When my mother went to University, her parents bought her a calculator. She had to leave it plugged in overnight, and it could hold it's charge for only a class or two. It calculated so slowly, that she just did most of the math work in her head to save time. She took a computer course - on the only computer at the university - in which she cut holes out of a sheet of cardboard and then fed it into the monster-sized computer to see if it would run a program.
As a child I remember my whole family sitting around our brand new PC or personal computer. I remember using the internet over our phone line and watching as pictures showed up one line at a time - just downloading at lightning speed for the time.
I'm sometimes amazed at how fast we have come so far. In less than 40 years we have moved from slow calculators the size of ovens to super-fast computers that fit in the palm of our hands.
I wonder sometimes how far away could we possibly be from flying cars and robot friends.
Todays scripture is so poignant because it reminds us how very little we have moved in the last 2000 years.
We could almost imagine if any of the 12 disciples were to show up in our modern times - we could see the cartoon-y blooper wheel as he attempts to understand our modern life and its conveniences. He would surely be out of place in our busy city, with our fast cars, and our degrees. But, any of the twelve would fit right in with our people. While they wouldn't understand the microwave, they would certainly understand our greed, lust, envy and pride. They might be confused by such simple convenience as our electric kettle, but there would be no confusion regarding our worry.
It seems that as the modern era has moved forward we have begun to worry more and more. While we work fewer hours than most generations before us, live in larger houses, accomplish more with our time, and have a greater understanding of what financial security really means - we worry just as much as we ever have.
Jesus lays out a simple plan for his followers - do not worry - and yet by and large we ignore the advice.
Now I would think that if my friend went to the doctor to complain of a serious problem - and the doctor said that he would be cured if he eats a spoon full of sugar each day - that my friend would comply with that simple advice. But instead we find so many of our friends get sicker and sicker and refuse the simple advice of the doctor.
I had friends who graduated university with 40,000 dollars in debt and immediately decided that they needed to buy a six bedroom house in a nice neighborhood. And yet they couldn't understand why they had so much stress and why they worried so much.
Jesus tells us not to worry. Jesus, the homeless carpenter/teacher, tells the gathered crowd that they shouldn't worry. Now, clearly this is a little hard to take ... because, a little worry is good. The world tells us that we should be worried about finding a place to sleep, and food to fill our stomachs. We need to earn an income and pay bills in order to be a part of normal society.
But Jesus uses the most simple and beautiful illustrations.
Take the flowers of the field for an example. All flowers are beautiful. Even the ones that sprout up as weeds are actually quite pleasant to look at. Even though they are here one day and gone the next, God gives each flower a beautiful design.
For many of us, tomorrow is a scary concept. We don't know how we're going to make it to the end of the month, we don't know how we're going to finish building our house, we don't know how many more days we can survive just eating gretchka. We don't know how we could afford to live if our parents stopped paying for things - or we don't know how our parents could afford to live if we weren't paying for things.
We simply don't know what tomorrow holds.
But we know who holds tomorrow.
As Christians we believe that God is in control. Our lives should reflect that.
Here's an example. I believe in gravity. I think that gravity is real, and I believe that it affects my life. So, if I hold this object out and drop it - and then I want to find the object again - I should look on the floor for it. I shouldn't be surprised that it has fallen, and I shouldn't live as though I expected it to ignore gravity.
When we worry, we show strong evidence of our beliefs. Worry shows that we think we are in control - or that we don't trust God who is clearly in charge.
When we trust, we show strong evidence of our beliefs. We trust that God loved us enough to send Jesus to die on a cross for the forgiveness of our sins. If God loved us that much, why wouldn't God love us enough to take care of everything else? We trust in God for our eternal salvation, why wouldn't we trust God to also handle our finances? Our daily bread? Our interactions with others?
This is such a strong part of our testimony. In this postmodern world, we will rarely win people to the gospel of Jesus Christ by proving the logical facts of the Christian religion. We will only persuade people by the actions of our lives. We must show them that something in our lives is desirable.
The freedom to trust God and remove worry from our daily lives is a radical statement of faith.
I'll tell you this right now, if you leave this place and you genuinely live out the command "do not worry" you'll have people lining up behind you following you to church next week.
Take for example the birds of the air. They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet our heavenly Father feeds them. ... but deep down, don't we all want to be a little more like them. Don't we all just want to spread our wings and fly? Don't we all wish we had the freedom to fly?
There is freedom, a tremendous freedom, in the good words of our savior this day. This week, Jesus is challenging us to set our worry aside, to trust fully in the God of heaven and earth, and to spread our wings and fly.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Saturday, February 12, 2011
On the road again...
What does grace mean to you?
When we think of the idea of grace, it might be a little challenging. In Ukrainian it’s difficult to translate a sermon on grace, because there are lots of words to use – but maybe there isn’t an exact word.
It’s difficult in English as well. We primarily use the word “grace” in a church setting. We talk about dancers being “graceful” but that really loses the meaning of the word.
Because, really, when we look outside of the Christian religion we don’t see much grace. Grace is what separates Christianity from all the other world religions. While we might share a lot of the same Holy Scriptures, and even have similar ideas and stories about God – in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ we experience grace. We didn’t do anything to earn it; it is entirely a God-thing.
And in the Christian life, we experience grace a lot. We experience grace daily as we try to live out our faith, but we have also experienced grace before we ever realized it.
If you're a Pilgrim, grace should be meaningful to you. You should think of the ways that God has shown grace to you. You should be able to remember times when you have shown grace to others.
We titled this sermon series, "On the road again..." because we believe that as Pilgrims we are on a faith journey. We are going to focus on three stories of grace in the Bible. It just so happens that all of these people were on the road to somewhere when they experienced grace. David will preach about Saul on the road to Damascus, and Jesus on the road to the cross, but tonight I will talk about Jesus and the others on the road to Emmaus.
Please read this scripture with me.
Luke 24:13-35
When I was in Thailand I was visiting a museum near the hotel I was staying at. A young couple were having some photographs taken, and I was struck by how beautiful the young woman looked in her traditional Thai dress. I spoke a little bit with the couple and asked the woman if I could take a picture of her. I thought it was a little strange that she didn't seem embarrassed that some stranger would want her picture.
We talked a little more about the museum and about the weather, and I moved on with my vacation. The next morning I was reading the local paper and on the front page were several pictures of the royal family. Front and center I saw the young couple and the beautiful princess in the traditional wedding dress she had been wearing the day before at the museum.
I had accidentally met the princess of Thailand before the Thai people. I had talked with her about the weather without knowing who she was.
In the scripture story we see Jesus interacting with people long before they realize who He is. Jesus teaches these two men while they are on their journey. He explains the scripture and helps them to understand what it means.
God does this in our own lives as well.
So imagine that we are going on a long journey together. You don't know the destination, but you're ready to go anyway. You go to pack you bags, and you find that they are already packed. You think, "Oh, I'm sure I'll need toothpaste!" and you find that it's been packed. In fact, everything you think you will need is in your suitcase - as well as several items that you're sure you will never need.
So, let's take a sit before we go on our journey and just relax a little bit.
Here: I'll get us going with some stories:
I grew up in a Christian family and went to church every Sunday. I was a pretty bad little kid. I was so bad that one of my Sunday School teachers asked my parents not to bring me back. I hated going to church, and my parents forced me to go every week. I hated church, but I still knew that there was a hole in my heart. When I was 11 I went to a summer camp - during that week away I realized that I needed to turn my life over to God. I asked forgiveness for my sins and I tried to live differently.
Now, some would say that at this moment I experienced the grace of God. But, I believe it goes much further and much deeper than that. I believe that I experienced the grace of God long before I ever acknowledged God.
God was present in my life from before I was born. In Jeremiah it is written, "For I knew you before you were formed in your mother's womb." God had a plan and a vision for my life before my parents did.
John Wesley called this idea Prevenient Grace: literally, "the grace that comes before." He had an idea of how God had been active in his life from an early age. When he was five he was rescued from a house fire. He sat at his mother's feet as she led his father's congregation while he was away on business. He learned that his life mattered and that he better do something good with it. He learned that anyone could lead and that God called all people, regardless of wealth or class, to follow Jesus.
When John Wesley grew up he became a priest - but he felt that the church he loved so much didn't show or offer grace to people. Only the wealthy were welcome inside the church. So, John and his brother Charles began a crusade to change that. They began preaching outside of the church - wherever people would listen to them. They shared with others the goodness of God, and they told people that God offered them grace.
In their small groups they offered everyone the chance to experience and express the grace of God in their own life.
In the Bible story today what is the specific thing Jesus does when the men realize who they have been speaking with? Jesus breaks the bread. When he does this, their minds flash back to the last supper where Jesus broke the bread. He had told his disciples to remember him every time they broke bread. We experience grace every time we take communion. Maybe in your own faith journey you had your first communion long before God was an important part of your life. Maybe you just didn’t care about him, but week after week God showed you grace through communion.
---
I want you to think about the ways that God has come before and led the way in your life. I want you to think about how God showed grace before you even thought about God.
---
When I look at the path my life has led, I can see God's grace working long before I acknowledged God.
Just to give one example: When I was five or six my mother had a piano student named Maxine. Maxine was an older woman and her family had come to America from Slovenia. She spoke Slovene, and enjoyed teaching me words and phrases. Some weekends my mother and I would meet her at the local nursing home where many old people spoke Slovene. I would listen as they spoke and she would show off her little student to the other Slovene speakers. Well, fast forward to the present and (ena, dve, tri, schtiri, pet) sounds a lot like the numbers in Ukrainian. Now, not many young children in America grew up hearing and learning Slavic languages. Long before I was a Christian, God was preparing me for this period of my life - right here, right now, that I get to share with you.
And God is just as active in everyone's life. God slowly but surely presses people towards faith. He graciously guides them on the path of life.
1. I want you to share the ways that God led the way in your lives with the people around you. Take a few minutes to share a few stories or examples.
2. How did Jesus show grace to you on the path of life before you ever recognized him?
3. How have you showed the grace of God to others?
If someone in your group had a really good story, I want you to bring them up here and help them tell it.
-----
God is present in everyone's life. When I look at my path I see people who have showed me the grace of God.
Sometimes it's really hard to show grace to others. It's easier to judge - and, consequently, we judge a lot more than we show grace.
God wants to use us as a way to show grace to those who do not yet believe. We must always be looking for ways to reach out to others, to show them the grace and forgiveness of God, so that we may help God to build the road for them.
Dear friends, as Pilgrims we are on a journey. Long before we knew we would take the journey; God packed our bags, God set a direction, and God prepared our fellow Pilgrims to go with us.
We are on the road again ...
[[David Goran and I are co-preaching a 3 week sermon series. We are going to try to sing the Willy Nelson song, "On the Road Again" and I plan on working up a special music number with some of the musicians to go along with the theme. David will preach on Sanctifying and Perfecting grace.]]
When we think of the idea of grace, it might be a little challenging. In Ukrainian it’s difficult to translate a sermon on grace, because there are lots of words to use – but maybe there isn’t an exact word.
It’s difficult in English as well. We primarily use the word “grace” in a church setting. We talk about dancers being “graceful” but that really loses the meaning of the word.
Because, really, when we look outside of the Christian religion we don’t see much grace. Grace is what separates Christianity from all the other world religions. While we might share a lot of the same Holy Scriptures, and even have similar ideas and stories about God – in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ we experience grace. We didn’t do anything to earn it; it is entirely a God-thing.
And in the Christian life, we experience grace a lot. We experience grace daily as we try to live out our faith, but we have also experienced grace before we ever realized it.
If you're a Pilgrim, grace should be meaningful to you. You should think of the ways that God has shown grace to you. You should be able to remember times when you have shown grace to others.
We titled this sermon series, "On the road again..." because we believe that as Pilgrims we are on a faith journey. We are going to focus on three stories of grace in the Bible. It just so happens that all of these people were on the road to somewhere when they experienced grace. David will preach about Saul on the road to Damascus, and Jesus on the road to the cross, but tonight I will talk about Jesus and the others on the road to Emmaus.
Please read this scripture with me.
Luke 24:13-35
When I was in Thailand I was visiting a museum near the hotel I was staying at. A young couple were having some photographs taken, and I was struck by how beautiful the young woman looked in her traditional Thai dress. I spoke a little bit with the couple and asked the woman if I could take a picture of her. I thought it was a little strange that she didn't seem embarrassed that some stranger would want her picture.
We talked a little more about the museum and about the weather, and I moved on with my vacation. The next morning I was reading the local paper and on the front page were several pictures of the royal family. Front and center I saw the young couple and the beautiful princess in the traditional wedding dress she had been wearing the day before at the museum.
I had accidentally met the princess of Thailand before the Thai people. I had talked with her about the weather without knowing who she was.
In the scripture story we see Jesus interacting with people long before they realize who He is. Jesus teaches these two men while they are on their journey. He explains the scripture and helps them to understand what it means.
God does this in our own lives as well.
So imagine that we are going on a long journey together. You don't know the destination, but you're ready to go anyway. You go to pack you bags, and you find that they are already packed. You think, "Oh, I'm sure I'll need toothpaste!" and you find that it's been packed. In fact, everything you think you will need is in your suitcase - as well as several items that you're sure you will never need.
So, let's take a sit before we go on our journey and just relax a little bit.
Here: I'll get us going with some stories:
I grew up in a Christian family and went to church every Sunday. I was a pretty bad little kid. I was so bad that one of my Sunday School teachers asked my parents not to bring me back. I hated going to church, and my parents forced me to go every week. I hated church, but I still knew that there was a hole in my heart. When I was 11 I went to a summer camp - during that week away I realized that I needed to turn my life over to God. I asked forgiveness for my sins and I tried to live differently.
Now, some would say that at this moment I experienced the grace of God. But, I believe it goes much further and much deeper than that. I believe that I experienced the grace of God long before I ever acknowledged God.
God was present in my life from before I was born. In Jeremiah it is written, "For I knew you before you were formed in your mother's womb." God had a plan and a vision for my life before my parents did.
John Wesley called this idea Prevenient Grace: literally, "the grace that comes before." He had an idea of how God had been active in his life from an early age. When he was five he was rescued from a house fire. He sat at his mother's feet as she led his father's congregation while he was away on business. He learned that his life mattered and that he better do something good with it. He learned that anyone could lead and that God called all people, regardless of wealth or class, to follow Jesus.
When John Wesley grew up he became a priest - but he felt that the church he loved so much didn't show or offer grace to people. Only the wealthy were welcome inside the church. So, John and his brother Charles began a crusade to change that. They began preaching outside of the church - wherever people would listen to them. They shared with others the goodness of God, and they told people that God offered them grace.
In their small groups they offered everyone the chance to experience and express the grace of God in their own life.
In the Bible story today what is the specific thing Jesus does when the men realize who they have been speaking with? Jesus breaks the bread. When he does this, their minds flash back to the last supper where Jesus broke the bread. He had told his disciples to remember him every time they broke bread. We experience grace every time we take communion. Maybe in your own faith journey you had your first communion long before God was an important part of your life. Maybe you just didn’t care about him, but week after week God showed you grace through communion.
---
I want you to think about the ways that God has come before and led the way in your life. I want you to think about how God showed grace before you even thought about God.
---
When I look at the path my life has led, I can see God's grace working long before I acknowledged God.
Just to give one example: When I was five or six my mother had a piano student named Maxine. Maxine was an older woman and her family had come to America from Slovenia. She spoke Slovene, and enjoyed teaching me words and phrases. Some weekends my mother and I would meet her at the local nursing home where many old people spoke Slovene. I would listen as they spoke and she would show off her little student to the other Slovene speakers. Well, fast forward to the present and (ena, dve, tri, schtiri, pet) sounds a lot like the numbers in Ukrainian. Now, not many young children in America grew up hearing and learning Slavic languages. Long before I was a Christian, God was preparing me for this period of my life - right here, right now, that I get to share with you.
And God is just as active in everyone's life. God slowly but surely presses people towards faith. He graciously guides them on the path of life.
1. I want you to share the ways that God led the way in your lives with the people around you. Take a few minutes to share a few stories or examples.
2. How did Jesus show grace to you on the path of life before you ever recognized him?
3. How have you showed the grace of God to others?
If someone in your group had a really good story, I want you to bring them up here and help them tell it.
-----
God is present in everyone's life. When I look at my path I see people who have showed me the grace of God.
Sometimes it's really hard to show grace to others. It's easier to judge - and, consequently, we judge a lot more than we show grace.
God wants to use us as a way to show grace to those who do not yet believe. We must always be looking for ways to reach out to others, to show them the grace and forgiveness of God, so that we may help God to build the road for them.
Dear friends, as Pilgrims we are on a journey. Long before we knew we would take the journey; God packed our bags, God set a direction, and God prepared our fellow Pilgrims to go with us.
We are on the road again ...
[[David Goran and I are co-preaching a 3 week sermon series. We are going to try to sing the Willy Nelson song, "On the Road Again" and I plan on working up a special music number with some of the musicians to go along with the theme. David will preach on Sanctifying and Perfecting grace.]]
Friday, February 04, 2011
What do these stones mean to you?
Joshua 4:1-9
As a child I really looked up to my grandparents. They lived far away and we rarely saw them. I'm told that I was always an inquisitive child. I always asked a lot of questions - and worse - I always remembered the answers I was given. I remember asking my grandparents a lot of questions about religion - because they were old, and surely they had been around back when Jesus was alive. Certainly they were around back when the church first started. So, surely they should know the answers to my questions.
Our scripture starts from the idea of inquisitive children and grandchildren. Joshua places the stones so that one day, their grandchildren will ask, "What do these stones mean to you?" "Why are they here?"
And the story that they would tell their grandchildren goes something like this:
They came to the river and they had a pretty good understanding of what would happen next. They had heard the stories that their own grandparents had told them. They rejoiced over the fact that when their ancestors had been trapped against the Red Sea and Moses raised his arms the water parted and the people crossed.
But these stones are at a different river, and they celebrate a different time that the people crossed a river.
If you've heard of the story of Joshua crossing the Jordan river, you probably have a mental picture of some guys crossing a stream. But, this was flood season. The river was much wider than normal, and the river was rushing wildly.
They came to the river and this time everything was different. Moses wasn't present. Joshua was leading and he didn't raise his staff. Joshua sent the priests and the Ark of the Covenant first - into the wild rapids. He didn't tell them to wait for the water to part - he just told them to cross. But after the priests' feet were wet, the water stopped flowing and the Jordan river dried up past where the priests were standing.
So Joshua sets up these stones to remind the people of what God had accomplished.
---
I was on the phone with my grandfather a few nights ago and he had some questions for me about our church, "Now Michael, is the church there growing? It should be." I more than gladly gave him an honest answer.
[Bring up faithfulness report slides to show the congregation.]
One year ago we worshiped in the single digits. For months we worshiped without any children. This year we begin worship with very different numbers. The sounds of lots of children echo through our space. Last week we celebrated the fact that God has brought us a long way.
But, these stones also help us to look to the future. Today, we will celebrate where God will take us next.
What does God have in store for this community? Where will God take us?
Because I'm certain that God isn't done with us, yet. I'm sure that God has even bigger plans for us.
I believe that God will use the history we share of planting this church to help us plant other new churches. God is doing just that in Stree. God will do that in other cities as well.
God will use the history we share of starting the Sunday School to help us start similar programs for children in other areas or for other age groups.
God will challenge us to dig deep and to be faithful in our giving so that our church can survive without outside support - and more than that, our church will be able to readily expand ministry to those outside of our community.
God will use our shared history of beginning home groups to help us begin a movement of home groups. We will invite others into our groups and when we get too big to fit in our homes we will divide those groups up and multiply God's blessing.
And when we look at the pile of stones in front of us, and our children ask us why they are there, we can answer honestly - they are here because we chose to be faithful to the vision God had for us. We got our feet wet and God showed up in a powerful way.
----
One of my professors tells this story of his first year on the mission field. He was in the Philippines and it was monsoon season. He and his wife had spent almost the whole year in language classes. They struggled with the language, but were really beginning to become comfortable with it. His family was on an island with an active volcano and it began to erupt. They and another family started to drive to the relative safety of another island - but all of the bridges had been washed out by the rains and the rivers. So, as the flood waters were rising, and a volcano was exploding, they put a long plank across the river, and as the waters swept at their feet they placed their children on their shoulders and tight-rope-walked across the wet plank of wood. They watched as their car and their remaining possessions were swept away with the river and they continued to climb to safer ground.
But even after this miracle of their lives and safety, they were still incredibly frustrated. They hadn't seen any fruit from their ministry. They had worked so hard at learning the language - and now they were in a city where the people spoke an entirely different language and they couldn't go back to their village for at least a month. Staying at a guest house in the city, they really didn't have anything to do.
An older man came to the gate of the guest house - and in the language that my professor had learned he said, "You're the man." You're the one from my dream. These are the symbols."
Amid a confusing conversation it came out that the old man was the leader of a tribe high in the mountains on yet another island. He had a dream with the four symbols of the guest house sign and of the young man sitting on the porch. In the dream, the voice of God had told the older man to go and find this man and to listen to him. The old man said, "God told me to come and listen. Whatever you tell me, I and all of my village will repent and follow." My professor brought the man in and told him the good news of Jesus Christ. He accompanied the old man back to the village and together they shared the good news. The whole tribe rejoiced in the good news and became followers of Jesus Christ. They immediately began making plans to go and share the good news with the other tribes on the other mountains. They set aside the wars they had been waging for generations in order to share the good news.
We as a congregation have faced some hard challenges this year. It would be easy for us to ignore the miracle that we have survived this first year in one piece. It would be easy for us to be discouraged. But somewhere in this city is a man or a woman who is waiting to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ from you.
And when their children ask them - "What do these stones mean to you?" They will also have an answer.
Those stones mean everything to us. Those stones are here because God has led the way in our past and God will build for us a future.
As a child I really looked up to my grandparents. They lived far away and we rarely saw them. I'm told that I was always an inquisitive child. I always asked a lot of questions - and worse - I always remembered the answers I was given. I remember asking my grandparents a lot of questions about religion - because they were old, and surely they had been around back when Jesus was alive. Certainly they were around back when the church first started. So, surely they should know the answers to my questions.
Our scripture starts from the idea of inquisitive children and grandchildren. Joshua places the stones so that one day, their grandchildren will ask, "What do these stones mean to you?" "Why are they here?"
And the story that they would tell their grandchildren goes something like this:
They came to the river and they had a pretty good understanding of what would happen next. They had heard the stories that their own grandparents had told them. They rejoiced over the fact that when their ancestors had been trapped against the Red Sea and Moses raised his arms the water parted and the people crossed.
But these stones are at a different river, and they celebrate a different time that the people crossed a river.
If you've heard of the story of Joshua crossing the Jordan river, you probably have a mental picture of some guys crossing a stream. But, this was flood season. The river was much wider than normal, and the river was rushing wildly.
They came to the river and this time everything was different. Moses wasn't present. Joshua was leading and he didn't raise his staff. Joshua sent the priests and the Ark of the Covenant first - into the wild rapids. He didn't tell them to wait for the water to part - he just told them to cross. But after the priests' feet were wet, the water stopped flowing and the Jordan river dried up past where the priests were standing.
So Joshua sets up these stones to remind the people of what God had accomplished.
---
I was on the phone with my grandfather a few nights ago and he had some questions for me about our church, "Now Michael, is the church there growing? It should be." I more than gladly gave him an honest answer.
[Bring up faithfulness report slides to show the congregation.]
One year ago we worshiped in the single digits. For months we worshiped without any children. This year we begin worship with very different numbers. The sounds of lots of children echo through our space. Last week we celebrated the fact that God has brought us a long way.
But, these stones also help us to look to the future. Today, we will celebrate where God will take us next.
What does God have in store for this community? Where will God take us?
Because I'm certain that God isn't done with us, yet. I'm sure that God has even bigger plans for us.
I believe that God will use the history we share of planting this church to help us plant other new churches. God is doing just that in Stree. God will do that in other cities as well.
God will use the history we share of starting the Sunday School to help us start similar programs for children in other areas or for other age groups.
God will challenge us to dig deep and to be faithful in our giving so that our church can survive without outside support - and more than that, our church will be able to readily expand ministry to those outside of our community.
God will use our shared history of beginning home groups to help us begin a movement of home groups. We will invite others into our groups and when we get too big to fit in our homes we will divide those groups up and multiply God's blessing.
And when we look at the pile of stones in front of us, and our children ask us why they are there, we can answer honestly - they are here because we chose to be faithful to the vision God had for us. We got our feet wet and God showed up in a powerful way.
----
One of my professors tells this story of his first year on the mission field. He was in the Philippines and it was monsoon season. He and his wife had spent almost the whole year in language classes. They struggled with the language, but were really beginning to become comfortable with it. His family was on an island with an active volcano and it began to erupt. They and another family started to drive to the relative safety of another island - but all of the bridges had been washed out by the rains and the rivers. So, as the flood waters were rising, and a volcano was exploding, they put a long plank across the river, and as the waters swept at their feet they placed their children on their shoulders and tight-rope-walked across the wet plank of wood. They watched as their car and their remaining possessions were swept away with the river and they continued to climb to safer ground.
But even after this miracle of their lives and safety, they were still incredibly frustrated. They hadn't seen any fruit from their ministry. They had worked so hard at learning the language - and now they were in a city where the people spoke an entirely different language and they couldn't go back to their village for at least a month. Staying at a guest house in the city, they really didn't have anything to do.
An older man came to the gate of the guest house - and in the language that my professor had learned he said, "You're the man." You're the one from my dream. These are the symbols."
Amid a confusing conversation it came out that the old man was the leader of a tribe high in the mountains on yet another island. He had a dream with the four symbols of the guest house sign and of the young man sitting on the porch. In the dream, the voice of God had told the older man to go and find this man and to listen to him. The old man said, "God told me to come and listen. Whatever you tell me, I and all of my village will repent and follow." My professor brought the man in and told him the good news of Jesus Christ. He accompanied the old man back to the village and together they shared the good news. The whole tribe rejoiced in the good news and became followers of Jesus Christ. They immediately began making plans to go and share the good news with the other tribes on the other mountains. They set aside the wars they had been waging for generations in order to share the good news.
We as a congregation have faced some hard challenges this year. It would be easy for us to ignore the miracle that we have survived this first year in one piece. It would be easy for us to be discouraged. But somewhere in this city is a man or a woman who is waiting to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ from you.
And when their children ask them - "What do these stones mean to you?" They will also have an answer.
Those stones mean everything to us. Those stones are here because God has led the way in our past and God will build for us a future.
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
In response...
UMC.org recently posted an article about a statement recently released by 33 retired Bishops calling for an end to the ban of gay and lesbian clergy.
In opposition, Bishop Whitaker responded, "We have the Church — with a capital C — in many different cultural settings, and in those different cultural settings, there are different understandings of human sexuality. I think in making its decisions, the Church must be mindful of its responsibility to its members in all its cultural settings and not just select ones.”
This is a recurrent line by people who wish that the conversation would go away, and it is basically a moot point.
This statement is a double-edged sword. In some African, Asian, and Eastern European contexts the United Methodist Church would be laughed out the door and seen as a great disgrace for allowing gay and lesbian clergy. In other areas - Western Europe, some Asian countries, and some areas in the Americas - the United Methodist Church is ignored as culturally irrelevant for our sexual hang-ups and lack of acceptance.
I think that it would be foolish of any church to hold cultural norms as a deciding factor in theological ideals. The base point is that the Gospel of Jesus Christ transforms cultures. It doesn't bend and shape until it finds a comfortable position that lines up with society - it re-invents society.
When missionaries first went to Africa they reported cannibalism, inter-tribal warfare, the worship of animistic gods, and all other sorts of evil. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has transformed the lives of those present in the church. For those who have accepted the grace and love of Jesus Christ - animism, cannibalism, and other cultural items have become a historical footnote.
I'm not entirely convinced that our missionaries didn't also bring the strong hatred for GLBT people that is so prevalent. Along with the gospel, we imported many of our own cultural ideas and understandings. This is why many churches in Africa have pipe organs and bell towers. This might also be the reason that Christians in Africa believe it is okay to hate gay and lesbian people.
Ugandan David Kato, a gay rights activist, was recently murdered in his home after local newspapers posted photos and home addresses of many gay and lesbian people fighting for basic human rights. Allegedly, the paper specifically called for mob justice. The church was relatively silent on his death. In other parts of Africa recent reports indicate that the number of "restorative rapes," in which a lesbian is raped by groups of men in order to convince her to become heterosexual, is on the rise.
In Ukraine, where I serve as an Individual Volunteer, GLBT people are scared for their lives. I'm close friends with a lesbian couple - and they risk their lives every time they are seen together in public. I could write stories they have told me about the abuse they and their GLBT friends have endured; but you probably wouldn't believe them. One Christian who visited the United Methodist church in Ukraine asked me, "Do you beat homosexuals in America?" He went on to explain that maybe if we beat homosexuals in America we wouldn't have so many of them. This, he explains, is what he learned at his church.
So, the point has been raised that out of respect for Christians in other cultures we should drop the subject and stop pushing for the ordination of gays and lesbians. I would respond that out of love for the world, we should pray that Christ would transform their cultures - and that we must fight for the safety of gay and lesbian people in all countries.
On a recent trip to the Philippines I attended Makati City UMC. It's a medium size church in a shady section of Manila. Nestled between a trans-gender strip club and a Korean butcher shop, the church is literally caught in the middle of this issue. They have chosen the route of love. They love and support the GLBT community, and the youth are actively seeking ways to reach out to this community on their block.
When I was an exchange student in Russia I lived in a small town. There was only one small protestant church and there was only one other young person who attended. Masha and I were good friends because of our common faith. She came to me one day with a look of absolute brokenness. Her friend Misha, who was gay, was going to get beat up. The boys at school had apparently been planning it for several days and by the time Masha and I got there quite a large, angry mob had gathered around Misha. Luckily, a language-challenged American always serves as a good diversion - and Masha was able to help Misha escape. When I look back at all of my mission work; I would probably count that day as one of the most missional things I have ever done. Because Masha and I were protestants, it was a natural extension that we would protect someone from harm.
I guess in this conversation, one key distinction must be made clear: we must wait expectantly for Christ to transform our own culture as well. I am strongly opposed to legislative overhauls within the church. True transformation of hearts is needed on this issue. People must be convinced that God loves and accepts all people through an international grassroots effort. No vote at any General Conference will solve this problem - but consistent love and generous grace on a large scale would be able to change hearts and minds. When our denomination makes a stand that all people are worthy of the grace of God and that none is truly righteous to earn the calling of pastor - and extends ordination to all of our brothers and sisters in Christ - this will be one small step in the transformation of the world.
As United Methodist we are called to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. May it be so. Amen.
In opposition, Bishop Whitaker responded, "We have the Church — with a capital C — in many different cultural settings, and in those different cultural settings, there are different understandings of human sexuality. I think in making its decisions, the Church must be mindful of its responsibility to its members in all its cultural settings and not just select ones.”
This is a recurrent line by people who wish that the conversation would go away, and it is basically a moot point.
This statement is a double-edged sword. In some African, Asian, and Eastern European contexts the United Methodist Church would be laughed out the door and seen as a great disgrace for allowing gay and lesbian clergy. In other areas - Western Europe, some Asian countries, and some areas in the Americas - the United Methodist Church is ignored as culturally irrelevant for our sexual hang-ups and lack of acceptance.
I think that it would be foolish of any church to hold cultural norms as a deciding factor in theological ideals. The base point is that the Gospel of Jesus Christ transforms cultures. It doesn't bend and shape until it finds a comfortable position that lines up with society - it re-invents society.
When missionaries first went to Africa they reported cannibalism, inter-tribal warfare, the worship of animistic gods, and all other sorts of evil. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has transformed the lives of those present in the church. For those who have accepted the grace and love of Jesus Christ - animism, cannibalism, and other cultural items have become a historical footnote.
I'm not entirely convinced that our missionaries didn't also bring the strong hatred for GLBT people that is so prevalent. Along with the gospel, we imported many of our own cultural ideas and understandings. This is why many churches in Africa have pipe organs and bell towers. This might also be the reason that Christians in Africa believe it is okay to hate gay and lesbian people.
Ugandan David Kato, a gay rights activist, was recently murdered in his home after local newspapers posted photos and home addresses of many gay and lesbian people fighting for basic human rights. Allegedly, the paper specifically called for mob justice. The church was relatively silent on his death. In other parts of Africa recent reports indicate that the number of "restorative rapes," in which a lesbian is raped by groups of men in order to convince her to become heterosexual, is on the rise.
In Ukraine, where I serve as an Individual Volunteer, GLBT people are scared for their lives. I'm close friends with a lesbian couple - and they risk their lives every time they are seen together in public. I could write stories they have told me about the abuse they and their GLBT friends have endured; but you probably wouldn't believe them. One Christian who visited the United Methodist church in Ukraine asked me, "Do you beat homosexuals in America?" He went on to explain that maybe if we beat homosexuals in America we wouldn't have so many of them. This, he explains, is what he learned at his church.
So, the point has been raised that out of respect for Christians in other cultures we should drop the subject and stop pushing for the ordination of gays and lesbians. I would respond that out of love for the world, we should pray that Christ would transform their cultures - and that we must fight for the safety of gay and lesbian people in all countries.
On a recent trip to the Philippines I attended Makati City UMC. It's a medium size church in a shady section of Manila. Nestled between a trans-gender strip club and a Korean butcher shop, the church is literally caught in the middle of this issue. They have chosen the route of love. They love and support the GLBT community, and the youth are actively seeking ways to reach out to this community on their block.
When I was an exchange student in Russia I lived in a small town. There was only one small protestant church and there was only one other young person who attended. Masha and I were good friends because of our common faith. She came to me one day with a look of absolute brokenness. Her friend Misha, who was gay, was going to get beat up. The boys at school had apparently been planning it for several days and by the time Masha and I got there quite a large, angry mob had gathered around Misha. Luckily, a language-challenged American always serves as a good diversion - and Masha was able to help Misha escape. When I look back at all of my mission work; I would probably count that day as one of the most missional things I have ever done. Because Masha and I were protestants, it was a natural extension that we would protect someone from harm.
I guess in this conversation, one key distinction must be made clear: we must wait expectantly for Christ to transform our own culture as well. I am strongly opposed to legislative overhauls within the church. True transformation of hearts is needed on this issue. People must be convinced that God loves and accepts all people through an international grassroots effort. No vote at any General Conference will solve this problem - but consistent love and generous grace on a large scale would be able to change hearts and minds. When our denomination makes a stand that all people are worthy of the grace of God and that none is truly righteous to earn the calling of pastor - and extends ordination to all of our brothers and sisters in Christ - this will be one small step in the transformation of the world.
As United Methodist we are called to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. May it be so. Amen.
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Fred was born the son of a railroad worker. His mother died of throat cancer at 28. His great aunt raised him and his sister until his father could get back on his feet. She died in a tragic car crash some years later.
Fred graduated from high school as a bright 16 year old. He was accepted to West Point. One night he went to a Methodist revival meeting - and after that night he decided that he couldn't in good conscience attend West Point and he decided to become a minister instead. He worked with a Billy Graham crusade out west while he was in school
His education was rocky - but he eventually completed the necessary schooling to become a pastor and a lawyer. He was a great civil rights attorney - one third of the civil rights cases on the docket in Kansas were brought by him and his law firm. His children tell stories of their car windows being shot out while their father dismantled Jim Crowe laws.
Fred Phelps was ordained as the pastor of an independent baptist church. Over the years, he grew tired of watching other churches be weak on the issues of sin. There was a park near his home where many gay men went to find random partners. One day he intercepted as one man tried to lure his five year old son into the bushes. He began to place notices around the park, and asked other churches to join his crusade. As he grew angrier and more violent, the other churches slowly backed off their support. As the other churches showed their love of sin more, he became angrier and more violent.
Today Fred Phelps and his congregation are internationally infamous for their protests and picketing. The young man who pledged his life to God at 16 has followed a path that strays far from religious convention. He has taught his children and his grandchildren to hate in the name of Jesus.
We risk so much in preaching the gospel. We have no control over how people hear the words we say, or what they will do with it. The person in the pew could be the next Billy Graham or the next Fred Phelps. They could take your words out of context and come to any conclusion they want.
And that's a risk we must be willing to take. We must humbly offer our words up to God - in the full knowledge that they are either his or they aren't worth speaking.
Fred graduated from high school as a bright 16 year old. He was accepted to West Point. One night he went to a Methodist revival meeting - and after that night he decided that he couldn't in good conscience attend West Point and he decided to become a minister instead. He worked with a Billy Graham crusade out west while he was in school
His education was rocky - but he eventually completed the necessary schooling to become a pastor and a lawyer. He was a great civil rights attorney - one third of the civil rights cases on the docket in Kansas were brought by him and his law firm. His children tell stories of their car windows being shot out while their father dismantled Jim Crowe laws.
Fred Phelps was ordained as the pastor of an independent baptist church. Over the years, he grew tired of watching other churches be weak on the issues of sin. There was a park near his home where many gay men went to find random partners. One day he intercepted as one man tried to lure his five year old son into the bushes. He began to place notices around the park, and asked other churches to join his crusade. As he grew angrier and more violent, the other churches slowly backed off their support. As the other churches showed their love of sin more, he became angrier and more violent.
Today Fred Phelps and his congregation are internationally infamous for their protests and picketing. The young man who pledged his life to God at 16 has followed a path that strays far from religious convention. He has taught his children and his grandchildren to hate in the name of Jesus.
We risk so much in preaching the gospel. We have no control over how people hear the words we say, or what they will do with it. The person in the pew could be the next Billy Graham or the next Fred Phelps. They could take your words out of context and come to any conclusion they want.
And that's a risk we must be willing to take. We must humbly offer our words up to God - in the full knowledge that they are either his or they aren't worth speaking.
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