this passage, I realize that I have plenty of blemishes, some obvious and some hidden. Upon further reflection, I realized that Jesus the Lamb of God also was blemished. His body was whipped, pierced, broken, full of blemishes. Yet by his wounds, we are healed, made whole. In fact, by this sacrificial Lamb, we find ourselves forgiven and without blemish.
Love,
Lynn
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
turning the tables
From my sermon on 8/28/11 from Romans 12:9-21
“If your enemy is hungry, give him something to eat.” Is there a table like that? Where things get turned around, get turned right?
The first part of this passage has to do with being an “insider”, a Christian. Some of the hardest people to deal with are fellow Christians. Sometimes folks come to church hoping to escape fighting. They want Shang-ri-la, Eden. Remember my first year with you as pastor, I spent preaching about conflict from I Corinthians. The early church fought over lots of things, just like we do today. The trick is to learn how to fight fairly.
Is there a table where we can get things turned around? John Savage is a UM pastor, psychologist and consultant. In his early years, he served a local church in upstate New York. A member of that congregation owned a restaurant with a table reserved for members of the church. Anyone who had a gripe, an issue, a problem could meet John there. John promised not to bring his “gospel gun,” you know how we pastors can shoot people down with our jargon, our authority, our degrees. John would stay there until he and the person could reconcile. No bill was ever presented at that table.
The passage from Romans seems to have lots of verbs in the imperative tense, lots of “oughts” and “shoulds.” But I looked at the text in the Greek, because I know that y’all love for me to do that. Most of the verbs are participles, “ing” words. It is as if Paul is saying, “This is an ongoing project. You will always be working on this. You will never finish.” The verbs are all plural too. It is as if Paul is saying, “Don’t try to do this by yourself. This work is best done in community.”
We start working on reconciling within the community of faith and then we slowly move out. You notice in the passage how we move from saints (insiders) to strangers to enemies. Is there a table where we get things turned around with the world?
I want you to google this concept, “pay what you can” cafes. I read about One World Café in Salt Lake City and So All May Eat in Denver. There are published, suggested prices, but everyone pays whatever they can. Some pay 2, 3, 4 times the price. Some leave just a few cents. Some pay in goods or services. “I have a car I can donate. I will do the tile work in the bathroom. I notice you need new flatware, and I have some.”
A few are poachers. They try to pay nothing. Denise Cerreta of the Denver café watched a group of poachers pay nothing several times. She finally confronted them at the table. She said, “When you pay nothing, it feels like you are stealing from me.” They paid up.
It leads to that passage, the quote from Proverbs 25, “if you enemy is hungry, feed him, if he is thirst, give him something to drink, for by so doing, you heap burning coals upon his head.” At the table one must face reality of one’s actions. One must reflect on the relationship. When Denise told the poachers what it felt like, she got them to see what they were doing to her personally. Their shame felt like burning coals.
Most are grateful. One man left a $100 bill by his empty bowl of soup. He was homeless. He said, “I was blessed today, so I wanted to pass the blessing on.”
Is there a table like that where enemies get fed? I pray to God that there is. We live in culture of revenge. I read a lot of action-adventure novels, books by W.E.B. Griffin about the military, and spies, and cops. I am reading Tom Clancy’s latest best seller right now, Against All Enemies, with its drug cartels, and the Taliban. The driving force in these books is revenge, getting back, getting even.
In this world we need a table where things get turned around, get turned right. I remember how after WW II, we didn’t punish our enemies. We helped Japan and Germany to rebuild. Now we are partners with them. Maybe there is a table like that.
I need a table like that. I like to be liked, but sometimes I upset people, yes church people. I have had a family with a young woman with an unplanned pregnancy go into high anxiety mode and try to push a wedding through without counseling or forethought. I hated to confront them. They didn’t like much for telling them the truth. Then God has such a sense of humor. The very next Sunday after the shotgun wedding that I didn’t perform was communion Sunday. Which serving station did they come to? Mine! I held out the bread to them, “The Body of Christ broken for you, this is a sign of God’s love for you in the body of Christ.”
Is there a table like that in this world? It goes all the way back to Psalm 23, “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.” It goes all the way back to that meal we call the Last Supper that Jesus ate with one who would betray him, one who would deny him, and others who would desert him. To these at the table, he said, “This is my body given for you.”
Is there a table like that? The good news I have to share with you today is that there is. It is right here. We keep coming here until we get it right.
“If your enemy is hungry, give him something to eat.” Is there a table like that? Where things get turned around, get turned right?
The first part of this passage has to do with being an “insider”, a Christian. Some of the hardest people to deal with are fellow Christians. Sometimes folks come to church hoping to escape fighting. They want Shang-ri-la, Eden. Remember my first year with you as pastor, I spent preaching about conflict from I Corinthians. The early church fought over lots of things, just like we do today. The trick is to learn how to fight fairly.
Is there a table where we can get things turned around? John Savage is a UM pastor, psychologist and consultant. In his early years, he served a local church in upstate New York. A member of that congregation owned a restaurant with a table reserved for members of the church. Anyone who had a gripe, an issue, a problem could meet John there. John promised not to bring his “gospel gun,” you know how we pastors can shoot people down with our jargon, our authority, our degrees. John would stay there until he and the person could reconcile. No bill was ever presented at that table.
The passage from Romans seems to have lots of verbs in the imperative tense, lots of “oughts” and “shoulds.” But I looked at the text in the Greek, because I know that y’all love for me to do that. Most of the verbs are participles, “ing” words. It is as if Paul is saying, “This is an ongoing project. You will always be working on this. You will never finish.” The verbs are all plural too. It is as if Paul is saying, “Don’t try to do this by yourself. This work is best done in community.”
We start working on reconciling within the community of faith and then we slowly move out. You notice in the passage how we move from saints (insiders) to strangers to enemies. Is there a table where we get things turned around with the world?
I want you to google this concept, “pay what you can” cafes. I read about One World Café in Salt Lake City and So All May Eat in Denver. There are published, suggested prices, but everyone pays whatever they can. Some pay 2, 3, 4 times the price. Some leave just a few cents. Some pay in goods or services. “I have a car I can donate. I will do the tile work in the bathroom. I notice you need new flatware, and I have some.”
A few are poachers. They try to pay nothing. Denise Cerreta of the Denver café watched a group of poachers pay nothing several times. She finally confronted them at the table. She said, “When you pay nothing, it feels like you are stealing from me.” They paid up.
It leads to that passage, the quote from Proverbs 25, “if you enemy is hungry, feed him, if he is thirst, give him something to drink, for by so doing, you heap burning coals upon his head.” At the table one must face reality of one’s actions. One must reflect on the relationship. When Denise told the poachers what it felt like, she got them to see what they were doing to her personally. Their shame felt like burning coals.
Most are grateful. One man left a $100 bill by his empty bowl of soup. He was homeless. He said, “I was blessed today, so I wanted to pass the blessing on.”
Is there a table like that where enemies get fed? I pray to God that there is. We live in culture of revenge. I read a lot of action-adventure novels, books by W.E.B. Griffin about the military, and spies, and cops. I am reading Tom Clancy’s latest best seller right now, Against All Enemies, with its drug cartels, and the Taliban. The driving force in these books is revenge, getting back, getting even.
In this world we need a table where things get turned around, get turned right. I remember how after WW II, we didn’t punish our enemies. We helped Japan and Germany to rebuild. Now we are partners with them. Maybe there is a table like that.
I need a table like that. I like to be liked, but sometimes I upset people, yes church people. I have had a family with a young woman with an unplanned pregnancy go into high anxiety mode and try to push a wedding through without counseling or forethought. I hated to confront them. They didn’t like much for telling them the truth. Then God has such a sense of humor. The very next Sunday after the shotgun wedding that I didn’t perform was communion Sunday. Which serving station did they come to? Mine! I held out the bread to them, “The Body of Christ broken for you, this is a sign of God’s love for you in the body of Christ.”
Is there a table like that in this world? It goes all the way back to Psalm 23, “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.” It goes all the way back to that meal we call the Last Supper that Jesus ate with one who would betray him, one who would deny him, and others who would desert him. To these at the table, he said, “This is my body given for you.”
Is there a table like that? The good news I have to share with you today is that there is. It is right here. We keep coming here until we get it right.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
prayer in 3 acts
8/25/11 My breath prayer is Psalm 105:1, "O give thanks to the LORD, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples." Act 1 is to give thanks. As I walked this morning, I gave thanks that I could walk, that my body still works so well, that I could see the deer, and hear the birds sing. Act 2 is to call on his name. As I walked, I did my usual routine of holding various people and situations before God, seeking what blessing God has for them. Act 3 is to witness. I have more open today to openings that God provides for me to make known his deeds among the peoples. In particular, we have had a lot of families visiting our preschool classrooms today. I am saying "hi" and greeting them.
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
strength
8/24/11 My breath prayer for the day comes from Ps. 105:4, "Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually." My strength is not what it once was. I am 58, and I still walk, lift weights, swim, etc. I can still put in the hours at work. But it is nothing like it used to be. I bump up against my limits more quickly.
I really need to hear this passage today, as I have spent the last 2 days at the Bd. of Ordained Ministry retreat where I learned all of the time, and energy, and courage it is going to take to help the church go through the next paradigm shift. I don't have that kind of strength, but the LORD God does. It is a good exercise for me to humble myself and let God be my strength, the strength of His Church, the strength of all creation.
Love,
Lynn
I really need to hear this passage today, as I have spent the last 2 days at the Bd. of Ordained Ministry retreat where I learned all of the time, and energy, and courage it is going to take to help the church go through the next paradigm shift. I don't have that kind of strength, but the LORD God does. It is a good exercise for me to humble myself and let God be my strength, the strength of His Church, the strength of all creation.
Love,
Lynn
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
not the same old thing
8/24/11 This Bd of Ordained Ministry retreat is really pushing me. Gil Rendle, our consultant, challenging us with moving from the old paradigm of taking care of the institution, the local churches and the pastors to the new paradigm of taking care of God's mission of making new disciples of Jesus Christ. There will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth as many small churches will be dying, many old rules will be broken, and many new changes enacted. It will take courage, patience, and trust to get through this time. I pray for myself that I will have the energy and drive to be part of this process and not part of the problem. I pray for our denomination, this church that I have known since my birth and have been serving in the ordained capacity for the past 33 years.
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Monday, August 22, 2011
in order to go forward, retreat
8/22/11 Our Bd. of Ordained Ministry is having its first ever retreat. We have lots of meetings, business sessions, interviews, etc., but never before have we had a retreat. What makes it even better is that the Bishop and the District Superintendents and the chairs of District Committees on Ordained Ministry are present as well. We are at the Oblate Center in San Antonio for 2 days.
Our chairperson asked me to give the opening devotional. So I had everyone stand in a circle and sing the Hokey Pokey. I asked everyone to bring their whole self to the retreat. Our act of confession was to name before another person what is keeping us from bringing our whole self here: start of school, fall programming at church, hospital calls, etc. After a word of pardon and assurance, I asked the group to help me remember all of the times that Jesus went on retreat. In a book by Len Sweet, he had a chapter called, "come apart, so you don't come apart." My language for it was "in order to go forward, retreat." Jesus would go away with his disciples, or spend all night in prayer, or go into the wilderness for 40 days at the start of his ministry, or go the Garden just before his crucifixion. I then had the folks to own what was the word for them, what they hoped would happen on this retreat. Our sending forth was singing, "Go now in peace" and sharing the peace of Christ.
At the end of this first day, I can say that it has been worthwhile. I have been challenged to ask the right questions that lead to transformation of the church.
Love,
Lynn
Our chairperson asked me to give the opening devotional. So I had everyone stand in a circle and sing the Hokey Pokey. I asked everyone to bring their whole self to the retreat. Our act of confession was to name before another person what is keeping us from bringing our whole self here: start of school, fall programming at church, hospital calls, etc. After a word of pardon and assurance, I asked the group to help me remember all of the times that Jesus went on retreat. In a book by Len Sweet, he had a chapter called, "come apart, so you don't come apart." My language for it was "in order to go forward, retreat." Jesus would go away with his disciples, or spend all night in prayer, or go into the wilderness for 40 days at the start of his ministry, or go the Garden just before his crucifixion. I then had the folks to own what was the word for them, what they hoped would happen on this retreat. Our sending forth was singing, "Go now in peace" and sharing the peace of Christ.
At the end of this first day, I can say that it has been worthwhile. I have been challenged to ask the right questions that lead to transformation of the church.
Love,
Lynn
Sunday, August 21, 2011
a whole new way of thinking
From my sermon on 8/21/11 from Romans 12:1-8
So on the first day of school, the kindergarten teacher was trying to help the children feel at ease through playing a game with animal sounds. “Amy, what sound does a cow make?” Moooo. “Johnny, what sound does a pig make?” Oink…. Tracy what sound does a cat make. Meow. Phil, what sound does a dog make? Bark, bark. Julie, what sound does a mouse make? She said, “Click.”
We have a whole new way of thinking today, don’t we? I never knew in High School that the most important class that I would take would be typewriting. Now they call it keyboarding. How many hours, how many tasks do I do on the computer every day!
Paul talks in the passage about renewing your mind so that you may discern the will of God, the good and perfect and acceptable will. I have some practical, biblical ways of thinking to offer you today. The first is humor. Did you feel the lightness of being at the opening story with its laughter. Humor frees us up.
The passage warns against thinking more highly of yourself than you ought. Paul is doing a word play on the word think. It literally in the Greek, don’t hyper-think. Now, none of you suffers from over-thinking, do you? Paul says to think with sober judgment. The word is to think with a sound mind, sensibly. Humor is a great way to keep us from taking our selves too seriously.
So, here’s the way most of us learned the alphabet…..the alphabet song….a b c d e f g h i j k l m m o p q r s t u v w x y and z, now I know my abc’s , next time won’t you sing with me. Let me sing modern version, a b c d e f g h i j k l m m o p q r s t u v www.alphabet.com. It is whole new way of thinking.
Paul also says to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God. We think not just with our brains but with our whole beings. The Jewish faith and the Christian faith did not see humans as a conglomeration of parts, but as wholeness. Body, mind, spirit….are all interrelated, inseparable. We are to think with our bodies. I understand from the world of medicine that this is true. We have not just the brain, but the central nervous system, and in fact chemical and electrical signals at the cellular level. We think with the whole body.
We live out an example right now. How many right handed folks? Interesting, you raise your right hands. Take a pen or pencil in your right hand. Lefties take a pen or pencil in your left hand. Now I want you to think about a problem or an issue or concern. Got it? Now shift the pen or pencil to the other hand. Reflect, do you get some new insight? We I get stumped with a crossword puzzle or even bigger issues in life, sometimes I simply switch to my non-dominant hand, and an answer comes. Where does that come from? We are using our wholeness.
This whole new way of thinking could look like this: if you are a quiet, contemplative person, you might need to take a walk or swim to get a fresh perspective. If you are active, you might need to pause and pray and be still. If you are a wordy person like I am, you might need to focus on an icon.
A week and a half ago, I had our staff go on a retreat. We went to an art gallery run by Hilary’s sister, called Eye of the Dog. We did our linear planning, but we also had an hour and a half for an art project. We were to create a collage using found objects, ephemera. We were to let ourselves be drawn to objects. Was I excited about this? No! I was scared. But I created something on this 4” x 4” square. I was attracted to music, butterflies, a key, the word faith, the phrase “it is ok to be assertive.” Where did all of this come from? I had a whole new way of thinking.
Paul also says to think as the body of Christ. We are not just individuals; we are members of one another. We are community. We think better together. It is not “group think” ala George Orwell’s 1984. We realize we need different points of view. I tend to be a visionary, big picture, future tense sort of guy. I love to throw out ideas. But I need people around me in the body of Christ with their gifts who ask: how much will it cost? How does that fit with this other thing on the calendar? Have you prayed about it? How will it affect the least among us? We think better as the whole body.
As a Christian community, we think not just of ourselves, but of others. As the church, we are one of the few groups that exists for those not here. We are thinking of 5th graders in this church with a new program called FISH that helps these tweens navigate the middle school years. We have incoming high school freshmen buddying up with upper classmen to lessen the fear of that transition.
As United Methodists, we have a new motto: Rethink Church. We have lived into this motto the last 2 years by calling off morning worship and going out into the community to be the church, doing service projects and meeting people where they are. Now we are going a step further.
Have you missed Pastor Jim? Some of you have wondered if I shut him up in a dungeon. Jim has been doing field research for us on Sunday mornings. He has been visiting other churches to see best practices and also what needs are being missed. He has been going to Starbuck’s to visit those of the church of the brunch. He has been talking to the cyclists who pass by our church on Sunday morning by the thousands. All of this in preparation for a new worship service called the Point. It is for those who aren’t here yet. It will be on Sunday evenings, starting just 5 weeks from now, on Sept 25. There will be small groups that feed into the Point. One is Celebrate Recovery for those working the 12 step programs. One is for business people called Taking the Talk of Sunday into the Walk of Monday. Bible Studies and youth groups and others will be on Sunday evenings to lead into the point. Jim says the mission of the Point is to “wake up, connect, change the world.” It is a whole new way of thinking about church.
This renewing of our minds transforms us. I believe our selves become re-wired, new neural pathways are created. This life of worship, prayer, Bible Study, service…this following Christ changes the way we think. I heard on NPR that if you spend 10,000 hours doing something, you become an expert at it. You can check off another hour here.
I believe that following Christ gives us a whole new way of thinking. I witnessed it this past Thursday. Kim was going in for her 2nd surgery in 9 days’ time. It was tricky, spinal cord surgery. Thursday morning, we stood around her bed---her family and I. We adults prayed some out loud. Evan, 7 yr old son of Kim and Phil prayed too. He said, “God, we love you. Jesus, we love you. Heal my mom. Bring her home quickly.” For a moment there, I believed all of this stuff that I have been telling you.
This following Christ gives us a whole new way of thinking.
So on the first day of school, the kindergarten teacher was trying to help the children feel at ease through playing a game with animal sounds. “Amy, what sound does a cow make?” Moooo. “Johnny, what sound does a pig make?” Oink…. Tracy what sound does a cat make. Meow. Phil, what sound does a dog make? Bark, bark. Julie, what sound does a mouse make? She said, “Click.”
We have a whole new way of thinking today, don’t we? I never knew in High School that the most important class that I would take would be typewriting. Now they call it keyboarding. How many hours, how many tasks do I do on the computer every day!
Paul talks in the passage about renewing your mind so that you may discern the will of God, the good and perfect and acceptable will. I have some practical, biblical ways of thinking to offer you today. The first is humor. Did you feel the lightness of being at the opening story with its laughter. Humor frees us up.
The passage warns against thinking more highly of yourself than you ought. Paul is doing a word play on the word think. It literally in the Greek, don’t hyper-think. Now, none of you suffers from over-thinking, do you? Paul says to think with sober judgment. The word is to think with a sound mind, sensibly. Humor is a great way to keep us from taking our selves too seriously.
So, here’s the way most of us learned the alphabet…..the alphabet song….a b c d e f g h i j k l m m o p q r s t u v w x y and z, now I know my abc’s , next time won’t you sing with me. Let me sing modern version, a b c d e f g h i j k l m m o p q r s t u v www.alphabet.com. It is whole new way of thinking.
Paul also says to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God. We think not just with our brains but with our whole beings. The Jewish faith and the Christian faith did not see humans as a conglomeration of parts, but as wholeness. Body, mind, spirit….are all interrelated, inseparable. We are to think with our bodies. I understand from the world of medicine that this is true. We have not just the brain, but the central nervous system, and in fact chemical and electrical signals at the cellular level. We think with the whole body.
We live out an example right now. How many right handed folks? Interesting, you raise your right hands. Take a pen or pencil in your right hand. Lefties take a pen or pencil in your left hand. Now I want you to think about a problem or an issue or concern. Got it? Now shift the pen or pencil to the other hand. Reflect, do you get some new insight? We I get stumped with a crossword puzzle or even bigger issues in life, sometimes I simply switch to my non-dominant hand, and an answer comes. Where does that come from? We are using our wholeness.
This whole new way of thinking could look like this: if you are a quiet, contemplative person, you might need to take a walk or swim to get a fresh perspective. If you are active, you might need to pause and pray and be still. If you are a wordy person like I am, you might need to focus on an icon.
A week and a half ago, I had our staff go on a retreat. We went to an art gallery run by Hilary’s sister, called Eye of the Dog. We did our linear planning, but we also had an hour and a half for an art project. We were to create a collage using found objects, ephemera. We were to let ourselves be drawn to objects. Was I excited about this? No! I was scared. But I created something on this 4” x 4” square. I was attracted to music, butterflies, a key, the word faith, the phrase “it is ok to be assertive.” Where did all of this come from? I had a whole new way of thinking.
Paul also says to think as the body of Christ. We are not just individuals; we are members of one another. We are community. We think better together. It is not “group think” ala George Orwell’s 1984. We realize we need different points of view. I tend to be a visionary, big picture, future tense sort of guy. I love to throw out ideas. But I need people around me in the body of Christ with their gifts who ask: how much will it cost? How does that fit with this other thing on the calendar? Have you prayed about it? How will it affect the least among us? We think better as the whole body.
As a Christian community, we think not just of ourselves, but of others. As the church, we are one of the few groups that exists for those not here. We are thinking of 5th graders in this church with a new program called FISH that helps these tweens navigate the middle school years. We have incoming high school freshmen buddying up with upper classmen to lessen the fear of that transition.
As United Methodists, we have a new motto: Rethink Church. We have lived into this motto the last 2 years by calling off morning worship and going out into the community to be the church, doing service projects and meeting people where they are. Now we are going a step further.
Have you missed Pastor Jim? Some of you have wondered if I shut him up in a dungeon. Jim has been doing field research for us on Sunday mornings. He has been visiting other churches to see best practices and also what needs are being missed. He has been going to Starbuck’s to visit those of the church of the brunch. He has been talking to the cyclists who pass by our church on Sunday morning by the thousands. All of this in preparation for a new worship service called the Point. It is for those who aren’t here yet. It will be on Sunday evenings, starting just 5 weeks from now, on Sept 25. There will be small groups that feed into the Point. One is Celebrate Recovery for those working the 12 step programs. One is for business people called Taking the Talk of Sunday into the Walk of Monday. Bible Studies and youth groups and others will be on Sunday evenings to lead into the point. Jim says the mission of the Point is to “wake up, connect, change the world.” It is a whole new way of thinking about church.
This renewing of our minds transforms us. I believe our selves become re-wired, new neural pathways are created. This life of worship, prayer, Bible Study, service…this following Christ changes the way we think. I heard on NPR that if you spend 10,000 hours doing something, you become an expert at it. You can check off another hour here.
I believe that following Christ gives us a whole new way of thinking. I witnessed it this past Thursday. Kim was going in for her 2nd surgery in 9 days’ time. It was tricky, spinal cord surgery. Thursday morning, we stood around her bed---her family and I. We adults prayed some out loud. Evan, 7 yr old son of Kim and Phil prayed too. He said, “God, we love you. Jesus, we love you. Heal my mom. Bring her home quickly.” For a moment there, I believed all of this stuff that I have been telling you.
This following Christ gives us a whole new way of thinking.
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