The United Methodist Church

Open Hearts - Open Minds  Open Doors

Willmar, Minnesota, USA

office@willmarumc.org

Sermons Archive 3

   The sermons on this page (unless otherwise noted) are those of the Rev. Chad Gilbertson, pastor of the United Methodist Church of Willmar, Minnesota, USA.

Beginning January 2009.

“BETTER IS ONE DAY…”

Psalm 84

August 23, 2009

When I was in early elementary school, I played on a little league basketball team.  Basketball was never one of my favorites, but since my brother and I bugged my dad to put up a backboard and net on the garage, he must have figured we wanted to play basketball, so he signed us up.

The reason I wasn’t that interested in basketball, quite frankly, is because I wasn’t very good.  And because I wasn’t very good, I didn’t get the ball much (and, truth be told, I really didn’t want the ball!).  But I’ll never forget one game, when our center tipped the jump ball right into my hands.  Immediately I began dribbling towards the basket.  My teammates and people on the sidelines were yelling and screaming.  “Go!  Go!  Go!”  My opponents, it seemed, were content to let me go and I drove to the hoop uncontested.  And, for one of the first times in my life, I executed the perfect layup.

It wasn’t until I had scored and did my little celebration dance (trust me, you don’t want to see it!) that my coach called me over to the bench and told me that I had scored a basket in the wrong basket!  I guess what my teammates and fans were really yelling was “No!  No!  No!”

If I didn’t like basketball before that incident, I really didn’t like it afterwards.  And all because I didn’t know which way to go.

The psalmist, in this morning’s reading from Psalm 84, knows exactly where he wants to go.  He understands the hunger that he is feeling, and he knows where to turn to satisfy that craving. 

“How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!

My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the Lord;

My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the loving God.”

How many of us can honestly say that we have a similar desire?  When the sun is shining and the lake or the golf course is calling, do we long to be in this place?  When life is dealing us experience after experience – some good, others not so good – do we faint for the courts of the Lord?  Does our heart and flesh – every part of our being – sing for joy to the loving God?

Here the psalmist affirms the claims of St. Augustine, who reminded us that in each life there is a God-shaped hole that can only be satisfied or filled by God.  For the psalmist the great desires of his life were fulfilled by being in the presence of God. 

In particular he loved being in the temple of God.  In Hebrew theology the temple represented more than just the center of worship; it represented the very presence of God. 

The psalmist offers the testimony of one who truly desires the presence of God, for in that desire he recognizes that the fulfillment of life is found there.  Unlike many people today who are dragged (some literally, others figuratively) to places of worship week after week both weary and bored, the psalmist is actually energized with the thought of being in the house of God because he understands that the house of God is where he will be in the physical presence of God. 

The psalmist also expresses great wisdom – wisdom that is evidenced by the strength that comes from the worship moments at the temple of God.  Listen to the difference a life with God makes in the life of the psalmist:

“Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise.  Happy are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.”  The psalmist doesn’t guarantee a life free of troubles.  But what I think he is saying is that with God, any troubles that may come our way are more easily overcome.

The psalmist continues, and I like Eugene Peterson’s translation The Message:  “How blessed all those in whom you live, whose lives become roads you travel; they wind through lonesome valleys, come upon brooks, discover cool springs and pools brimming with rain!  God-traveled, these roads curve up the mountain, and at the last turn – Zion!  God in full view!”  The psalmist seems to be saying that, in a life with God, all roads lead to heaven.  There may be bumps in the road, but the final stretch of our journey will take us to the place where God dwells.

These are profound insights.  Many who struggle with spiritual hunger do not know where to find sustenance and strength.  The bulk of their time is spent in foolish and dead-end pursuits.  Thankfully, the writer knows which way to go.  For him, it was found in the temple of the Lord.

The strength that is found in these people who choose this path defies the odds.  Unfortunately, it is the kind of strength that many forsake.  We all hear and know stories of those who choose to regularly turn in the opposite direction of worship opportunities.  Here in the land of 10,000 lakes and very short summers, we say that we need to take advantage of every possible weekend to get away to our cabins and fishing holes.  We put the Saturday night party or the sports tournaments or the need to simply sleep in ahead of gathering for worship.  I understand the need to get away from time to time – I’m taking a week of vacation starting on Monday – but apparently some live constantly in that realm, and in doing so they miss the fellowship, the worship, the sheer power of God’s presence that comes in corporate worship moments.

The psalmist concludes with a statement that indicates a satisfaction that only comes from a life with God.  As the writer takes stock of his life, he is bubbling over with the joy he has discovered in the presence of God.  In one of the most descriptive and humble testimonies in all of scripture, he writes, “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than live in the tents of wickedness.” 

We need to understand the role and the place of the doorkeeper in order to better understand the significance of this phrase.  First of all, the doorkeeper was a lowly and humble position.  Not too many children growing up would strive to become a doorkeeper.  But at the same time, the doorkeeper was an extremely important job and one that required constant vigilance.  Anyone could come at any time, and so the doorkeeper would be required to keep post day and night.

The psalmist recognizes that he has a choice to make – to turn to God and God’s courts, or to live in a place that would expose him to wickedness and temptation.  His choice is clear – turn to God.  It’s as if he is saying, “Master, it is good – it is a privilege - to be here.”  The psalmist loved both his master and his work so much that he desired to be tied to this service forever.  His preference was to his bonds of duty far more than it was to be able to leave and be exposed to a life of sin. 

The psalmist’s hunger was fulfilled in a beautiful cycle.  It begins in the beauty of worship, and it ends in service.  Sandwiched in between these two great moments is a testimony to God.

Perhaps there is a lesson to be learned in our lives – a lesson about knowing which who to follow and which way to turn.  In youth ministry, we used to play a game to illustrate the many voices that are trying to get our attention and tell us which way to go.  One person would be blindfolded and have to navigate a course from point A to point B.  His or her teammates would be shouting out directions, which their opponents would also be yelling.  But instead of giving helpful instructions, the opponents’ directions would try to divert the person off course.  In the end, we learned that it was important to know which voice to listen to – which voice to follow.

Our lives are very similar.  There are voices telling us where to go and what to do.  Hopefully we learn (before it is too late) that to turn the way of the world often ends up in the tents of wickedness.  But if we turn toward the Lord, we find that God is generous in gifts and glory.

Don’t make the same mistake I made on the basketball court.  Know which way you should turn before you even begin the journey.  Then, instead of hearing, “No, no, no!” you’ll hear God’s enthusiastic, “Go, go, go!”  AMEN.

“NO PARTIALITY”

James 2:1-17

September 6, 2009

I believe it was Mark Twain who once said that it was not what he didn’t understand in the Bible that bothered him, it was what he understood full well in the scriptures that disturbed him.  This passage from the letter of James presents us with some bothersome, if not disturbing, challenges.   It’s not difficult to hear these words and understand them.  However, it’s when we place them up against other passages in the Bible that the confusion sets in.

We know Paul’s teaching about faith.  We focus especially on that cornerstone verse in Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith.”  In our Wesleyan tradition, there is a strong emphasis on grace.  Wesley taught about prevenient (or preparing) grace – the grace that was present in our lives even before we knew it or could experience it for ourselves.  He talked about justifying (or accepting) grace – that understanding that we are “born again” into a new life in Jesus Christ.  And he spoke of sanctifying (or sustaining) grace – our growth in the Christian life as we move on towards perfection.  In the United Methodist Church, we speak of Holy Communion as a “means of grace.”  We believe that the bread and cup help us remember God’s great gift of grace given to us at our baptism.

And so to speak so highly of faith and grace as being necessary for salvation, it’s a bit confusing for us to hear James saying something that seems to be contradictory.  “Faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.”  However, if we look at this entire passage, we find that it isn’t so contradictory after all.

James begins with instruction – some might even call it outrage – against partiality, or playing favorites.  Joel Gregory, in his commentary on the book of James, says, “The word literally means that which receives face or that lifts up the face.”  It means that one evaluates another on the basis of his or her outward appearance, social status, and wealth.

To illustrate his point, James tells the story of two men from opposite sides of the tracks, if you will.  One is quite wealthy – he wears gold rings on his fingers and the finest clothes.  As he enters, he is immediately recognized and given the royal treatment.  He is offered a front-row seat and the finest china and crystal.  The other is a street person – a beggar – an outcast.  When he enters he is also recognized, but he is quickly directed to the back row and handed the paper plates and plastic silverware.  James blasts his audience, saying, “have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?”  It’s a statement that parallels the first one he makes in the chapter:  “Do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ?”

What James is saying is that, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ and claim to be a Christian, then you should follow the example of Jesus, who showed on many occasions that equal treatment of all persons is the way to go.  He made that point abundantly clear when he told the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31.  Remember in that story, both men had died.  Lazarus, the pool old beggar, found himself in heaven, while the privileged rich man ended up in the fiery furnace of hell.  The rich man begged Abraham to send Lazarus to him with a bit of cool water.  But Abraham responded by saying that in their death and new life, the tables would be turned.

Verse 8 continues with a conversation about following the “royal law.”  The “royal law” in ancient literature often refers to a king’s rule.  In this use, James takes us immediately to a quote from Leviticus 19:18, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  James, the brother of our Lord, is calling the reader’s attention to how Jesus summed up the entire Torah or Old Testament Law.  Jesus, when he was asked about the most important commandment, responded, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 

We would be wise to look carefully at this 8th verse, because there is a key word that emphasizes James’ point.  Do you know which word I’m talking about?  It’s the word really.  James could have said, “You do well if you fulfill the royal law,” but he knew that there would be those who would try to finagle their way around it.  “I follow 9 out of 10 commandments…I’m a good person.”  But by using the word ‘really’ James seems to say that we are to keep every little bit and nuance of the law.  The I’s have to be dotted and the t’s crossed.  How good is good enough?  We have to always, perfectly, in every way love our neighbor.

We’re pretty good at loving our neighbor, but I sometimes think we get easily satisfied.  We tell ourselves and convince ourselves that we’ve got programs like Care Ministry and Hands of Love and Community Meals that show our love for others.  And while these are great, beneficial programs, if we stopped there, we wouldn’t really be following the royal law.  If someone is hungry and in need of medicine, we can’t say, “Here’s your meal…be satisfied.”  Likewise, if someone is in need of fellowship and assistance with their rent because they’ve just lost their job, we can’t stop with, “We’re glad you’re here for our Community Meal…see you next month.”  It’s like James says, “If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,’ and yet do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?”

In the same way, these verses remind us that our task…our calling, if you will, is not just to the members of this church.  While it would be easy to say, “The church has raised the money so the church is where it will stay,” the reality is that the need extends far beyond the walls and the persons of this church.  When someone comes to us asking for help, our job is not to ask, “Which church are you a member of?” but rather, “How can we help you?” 

There is a contemporary Christian song that is popular right now called The Motions.  Diane Swanson and her family sang it as special music this summer.  But the song talks about how we have two choices – give it all we’ve got, or simply go through the motions.  The line at the end of the refrain says, “I don’t want to spend my whole life asking “What if I had given everything instead of going through the motions?”  James, I believe, is encouraging us to give everything we can and everything we have to loving our neighbors as ourselves, instead of simply going through the motions.

James finally moves to the thesis of his whole letter:  “Faith without works is dead.”  I don’t believe that James is trying to correct Paul’s emphasis on salvation by faith alone.  However, James focuses on the continuing evidence of faith.  In many ways, James is in the mainstream of Jewish teaching and the teachings of Christ, and here he hits the nail on the head when it comes to being a follower of God and a disciple of Jesus Christ.  You can’t have one without the other.

Remember in Matthew 25, Jesus is teaching about the final judgment scene where the sheep are separated from the goats.  He said that those who proclaimed to follow him but did not visit the prisons, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give the thirsty a drink, or welcome the stranger would not enter the Kingdom.  (As a sidebar, Jesus doesn’t say 4 out 5 is good enough here, either!)  “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.”

I think James has it right.  He takes the teachings of Jesus, and combines it with the royal law, into a simple summary statement:  “Faith without works is dead.”  James reminds us that Christianity is a way of life.  It is a way of life that seeks to constantly reflect the love of Christ through what we do and how we relate to one another.  And let there be no question at all – we do all of this with no favoritism, no judgment, no distinction, no partiality. AMEN.

“ONE WISH”

1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14

August 16, 2009

In the animated Disney classic Aladdin there is a scene where Aladdin frees the genie from inside the magic lamp.  Robin Williams, the voice of the genie, grants Aladdin three wishes.  But he explains that there are three rules to wishing: 

1.No making anyone fall in love with you

2.No bringing someone back from the dead

3.No wishing for more wishes

“That’s all.” Aladdin says.  “Three.  Uno, dos, tres.  No substitutions, exchanges or refunds.”

We’re probably all played the three wishes game.  When we were younger we’d ask ourselves and others, “If you had three wishes, what would you wish for?”  And, because we were younger back then, we’d usually answer with those things that would serve us best – money, more money, and even more money. 

Actually, I remember playing the game and I’d always wish for more wishes…so I could wish for more money!  But if the rule states no wishing for more wishes, that eliminates that one.

In our scripture reading for this morning, God is having a conversation with young Solomon who has just taken over the throne from his father David who has died.  We know from early in the text that Solomon is quite faithful in his devotion and dedication to God.  He is often found in the temple making offerings and sacrifices.

One day, while Solomon was in the temple at Gibeon, the highest of the high places, God spoke to him.  “Ask what I should give you.”  Can you imagine that?  God was handing Solomon a blank check (so to speak) and telling him that whatever he wanted was his.  It wasn’t the three wishes of the genie, but then again, with God one wish would be sufficient.

Solomon could have wished for anything – long life, great wealth, power and success in battle – anything.  Solomon could have wished for fame, fortune, or favor.  Instead, look at what he says.

Solomon first acknowledges God’s goodness.  He says, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David…you have given him a son to sit on his throne today…Now you have made your servant king in place of my father David, even though I am just a child…and your servant is in the midst of the people, so numerous that they cannot be numbered our counted.”

When we speak with God, do we remember to begin with an acknowledgement of God’s goodness?  Do we understand and believe that everything we have has come from God’s hand?  Or do we take things for granted?  Solomon had been given this wonderful, grace-filled opportunity from God, and he took full advantage of it and showered God with praise.

Then he makes his request – a humble and heartfelt request:  “Give your servant an understanding mind to govern your people.  Give me the ability to discern between good and evil.”  His request ends with the statement that acknowledges his place:  “For who can govern this your great people?”

God’s response makes it sound a bit like God was giving Solomon a test.  God says, “You could have asked for anything, long life, riches, the life of your enemies.  Instead you’ve asked for understanding.  This I will give to you.  But that’s not all!  I also give to you those things you did not ask for – riches and honor.  You will go down in history as the greatest king.  And if you continue to follow my commandments, I will let you live this way for a long, long time.”

God rewards Solomon for his integrity.  I would imagine that if he had asked for fame, fortune or favor, God would have granted his request…but God would have found a way to let Solomon know that that wasn’t a very wise request. 

God also surprises Solomon with an abundance of generosity.  God could have satisfied Solomon’s request and stopped there.  But God, recognizing that Solomon was acting in a way that truly sought to honor God, went above and beyond Solomon’s wildest dreams.

God desires to do the same for us.  God wants us to know that when we ask for something in faith, that we will receive it.  But God also wants us to live humble lives, lives that recognize God as the source of all that we have and all that we need.  God wants us to live lives of integrity, utilizing the gifts we have been given in such a way that they continually bring honor and glory to God.  And God wants to surprise us.  God wants to ask the question, “What do you need?” and when we answer in a way that is pleasing to God, God desires to heap upon us not only what we need but a few things that would probably fall into the ‘want’ category as well.

As I say that, I’m reminded of the verse that goes along with the song we just sang.  (And by the way, let me do a little teaching here…if you’ve ever sung a hymn and thought that the words sounded like a familiar passage of scripture, but just couldn’t put your finger on the book, chapter and verse, check the credit line of the song.  In hymn 405, “Seek Ye First,” you find that the words were written by Karen Lafferty in 1972, and that she based them on Matthew 6:33 and 7:7.) 

Turning to Matthew chapter 6, we find Jesus teaching on practical piety – piety being holy living.  He talks about giving, prayer, forgiveness, and fasting.  Then he goes on to talk about possessions, and how we are not to store up our treasures on earth.  Jesus continues talking about serving two masters and how that doesn’t work.  He stresses the point that if we make the decision to serve God, we will find that we have everything we need.  We don’t need to worry about what we will eat or drink or wear because God knows that we need these things and God will provide.  In verse 33 Jesus says this:  “But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

We’re being told to strive for, to work for, to wish for that one thing that is most important.  If we use that wish wisely, if we in prayer ask God for righteousness (which is essentially what Solomon asked for – the ability to discern between good and evil; the ability to know and move towards those things of God) and then work for that same righteousness in our lives and in the lives of those closest to us, then we will not only receive that gift, all of these other things (anything that falls into the category of basic human needs – food, clothing, shelter, relationships, etc.) will be added as well.

It comes down to knowing what to ask for and then work for.  If you were to ask most anyone today what they are working for, you might get a pretty common answer – more. 

I’m working to earn more money.

I’m working to pay for more of a house, car, boat, motorcycle, etc.

I’m working to go on more of a vacation

I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing to want more…as long as that ‘more’ brings glory to God and benefits God’s people.

I’m working to help more people.

I’m working so that more unchurched people might come to know

Jesus Christ

I’m working because more and more people are drifting away from

organized religion and I want to reverse that

If we pray like Solomon – first giving thanks to God and then making our request humbly, recognizing that what we need to ask for are those things that bring attention to God and God’s goodness rather than to ourselves – if we pray our heartfelt prayers with integrity and then join God in an effort to see those things through – if we seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness – then we may very well be surprised by God’s answer to our prayers.  We may be surprised because not only will God answer our prayer with a resounding “Yes!” but God will add to it with an abundance of blessings. AMEN.

“THE BEST BREAD”

John 6:35, 41-51

August 9, 2009

I remember the days when we would prepare for Boundary Waters Canoe trips.  While it was important to remember to pack enough clothes and the right equipment, some of the most important planning went into the food.  We would plan a menu for each day of the trip and then shop for the necessary ingredients.  We would ensure that, not only did we have three square meals a day, we would also have between meal snacks – the kind designed to keep the energy level high.  As we packed the food, we double checked our menus, making sure that we had everything we intended to bring.  You see, we knew that for those four or five days we were in the wilderness, we would be expending a great deal of effort and energy.  Food, the right kind in the right quantities, would ensure that everyone on the trip would maintain their energy level.

Life is much like that.  To survive on our journey, to have the strength to go through the barren places of life, those places where we are alone - because of divorce, or illness, or death - we need to eat the food that God has prepared for us: the food that God grants each one of us in the sacred stories of this holy book and in the newer tales told by people of faith who enter our lives from time to time.

We need to cry out to God when we are in need, when we are in despair, and then listen for the voice that often comes in the middle of the night - the voice that whispers in our ear - and tells us to believe, to trust, to rise up and take the bread that will be there for us and to eat  - and to eat again -- and go forth to complete our journey.

Are you running on empty?  Do you sometimes feel that you do not have the strength to travel onward for another day…let alone another 40 days?

Perhaps it is time to eat.

The food is all round us - especially in this place.  The food is in the people who sit beside you - people who have faith - people who know the story and who know where God is to be found.  The food is in the prayers and in the music and in the word and in the silence.

God is here.

God is here - in the truth that we proclaim -

in the bread that has been passed around this sanctuary -

in the light that enters through the windows -

in the water contained in the lakes and rivers outside these doors.

God is also in the ordinary things - the daily miracles that so many take for granted:

  - the rising and setting of the sun, and the moon and the stars, and the ever changing

mountains and the rhythm of the seasons

  - the very breath that comes in and out of our lungs

  - the crying of a baby and the laughter of a child and the care of a faithful

companion. 

God is here in Jesus Christ, the son of God, but also the son of Mary and Joseph;

God is here in the carpenter whose stories we know well. 

God is in the one who says:

  "I am the bread of life" and again "I am the living bread that came

  down from heaven - whoever eats of this bread will live forever."

God is in the one who said:

  “Come to me, you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

God is in the one who said to his disciples and to us:

  "Remember, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Solid food is available my friends, food that will sustain us on our spiritual journey.

It is a great tragedy not to take it up and eat it - a tragedy that can so easily be avoided if one simply takes the time to look around, and to think about that which will truly satisfy.

Bread - ordinary bread -- bread simply for the eating.

Rich and filling - something we know well - something that endures when other more exotic foods are not available, or proves - as so much of the food that we eat in this society does - to lead to death instead of life.

Ordinary stuff.  Stuff we know.

Stuff that is so familiar to us that many of us fail to understand it and either try to make it out to be more than it is, or despise it for being less than they think it ought to be; for    being ordinary - familiar - common: rather than magical, powerful, immaculate, glorious, and wondrous.

But the ordinary is powerful, it is magical, it is immaculate and glorious and wondrous for those who have the eyes to see - those who seek God and are willing to get up and eat what God has provided.

God has provided us with food for our journey - take and eat that you may be strong in God and so reach the place to which God is calling you.

Listen to these words of a prayer by Janet Cawley: 

God of the way,

  you are the road we travel,

  and the sign we follow;

  you are bread for the journey,

  and the wine of arrival.

Guide us as we follow in your way,

  holding on to each other,

  reaching out to your beloved world.

And when we stray,

  seek us out and find us,

  set our feet on the path again,

  and lead us safely home.

In the name of Jesus, our Companion we pray.  Amen.

In the Boundary Waters, it was the snacks that were important.  Sometimes (usually if I was in charge of reading the map or navigating the course) we would stray from our intended course.  We would wander to and fro with no place to set up camp and cook a real meal.  Other times, the weather would make travel much slower than anticipated.  The wind would be blowing straight in your face and it would seem like for every two canoe lengths you’d advance, the wind would push you back one.  In those times, it was good to know that we had something of sustenance to reach for – something that would sustain us until that time when our course was corrected or we battled through the elements and we were safely in a campsite for the night. 

Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life, is that food.  He is that necessary sustenance when we feel a bit lost or disoriented by life.  He is that survival food when the storms of life blow upon us a bit more harshly than we’d like. 

But more importantly, he desires to be an everyday meal.  He invites and encourages us to feast on his goodness in all times of our lives – the good and the bad.  And not only are we encouraged to eat this bread, we are told that it is necessary for life.

Remember that Jesus Christ is the one who said, “I am the bread of life.  Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”  Jesus reminds us, “This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.”  He is the one who said, “Whoever eats of this bread will live forever.” 

This life-giving bread is the best bread we can ever hope to receive.  Reach out and take it.  Feast on it with thanksgiving.  Eat this bread and live…forever!  AMEN.

“WORTHY OF THE CALLING”

Ephesians 4:1-16

August 2, 2009

During the summer of 1978, at Camp Koronis in Paynesville, while sitting around the campfire on the last night of Junior High Camp, I first sensed a call to ministry.  At the time I wasn’t real clear what that meant, but as I got older, the details became bolder and brighter…God wanted me to be in some kind of ministry setting on a full-time basis.

But when?  When would I embark on that journey?  Would it be after I graduated from high school?  Would I go to a “Bible college” and begin my preparation immediately?  Would I instead go to a four-year college, get a degree, and spend some time in the “real world” before entering the ministry setting?  Would I ignore the call altogether and do something completely different?

Somehow I don’t think my story is all that different from others.  Most people that I have talked to about their ministry vocation describe a similar journey of delaying and questioning.  And for most of them, myself included, the biggest question was, “Am I worthy?” 

For some that question was asked in terms of possessing the right tools or gifts for the task.  Do I have the right qualifications?  Do I have enough education?  Do I have the faith?  Do I have the endurance?  Do I have the desire?  Am I worthy?

But for others, the question was asked in terms of being prepared to live as we would be expected to speak and teach.  In other words, am I ready to not just talk the talk, but am I ready to walk the walk?  Am I worthy?

Paul writes, “I beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.”  In some translations of the Bible, that phrase ‘live lives’ is translated ‘walk.’  Throughout the book of Ephesians, Paul refers to our Christian lives as a walk…a journey.  In Eugene Peterson’s translation, The Message, we hear more of a sense of urgency:  “I want you to get out there and walk – better yet, run! – on the road God called you to travel.” 

This morning, I want to spend a few minutes talking about living lives that are worthy of God’s calling.  I want to use this 4th chapter of Ephesians to talk about how to run on the road that God calls us to travel.

First, Paul says, we run the road God calls us to travel when we seek to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.  We do that, Paul suggests, when we practice humility, gentleness, patience, and love with one another.  We are encouraged, in short, to let the fruit of the Spirit be seen in the way we live our lives.  We do this because “there is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.”

Second, we run the road God calls us to travel as we serve the body with the gifts we have been given.  Paul says that these gifts – apostleship, prophecy, evangelism, pasturing, and teaching – are to be used “to equip the saints for the work of ministry,” or to build up the body of Christ.

Today we are celebrating a successful mission trip for our youth and their adult leaders.  You heard a little bit about how their gifts were used in ministry to the people of Brooklyn, and if you go downstairs following the worship service you’ll hear more.  This was a significant time up building up the body of Christ, and we as a church ought to celebrate this accomplishment.

Do you know the gifts you have been given for ministry?  If not, do you know how to discover them?  If so, are you using them to the fullest extent possible?  You see, the gifts we’ve been given have been given for a specific purpose – that we might use them to continue the work of building the Kingdom of God.  They are not intended to sit idle while we wait for others to do the work that is before us.

It’s like the story of a baby camel that was having a conversation with its mother.  “Mom, why do I have these huge three-toed feet?”  His mother replied, “Well, son, your toes help you stay on top of the soft sand when we trek across the desert.”  A few minutes later the baby camel asked, “Mom, why do I have these long eyelashes?”  His mother replied, “Well, son, your eyelashes help keep the sand out of your eyes on our trips through the desert.”  A few minutes later the baby camel asked, “Mom, why do I have these great big humps on my back?”  His mother, who was getting a little impatient with her son, replied, “Well, son, your humps store water for our long treks across the desert, so you can go without drinking for long periods of time.”  “That’s great, Mom,¨ the baby camel said. “We have huge feet to stop us from sinking, long eyelashes to keep sand out of our eyes, and humps to store water. But...Mom?”  “Yes, son?”  “We’re living in the zoo, not the desert.” 

Too many of us are like camels in a zoo. We have everything we need to live the way God intended, yet we play it safe and fail to put ourselves in a position to use our God-given gifts and talents in keeping with God’s purposes.

Finally, we run the road God calls us to travel as we speak the truth in love.  Paul writes, “We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming.  But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.”

When I read that phrase, I thought, “There’s a good title for my message…Grow up!”  But then I thought some might take offense, so I went in a different direction.  Here Paul encourages his listeners to grow and develop in their faith so that they aren’t blowing in the wind without something significant to hold onto.  As it is said, if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.  Paul is urging us to take a stand for Christ.

It all sounds like a good idea, doesn’t it?  Maintaining the spirit of unity by bringing out the fruit of the Spirit that is present in all of us…serving the body of Christ with the gifts we have been given…speaking the truth in love.  But in the end it comes down to that crucial question – Am I the right person for the job?  Am I worthy?  And the message of the cross says to us, “Yes, you are worthy.”  Each and every one of us…regardless of our sins or our shortcomings, despite our quirks or our questions, apart from our unwillingness or unworthiness…each one of us has been saved by Christ’s death on the cross and judged worthy.  And so, as ones deemed worthy by the Creator, let us lead lives that live up to our calling.  AMEN.

“ABUNDANTLY FAR MORE”

Ephesians 3:14-21

July 26, 2009

Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine…

Those in leadership circles might recognize the acronym BHAG.  Does anyone know what it stands for?  That’s right…Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal.  The phrase was first introduced by James Collins and Jerry Porras in their 1994 book entitled Built to Last.  The suggestion was that businesses create goals that seemed far beyond capabilities…goals that might even appear to be a bit far-fetched.  Listen to some of these BHAG’s (and see if you can guess which business they’re connected to):

"A computer on every desk and in every home." (Microsoft)

“To be the best company in the world for all fields of family entertainment.”

(Disney)

“Connecting 5 billion people by 2015.” (Nokia Siemens Networks)

“Every book, ever printed, in any language, all available in less than 60 seconds.”

(Amazon)

“To become "the pulse of the planet." (Twitter)

Do you want to know if your idea warrants BHAG status?  Consider these questions:

•Does the idea stimulate forward progress?

•Does it create momentum?

•Does it get people’s juices going?

•Do they find it stimulating, exciting and adventurous?

•Are they willing to throw their creative talents and human energies into it?

So what does all this talk of BHAGs have to do with Paul’s letter to the Ephesians?  What does it have to do with us sitting here this morning?  I’d like to suggest that what Paul is saying at the end of this lesson is that we ought to think of our prayers as BHAGs – as capable of moving us forward, creating momentum, getting our juices flowing, stimulating and exciting us, something behind which we will throw our talents and energies.

The 14th verse of the 3rd chapter of Ephesians begins with the phrase “For this reason…”  I don’t know about you, but when I come across that kind of statement at the beginning of a lesson, I’m compelled to look back.  I want to know what “this reason” is.

Looking back a bit in the 3rd chapter of Ephesians, we find Paul talking about grace.  Paul received the gift through a revelation.  And in this revelation Paul was commissioned to bring the news of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles.  In verse 13, Paul encourages the Ephesians to not lose heart on account of his sufferings.  In fact, Paul says that his sufferings are their glory.

And then he begins verse 14 with that phrase, “For this reason…”  That phrase is followed by Paul’s prayer for the church at Ephesus.  It’s a beautiful prayer and I want to read it again, this time from Eugene Peterson’s translation The Message: 

“My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth.  I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit – not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength – that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in.  And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with Christians the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love.  Reach out and experience the bredth!  Test its length!  Plumb the depths!  Rise to the heights!  Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.” 

It was Paul’s prayer that Christ should strengthen the reason of his friends.  He wanted them to be better able to discern between what was right and what was wrong.  He wanted Christ to give them the wisdom that would keep their lives pure and safe.

It was also Paul’s prayer that the conscience of his people should become more and more sensitive.  Paul prayed that Jesus would keep the consciences of his people tender and on the alert.

Finally it was Paul’s prayer that Christ would help his people do the right thing.  So often we know what is right and we mean to do it, but our will is not strong enough to back our knowledge and carry out our intentions. 

This strengthening comes when Christ’s followers invite Jesus into their hearts.  It is then and only then that Christ will take up permanent residence in their hearts.  Through this prayer, Paul encourages his people to make that decision…that commitment.

Paul then prays that the Christian would be able to grasp the full measure of Christ’s love.  It would be as if Paul was standing on the top of a mountain, inviting his listeners to look up, down, and all around – to the limitless sky above, to the limitless horizons on every side, to the depth of the earth and the seas beneath us – and saying to them, “The love of Christ is as big or bigger than all of this.  This understanding is important so that, as Paul says, “you may be filled with all the fullness of God” – with all of God’s light, God’s love, God’s wisdom, God’s holiness, God’s power, and God’s glory.

Paul ends his prayer with what I would call a benediction.  He acknowledges God’s power and encourages his listeners’ loyalty to that power.  Listen again to Eugene Peterson’s translation:

“God can do anything, you know – far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!  He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.  Glory to God in the church!  Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!  Glory down all the generations!  Glory through all millennia!  Oh, yes!”

“God can do anything – far more than you would ever imagine or guess or request.”  The words we heard in our reading from the New Revised Standard Version were “abundantly far more…”  In other translations the phrase is “exceeding abundantly above,” “immeasurably more,” or my favorite, “infinitely more.”

John Wesley, in his Commentary on Ephesians, writes this, “This doxology is admirably adapted to strengthen our faith, that we may not stagger at the great things the apostle has been praying for, as if they were too much for God to give, or for us to expect from him. When he has given us exceeding, yea, abundant blessings, still we may ask for more. And he is able to do it. But we may think of more than we have asked. He is able to do this also. Yea, and above all this. Above all we ask - Above all we can think. Nay, exceedingly, abundantly above all that we can either ask or think.”

It is in this benediction that we hear Paul’s urging to understand and believe that our God is a God of BHAGs.  And it raises a question in my mind:  When we pray, do we expect God to do great things?  Do we expect that our prayers will not only be answered, but that they will be answered in such a way that the outcome far exceeds what we ask for or even think the outcome might be?  And if God’s response is “infinitely more” than we’ve asked for or expected, will we see it, will we realize it, will we believe it?

I don’t think we should be all that surprised by this realization.  God’s power in prayer is affirmed throughout the Scriptures.  Matthew 21:22 says, “Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.”  John 14:13-14 says, “I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.”  And 1 John 5:14-15 reminds us, “And this is the boldness we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him.”

Paul isn’t encouraging us to pray any differently than we already are.  He doesn’t say pray bigger prayers or pray for different outcomes.  Paul would affirm the need to pray with faith according to God’s will.  But what I believe Paul is encouraging us to do is to think big when it comes to the results of our prayers.  And not only are we to think big, we are to expect big.  God isn’t going to answer our prayers with the minimum…God will provide the maximum. 

So keep praying.  When you have reason to be thankful (which ought to be quite often), keep praying.  When you have needs, keep praying.  1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to “pray without ceasing.”

But as you pray, keep in mind what Paul tells us – that God, in all of God’s goodness and glory, will accomplish far more…abundantly far more…immeasurably more…infinitely more than we can ask or imagine.  To him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. AMEN!

“COME AWAY AND REST”

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

July 19, 2009

The disciples had been hard at work.  Here we have the first recorded instance of their being apart from their Teacher, their Leader, their Jesus.  He had prepared them for this time.  He had built them up and reminded them that the Holy Spirit had empowered them.  He had made plans with them to meet up again after they had gotten their feet wet in ministry on their own.  And off they had gone. 

In some of the places they traveled, they were not welcomed, and in those places they did as they were instructed – they shook the dust off of their sandals and moved on.  But in other places, they were eagerly received.  They preached, they cast out demons, they anointed with oil those who were sick, they called people to repent and to listen for God’s call on their lives.

Now they have returned to Jesus, as planned. 

After an intense period of ministry in pairs – we don’t know if it was weeks or months -  the disciples make their way back to Jesus.  When they return, they tell him all about their experiences.  Can you imagine the excitement and the noise?  Six sets of stories, six accounts of their time away, each feeling as though their experiences were the greatest, each wanting to get a word in edgewise.  When Jesus brings order to the group, the stories emerge – tender stories, hair-raising stories, heart-wrenching stories, funny stories:  children healed, adults jumping for joy, teenagers following them to the far outskirts of town, the curious and the quizzical raising question after question about this Jesus of Nazareth in whose name they had come.

All those people…all those problems…all that talking and preaching and anointing and praying…all that sun and heat and dust.  We don’t know the full extent of their ministry because we don’t have a full record of all that was accomplished.  But we do know one thing – when they returned to Jesus, he could tell that they were tired.  Small work, great work – it’s still tiring.  Holding the door, or holding the sacrament.  Proofing the bulletin or preaching the sermon.  Meeting in committee or ministering to the dying.  It’s all effort…power goes out of you and, like Jesus, you can feel it departing, leaving you feeling drained.

Jesus apparently saw fatigue written all over their faces, and he responded.  “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest for a while.”  That phrase ‘deserted place’ is translated in other versions of the Bible as ‘wilderness’ ‘lonely place’ or ‘desolate place.’  In the King James Version it’s a ‘desert place.’  Now I don’t know about you, but if I had just finished an intense period of work – whether it was ministry or work of another kind, I’d throw up my hands at such an invitation.  “Are you kidding?  You want to reward me with some time away in the desert?  Next I suppose you’re going to tell me that I have to row the boat across the lake by myself!”  I think if I were the disciples I’d offer a different kind of ‘reward.’  “How about sending us to a Jacuzzi suite at the Jerusalem Holiday Inn?  Or maybe a weekend spa somewhere in Samaria?  I’ll take pampering and room service over hot and hungry dehydration in the desert any day!” 

Besides, even if, for some reason, the wilderness or the desert is our idea of a good time, we’re way too busy to “come away for a while.”  Jesus surely knows this better than anyone.  Remember that Mark is the Gospel of urgency.  Immediately is one of his favorite words.  From the very first pages of this revved-up review of Jesus’ life, everything happens in a sprint.  Immediately Jesus went out…Immediately the Spirit drove him out…Immediately!  What is Jesus thinking?  “Come away for a while?”  I don’t think so…we’ve got work to do…immediately!

On Wednesday nights, I’m meeting with a small group to discuss the book Unbinding the Gospel by Martha Grace Reese.  It’s a book about evangelism and how to do what the author calls ‘real-life evangelism’, but as we read and discussed this past week, prayer must be a part of that process.  The author references the Spirit’s word to the church at Ephsus, as recorded in Revelation 2:  “I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance…I also know that you are enduring patiently and bearing up for the sake of my name and that you have not grown weary.  But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” 

How many of us can relate to that verse?  How many of us feel like we work and we work to make the Good News known to more and more people, but in the process we have lost touch with our first love – our love of God?  Martha Grace Reese writes, “We work so hard, but the joy, the “first love,” the “in love” feelings with God fade to dusty duty, good works, more work.”

Jesus meant exactly what he said.  He meant what he had learned from his teachers of old, all the way back to the teachings of Moses and the Sabbath commandment.  And so when Jesus calls his disciples to a time away, he is offering them the opportunity to re-connect with their “first love.”  He offers to them the very things they long for, but are missing:  quiet, vacancy, listening, stillness, rest. 

Today, we do all that we can to deny the urge for those things.  We ignore it, we cover it up, we suppress it.  We’re too busy for solitude, we say.  We don’t have the personality for quiet time.  We can’t afford the expense of going off somewhere to rest.  We believe in praying as we work, staying in touch with God all through the day.  No time for such extravagances as time apart.  Come away?  Yeah…right!

Meanwhile, something deep inside of us continues urging, encouraging.  Our hearts hunt for lonely.  We’re good at multi-tasking, but the heart hunts for deserted.  We pride ourselves on being busy…too busy, but our hearts hunt for wilderness.  We crowd our day planners and scheduling gadgets, fill idle seconds with cell phone calls or text messages, and then look in the mirror and say, “We’re good!”

But our hearts still hunt for lonely, for quiet time, quiet space.  There’s a place deep within us that, when the word vacant is spoken, leans forward rather than pushes away.  God has a secret waiting to whisper to those who yield to that forward-leaning and follow where it leads:  the place we’re speaking of, the wilderness, is not what we think…but far better.

Henri Nouwen, no stranger to hard work over his lifetime, also knew something of the meaning of following the Spirit’s leading to places of solitude.  He once wrote that on the far side of the wilderness is a garden.  The very word we translate in Mark as “a deserted place” suggests the marvelous garden potential just waiting to be discovered in a time apart.  Wilderness can be a place from which new life embarks, new beginnings emerge, new dreams take hold; the place where we discover the new directions God wishes to lead us, gift us, bless us for the work that is yet to be done.  Wilderness is the place where anything becomes possible. 

So where is our wilderness?  What is our wilderness?  For some it will literally be a place apart.  It will be some place other than here.  For me a favorite wilderness location has been the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.  Another more recent find has been the Episcopal House of Prayer.  Some days, I find a lot of wilderness on the golf course…but that’s a different kind!  Maybe you’ve found a place like Sibley State Park or the lake cabin to be your place of wilderness.  For some, wilderness is a place apart.  For others, wilderness will be found in actions.  Martha Grace Reese suggests that prayer can be our wilderness.  She writes, “Prayer is the way to stay in love with God.  Prayer is the way individuals, small groups and congregations grow and become vivid.”  But then she reminds us, “Prayer is more about receiving from God than it is about asking God for things or working hard at intercession.  It involves effort, habit and focus, but results in lightness and energy and excitement.”

Lightness…energy…excitement.  Aren’t those things we all long for?  Seek out your place of rest.  Find those things that bring you relaxation and renewal and practice them often.  Know that the Holy One has given us permission to “come away and rest.”  May we give ourselves the same.  AMEN.

“STAY IN LOVE WITH GOD”

(Third in the “Three Simple Rules” series)

Ephesians 1:3-14

July 12, 2009

This morning, we conclude the “Three Simple Rules” series with a message on the third rule:  “Stay in love with God.” 

To quickly review, the first rule was…Do no harm.  We talked about how we ought to seek to live our lives in such a way that we refrain from hurting others.  Jesus did that by sometimes side-stepping the societal norms in order to reach someone in need. 

The second rule is…Do good.  While it may sound an awful lot like the first, there is a difference.  The second rule promotes action…offering a concrete response to an identified need.

Bishop Reuben Job writes in his small book on the three simple rules: 

“These first two rules are important and bring immediate results;

but without the third, the first two become increasingly impossible. 

Staying in love with God is the foundation to all life.  It is in a vital

relationship with God that we are enlivened, sustained, guided,

called, sent, formed and transformed.”

So what does it mean to “stay in love with God?”  John Wesley actually used a different phrase.  He wrote, “Attend upon all the ordinances of God.”  That explains it, doesn’t it?  What Wesley was suggesting is regular practice of spiritual disciplines such as public worship of God, the ministry of the Word, either read or expounded, the Lord’s Supper, family and private prayer, searching the scriptures, and fasting or abstinence.  These things, practiced regularly, will keep those who seek to follow Christ in touch with the presence and power of Christ so that they can fulfill their desire to live as faithful disciples.

We might name our spiritual disciples differently, but whatever it is that brings us to a clearer and closer relationship with God, we need to find a way of living and practicing them regularly.  Doing so keeps us in a position to better hear and respond to God’s call.  Doing so gives us a greater opportunity to recognize and receive God’s power every day and in every situation.  Doing so teaches us to listen for and respond to God’s direction.

This simple rule will look a bit different for each of us because each of us is unique.  However, there are some components that are essential.  A daily time of prayer, reflection upon and study of Scripture, regular participation in the life of a Christian community (including weekly worship and regular participation in the Lord’s Supper), doing some act of goodness or mercy, and taking advantage of opportunities to share with and learn from others who also seek to follow the way of Jesus are critical to staying in love with God.  It is through these practices that we find the courage, strength and direction to walk faithfully and with integrity in the way of Jesus.

Our scripture reading from Ephesians reminds us that we have been blessed “with every spiritual blessing.”  We better understand these blessings the closer we remain to God.  It doesn’t mean that our lives are going to be perfect.  It doesn’t mean that we aren’t still going to make mistakes.  But as we stay in love with God we more clearly realize that we can be and are forgiven through the riches of God’s grace.  It is when we comprehend these things that we can respond by doing good.

These three simple rules offer to us a way of living that can change the world.  They offer to us a challenge to turn away from evil and do good.  It’s like the question that parents and sponsors are asked when they bring a child for baptism:  Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?  These three simple rules provide that freedom and power.

The rules, as we’ve said, are quite simple, but the way is not easy.  Only those with great courage will attempt it, and only those with great faith will be able to walk this exciting and demanding way.  There are many other options for us to choose, but they are all lesser options and lead to results that range from poor to disastrous. 

Have you reached that place where, as a person of faith, you are ready to give serious consideration to another way, a more faithful way of living as a disciple of Jesus Christ?  Are you ready to transform your life and, in doing so, take strides to change the world?  Are you prepared to take on a radical change of direction in your life?  If so, then begin by practicing the three simple rules:

Do no harm

Do good

Stay in love with God

AMEN.

“DO GOOD”

(Second in the “Three Simple Rules” Series)

Mark 6:1-13

July 5, 2009

Second in a series – Bishop Rueben Job’s book “Three Simple Rules:  A Wesleyan Way of Living”

Do no harm

Do Good

Stay in Love With God

First two sound alike

It is possible to do no harm by doing nothing

This second rule encourages action

“Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can,

In all the places you can,

At all the times you can,

To all the people you can,

As long as ever you can.”

Jesus encouraged this

Authority over unclean spirits

Proclaim repentance

Cured the sick

Took only the essentials for their journey

Similar to the first Circuit Riders

Too much baggage would get in their way of doing good

What baggage do we need to get rid of?  What do we need to leave behind?

Bishop Job:  “I believe we have reached a place where, as a people of faith, we are ready to give serious consideration to another way, a more faithful way of living as disciples of Jesus Christ.  This way must be so clear that it can be taught and practiced by everyone.  It must be accessible and inviting to young and old, rich and poor, powerful and weak, and those of every theological persuasion.  It is a large order, but we already have in our hands the blueprint for this way of living.  And with God’s help and our willingness, it can change the world.”

Are you ready to change the world? 

“Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can,

In all the places you can,

At all the times you can,

To all the people you can,

As long as ever you can.”

AMEN.

“DO NO HARM”

First in the Three Simple Rules series

Mark 5:21-43

June 28, 2009

This morning, I’m beginning a series of sermons on Three Simple Rules:  A Wesleyan Way of Living.  Because there are only three simple rules, it will be a rather simple sermon series…three sermons. 

These General Rules can be found in our Book of Discipline – for those of you with the 2008 edition, they are in Paragraph 103.  In this section on the formation of what Wesley called “United Societies,” there is first an explanation of what they are and who may be considered for membership.  Remember, this was 1739 – the United Methodist Church had not yet been ‘officially’ formed, nor had any of its precursors.  The Methodist Episcopal Church was not officially formed until 1784.  These Societies were formed because groups of people wanted to go deeper and further than they were with their current church affiliation.

First formed in Europe, then in America, these societies were defined as, “a company of men having the form and seeking the power of godliness, united in order to pray together, to receive the word of exhortation, and to watch over one another in love, that they may help each other to work out their salvation.”  Sounds kind of like a church, doesn’t it?

These United Societies were further divided into smaller companies called classes, according to where they met.  There were about 12 persons in a class, with one of them being designated as the leader.  It was the leader’s duty to meet with each person in the class at least once a week to “inquire how their souls prosper; to advise, reprove, comfort, or exhort, as occasion may require; and to receive what they were willing to give toward the relief of the preachers, church, and poor.”  In addition to meeting with the class members, leaders also met with the ministers and the stewards of the society once a week to “inform the minister of any that are sick, or of any that walk disorderly and will not be reproved; and to pay the stewards what they have received of their several classes in the week preceding.”

These classes were serious business.  Their meeting schedule was rigorous – excuses were not even attempted because they would not be accepted.  If you had made the commitment to join a class, you were expected to be there.  And not only were you expected to be there, you were expected to live by a set of rules.  These rules are simple, and there are only three:

1.Do no harm

2.Do good

3.Stay in love with God

Over the next three weeks, we’re going to be taking a look at these rules, one by one, and putting it into perspective for today.  While these rules were created by John Wesley in the 1700’s, they are valuable for us as Christians today.

“Do no harm.”

Wesley expanded on this by saying, “Do no harm, by avoiding evil of every kind, especially that which is most generally practiced, such as (and then he created a list of the most common evil practices of the day):

•The taking of the name of God in vain

•The profaning of the day of the Lord

•Drunkenness

•Slaveholding

•Fighting (and at the end of that same bullet point, Wesley adds, “the using many words in buying or selling”)

•The giving or taking things on unlawful interest

•Uncharitable or unprofitable conversation, particularly speaking evil of magistrates or ministers

•Doing to others as we would not they should do unto us

•Doing what we know is not for the glory of God, as in:  the putting on of gold and costly apparel, singing songs or reading books which do not tend to the knowledge or love of God, self-indulgence, laying up treasure on earth, and borrowing without a probability of paying back.

That’s a pretty easy list to follow, don’t you think?  But isn’t it interesting to listen to that list, knowing that it was created in the 1700’s, but hearing issues that are just as relevant today?

“Do no harm.”  It’s a phrase Jesus tried to live by…and did so…quite successfully.

We heard in this morning’s scripture lesson, two healing stories – Jairus’ daughter, and the woman with the hemorrhage.  As we heard the details recalled in these stories, Jesus had every right to walk away from these requests. 

The story begins with the words, “When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side…”  There was a reason he got in a boat and went to the other side of the lake.  He wanted to get away from the crowds for a bit.  He wanted a break from the rigorous schedule of teaching and preaching and healing.  He needed some time to gather his thoughts so that he could get back into his calling. 

Listen to some of what Jesus has already has already dealt with prior to these incidents: 

•Chapter 1 – Jesus is teaching in the synagogue when a man with an unclean spirit enters and Jesus heals him

•Still in Chapter 1 – Jesus leaves the synagogue and enters the house of Simon and Andrew.  Simon’s mother-in-law is suffering from a fever, and Jesus heals her

•Still in Chapter 1 – Jesus goes to a deserted place to pray.  His disciples find him and tell him that everyone is searching for him.  Jesus basically says to his disciples, “Then let’s get going!”

•And at the end of Chapter 1 – Jesus heals a leper and then tells him to keep it quiet.  Word, however, spread quickly so that Jesus, scripture says, “could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter.”

The same sorts of things continue to occur in chapters 2, 3, 4 and the beginning of 5.  We get the picture that Jesus is rarely still…rarely alone…rarely with a spare moment to himself.  And so as he heads across the lake, he is thinking that he’ll get a break.  When the crowds arrive, he could have chased them away.  He could have gotten back into the boat and gone elsewhere.  But Jesus knew that doing that would produce more harm than good.  And he followed Jairus to his home.

While they were walking, a large crowd gathered around him.  Joining the crowd (because she had heard about Jesus and the miracles he performed) was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years.  The fact that this woman suffered from this ailment would make her ritually unclean.  Anyone who came in contact with her would then be considered unclean as well, and unable to enter the synagogue.  And so when Jesus realizes he has been touched by an unclean woman, he could have gotten angry and cursed her and sent her away to continue living with her ailment.  But Jesus practiced the rule – “Do no harm,” – and he said to the woman, “Your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

Jesus and his crowd continue walking, and as they get closer to the house of Jairus, they are met by some people from the house.  They inform Jairus and the rest of the crowd that the girl is dead.  Jesus, however, believes differently.  He goes on to the house with Peter, James and John, leaving the rest of the crowd behind.  When they reach the house, the residents are weeping and wailing.  He tries to calm them by telling them that the girl is only sleeping.  And the crowd laughs at him.

Here is another point in the story where Jesus could have acted differently.  He could have scolded the crowd for laughing, or simply walked away leaving the crowd to deal with the girl.  But Jesus knew that to do so would harm his future ministry and instead he politely dismissed the crowd and took the girl’s parents into the house with him.  Inside, Jesus walked up to the girl’s body, took her by the hand (which, again, was a ritualistically unclean thing to do – but Jesus would look beyond that to “Do no harm”), and said, “Get up!”  The girl got up and walked around – healed!

From this story, we learn that “Doing no harm” to Jesus meant sometimes sidestepping human-made laws in order to do that which needed to be done.  “Doing no harm” to Jesus meant walking around or over or through societal standards in order to improve the quality of life for one or more persons.  And “doing no harm” means the same for us.

We’re living in a day and age when more and more people are finding it difficult to make ends meet.  In some cases, people have made poor choices (or at least choices that we, ourselves, wouldn’t make) and now live with the consequences of those choices.  In other cases, what is going on in the world in terms of the economy or employment causes the results people are being forced to live with.

Regardless of the circumstances, the cries for help are still being voiced and still being heard by the people of God.  Just like Jairus and the woman with the hemorrhage came to Jesus looking for help, people are coming to the church and to individuals like you and me.  Some of them are obvious, loudly crying out for help.  Others simply stand quietly by, reaching their hand out, hoping no one will notice, but also praying that they’ll receive what they need.  What will we do?  How will we respond?

If we choose, we can follow the rules exactly the way they are written.  We can say that we’re not in the business of helping people in that way…that there are other organizations that are better and more appropriately equipped to offer that kind of assistance.  And we’d be right in doing so.  The Salvation Army, Heartland Community Action, Kandiyohi County Social Services, and many other organizations are available to help those who find themselves in challenging situations. 

Or if we choose, we could put Wesley’s first simple rule into effect – “Do no harm.”  We could do to others as we would want them to do to us.  We could look at what we’re doing as a means to glorify God.  We could use the resources that have been given to us by God, the resources with which we have been entrusted, and we could provide assistance.  We could satisfy a need…or two…for even one person…or more. 

No longer can we look at a person who is ill and assume that they’ve got insurance to cover a doctor’s visit.

No longer can we see a family begging for food and assume that they’ve got food stamps to cover their need.

No longer can we look upon a person sleeping on a park bench or under a bridge and assume they’ve chosen not to use the shelter.

It used to be that there were programs set up to care for people’s basic needs – food, shelter, medical care.  But that is no longer.  Governments have reduced or cut these areas, (and I might get myself into a bit of hot water for saying this, but it wouldn’t be the first time) and in doing so have done great harm to many, many people.  And as these programs are being reduced or cut by one sector of society, those who rely upon them are turning to another sector of society – the church – and hoping, begging, praying that they will receive what they need.

Will we be the ones who take the time to listen to the needs without criticism or judgment?  Will we be the ones who reach out and offer help in whatever form is available to us?  Will we be the people who choose to “Do no harm?” 

Bishop Reuben Job, in the introduction to his little book Three Simple Rules, writes:

I believe we have reached a place where, as a people of faith, we

are ready to give serious consideration to another way, a more

faithful way of living as disciples of Jesus Christ.  This way must

be so clear that it can be taught and practiced by everyone.  It

must be accessible and inviting to young and old, rich and poor,

powerful and weak, and those of every theological persuasion.

It is a large order, but we already have in our hands the blueprint

for this way of living.  And with God’s help and our willingness,

it can change our world.

Are you ready for this radical change of direction?  Do you have a desire to change the world?  Then begin practicing the first simple rule:  “Do no harm.”  AMEN.

“FACING YOUR GIANTS”

1 Samuel 17:4-11, 19-23, 32-49

June 21, 2009

The story of David and Goliath is one that many of us first heard when we were in Sunday School.  We learned about a small boy who went out to face a giant, and we could relate to the story because, if you were like me, many of your classmates seemed like giants.  And, if you were like me, at every level of school there were always students who were twice your size…and some of them were real pains in the neck.  Never did I raise a sling to defend myself, but that’s only because I didn’t have to – while I may have been small, I was fast…and you can’t hit what you can’t catch!

But the story of David and Goliath isn’t just for children.  It’s a story for people of all ages…a story for all who have dealt with a bully in their lives…a story for anyone who sees adversity in life like a Goliath, needing to be dealt with and defeated.

But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s see exactly why this story is so amazing.  Let’s see why we’ve come to name those situations where we face insurmountable odds as “David and Goliath” type situations.

At the beginning of our reading, we have a description of Goliath.  He’s described as a champion, meaning he has probably won most, if not all, of his battles.  His physical description explains his winning record:

Height:  six cubits and a span (9-10 feet) tall

Coat of mail:  5,000 shekels of bronze (more than 100 pounds)

Shaft of the spear:  like a weaver’s beam

Spear’s Head:  600 shekels of iron (15 pounds)

This literal giant stood and taunted Saul’s army.  He stood out in the open field, challenging anyone and everyone.  But scripture says that Saul and the entire Israelite army were “dismayed and greatly afraid.”

Along comes David…the youngest of Jesse’s sons…the little shepherd boy.  David’s role in the battle was that of water boy.  While his brothers and others fought the good fight, David would go back and forth between home and the battle lines delivering food and drink. 

It was during one of these replenishing runs that Goliath spoke another challenge:  “Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me.”  David heard this challenge and began to look around, searching for the one who would go and do battle with the Philistine.  Seeing no one, he took matters into his own hands.  He said to Saul, “Your servant will go and fight this Philistine.”

Saul probably had to bite his tongue in order to keep from laughing.  None of his big, strong, brave warriors had the courage to fight the giant, why would he possibly allow a boy to go in and do a man’s job? 

David was ready to defend himself.  He told of his battles against lions and bears while out watching the sheep.  He confidently explained that he would treat the Philistine as he did those wild animals – he would hunt him down and kill him.  And then he explained how he could be so confident.  David said, “The Lord, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.”  And with that, Saul allowed him to enter the battle.

But first, Saul wanted to do what he could to protect the young David.  He put his own armor on David – the coat of mail and the bronze helmet.  He gave David his trusty sword, and wished him luck.  But David found that he could barely move.  These things weren’t crafted for him – they were custom fit for someone else.  For David, they would have been more of an impediment than a help, and so he cast them aside.

A message for us here is that when we are preparing to go to battle against the giants in our lives, we need to be ourselves.  We need to stand toe to toe with our giants with our own intelligence, our own wisdom, our own experiences.  If we are going to put anything on in preparation for the battle, then let us clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, and love, as Paul suggests in Colossians 3.  If we’re going to wear any kind of armor, let it be the “whole armor of God” as suggested in Ephesians 6:  “the belt of truth,” “the breastplate of righteousness,” shoes that “will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace,” “the shield of faith,” “the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

David abandoned Saul’s armor in favor of his trusty sling and five smooth stones, which he picked up from the dry riverbed.  The little boy David and the giant Goliath approached one another.  And just like you hear of athletes trash talking in the trenches, Goliath does the same:  “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?”  Our scripture tells us that Goliath cursed David, and then continued with the trash talking:  “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field.”

David responded by warning Goliath of the weapon he possessed:  faith in God.  David told the giant that God would deliver him into David’s hands and that David would strike him down, and that it would, in fact, be his body and the bodies of the Philistine army that would be handed over to the birds of the air and the wild animals of the field.  This would be done, David said, so that the whole earth might know that there is a God, and that the Lord does not save by sword or spear.  If ever there was a foreshadowing of the method Jesus would use to save the people, here it is.

As the giant approached, David ran quickly in his direction.  As he was running, he reached into his bag, pulled out a single stone, swung his sling round and round, and released the stone.  That single stone found the proverbial ‘chink in the armor’ and struck the giant in the forehead.  Lest we doubt the unlikely possibility that a young man could hit a tiny opening on a full run, listen to Judges 20:16, a description of a certain portion of the tribe of Benjamin, of which David would be one:  “Every one could sling a stone at a hair, and not miss.”  That’s pretty accurate!

Goliath fell with a thud, which I’m sure caused a minor earthquake.  And while our scripture text ends here, the story continues with David adding insult to injury (or in this case, death).  He ran over to where the Philistine was lying, grabbed his sword, and cut off Goliath’s head, causing the rest of the Philistine army to flee in fear.  The Israelites chased them to Gath, about 7 miles away, before they returned to the Philistine encampment, where they plundered the camp.

While we tend to look at this story and talk about David’s courageous and heroic act (and, truly it was an amazing feat), it would be more accurate to say that this story depicts God’s power and God’s might.  David made it clear that he wasn’t going into the battle alone.  As a matter of fact, the only weapon or means of protection that he was going into the battle with, besides his sling and those five stones, was his faith in God.  David knew that was all he would need…and he was right.

That’s good news for us, because it tells us that we don’t have to be particularly skilled to defeat the giants in our lives.  We don’t have to use weapons of mass destruction…or weapons of any kind (which is a good thing, because I’ve tried shooting a slingshot – the kind with the elastic band that you pull back and then release…my aim is terrible.  I can’t imagine trying to hit anything smaller than the broad side of a barn with the kind of sling that you twirl overhead and then release).  All we need is our faith in God, and a genuine reminder that God is the one who created us, who redeems us, and who sustains us.

I was at a gathering this past week with some of the clergy from our District.  We got to talking about the Conference budget in relation to the recent economic crisis, and how various decisions were made which indicated at least a strong sense of caution, if not mild panic.  The person talking said that these decisions were fear-based, and failed to take into consideration the faith on which we have built not just the United Methodist Church, but the church of Jesus Christ as a whole.

That caused me to wonder, how often do we, as individuals, do the same? 

•When we receive the pink slip from our employer, do we have fear or faith?

•When our retirement accounts show negative activity for the quarter, do we pine or do we pray?

•When the doctor comes back with the lab results and says, “I’ve got some bad news…” do we turn to tears or do we go to God?

Now I’m not suggesting that the only thing we do in these challenging times is sit in our living rooms with a Bible in our hands.  If the job has been phased, obviously the need is there to search diligently for a new job, or use the opportunity to go back to school to be retrained.  If your pension fund is doing what mine is, there are decisions to be made.  I’m at the age where I can just sit tight, confident that the situation will correct itself in time.  Others who are closer to retirement are making the decision to shift funds to different accounts to better protect their investments.  And if the prognosis is not good, the choice can be made to do whatever it takes to receive the best possible medical care.  But in the midst of these things, we should not forget God. 

“The Lord who has saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will save me from the hand of this Philistine.”  Perhaps we’ve never been saved from lions or tigers or bears (oh, my!), but we have been saved.  We’ve been rescued from slavery in Egypt and brought to the Promised Land.  We’ve been saved from a flood that wiped out all of God’s Creation and been given new life.  We’ve been protected after being tossed into a den of hungry lions, and brought out to continue telling others of God’s goodness.  Best of all, we’ve been saved and forgiven from our sins and promised eternal life.  And if God can do these big, hairy, audacious tasks, then certainly God can rescue us from what appear to be giant troubles in our lives and in our world.

The key is to have faith.  The key is to remain in God’s Word, and remind yourself of how God has rescued God’s people throughout all of time.  The key is to surround yourself with faithful Christian friends and supporters, remembering that together we can do things which, on our own, are impossible.  The key is to keep praying, remembering that Jesus said, “Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.”  The key is to remember David…and how one young man, armed with the smallest of weapons but the biggest of faith, defeated his giant.  Remember these things, put these things into practice, and you’ll do more than just face your giants…you’ll defeat them. AMEN.

“HERE AM I, SEND ME!”

Isaiah 6:1-8

Graduation Recognition Sunday

June 7, 2009

For me, one of the highlights of Annual Conference each year is the worship.  And perhaps the greatest worship highlight of the week is the Service of Ordination.  A tradition within the Ordination Service is to offer an opportunity for those who sense a call to ministry to respond to it by coming to the front of the worship space, kneeling, and offering themselves to be prayed for.  Each year, I have trouble seeing the words to the hymn “Here I Am, Lord” because my eyes well up with tears of joy for those who have made this public proclamation.

The service is always filled with great music.  This year, the Minnesota Boychoir sang, the Copper Street brass played, and a congregation of a thousand raised the roof with their spirited hymn singing.  And if there is one message that I tend to remember more than others, it is usually the Bishop’s Ordination sermon.  For some reason (perhaps because I’m usually sitting reverently with my robe and stole on near the front of the worship space) I tend to take in more of what is said in that sermon.

This year, our Bishop, Sally Dyck, preached on the calling of Moses.  You might remember the story from the Old Testament book of Exodus.  Moses has fled Egypt in fear after killing an Egyptian soldier.  In the wilderness, Moses takes a job as a shepherd.  One day, while he is out tending sheep, he spots a bush that is on fire but is not being consumed.  When he steps closer to take a closer look, he hears a voice calling his name.  The voice identifies itself as God and goes on to issue a call – to save the people of Israel from the Pharaoh.  While Moses tries to talk his way out of it, God prevails.

In the Bishop’s message, she asked the question, “Whose Cry Called You?”  Her point was that those being ordained weren’t called because they were the best looking or the strongest or had the highest GPA or had great name recognition.  They were called because someone in the world – somewhere – was crying.  “Whose Cry Called You?”

Today we hear the story of the calling of the prophet Isaiah. 

The story begins with a reference to the death of King Uzziah.  While we might be wondering about the significance of such a death, we could easily compare it to the death of President John F. Kennedy in 1963.  Many of you (I was just a few days from being born) can remember the death and funeral of President Kennedy.  You can remember the days of darkness, and how our entire country was thrown into shock and mourning.

Young Isaiah, no doubt, had a similar experience when his King Uzziah died.  The death of the king led Isaiah to the temple.  The inclination to go to the church when some crisis shakes the foundation of our lives is as old as religion itself.  There in the temple, Isaiah has an encounter with the holy – a vision of God’s Spirit hovering over the Ark of the Covenant.  It was a vision that forever changed his life.  It was a vision that profoundly affected his people and the course of world religion.

When Isaiah realized that he was in the presence of the Almighty, he first confessed his sin.  The depth of our shortcomings really begins to haunt us when we feel ourselves to be in the presence of the Holy.  It’s sort of like the feeling you might get while cruising down the highway at 75 miles per hour in a 55 miles-per-hour zone, and you look up in your rearview mirror and see flashing lights (not that I’ve ever had that experience…this is just what I have heard from others!).  It’s a humbling feeling to recognize our guilt in the presence of authority or that which is Holy.

Next, we hear of the act that could be called forgiveness and pardon.  One of the seraphs flew to Isaiah holding a coal that had been taken from the fire on the altar.  The coal was touched to the lips of Isaiah and these words were spoken:  “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.”  Just like that – debt forgiven, sinner set free.

With that, Isaiah hears the invitation to serve:  “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”  Note something here.  This is the same Isaiah who, just three short verses earlier, confesses his sin.  But to the Holy One, it doesn’t matter.  Throughout the Bible, we hear stories of God calling unlikely candidates:  cursing fishermen, cheating tax collectors, former prostitutes, and so on.  People, like the bishop pointed out, are not called because they are the best looking, most talented, or greatest by human standards.  People are called because somewhere in the world, a cry rings out.

Most often, this cry rings out and God’s call is sent forth when we’re in the middle of our ordinary, everyday activities.  For Isaiah, it was during a routine visit to the temple.  “Whom shall I send?”  Isaiah responds enthusiastically, “Here am I; send me!”

There is, in the old country of Czechoslovakia, a famous altar which shows Christ without arms.  It is a powerful reminder that we are Christ’s arms to serve the world.  It is a constant reminder to us that Christians are not only to pray, “Thy will be done,” but we are also to say, “Here I am; what do you want me to do?”  There is so much need in the world…so many opportunities for service.

What is needed in the Church today are disciples who will say, “Here I am!  I will find some way to minister to the world’s need!”  Graduates, will you be those disciples?

What is needed in the Church today are disciples who will say, “Here I am!  I will follow Jesus, and I will learn all I can learn about being a Christian disciple!”  Parents and sponsors of Payton, will you be those disciples?

What is needed in the Church today are disciples who will say, “Here I am!  I will serve on that ministry team.  I will teach Sunday School.  I will invite my new neighbors to worship.  I will help do what needs to be done around the church.”  People of God, will you be those disciples?

Pastor and author Leonard Sweet, in his book A Cup of Coffee at the Soul Café, writes, “There is nothing more exciting in life than to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.”  And while the life of a disciple is, indeed, an exciting one, it is also a necessary one.  With so much need and suffering, with so many cries in the world, how can we do less but to offer ourselves in some small way to be willing and obedient servants in Christ’s name?  May we have the grace to hear God’s call…and may we enthusiastically respond, “Here am I; send me!” AMEN.

“FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT”

Acts 2:1-21

Pentecost Sunday/Confirmation Sunday 2009

Today is Pentecost Sunday, the day on which we remember the Holy Spirit being offered to the gathered community of faith and giving birth to the church of Jesus Christ.  It is also Confirmation Sunday, the day on which we celebrate with four of our young people as they claim their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  But I should also warn you…today is the first Sunday following our Annual Conference session in St. Cloud.  That means that I spent four days surrounded by United Methodists from across the state, in worship, fellowship, debate and decision-making.  The reason I warn you is because I usually come back from Conference, my head filled with crazy thoughts and even crazier ideas, ready to take action.  And given the fact that we combine some pent-up energy and new-found enthusiasm with the message of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon the believers, one of two phrases might be most appropriate:  fasten your seatbelts, or duck and cover!

As I was listening to presentations at Conference this past week, a phrase came to mind:  “Don’t go to church…be the church!”  Now I’ll have to admit, that’s the way the phrase entered my head.  But the more I thought about it, the more I came to the understanding that a phrase like that might put me out of a job.  Think about it…if people stopped coming to church, there would be no one to preach to, no one to teach, no one to collect offering from, no one to…well, you get the picture.  And so as the week went on, I tweaked the phrase, adding one small word that would hopefully maintain my job security.  The new phrase is:  “Don’t just go to church…be the church.”

Let me explain what I mean by that…and let me use the Pentecost experience as recorded in the book of Acts as a bit of background.

There were three great Jewish festivals to which every male Jew living within 20 miles of Jerusalem was legally bound to come – Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of the Tabernacles.  Pentecost means “The Fiftieth,” and another name for Pentecost was “The Feast of Weeks.”  It was called this because it fell on the fiftieth day, a week of weeks, after the Passover. 

The Feast had two main significances.  It had an historical significance, commemorating the giving of the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai, and it had an agricultural significance, where the first amount of barley was offered to God.  Pentecost had one other unique characteristic – Jewish law stated that no work should be done.  It was a holiday for everyone, meaning that the crowds on the street would be greater than ever.

What exactly happened on this Pentecost day is not completely known.  What we do know is that believers had gathered together after Jesus returned to the Father.  They were talking, remembering, praying, and wondering what was next.  On the morning of Pentecost, they came out of the room and started telling the people they met about Jesus.  The streets were filled with people from many places still hanging around after the Passover.  When each of them heard the witnesses speak, they heard it in their own language – that is, if they were allowing themselves to listen; otherwise, they heard babbling (as shown by the remarks about drunkenness). 

What was being told, for the first time in full form, was the good news of Jesus Christ and what that means for all people.  But more than the words themselves, the words were being carried with power and authority by the Holy Spirit into the ears and the hearts of those who were listening.  About 3,000 new people joined their ranks as a result of that preaching and telling.  This was the first fruit of a new kind of harvest.  At Pentecost, the church was empowered.

As I make that statement, let me say this:  as I refer to the church, I am not referring to a noun – a place where people went.  I am referring to a verb – an action – something that people did…and something that we are called to do today. 

What if we began to “Rethink Church?”  This isn’t an original question, but one our denomination is beginning to ask, and encourages us to ask as well. 

What if church was less about Sunday, and more about the other days of the week?

What if church was the way it was when it first began on Pentecost – outbound, unbound, active?

What if church wasn’t just a place we go, but something we do?

This, I believe, is our challenge.  And it’s not just the challenge for the young people that we are confirming this morning, it’s a challenge for all of us.  If we are to be true to the Pentecost experience, then we must seek to bring the purpose of the church back in line with the way it was 2,000 years ago.  Yes, gathering together is important, for when we do we give ourselves the opportunity to be filled, the opportunity to connect with our fellow disciples, the opportunity to be empowered.  But if we stay here, so does our empowerment.

There are several things for which the first group of followers was empowered…several things that we, who follow in the tradition of those first disciples are empowered to do.  I could give you a list, but that would be overwhelming, so let me focus on two of them.  I think if we can begin to do these two things, and do them well, we will take great strides in bringing others to Jesus Christ and building the Kingdom of God.

On Pentecost, the church was empowered to tell the story of God’s love.  There were many occasions on which the disciples were told by Jesus, “Tell no one of this.”  But now the message is the opposite – “Tell everyone!”  If others are to hear the story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, if they are to learn of Jesus’ power to save, it would have to come from his followers.

Notice what happens in the telling of the story from the book of Acts.  The message, while spoken in a foreign language, is understood by all who choose to listen.  This should be reassuring for us.  If we think that telling the story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection is like speaking in a strange language, take heart.  If we speak boldly, and if we find willing and eager ears to listen, then while our words may not be perfect, they will be understood. 

On Pentecost, the church was also empowered for service.  The church was empowered to go outside of the walls where it had gathered, to seek out the lost and the lonely, the hungry and the hurting, the weary and the worried…and to be the hands and feet and voice and heart of Jesus to them.  The church was empowered to provide food and opportunities and spiritual nourishment and healing and hope and justice for those in need.  In short, the church was called to love and serve a chaotic and crying world. 

That, my friends, is our call as well.  And should we choose to accept it, we do so knowing that we are not alone.  The Holy Spirit has been sent to us, and the Spirit will clothe us with power – the power to do God’s will. 

Don’t think of church as just a Sunday activity limited to the confines of four walls – imagine the possibilities to be church every day of the week wherever you might find yourselves.  Don’t just go to church – be the church!  AMEN!

“HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN…”

Acts 1:11; Luke 24:44-53

Ascension Sunday (May 24), 2009

Ascension Day is one of the few remaining main festivals of the Christian church year that hasn’t really been touched by our secular society. For example, take our two biggest festivals, Christmas and Easter. They’re the “big two” of the Christian church year, and yet they also have secular ideas and traditions that have little, if anything, to do with the actual Christian event itself. Ascension Day is a little different. Anyone here send or received “Happy Ascension Day” cards in the mail this week?  Anyone have plans for a special Ascension Day dinner?   I didn’t see any “Ascension Day Sale” ads in the newspaper, nor do we have some character like Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny that’s associated with Ascension Day.  I think you get the picture.

While we know that Christmas falls on December 25 every year, and Easter is on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox, do we know when Ascension Day falls?  Ascension Day is 40 days after the celebration of Easter, which would mean that it falls on a Thursday. Because it’s such a lesser known festival, not many churches have a special service to commemorate it on the actual day. Instead, the ‘celebration’ or the commemoration of the day is moved to a Sunday, where it still often receives little recognition.  This morning, I want to try to unpack a bit of this “mystery” festival of the church year, and help us better understand why it’s important that we celebrate it.

One of the things that makes this day unique is that it’s the last time recorded in Scripture that Jesus is seen on earth. Those of you who know your Bible stories might be thinking about Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus later in the book of Acts, but remember that he doesn’t see the actual, physical presence of Jesus.  He only sees a bright light, and hears a voice. In the book of Revelation, John tells us he hears Jesus, but again, it’s not a physical body on earth that John sees, it’s a vision. So this account of Jesus’ ascension into heaven is rather unique, in that it is the last time that Jesus is physically seen in his resurrected body on earth.

The resurrected Jesus had been appearing to His disciples for 40 days now and so perhaps they thought this time He was there to stay, to fix their problems, and protect them from what would happen next. In our readings for this morning, however, we see that would not be the case. Jesus, as he’s done many times with his disciples, is teaching. In the Ascension story from the Gospel of Luke, we’re told Jesus says, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” At this point, Luke tells us that Jesus “opened their minds to understand the Scriptures”.

If you’ll recall, quite often when Jesus was teaching about something that was going to happen to him, or what the Kingdom of God was like, he’d often have to interpret what He was saying to them. This time, He opens their minds, so that they can understand for themselves.  He says, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” He calls them witnesses of these things, and promises them help from above. He then tells them to stay in the city until they are clothed with power from on high.

Now what was all this about?  Can you imagine the reaction the disciples must have had that day?  They finally understand what all of these events they had witnessed were all about! Jesus was the Messiah, He had to suffer, die, and rise again!  It was all a part of God’s plan to save the world!  Can you imagine the joy, or the “ah hah!” moment they had to have experienced at that point?  You’ll notice that they don’t come to this conclusion on their own, but Jesus opens their minds through the preaching of His Word to the disciples.

It’s the same way with you and me today.  Contrary to popular belief, we don’t come to understand the things of God on our own.  Our eyes and minds are opened through the Word of God.  By hearing the Word, our minds are opened by the work of the Holy Spirit through that word, bringing us to faith, or strengthening us in faith.  If it happened to the disciples, men who had been unfaithful to Christ during His passion, yet restored after His resurrection, and charged with the task of being witnesses, it can surely happen, and will happen, with you and me as well.

Along with having this joy of finally understanding what took place, the disciples probably had another feeling, wondering what was going on here?  Why was Jesus telling us to stay in the city?  Wasn’t he coming with us?  He’s always been there with us, why would he leave us now?  These had to have been some of the thoughts of those disciples that day.

So Jesus led them out as far as Bethany, and lifts up his nail-pierced hands to bless them. All of a sudden, Jesus ascends up into heaven.  Our reading in Acts tells us that a cloud took him out of their sight.  What kind of questions do you think they were asking? Probably questions like “Where did you go, Jesus?  Are we left to do this work alone? Why did you have to leave?”  And maybe, as we hear the Ascension accounts, we wonder, why did Jesus have to go back to heaven?  Why didn’t he stay here on earth?

Well, let’s think about that point for a moment. During his earthly life, while Jesus was fully God and fully human, he chose not to use some of his divine qualities.  Just imagine, being the all powerful God, creator of heaven and earth, and willingly choosing to limit yourself to a human body.  One of those limitations is that a human body can only be in one place at one time.  I know that we joke about cloning ourselves to that we can be in several places at once, but it hasn’t happened yet.  Nor are we yet able to beam ourselves quickly from one place to another like in the Star Trek movies.  So if Jesus had not ascended back into heaven, he’d only be in one place.  And if Jesus is only in one place at a time, well, he’d be limited in the number of people to whom he was available.  So if we were in a time of trouble, where we needed to call out to Jesus for help, we’d have to hope he’s not somewhere else doing something else, or we’d be out of luck.

I read a statistic this week that helped to illustrate one of the reasons for the Ascension.  If Jesus were still on earth today, and each person was given just 20 seconds to be with him, and he was with people 24/7, he’d only be able to be present with 4,320 people in a day.  That means he’d have to spend 5 days right here in Willmar to be with each person.  And while that would be great for the community of Willmar, what about the rest of the world?  When you think about it, the presence of the Ascended Lord is sure a lot better than hoping you’re one of those lucky 4,320 people that get 20 seconds to be with Jesus in any given day, isn’t it?

So, the Disciples on that first Ascension Day had Jesus open their minds to the Scriptures, he Ascends into heaven to be with them always, and he left them with a charge to be his witnesses.  So what did they do?  Luke’s gospel tells us that “they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.”  They were filled with great joy!  Not only did Jesus promise them His Holy Spirit, and charge them with the task of spreading His Word, and promise that He would return again, He gave them something else very important.  He gave them a fellowship to belong to.  He gave them the presence of each other.  By staying together, by worshipping together, they could encourage each other to be the kind of witnesses that Jesus had prepared them to be.  No doubt, they talked about the things that they had seen, heard, and learned while they were with Jesus.  They studied His Word that he had revealed to them.  And they did so with great joy!

What does that sound like? It sounds a little bit like what the United Methodist Church of Willmar exists for. When we gather together as a congregation, it is to encourage each other, to be together with fellow believers in Jesus Christ who share our faith. When we gather together, our Lord Jesus Christ is present in our worship service, feeding us with His Word. While He’s hidden, we know, just as those early disciples knew, that Jesus was still present. That’s why we’re here first of all.

But we’re also here to prepare ourselves to be powerful witnesses. Notice that Jesus says He will give them what they need to be powerful witnesses. He will provide the gift of the Holy Spirit, which will come to them on Pentecost. Likewise, in our gathering this morning, through hearing the Word, we’re being strengthened and equipped to go out into our daily lives and share that very message with the world. Whether we realize it or not, each one of us are witnesses of the same things the disciples were, and each one of us is called to proclaim repentance and forgiveness of sins to all nations, beginning right here. 

Ascension Day is more than simply, “He ascended into heaven.”  For one, it’s the day when Jesus goes from being limited to being present in one place at one time, to being everywhere, for us. It’s also the day that He opens the minds of His disciples (and us), and encourages them (and us) to be His witnesses.  Our mission work happens in our conversations at the store, on main street, at coffee, with friends, at a Community Meal, and in our everyday lives.  We don’t have to be powerful speakers or feel a call to a foreign country to be powerful witnesses of the love of Christ.  It’s simply about sharing the Gospel we hear in this place with those we come into contact with.  May God make us His powerful witnesses in this community for Jesus’ sake. AMEN.

“APPOINTED”

John 15:9-17

May 17, 2009

The season that many United Methodist pastors dread is in full swing – appointment season.  It’s that time of the year when we’d like to ignore the phone when it rings…and even more so when the secretary transfers a call to your office and says, “It’s the District Superintendent.”  I have not received such a call this spring, and so, unless a big surprise takes place in the next week or so, I’m safely here for another year.

But appointment season still lends itself to a fair amount of excitement, even to those pastors who aren’t moving.  When I was with several of my colleagues at a retreat a couple of weeks ago, much of our mealtime conversation was centered on the recently announced moves. 

“Did you hear who’s going to Bemidji?”

“That’s going to be quite a move for Chris.”

“Has anyone heard about our friend who is moving to Leave of Absence status?”

The questions and comments make for interesting and energized conversation.  But like I said, my name has not been tossed about in those types of conversations.

However, I am still considered appointed.  I am appointed to serve as the pastor of the Willmar United Methodist Church…and I do so proudly.  In addition, our scripture lesson for this morning describes another kind of appointment – one not just for me, but for all of us.

The gospel lesson from the middle of the 15th chapter of John continues the teaching that we started last week in the 4th chapter of the First Letter of John…with Jesus’ strong words of encouragement to love one another as we have been loved by God. 

Here though, Jesus takes this concept of love a step further.  He says, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”  Perhaps as a foreshadowing of where his own life will lead, perhaps as instruction in exactly how deep a commitment is expected towards those we claim to love, Jesus says that we ought to be willing to set aside our own goals and agendas, our own wants and wishes, even our own lives, for our friends.  That’s love!

Then he goes on to let us know that we are his friends.  He calls us his friends because we do as we are commanded to by Jesus, and he calls us his friends because he has made known to us everything that he has heard from God.  Jesus calls us friends, and he makes it very clear that it is so because of his choice, not ours.

And then he tells us, his friends, that we have been appointed.  He appoints his disciples – people who love and follow him, and more important, you and me, to the highest appointed position in Christendom.  Jesus said, “I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name.  I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.” 

Let me say a word about the fruit Jesus is referring to in this passage, since it’s not made clear through these words.  I believe that the fruit we are called to bear is the fruit of the Spirit that Paul writes about in Galatians 5:22 & 23.  He writes (and our Sunday School kids can probably help with this list), “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity (or goodness), faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”  Notice something carefully here:  Paul doesn’t say that the fruits (plural) of the Spirit are these things – he says the fruit (singular) of the Spirit is all of these things.  As Jesus calls us and appoints us to bear fruit, he is calling and appointing us to a life of all of these characteristics.

Jesus said these words just after he had assured his listeners that they are his friends. He rejects the word servant because the servant does not know what his master is doing. Instead, he calls them friends because he had already shared with them everything that he had learned from God. Jesus’ admonition that he had chosen them and considered them friends was a natural lead into their appointment to live a life of good works.

I find it interesting that Jesus appoints followers to love others and to do good works toward others. But he adds a caveat . . . love yourself through the gift of Jesus. He said, “That my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.” I believe he was encouraging the appointed to find joy in themselves and to love their own mind, body, and soul so that they might love others.

The nature of human beings is often to tell God why we cannot fulfill the requirements of our appointment from Jesus. People who continually say they cannot meet the expectations of the job will surely fail. Jesus provides the examples for success, but we often say things like, “There was only one perfect person.” Or we might say, “I can never be Christlike, I am just not worthy.” Fill in your own words expressing the reasons you cannot live up to your appointment from Jesus.

It was Henry Ford who once said, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, either way, you are right.” We must accept the appointment with a can-do attitude followed by gratitude toward God and the gift offered through Jesus, the only Son. When we accept our appointment with the attitude of gratitude and maintain complete faith in God, we will be successful in our appointed role.

The Sunday School staff members that we recognized this morning are living examples of this.  They sensed the call of Jesus to teach or to lead music or to provide support to the Sunday School program, they received an invitation to serve, and they accepted it.  They possessed a can-do attitude, and each one of them, in their own way, dedicated themselves to doing whatever it took to be successful.  Because of their commitment and dedication, our children, youth and adults have been taught and nurtured in the Christian faith this past year.  Today, Jesus says to each one, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

When we live this way, we find that the way to spread Christianity is to be Christian.  The way to bring others into the Christian faith is to show them the fruit of the Christian life.  Jesus sends us out, not to argue others into Christianity, still less to threaten them into it, but to teach them into it – through words and more importantly through actions - to live that its fruit might be so wonderful that others will desire it for themselves.

Last week, we were reminded that we can’t do this on our own…we need to remain connected to the vine which is Jesus Christ.  We were reminded that those who abide in Christ are promised that Christ will abide in them.  That same promise went on to assure us that those who abide in Christ will bear much fruit, because apart from Christ, we can do nothing.  When we remain connected to Christ, when we accept the appointment with a positive attitude and a spirit of gratitude, we will be a success.  AMEN.

“LOVE ONE ANOTHER”

1 John 4:7-21

Mother’s Day -- May 10, 2009

Today is Mother’s Day – the one day out of the year that we have to be nice to our mothers!  Actually, it’s the day that we set aside to honor our mothers, and those who freely and gladly take on the role of mother, all of the other 364 days of the year.

One of the things that we remember about our mothers today is the love that they freely share, and the love that we receive from them.  Now I know that circumstances don’t always allow that to happen – but I trust that we have all been recipients of love at one time or another, and that is something to truly celebrate.

When we think about the topic of love, the scriptures make it quite clear that love is equated with God, without exception.  John says, “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God.”  He adds, “Since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another.”  Later he says it even more clearly, “God is love.”

But with all the talk about love, John also adds a warning…some might even call it a reprimand.  He says, “Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.”  And later in the chapter he reminds people that they must love without prejudice.  John writes, “Those who say, ‘I love God,’ and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.”  It’s a little like those people who drive around with a bumper sticker that says, “Honk if you love Jesus,” and then get irritated when the people behind them are honking their horn.  Insincerity and double standards are not acceptable in God’s eyes.

Since September 11, 2001 and the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, we have been on heightened alert, and it seems as though the division between Christians and Muslims has grown.  According to our Scripture, we ought to be asking why there is such a strong division between these groups of people.  But we shouldn’t stop there…we should also be asking why the division between Republicans and Democrats…between Liberals and Conservatives…or between me and the neighbor across the street.  In many cases, our beliefs are so strong that, rather than love the person who differs from us (as directed by God) we choose to cut off all contact to that person.  It’s not so much that we dislike or even hate the person, it’s that we’re indifferent towards them.

We often think that the opposite of love is hate, but isn’t the true opposite indifference?  To make another person feel that he or she is of no value by totally ignoring his or her existence is to truly express the opposite of love.  Yet our scripture for this morning encourages us to love one another so that we can love ourselves, and in turn, love God.

Not only does love fail because of indifference but there are angry people who actively counteract love.  There are some people who lack a sense of right and wrong and have little or no remorse for angry actions. 

This doesn’t mean that one shouldn’t ever get angry.  We hear in Paul’s list of what is and what isn’t love from 1 Corinthians 13, “Love is not irritable,” and we think that means that we shouldn’t ever get upset about things.  On the contrary, sometimes the most loving thing we can do is to take forceful action.  This should never be the first response, but angry action is called for when injustice is being done and all else has failed.

Think about the story of Jesus going to the temple and turning over the tables and chasing out the moneychangers.  I could be missing something, but I can’t recall another story from our scriptures when Jesus either uses or approves of physical force to influence people.  This show of anger is not typical of the Prince of Peace, but showing love had not worked and people were being hurt.  The holy place of worship was being dishonored and its faithful were being cheated.  It was a situation that required quick and decisive action, so Jesus did the most loving thing possible under the circumstances – he used force. 

There are occasions when tough love is the best alternative, but the goal is to love with gentle kindness and Spirit-led influence.  So we might ask the question, “How do we love in the face of so many differences?”  I believe love succeeds best when caring people express a sense of justice.  I believe love succeeds as a long-term approach to almost any human affliction or trouble.  It is important to use the power of love as a means of relating to people. 

When we do though, we will occasionally (maybe even often) find ourselves in less than appealing situations.  Many people who enter our lives looking for help do not have nice and easy problems.  I’ve said it before and it has come true more often than not, when we begin to show and share the kind of love Jesus showed and shared, things may get a bit messy for us.  All of us can probably think of a time when we made a loving response to someone’s problem and found ourselves involved deeper and deeper in ways we had not anticipated.  Many of the troubles Jesus faced during his ministry could be traced to his radical commitment to love and justice.

It is probably true that if you follow Jesus, you will find happiness and courage, but trouble as well. We would be wise to learn to love during the good times and the bad. But we should always remember that love happens despite us and when we least expect it.

When the Fargo-Moorhead area was threatened with floods earlier this spring, help came from many different areas.  When colleges in the area cancelled classes, it gave students an opportunity for a few extra vacation days before the end of the school year.  At the least, they were provided with days off to spend extra time finishing end-of-the-year projects or studying for finals.  But instead, we heard stories of literally thousands of students filling places like the FargoDome to fill sandbags and distribute them.  The same genuine sense of concern and caring was expressed by students and adults from this community who, on short notice, filled busses with bodies and tools and made the long journey to help in whatever way they could.

Hurricane Katrina seemed to bring out the best in many people, and we heard story after story of help that came from rather unlikely sources.  There was a great event that happened when students at Auburn University were told that among the many things people needed in the Gulf Coast community, shoes were high on the list. During a Sunday morning worship service more than two hundred students went to the altar, removed their shoes, and walked to their dorm rooms barefooted.

Love comes in many forms and when it is least expected, just the way today’s scripture would have it happen. “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God.”  But let us remember that it doesn’t stop there.  The indictment to love any and all is clear:  “Those who say, ‘I love God,’ and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars.” 

We all know from experience that this is easier said than done.  There are many obstacles in the way of being the kind of loving person God expects. But if we are to love as God loves, if we are to love as Jesus showed us how to love, then we must begin the practice of loving even the unlovable. We must find ways to be in relationship with those who differ from our beliefs. We must love unconditionally.

How do we do this?  We certainly can’t do it alone.  The 15th chapter of the gospel of John gives us a clue.  In this chapter we hear the words of Jesus:  “Abide in me as I abide in you.  Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.”  He continues, “I am the vine, you are the branches.  Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.”

If we wish to learn how to love as God loves, then we need to immerse ourselves in God’s Word.  We need to read and ponder and discuss and challenge ourselves with its words.

If we wish to learn how to love unconditionally as Jesus loved, then we need to connect ourselves to the life-giving, love-breathing person of Jesus Christ.  We need to abide in him.

Let me share an analogy to help us better understand this idea.  Suppose a person has fallen into a pattern of making poor decisions.  These decisions have left the person down and out.  Now suppose a person of strong moral character has befriended the first person.  This morally strong individual has rescued the down and out and helped turn his or her life around.  The only way to retain this renewed life is by staying in contact with the friend.  If contact is lost, chances are strong the person will return to the old ways of life. 

Abiding in Christ is something like that.  Jesus himself knew the importance of this.  Whenever he could, he escaped the hectic pace and withdrew to a solitary place to be alone with God.  We, too, need to stay in touch with the Savior.  We can establish the importance and the priority of prayer in our lives.  We can make a commitment to read and study the scriptures.  We can set aside quiet time each day to recognize the presence of the Holy One in our midst.  We can abide in Christ…and we must…because apart from him, we can do nothing, including loving our neighbors.

“We love, because God first loved us.”  “Love one another, because love is from God.”  The commandments are clear – let us work on our relationship and our love of Christ, so that we might love others unconditionally.  AMEN. 

“I DO CHOOSE”

Mark 1:40-45; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

February 15, 2009

The healing story we hear in the gospel of Mark takes just a little bit different shape than other healing stories we have heard.  I don’t know of any other story that has the afflicted person saying to Jesus, “If you choose, you can make me clean.”  But then again, this is no ordinary disease this man carries.

The man, we read, is a leper.  In the New Testament there is no disease that carries more horror and more pity than leprosy. 

A person with leprosy would experience a degeneration of their body in a way that is almost unheard of today.  There would be pain in the joints and an overall kind of lethargic feeling.  Sores would begin to develop and multiply to the point where a person was no longer recognizable.  Feeling is lost in the extremities, and muscles begin to waste away.  Ulcers begin to form on the feet and hands, eventually resulting in the loss of these appendages.  The disease might last anywhere from ten to thirty years, and usually ends in mental decay, coma, and ultimately death.

But while the physical signs were horrendous, the emotional stress was equally painful.  A leper would be banished from the fellowship of others.  He was required to go with torn clothes, a bared head, and a covering over his upper lip.  As he went from place to place, he was required to warn others of his polluted presence with the cry, “Unclean, unclean!”  Certainly a leper would be looked down upon.

And if that wasn’t enough of a strain, a leper would also have to deal with the spiritual stress.  Ancient Israel set the standards for what was clean and what was unclean.  At the root of this was a religious matter, because as the ancients distinguished between the clean and the unclean, they were also making a statement about what was “in” and what was “out” in relation to favor with God.  The leper in this story was “out.”  His very illness was taken to be the clearest possible evidence that God did not care for him.  The belief would have been that God had placed this blight upon the man, thus he was designated “unclean” and ordered to the fringes of normal society, outcast by others because he was believed to be cast out by God.

So it is interesting (at least I find it interesting) that the leper would approach Jesus – the Son of God – seeking healing.  How did the leper know of Jesus and his power?  Why would the leper break the law and approach Jesus, not calling out “unclean, unclean,” but rather, “If you choose, you can make me clean.”  Through this encounter there is one thing of which we can probably be more certain:  This man has not accepted the judgment of society that calls his illness a sign of God’s displeasure.  He challenges the popular notion that God is a demanding dictator and chooses instead to embrace the notion of God as power and love. 

Through this encounter we can also learn something important.  When we are feeling like the leper – when we are feeling lost and alone, battered and beaten, diseased and defeated, we should not feel as though we need to keep it to ourselves.  One of the first steps in being made well is acknowledging that you’re not. 

This past week, three clergy colleagues passed away.  Two of them – John Jakway and Rod Wilmouth, were retired.  The third, Paul Kobi, had recently gone on incapacitation leave following a long series of serious health issues.  I don’t know much about the details of Rev. Jakway’s or Rev. Wilmouth’s death – I simply received a notice telling me that they had passed away.  Rev. Kobi died in the hospital.  He had been in various hospitals since early July.  A Caring Bridge website had been created for Paul, and as of yesterday, it had received nearly 14,000 visits.  Paul freely shared his faith in the midst of his illness, and openly invited others to pray for him.  When he passed away, his wife and parents were at his side, his daughter was on the phone with one of them and his brother was on the phone with another.  Because Paul had told others about his struggle – because he had made it somewhat public – he was able to be surrounded in his final days.

We should pay close attention to Jesus’ response.  Jesus was moved with pity…he stretched out his hand and touched the man…and he uttered the words that healed the man.

I’ve heard it said that AIDS is today’s leprosy.  There are very few, if any, diseases today that would mimic leprosy in every way.  But AIDS comes close.  We know that the disease often leads to a long, slow death, we know that AIDS patients are often cast aside by the rest of society, and while it certainly is not a part of my belief system, there are those who would say that AIDS is God’s punishment on those who have chosen a certain lifestyle.

When I was in seminary, I was required (as many of my colleagues were) to take a unit of CPE – Clinical Pastoral Education.  Think of CPE as sort of a chaplaincy training program.  Most often it is done in a hospital setting – mine was done at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. 

HCMC was a wonderful learning experience for me.  The diversity of both the staff and the patients helped prepare me for ministry in the real world.

One evening, as I was doing my rounds, I stopped into the room of a young African-American man.  He was a new admit to the hospital and had not yet been visited by a chaplain.  As we visited, I learned a little bit about him and why he was in the hospital.  It seems as though he had one illness after another – never really feeling 100% before the next one hit.  I remember feeling really comfortable about our visit until he said something that shocked me – “I have AIDS.” 

It was something that came pretty much out of the blue.  I don’t know if he was telling me because he felt it was an important part of his story, or if he was looking for my reaction as a religious person.  I didn’t know quite what to do.  I’d never encountered a person with AIDS before, and my understanding of the disease was very basic.

I became more conscious of my discomfort as I prepared to leave.  My normal practice was to ask if I could pray with patients before I left.  If I received a “yes” then my next question was usually, “Would it be OK if I held your hand?”  I knew of the power of touch in situations like that, and I wanted to make it available to those who were comfortable with it.

But would I ask this man if I could hold his hand as I prayed for him?  I wished I could have paused the situation, stepped out of the room, and asked my supervisor or a more experienced chaplain what to do.  But that would have been awkward, if not impossible, and so I decided for myself – I would ask him.  If I was lucky, he’d say “No, thank you,” and I’d be off the hook.  But luck was not with me that night…or maybe it was.  He said politely, “That would be nice,” and I reached out my hand to his and prayed.

As I think about that encounter, I was never really in danger, not of anything physical anyway.  But Jesus, when he reached out his hand and touched the man with leprosy, was.  He was risking becoming an outcast himself, as his presence with and touch of an infected man would render him unclean.  What we learn, however, is that not only is Jesus not made unclean, the man is made whole – clean!  And thus we see the will and power of God at work in the words and the works of Jesus.

As I thought about this story, I wondered more about who we would label the ‘lepers’ of today.  I came up with a list that includes:

•Those living with AIDS

•Immigrants

•The homeless

•Gays and lesbians

•Those living with addictions

•Orphans

•The poor

I could go on, but instead let me make this point.  People from all walks of life are looking for help and healing.  They are taking all kinds of societal risks to leave their place of banishment and come out into the open.  They are dropping to their knees and begging.  And they are saying to you and to me, “If you choose, you can make me clean.”  “If you choose, you can help me.”

And they are stopping…and they are waiting for our response.

Will we run in the opposite direction, afraid of what being seen with “one of those” might do to our reputation?  Or will we be moved with pity…moved with compassion?  Will we stretch out our hand to grab hold of theirs?  Will we say, “I do choose?”  And will we do everything in our power, as individuals and as a church, to heal them?

We do have a choice.  One way will confirm to the world what many now believe – that the church is filled with hypocrites who say one thing but fail to live it out.  The other way will bring about health and healing, happiness and hope.  Which do you choose? AMEN.

“WAIT FOR THE LORD”

Isaiah 40:21-31; Mark 1:29-39

February 8, 2009

How many of you can honestly say you’re good at waiting?  We play the waiting game every day of our lives.  I read recently that the average person, when they are ready to check out at a store that has multiple checkout lanes, will change lines at least once, trying to find a line with a shorter wait.  This study said that those who change lines actually spend more time waiting…and that the length of that wait grows with the number of open checkout lanes.  Interesting…but sad.

I think the place I dread waiting the most is on the phone.  You’ve probably experienced this…you call one of those big businesses like the phone company and first you’re greeted with an automated message giving you 9 different choices.  After choosing the one that most closely matches your problem, you’re greeted by another automated voice.  This one usually says, “All of our representatives are busy…please stay on the line for the next available operator.”  Some of these messages have gone a bit more high-tech – they try to lessen your anxiety by telling you how long the wait will be:  “The estimated wait time is 5 minutes.”  I don’t know about you, but I’ve always waited longer than the message tells me I should.

But waiting isn’t a new invention of our busy society.  People have been waiting as long as…well, as long as there have been people.  The Bible has some pretty prominent waiting stories.

•Abraham and Sarah waited long into old age for God to grant them a child

•Noah heard God’s call to build an ark, and then waited for the storm to begin.  Noah then waited for the storm to end and the waters to subside.

•Joseph had to wait for his time to come to power.  He endured unpleasant situation after unpleasant situation before God finally put him in a position of authority.

•We’re told that even Jesus had to wait.  While he knew God’s calling on his life, he had to wait for “time to be fulfilled.”

•Mary and Martha waited for Jesus to come to them after Lazarus died.

•The disciples waited for the promised Holy Spirit.

The examples are there.  And what we find in example after example is that those who are able to wait are rewarded.  In each of the Biblical examples, those who waited knew God’s promises, they rested in God’s character, and they relied on God’s love.  And in each of the Biblical examples, it was worth the wait.

“But these are Bible heroes,” you say.  “These are people who really had their spiritual stuff together.  What about me?  How can I wait for the Lord?”

Before I answer those questions, let me make a couple of statements about what I believe to be true.  First, I believe that God is always there.  In Hebrews 13:5, God reminds us, “I will never leave you or forsake you,” and at the end of the gospel of Matthew, Jesus says, “Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  Indeed, God is always with us.

The other belief statement is that God knows our every need.  Matthew 6:8 makes the claim that “God knows what you need before you ask him.” 

But despite the fact that God is always there and God knows our every need – even if we fail to give voice to it – our waiting cannot be passive.  As we wait for God, we should not think of it like a bird sitting on a nest.  Instead, we should think of our waiting time as active, a time of doing those things that help bring about a greater awareness of God’s presence and God’s power in our lives and in the world.

In waiting for God, we ought to keep tuned to God’s frequency.  When we lived in the Cities, my car radio was almost always tuned to 98.5 – KTIS.  When we moved to Willmar, we moved outside of KTIS’ coverage area.  98.5 on my car radio only played static.  But one day, as I was tuning up and down the radio dial, I came across the familiar sounds of my old favorite radio station.  As I listened to them give their call letters, I learned that they have translator stations in several outstate areas.  The radio station was always there – I just needed to know which frequency to use in these different communities. 

Keeping tuned to God’s frequency means that we keep open the lines of communication.  We can be speaking with God – praying prayers of adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication – and we can be listening to God.

Jesus knew the importance of keeping tuned to God’s frequency.  In the story we read from the gospel of Mark, Jesus had just completed a day filled with healing and casting out demons.  The next morning, very early, we quietly slipped away to a place where he could be by himself, and he prayed.  Jesus knew that if he was going to continue the hectic pace he had set for himself, he needed to keep in touch with his source of health and strength – he needed to keep in touch with God.

Waiting for God can also be done by taking all of our questions and concerns to God.  The hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” reminds us, “O what peace we often forfeit, o what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.”  Isaiah reminds us that “God does not grow weary” and “his understanding is unsearchable.”  Any question, big or small – any concern, major or minor – can be brought to God.

Waiting for God also involves being obedient to God’s plan.  It’s one thing to seek God’s will through prayer – it’s quite another to follow it. 

I have to admit, I admire the first disciples.  Scripture tells of how Jesus called them to come and follow him…and they did so immediately.  There are probably far more examples in the Bible of people who responded to the call to follow only after taking time to think about the options.  And there are probably just as many stories of people in the Bible who, before they obeyed God, tried to do things their own way, only to find that their way led to trouble.  Listen to what Scripture says about disobedience to God:

•In 2 Chronicles 34:21, king Josiah announces, “The wrath of the Lord that is poured out on us is great, because our ancestors did not keep the word of the Lord, to act in accordance with all that is written in this book.”

•Jeremiah announces famine and pestilence, “Because they did not heed my words, says the Lord.”

•And John 3:36 reminds us, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God’s wrath.”

Example after example reminds us that disobedience to God comes with some pretty uncomfortable results.  On the other hand, example after example also reminds us that those who obey God will be rewarded.

So what is the reward for waiting for the Lord?  If we expend the energy and put forth the effort to wait upon God, what can we expect?

The prophet Isaiah gives us the answer…or in this case, the answers.

Verse 29 – “He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless.” 

Verse 31 – “Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

Power – who among us can honestly say that we don’t desire power?  I’m not necessarily talking about the kind of power that puts us above another or allows us to dominate others.  I’m talking about power over even the most impossible of situations.  I’m talking about the power to accomplish those things we feel called to do.  I’m talking about power that helps us influence and motivate others to greater acts of compassion and service.  That’s the kind of power that is promised to those who wait upon the Lord. 

Renewed strength – that renewal might be emotional, helping us to fight back after we’ve been beaten down; it might be physical, enabling us to come back after illness or injury; it might even be spiritual, allowing us to fight off temptation and those who seek to bring us down the path God has labeled “Do not enter.”

Mounting up with wings like eagles – Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks?  The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it.  The eagle does not escape the storm. It simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm.

When the storms of life come upon us - and all of us will experience them - we can rise above them by setting our minds and our belief toward God. The storms do not have to overcome us. We can allow God's power to lift us above them.  Those who wait on God will be enabled to ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure and disappointment in our lives. Those who wait on God will soar above the storm.

Run and not be weary – Back when I was teaching, I also spent a couple of years coaching the Jr. High boys cross country team.  One of those years, a new track was opened up at the high school, and all of the athletes were invited to an open meet.  Races were run at many different distances, from the sprints to the mile. 

I had informed my runners that they needed to choose at least three races to enter – they could choose the distance.  I, wanting to be an good example, decided that I was going to run them all.  I don’t remember how many races there were in all, but it was quite a few.  The last race was the mile run.

I was lined up with many of the Sr. High boys.  When the gun sounded, we took off.  It was a much faster pace than I was used to running with the younger boys, but I thought I could handle it.  We were all together for the first half of the race.  Then, about half way through the third lap, I started tiring and falling back.  By the last lap, I was really weary.  It took everything I had to just finish in a jog. 

Often times, life has been referred to as a great race.  Some call it a rat race…but in most cases, we think of life as a race.  Many will start strong but then falter.  But those who wait on the Lord will be given the endurance to run the entire race without tiring. 

Walk and not faint – We all have burdens that we face.  Sometimes those burdens can get overwhelming.  Sometimes those burdens will cause us to stop in our tracks – to faint, as the words of our scripture tell us.

But Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”  Those who wait upon the Lord will find that their burdens are lifted so that they can walk and not faint.

We all face impossible situations.  We all get beaten down from time to time by the storms of life.  We all grow weary from the challenges we face.  But there is an answer.  “Have you not known?  Have you not heard?  The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.”  And what does that mean?  Consider this story:

A grandfather was taking a nature hike with his 6 year old grandson. The child ran ahead until he came to a creek.  Afraid he might fall in, the grandfather said, “Wait for me and I’ll get you across.” 

The boy waited, and when his grandfather caught up to him, he lifted him up on his shoulders and waded safely across the creek.  When they reached the other side, the little boy said, “If I hadn’t waited on you, I would never have made it across!"

How true that is for all of us.  If we can wait on God – by staying in tune with God, taking all of our thoughts and concerns to God, and being obedient to God’s call - we will find that God will get us across any obstacle life puts in our way.  AMEN.

“LOVE BUILDS UP”

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

February 1, 2009

Do you know anyone who would describe themselves as a ‘know-it-all?’ 

Do you know anyone you would describe as a ‘know-it-all?’

A ‘know-it-all’ is one who seems to always have an answer, to always have the knowledge and understanding.  And because the term is often used sarcastically, we could add that the person is often (if not always) willing to share their knowledge with others – whether they’ve asked for it or not.

Today’s scripture lesson from 1 Corinthians seems to indicate that we are all entitled to that label.  In verse 1 of chapter 8, Paul says, “We know that ‘All of us possess knowledge.’”  While it might seem to read as though Paul is suggesting that everyone has knowledge, a careful look at the grammatical phrasing and punctuation might suggest otherwise.  The phrase “all of us possess knowledge” is in quotes, meaning that Paul is quoting some source.  And what is that source?  Most likely it’s the people of Corinth themselves, and I say that because Paul quickly refutes to that statement.  He says “Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge.”  It’s a phrase similar to one Albert Einstein used.  Einstein said, “There are a lot of people who have knowledge but lack understanding.  It’s one thing to know something – it’s another to understand it.”

The problem Paul is addressing here is still prevalent today—namely, that knowledge and the exercise of one’s freedom based on knowledge may be rationally correct but all too often it leads to arrogance, and the sense of being superior to others.  Paul puts it like this: “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.”

The following story, attributed to Mohandas Gandhi is very instructive to all who claim to be more superior and knowledgeable than others:

A mother approached the Teacher for assistance with a domestic matter. “My son has horrible eating habits,” she said. “Please, he will listen to you if you tell him to stop eating foods with so much sugar.”

The Teacher listened sympathetically. “I ask that you come back next week and make the request again.”

The mother agreed and returned seven days later. “My son’s problem continues,” she said. “I am greatly concerned about his health. He rarely eats vegetables or fruits. Please, won’t you talk to him about the danger of eating too much sugar.”

“Please, come back and see me in a week,” the Teacher said simply.

Though the mother was disappointed, she left and returned one week later. Once again she made her plea. This time the Teacher agreed to talk with her son.

When the conversation was completed, the mother thanked the Teacher. “I am grateful that you took the time to talk to my son, but I don’t understand why it took three requests for you to do so.”

The Teacher looked at the woman and said, “I didn’t realize how hard it would be for me to give up sugar.”

This story reminds us all that love builds up and knowledge puffs up. The Teacher exercised humility rather than superiority or arrogance, by love for the son and his mother in being able to practice the same thing as he was advising the son—to give up sugar.

“Love builds up…”  Let’s see if we can figure out what Paul was trying to say when he gave us this message.

Paul often spoke about love – what it is and what it is not.  He spends an entire chapter later in the book of 1 Corinthians giving what many couples believe is the perfect advice for those entering the relationship of husband and wife.  No doubt the definition Paul attaches to love is a definition that would be endorsed by Jesus.  Jesus is the one who was an authority on love.  His was an unconditional love – one that placed no limits on reaching out to people of all walks of life; one that forgives, heals, frees and accepts even the worst of sinners and outcasts; one that breaks down the walls and barriers that divide us. 

And Paul tells the people of Corinth – the church at Corinth – that they ought to do likewise.  If Paul were here today, I believe he’d be telling us the same thing.

Thom and Sam Rainer, father and son, teamed up to write a book entitled essential church?  In it, they look at the reasons a generation has basically dropped out of church and what the church needed to do in order to reclaim this generation. 

In one chapter of the book, Sam tells of a situation that happened to him on his way to a conference where he was to be speaking.  When he and his wife got to the gate to check in for their connecting flight, they were told their tickets weren’t valid.  Sam tried to tell the ticket agent that these were the tickets that were issued to them when they checked in from their departure city, but the agent wouldn’t accept his explanation.  Finally, Sam – in his frustration – said, “What do I have to do to get on that plane – the one right out there that I can see from here – because I’m not moving from this line until we work this out!” 

About 10 minutes later Sam and his wife were boarding the plane, on their way to the conference.

After they boarded the plane and took their seats, the man next to Sam said, “You sure told them!”  And then, as the plane landed, the man sitting next to Sam asked him where he was headed.  “To the downtown conference center,” he said.

“Oh really, me too.”

Sam goes on to say that they were in line together at the same rental car company, then they saw him checking into the same hotel, and later they spotted him walking to the conference center.  His relief came when the man walked into a different auditorium.  “Good thing he didn’t ask me what I did for a living,” Sam thought.  Hypocrisy is one of the reasons people are leaving the church in huge numbers.  They see the church talking about being a people of love…but then they see the church and its members act in a completely different way.

“Love builds up.”  Love tends give recipients of that love a feeling of self-worth and importance, it doesn’t tear them down and humiliate them.

Think of the woman at the well.  When Jesus discovered (by the power of God) that this woman had several husbands and was now living with another man to whom she was not married, he could have condemned her.  Instead, he engaged her in conversation, sharing with her the life-giving message about eternal water.  And as a result, this woman – who had been cast out by the members of her community – went back to that same community telling everyone about what had just happened.

Or consider the story of the woman caught in adultery.  As she was about to be stoned to death, Jesus stepped in.  After the accusers dropped their rocks and walked away, Jesus explained to her that he did not judge her either.  He sent her home with the forgiving and loving words, “Go and sin no more.” 

Jesus wasn’t afraid to reach out to people from all walks of life.  He wasn’t afraid to step out of his comfort zone.  He wasn’t afraid to leave the familiar setting of the temple to go out into the streets to find those who were hungry, hurting, or humiliated.  And neither should we.

Rainer and Rainer write in their book, “The people of the church must make a conscious decision to stop looking inwardly and begin to reach outwardly.”  They continue, “An essential church community is a sacrificial church community that surrenders time and convenience for the sake of telling (and I would add ‘showing’) others about Jesus Christ.” 

That’s the difference between knowledge and love.  Knowledge is focused on me…it’s inwardly focused.  Love is focused on the other…it’s outwardly focused.

Am I suggesting that we stop learning?  By no means!  We ought to learn as much as we can…and then continue learning…about Jesus Christ and the way in which he encouraged us to live in relationship with others.  But let’s not get so busy learning (and showing others how much we’ve learned) that we don’t leave time to love one another.  Let’s not get puffed up with knowledge – let’s build up others with love.  AMEN.

“LET’S GO FISHING!”

Jonah 3:1-5, 10; Mark 1:14-20

January 25, 2009

This morning I want to talk a little bit about fishing.  Now I know what you’re probably thinking...who, in their right mind, would be thinking about fishing on a day like today?  The only ones here in Minnesota thinking about fishing are those who have the industrial-sized heaters in their insulated fish houses.  Either that, or people who have spent one too many days sitting over a hole in the ice on a freezing cold day like today.

But this morning, I do want to talk about fishing.  And I want to do it by telling you about two people – actually one person and one group of people.

The first fisherman I want to tell you about is a man named Jonah.  Now Jonah is a character we find in the Old Testament, and he’s not much of a fisherman.  As a matter of fact, he’s better known for being swallowed by a fish than for catching fish.  Do you remember his story?

Jonah was called by God to go to the city of Ninevah, to let the people of that town know that they were not doing what they were supposed to be doing and that God had noticed.  As a matter of fact, God was so displeased with the people of Ninevah that God had planned on wiping out the entire town.

Jonah, not wanting to be the bearer of bad news, gets in a boat and heads in the opposite direction.  I love the wording in the first chapter of Jonah:  “Jonah set out to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.”  Jonah actually thought that if he could run far enough away, he’d eventually escape the presence of God.

The story continues with a huge storm coming up on the sea where Jonah was traveling.  The other sailors, believing that someone’s actions had caused this calamity, decided to cast lots to see who was at fault.  The lot fell on Jonah, and Jonah was forced to tell his story.  Jonah decided that the only way to save the boat and everyone in it was to throw him overboard – a pretty noble gesture for someone who had just directly disobeyed God, don’t you think?  But what happens right after that shows how Jonah, through his words and his actions, wins some new followers of God. 

Here we learn how God can use people who are willing to freely and openly share their story.  Jonah told them everything – about how God had called him to go to Ninevah, about how he had directly disobeyed God, and how God had caused this story on account of his actions.  Are we that bold in telling people about the accomplishments and achievements in our lives?  When we’ve experienced a miracle, do we tell people it was luck or fate, or do we tell people that it was through the actions of God, brought on by the power of prayer?  Do we let people know that we believe in chance, or in the power of God?

Jonah’s story continues.  To fast forward through the middle part of his story, he is thrown into the sea and swallowed by a large fish.  Jonah spends three days in the belly of that fish praying to God, and after the Lord speaks to the fish, it “spewed” (that’s the word my Bible uses…I’m not making this stuff up!) Jonah out on dry land. 

That’s where the story continues.  The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, telling him to get up, go to Ninevah, and share with them God’s message.  Don’t you just love a God who offers second chances?

This time, Jonah goes.  When he gets near the middle of the city, he cried out, “Forty days more, and Ninevah shall be overthrown!”  And with that message, Jonah was able to save the people.  The people of Ninevah believed God; they proclaimed a fast and everyone put on sackcloth, the traditional sign of repentance.  The king got up from his throne, put on sackcloth and sat in ashes.  He made a proclamation to all of the people that no human being or animal should eat, that all humans should be covered with sackcloth and cry mightily to God, and that everyone should turn from their evil ways and the violence they were causing.  The king said, “Who knows?  God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish.”  And that’s exactly what happened.  Because Jonah was obedient to God, a whole town turned to God, changed their ways, and was saved.

The other group of people I wanted to introduce this morning were actual fishermen.  They had boats and nets and made their livelihood fishing.  One day, Jesus was walking along the Sea of Galilee and he saw these fishermen – Simon (who was later named Peter) and Andrew, James and John – and he called out to them, “Follow me!”  For those who were hear last week, that phrase ought to sound familiar.  Jesus called Phillip with those two words:  “Follow me!”  But here, Jesus gives them a short explanation of what he is calling them to.  “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.”

Fishing for people…there’s an odd thought for those who were used to fishing for fish.  Peter and Andrew, James and John knew what was needed to catch fish.  They knew the right time to go out in the boat, they knew the ‘hot spots’ to take their boats, they knew where to cast their nets, and they knew how to bring in the catch.  But fishing for people?  This would be interesting.

Nonetheless, scripture tells us that “Immediately they left their nets and followed him.” 

How many of us do something immediately when we’re asked or told?  Whether we hear the question from our parents or teachers or siblings or friends or even God, we often hesitate.  We ponder the potential, we calculate the cost, we reflect on the risk and then we make a decision.  Sometimes we go and do…just as we’re told…just as the disciples did.  But other times we say no…and then we have to deal with the consequences…and then (maybe) we’re more willing to say yes when the request is made again.

But think about what the disciples were able to do because they said yes.  Other scriptures tell us that Jesus gave them the same powers he possessed – to preach, teach, and heal.  Other scriptures tell us that Jesus sent them out to different parts of the world so that the good news could be shared with more and more people.  Because the disciples were willing to follow Jesus and become fishers of people, we can be sitting in this place called the church today.

Two fish stories.  And for some reason, I believe these fish stories a bit more than the fish stories some of you have tried to tell me.  And I believe that there are lessons to be learned in both of these stories – lessons for fishermen and women like you and me.

The first lesson we can learn is that God is still calling followers today.  God needs faithful women and men who are willing to go into difficult places and do what God needs them to do.  Some of you might remember a sermon I preached a while back that talked about our Community Meal program.  I made a statement in that sermon that said if we were serious about getting involved in a program like this, that things just might get a little muddy for us.  Well let me tell you, that statement has proven true.  Through our Community Meal program, we’ve met people who have some real challenging health needs, some of whom have come back to the church asking if we can help pay for those needs.  We’ve met some people who have been without beds or heaters or appliances, some who have asked the church if we could help.  We’ve even had a person come to our meals who we later learned has been in and out of jail and now is facing a felony charge.  Yeah, you could say that things have gotten a little muddy…but this church has stayed true to God’s calling and has fulfilled many of those requests for assistance.  Through our meal tonight and future mission opportunities, may we be open to God’s calling.

The next lesson we can learn from this story is that God is willing to give people a second chance when God realizes the potential of the person being asked and the urgency of the message that needs to be shared.  Throughout the Bible we hear stories of how God doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer.  Moses tries excuse after excuse to get out of God’s calling on his life, but God won’t take ‘no’ for an answer.  Mary tries to get out of this ‘mother of the Son of God’ role by stating all kinds of rational and relevant reasons, but the angel of God persists. 

The same is true for us today.  I shared the story last week of how it took 14 years for me to answer the call of God to become an ordained pastor.  For some of my colleagues, it has taken even longer.  As someone who serves on our Conference Board of Ordained Ministry, I have the privilege of hearing the stories of those coming for ordination.  Many of them, even today, are coming as second or third career pastors.  Many of them share a story that is similar to my own – of how God called at a young age and then persisted through the voices of family or friends or mentors.  If God has chosen you for a particular task, you better be sure that God will not stop asking until you say yes.

Finally, I hope that we can learn that God calls people to some pretty important tasks.  Think about Jonah – because he finally said yes to God, an entire city of people was saved.  Think about the disciples – because they immediately said yes to Jesus, many people heard the Good News of Jesus Christ, many people were healed, and many more people began spreading the word about who Jesus was and what he could do for people.

Today, God calls us to equally important tasks.  Our call today includes providing food where there is hunger, opportunities where there is poverty, spiritual nourishment where there is longing, healing where there is brokenness, hope where there is despair, and justice where there is oppression.  Our call today includes proclaiming Christ to all.  When you think about it, it’s a pretty daunting call…but one that can give life to so many.

God is calling to people like you and me, “Let’s go fishing!”

Listen for that call.

Obey that call, and know that it can make a difference in the life of another.  Obey that call, and know that you might just be saving someone’s life.  AMEN.

“GOD’S INITIATIVE AND GOD’S CALL”

1 Samuel 3:1-10; John 1:43-51

January 18, 2009

Today is Human Relations Day, one of six Special Sundays in the United Methodist Church.  Human Relations Day is celebrated the Sunday before the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, and it was established to recognize the right of all God’s children in realizing their potential as human beings in relationship with each other. 

The readings for today, from 1 Samuel and the gospel of John, relate well to this theme.

The stories about how Jesus called his disciples are all well known, and so is the story of how God called Samuel to be his prophet in Israel.

But I am very conscious as I stand here of how so many people fail to hear the call of God, despite all the talk that the church does about how we are called to be followers of Jesus, and despite all the sermons that state that we are called to be like the prophets and to hear and speak God's word to one another.

Why?  Why do so many people fail to believe that God is speaking to them personally?  Who do so many people fail to understand that God is trying to guide them in a particular way?  Why do so many people have a hard time believing that God is reaching out to them?

I think that the answer is that people fail to hear the call of God, that they fail to notice how God is summoning them,

- not because that call is not issued -

- but because they are either ignorant about how God calls us, or because they allow themselves to pass over that call – to set it aside. 

Think about the boy Samuel for a minute.

He was a special child - a special gift from God to his mother Hannah.  You might remember the story – of how Hannah was unable to have children and was teased by the mistress of her husband Elkanah.  Hannah went to the temple and prayed like she had never prayed before.  Her prayers were overheard by the priest Eli who, in his blindness, thought she was drunk.  After explaining herself, the priest assured her that her prayers were heard and answered according to her wishes. 

Sure enough, nine months later Hannah gave birth to Samuel, and as was the custom, he was dedicated to the Lord and sent, when still very young, to live with the Priest Eli at Shiloh.

The scripture says that he lived in a time in which the word of the Lord was rare, a time in which visions were not widespread.

Nevertheless Samuel lived in a holy place and in the holy presence.  He witnessed the sacrifices made at the alter in Shiloh, and even as a lad he ministered in the house of God.

Like his teacher Eli, he prayed to God.

Like his master - he served faithfully.

Like others, he had heard the teachings proclaimed, the story of God's love.

Samuel lived in a special place – he grew up in the presence of God.  Samuel then, of all people, should have been able to recognize the call of God.  But - as the story in the 3rd chapter of the book of Samuel shows us - he did not - that is he didn't until Eli recognized that call for him.

We are told that three times the Lord called to Samuel where he lay in bed, and three times he answered by saying "Here I am" and running out to see Eli in the next room.

On the third occasion that this occurs Eli perceives that Samuel is hearing God's voice and instructs him to, “go, lie down, and if the Lord calls you, you shall say - speak, Lord, for your servant is listening."

And so it was that Samuel finally heard what God wanted to say to him.  Samuel learned that he was to speak the word of God to others beginning with a message of doom to his own teacher, Eli.

How much are we like Samuel

        - living in a special place,

        - listening to the stories of his love,

        - and serving him in his house and in his world.

How much are we like Samuel

        - dedicated to the Lord.

How much are we like him

        - thinking that the voices we hear in the night come from another room,

        - thinking that our dreams are simply the result of eating before bedtime,

        - that inner nudges we feel come only from our intuition, or from the fact that our    

          unconscious mind is able to play tricks on us?

God calls us in many ways.  God speaks to us in many forms.  And almost all of them are gentle, almost all of them subtle, almost all of them can be mistaken for something else.  That is until we heed those calls - then we discover the power of God is in them and behind them.

That’s what happened in my life. 

I trace my call to ministry back to Junior High.  I was attending church camp at Camp Koronis in Paynesville.  On the last night of camp, I was sitting by the campfire when my counselor sat down next to me.  “You know,” he said, “God has something special planned for you.  I know that God is going to use you in a powerful way.”  When he said those words, the flame of the campfire seemed to grow brighter and warmer.  But I set aside those words for several years.

Then, in my sixth year of teaching elementary school, I attended Community United Methodist Church in Monticello, where Dennis Buckley was the pastor.  Dennis recognized some gifts in me and asked me if I’d ever considered becoming a pastor.  The first time he said it, I think I laughed.  The second time he said it, I brushed it off.  But he persisted.  And finally, after hearing his nagging for months, I reached the point where I couldn’t ignore it any longer.  I said “Yes” to the call that had been issued some 14 years earlier. 

But I didn’t say “Yes” without conditions.  I said that I would only give up my teaching job to begin seminary if there was a way I could continue to help support our family.  Sure enough, I was offered the opportunity to serve a church as a Student Pastor.  I said that I would only begin seminary if I could do it without adding to my already burdening student loan.  And what do you know…a woman in the Clearwater Church where I had just begun to serve told me of a scholarship opportunity through the Eastern Star.  And the amount I received, combined with the other grants and scholarships and my meager salary at the church was just enough.  So here I am today, 17 years after saying “Yes” to God’s call, still continuing to discover the power of God that comes when we listen and heed the call of God.

That is what happens in today's gospel lesson.  The power behind the call of God is discovered by one who decides to listen to it.

The gospel lesson tells us that shortly after his baptism Jesus decided to go up to Galilee.  He had already received Andrew and Simon Peter as his disciples.

As he prepares to leave Bethany to go to Galilee Jesus goes out and finds Philip - he seeks him out -as he sought out Samuel, and as he seeks out us - and he says to him, "follow me".

Philip responds to this call, and as he prepares to join Jesus he goes and locates a man called Nathaniel, telling him, "We have found him about whom Moses in the law and

also the prophets wrote, Jesus, son of Joseph from Nazareth"

It is obvious from the text that both Philip and Nathaniel were men who were seekers, men who were looking for the promised one of God, but Nathaniel is not prepared to accept that the call of God he has heard through Philip is in fact from God and replies to him:  "Can anything good come out of Nazareth"

Still, Nathaniel goes along with Philip, he goes to check out what he has been told, and in doing so discovers that Jesus is a prophet, that he has special powers.  For Jesus knows, without being told, where Nathaniel was the moment before Philip called him.

Jesus says to him:  “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree?  You will see greater things than these.  Very truly I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

Do we listen to our fellow seekers?  Do we check out the calls they issue us - the call to meet the Lord in a particular place and time, the call to discover what we have been looking for?

When I look out here on Sunday morning I see faithful people.  I see people who have decided to follow Jesus, people who are struggling to do what is right, people who worship and who pray, people who seek to obey the will of the Lord.

I see people like Samuel, and Philip and Nathaniel, people who work for God.

But still, I wonder.  When I look out, I wonder how many of us believe that God has spoken directly to us?  How many of us believe that God has personally called us to do what we are doing?

And of those who do believe this - how many believe that God is still with us – guiding, or trying to guide us, each day?

God is calling all of us -he calling TO all of us.  He is calling us not just to follow him.  He is also calling us to do and say particular things at particular times.  He is calling us to walk a particular path with him, a path that is similar to, but not identical to the path of           all the disciples, apostles and saints before us.

God seeks you out - as Jesus sought out Philip

God is calling you by name - just as he called Samuel by name.

God calls in our dreams

God calls in the voice of those people who are trying to help us find our way.

God calls through our spouses and our workmates.

God calls when we pause to read his word, or to meditate.

God calls when we are trying to decide what to do next.

God calls when we gaze upon the heavens.

God even calls out to us when we pray.

God calls us for a purpose - a good purpose.  God calls us to come to him so that he may transform our lives.  God calls to us to listen to him, and do what he tells us - so that he might change us, and our world, making it holy and good, full of love and joy, whole and at peace.

Listen for God's call wherever you are -- in whatever you see and hear, be it in a dream you have just had, in the message of a preacher you have just heard, in the quiet voice you have heard inside you, or in the words of a friend who is telling you how God has dealt with her, and what it is she thinks God is trying to say to you.

Listen too to "the book", and judge the things you hear by the book and by the Spirit that is within you. Examine the events around you and pray about them. Look and listen - and I promise you that you will hear the voice of God, you will hear God’s call.

Listen - and then do as you feel or believe you have been called to do.  If it is a true word, you will experience the power that is behind that word, behind that call.

You will see things happen as promised,

You will see changes that are good.

You will see God glorified and people who seek after only their own desires humbled.

You will see mercy and grace, judgment and vindication

You will see new life arise out of ashes and new hope come out of despair.

Listen - and as Jesus promised to Nathaniel, you will see heaven

opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.

Listen – and you will realize your full potential as a human being in relationship to others.  AMEN.

“REMEMBER YOUR BAPTISM…AND BE THANKFUL”

Mark 1:4-11

Baptism of Jesus (January 11), 2009

I love baptisms.  That probably goes without saying, if you’ve ever been present when I’ve done a baptism here.  I am blessed when I get to look into the eyes of parents and sponsors as the opening questions are asked.  The time when I take the child from the parent’s arms and cradle him or her in mine starts my heart beating just a little bit stronger and faster.  The look on the face of the baby as the water is placed on their forehead is priceless.  Sometimes if they’re sleeping, they are startled to the point of waking up; other times they’ll remain calm and quiet, as if they are taking everything in for themselves.  And there is no greater ministry thrill for me than to walk among the congregation, singing and showing off the child to its new sisters and brothers in Christ.  For me, it is one of the most special acts I am privileged to be able to perform as a pastor.

Hopefully the ritual and the sacrament is special for the child and his or her parents, as well.  But I wonder how often the sacrament is thought about after it has been done.  I wonder how many people sitting here this morning remember their baptism.  Do you have pictures of the special day…and if so, do you look at them from time to time?  Are their stories about that day written down…and if so, do you read them periodically?  If your parents are still living, do you ask them about the day?

But more than just remembering the event, how often do we think about the meaning of baptism?  More specifically, do we think about what was accomplished through our baptism?

Today we remember and celebrate the baptism of Jesus.  Come with me to the River Jordan, to that place where John, clothed in camel hair, with a leather belt around his waist, is preaching the need for repentance and washing clean of their sins to all those who come unto him.

Jesus did not have to be baptized.  He did have the sickness we have.  He was not a sinner.  He had no cause for repentance.  He had no need to undergo the baptism of John.  Yet he did.

It says in Matthew's version of the baptism story that Jesus did what he did to fulfill all righteousness.  By some this is taken to mean that Jesus was baptized to set an example for us of what is involved in getting right with God - that he did it because we should do it, because it leads us toward a good relationship with God .

And there is surely truth to that - but it is far more than this

I see the baptism of Jesus as an act in which Jesus takes upon himself our burdens

    an act by which he shows how complete his identification with us is

    an event by which he demonstrates what the saving love of God is like.

The baptism of Jesus is the act which begins his ministry – the event which commences his process of proclaiming the good news of salvation, the start of a career which ends in our redemption.

It is worth our attention for this very reason.  And attention to it is found in all four gospels.

Some of the most important words of the Bible are those ones that are found in the first chapter of The Gospel of John - the ones that are found just before John tells the story of Jesus' baptism.  They are words that explain the significance of all that follows:

    Verses 14-16 read:  "And the word became flesh and lived among us, and we have

    seen his glory, the glory of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.  John testified to

    him and cried out: "This is he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks ahead of        

    me because he was before me'.  From his fullness we have all received, grace upon

    grace.."

“Grace upon grace…”  That’s the gift promised through baptism.

In 1996, the United Methodist Church published By Water and the Spirit:  A United Methodist Understanding of Baptism.  The introduction to this work says:  “Within the Methodist tradition, baptism has long been a subject of much concern, even controversy. John Wesley retained the sacramental theology which he received from his Anglican heritage. He taught that in baptism a child was cleansed of the guilt of original sin, initiated into the covenant with God, admitted into the Church, made an heir of the divine kingdom, and spiritually born anew. He said that while baptism was neither essential to nor sufficient for salvation, it was the “ordinary means” that God designated for applying the benefits of the work of Christ in human lives.

On the other hand, although he affirmed the regenerating grace of infant baptism, he also insisted upon the necessity of adult conversion for those who have fallen from grace. A person who matures into moral accountability must respond to God’s grace in repentance and faith. Without personal decision and commitment to Christ, the baptismal gift is rendered ineffective.

Baptism for Wesley, therefore, was a part of the lifelong process of salvation. He saw spiritual rebirth as a twofold experience in the normal process of Christian development—to be received through baptism in infancy and through commitment to

Christ later in life. Salvation included both God’s initiating activity of grace and a willing human response.”

In baptism, the work is begun.  We are initiated into Christ’s holy church, made a part of God’s mighty acts of salvation, and given new birth.  These are God’s gifts for us…and they are offered to us unconditionally – without price or expectation of any kind.

But as Wesley reminds us, the personal decision to follow Jesus Christ is still ours.  The formation of the commitment between ourselves and Jesus Christ is ours to make and maintain. 

When I speak about this to youth, I sometimes use the illustration of a gift wrapped package.  Imagine the most beautifully wrapped package.  All of the corners are perfectly formed, the ends are perfectly matched, the ribbons and bow are perfectly tied and placed.  Inside, you’ve been told, is the perfect gift – exactly what you need to live a full and complete life.  But in order to reap the benefits of that gift, you need to open the package.  You need to accept and receive the gift.  That’s the “willing human response” that is necessary to continue the blessings begun at our baptism.

And that’s why a day like today is so important.  Again turning to the document By Water and the Spirit, we find this explanation of the service of reaffirmation:  “The life of faith which baptized persons live is like a pilgrimage or journey. On this lifelong journey there are many challenges, changes, and chances. We engage life's experiences on our journey of faith as a part of the redeeming and sanctifying Body of Christ. Ongoing Christian nurture teaches, shapes, and strengthens us to live ever more faithfully as we are open to

the Spirit’s revealing more and more of the way and will of God.  As our appreciation of the good news of Jesus Christ deepens and our commitment to Christ's service becomes more profound, we seek occasions to celebrate. Like God’s people through the ages, all Christians need to participate in acts of renewal within the covenant community.”

This morning you’ll be given the opportunity to renew the covenant that was made at the time of your baptism.  You’ll be given the chance to once again profess your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior, proclaim your trust in his grace, and renew your commitment to serve him in the world.  May you once again hear God’s voice, “You are my Son…You are my daughter…the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”  May we remember our baptism…and be thankful. AMEN.

“WHERE IS THE CHILD?”

Matthew 2:1-12

Epiphany Sunday, 2009

This morning we complete the Christmas story.  If we’re accurately adding to our Nativity scenes, today we place the magi, the ‘wise men’ as Scripture names them.  It’s a story that we hear every year, and every year brings a new challenge to preachers to lift out a theme or a message that is relevant and meaningful.

Sometimes, preachers choose to talk about the history of the magi – bringing out points like what they did for a living and where they came from and how and when they found Jesus.  It’s a good learning message, but I’m going to go in a different direction this morning.

Sometimes preachers choose to talk about the gifts of the magi – and how each one was carefully chosen in anticipation of what this baby would do:  Gold…a gift for a king; Frankincense…a gift for a priest; Myrrh…a gift for one who is to die.  This, too, is a good message, but I’m going to go in a different direction this morning.

This morning, I want to focus on the question of the Wise Men:  “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews?”  And I want to contrast the actions of the Wise Men with the actions of King Herod, who admitted that he, too, wanted to go and pay homage to the baby.

First we have the Wise Men – the Magi.  These were men who were skilled in philosophy, medicine and natural science.  They were soothsayers and interpreters of dreams.  In ancient days, most everyone believed in astrology, and that they could foretell the future from the stars. 

We don’t know what star or which constellation they saw, but it was their profession to watch the heavens, and some heavenly brilliance spoke to them of the entry of a king into the world.

When they saw the sign, they set out.  They endured the journey that was long and most likely difficult.  When they needed a bit of help, they asked for assistance and priests and scribes of the people showed them the way.  They didn’t stop searching until they had found what they were looking for.

We should also look at the motive of the magi.  They were seeking out this newborn king so that they might pay him homage.  Homage, when we look in the dictionary, means “something that shows respect or attests to the worth or influence of another.”  Another word for homage might be honor.  We see this to be true when the magi entered the house where the child was – they knelt down in respect and they presented valuable gifts.

Because their methods and their motives were true, the magi were successful in finding the child.

King Herod, on the other hand, lacked both the correct method and the proper motive.  Herod simply asked the wise men to report back to him after they had found the child.  He wasn’t willing to leave his comfy, cozy chair in the palace to do the hard work of searching himself.

Herod’s motive for finding the child was also flawed.  Although he tells the magi that he, too, wishes to pay homage to the child, we who know the story know better.  When Herod heard the news that the king of the Jews had been born, he is frightened.  We read that the wise men had been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, and so we know something is up.  And if we were to keep reading in the second chapter of Matthew, we would get to the part where an angel visits Joseph and tells him to flee with his family to Egypt because Herod was going to search for the child and destroy him.  And if we kept reading, we would get to the grisly part of the story where Herod orders that all the children in and around Bethlehem two years old or younger to be killed.  Herod’s motives were obviously self-serving.

Because Herod lacked in both method and motive, he failed in finding the child.

This brings up an important lesson for those who search for Jesus today – for those who are still asking the question, “Where is the child?” 

If we haven’t found Jesus yet, is it because we haven’t put in the hard work of searching diligently for him?  Our search process today is quite different than the search process of the magi.  Today, we don’t have to travel great distances (although some claim to have found Jesus while on a spiritual pilgrimage or retreat far from home); no today we search for Jesus by reading and studying the Bible, by entering into conversation with God through prayer, by asking those who have obviously established a strong relationship with Jesus.  We search for Jesus when we participate in the sacraments of baptism and communion, when we sit down and read the works of religious greats as well as contemporary theologians.  We search for Jesus when we take time out of our busy schedules to clear space to be calmed and quieted and listen for that “still, small voice.”    The promise of Deuteronomy 4:29 is that “You will seek the Lord your God, and you will find him if you search after him with all your heart and soul.”

But in searching for Jesus, your motives should also be true.  If you think that a relationship with Jesus Christ is going to eliminate all of life’s trials and tribulations, think again!  If you think that a relationship with Jesus Christ is going to make you rich and famous, think again!  Jesus taught time and time again that his followers would receive the same kind of treatment that he was going to receive – and that this treatment might even lead to death.  Jesus told his followers that if you wanted to be great you needed to become a servant of others.  But Jesus also said, “Come to me, you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest,” and it was the Lord’s angel that told Mary (and us, as well) “Nothing will be impossible with God.”

So, “Where is the child” today?  He is in the hearts of those who seek him with all of their heart.  He is in the lives of those who strive to live their lives led by the One who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. 

Is he in you?  If he is, then make it your New Year’s goal to make him known to others.  If he’s not, then why not make a commitment to begin the search today…and to not stop searching until you find him…and honor him…and invite him to be a part of your life? AMEN.