"On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him." - John 2:1-11
Start sermon by bringing out a wine glass.
Wine has been around for thousands of years. In historical settings where water was unsafe to drink, most often people drank wine. Wine is an important part of dozens of cultures. You can't be Italian or French without a nice glass of wine in your hand. Wine doesn't have the same reputation as other alcohols. Vodka and other hard liquors are just used for getting drunk. Beer is often seen as a little low-brow. It's something to drink while sitting on a bench in a park. But wine is different. Wine is used for celebrating. Nothing is as clear a sign of refinement and celebration as uncorking a nice bottle of wine. Wine is a symbol of great wealth. The rich relish in ordering a bottle with a label that clearly shows refinement and taste. University students drink wine out of a box, their parents uncork a bottle with a dog riding a unicycle on the label.
Wine is a symbol of an elegant, delightful party.
[At this point I will bring out a second wine glass and clearly pour grape juice into it for my translator
A TOAST: May you share in the greatest party of your lives. May we find joy together and embrace it with our whole hearts. будьмо!
Today I want to talk about parties and my favorite partier.
It's my last sermon with you - so I can say anything that I want and get away with it. If you have theological questions, feel free to ask David tomorrow.
Jesus was a partier. At least that was the reputation he had. He went to parties thrown by anarchists and attended by prostitutes. When we think of Jesus, many of us think of a quiet reserved man, in a field silently tending sheep as David portrayed him two weeks ago. Someone who would fit in better in a library than a bar. But Jesus' enemies felt quiet differently about him. They lambasted him for his ways. They felt that his lifestyle choices were shameful.
And they weren't so far from the truth. Now we assume that because Jesus was without sin, that Jesus always drank in moderation. We would be wise to do likewise. But whether Jesus drank at all, he was still present and active at some wild parties. His friends were people that you probably wouldn't hang out with. But maybe you should.
...
Life in Christ isn't about following the rules or trying to earn rewards or entrance to heaven. Life in Christ is a party - and you're invited.
This was the third day of the wedding. People had been drunk for three straight days, and Jesus felt it necessary to turn water into wine.
A lot of us were taught the rules of religion when we were growing up. Don’t do this. Don’t do that. Don’t lie, don’t cheat. Throw salt over your left shoulder to knock the devil off. We were taught the rules.
Because it’s a lot easier to teach a toddler not to touch a hot stove, than it is to teach that same toddler how to use that stove to cook the most exquisite meals the world has ever tasted.
When I look at global Christianity, the thing that turns my stomach into knots- the truth that causes great anguish and pain- is that most Christians never move beyond the instruction of rules and regulations of the faith.
Sermon after sermon, book after book, angry grandmother after angry grandmother – they all point to the same thing: we are children and we are going to get burned by the stove.
We are not children anymore. It is time for our faith in Christ to move beyond the gentle instruction reserved for toddlers. We must move into a maturity of faith. We must no longer be afraid of the stove, and instead we must learn to cook delicious meals on it.
Because living in the fullness of Christ is a party. It’s a lavish affair that goes on and on and on. Jesus and his disciples show up while the party is in full swing. It has been going on for several days – and then they run out of wine. Not only does Jesus support the merits of having an occasional glass of wine for your health – he embraces the joy, delight, and merriment of a drunken party lasting well into next week.
Jesus tells the head servant to take a cup and fill it with water and take that cup of water to the man sitting at the head of the table. Now, if you or I were asked this request – we would go to the faucet. But, this was Cana 2000 years ago. They didn’t have faucets – they didn’t have running water. The water wasn’t safe to drink – so they didn’t keep “drinking water" around. They lived in the desert. This head servant dipped his cup into the only water supply in the house – the water that had been used in the ceremonial washing.
As guests arrived over the three day long party, the servants used the whole supply of water to wash the feet of the guests. The wedding party and the most important guests would have washed first – with clean water. Women, children, servants, slaves, and late-comers would have washed with the dirty water that was left over.
It was this dirty water, this used-up source, that was available when Jesus asked the servant to take some water to the head of the household.
Now, these were harsh times for servants and slaves. If the servant brought you a cup of filthy, muddy water – you didn’t laugh it off as a good prank; you had his head cut off for insubordination.
Although this man has never seen Jesus perform a miracle (remember, this was Jesus’ first public miracle), and has maybe never even heard him preach, he has had the privilege of interacting with Jesus. He and his fellow servants have washed the feet of Jesus and the disciples as they entered the party. What about that 20 minute interaction let the head-servant know that he could trust his job – his very life – to the words and actions of this wandering teacher and his twelve disciples? Maybe the servant knew Mary well and trusted her words intimately. We will never know for sure.
But we do know, he trusted Jesus enough to dip his chalice into dirty, used up water and walked to the front of the hall to deliver the most delicious wine ever created to the head of the party.
Jesus is asking the same of you. First, he’s asking you to trust him. You've known Jesus for longer than 20 minutes. Just as Mary says to the servant, I say to you this day, "Do whatever he tells you."
He’s asking you to take a real leap of faith and to really trust him. Jesus wants you to really trust him with not only your job and the respect that people show you, but He wants you to risk even your very life.
Second, he's asking you to dip into the dirty water of the world. Because if we want to see a miracle, we have to work with what we've got.
This world is dirty and filthy. People are mean and cruel. I could read you statistics about how many people are addicted to drugs, how many people get raped, how many children go to bed hungry at night, how many people are beat up in hate crimes because of the color of their skin or because of whom they love, or how many people are killed in violent crimes every year. I could read you these statistics, but I think that deep down you already know them. You know that we live in a fallen world.
So instead, I'll read you the hope and promise that Christ has given us. “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
Jesus Christ is the best wine the world has ever tasted. Jesus wants us to stand up and have the courage to dip into the filthy, dirty world and to know that from that we will pull out the finest wine. When we are ready and willing to get our hands dirty and to engage with the world - at that point we will experience the fullness of Jesus Christ as Savior who can move the mountains.
Trust that the Holy Spirit will guide you. Don't just give a few coins to the old lady holding out a cup - ask her to share her story. Think about where you spend your free time and where people who don't know Jesus spend theirs.
There's this really beautiful miracle that Jesus wants to make happen, but he needs you to take the lead and dip into the dirty water and to risk your life to bring it to the world. I don't know what it is, but I think that you should "Do whatever he tells you."
After 13 beautiful months, today is my final day in L'viv. I refuse to mourn this fact. In Jesus Christ, life is a party. We have celebrated and partied together for 13 months, and as brothers and sisters we will continue to party together for all of eternity. Whether I come back in a few months or a few years or whether we don't get to see each other again until we are with Jesus; the party continues.
This day Jesus is asking us all to trust Him and do as he says. Leaving this place today is part of that trust. While it breaks my heart to say goodbye, I will gladly dip my chalice into this dirty water - because I have the hope and the promise that Jesus Christ saves the best for last. The best is yet to come, and we are part of making that happen.
May you always have the freedom to live in the joy of Christ. May you have the courage to celebrate and party in the face of danger and strife. Amen.
Monday, April 04, 2011
Saturday, April 02, 2011
My final sermon at L'viv UMC.
A parable:
I once knew a couple who were farmers, and we used to go often to visit their farm. At one point in my childhood, finances got tight and they had to close down the farm for a few years. They sold all of the livestock and didn't plant any new crops. The barns stood empty and the fields were bare. But, for these two farmers, their lives revolved around the farming community. Their calendar had been filled with farming, farming conferences, cattle auctions, and shows.
So, with or without the farm, they continued with their farming lifestyle. They attended farming conferences. They listened to lectures about the latest farming technologies. They discussed which seed varieties worked best in their region. They learned about which tractors and combines were most effective to plow and to harvest.
And then they went home. They didn't farm. They talked about how helpful the farming conference had been and they both agreed that it had made them better farmers.
They went to cattle auctions and watched as other people bid on cows. Then they went home. They looked out at the empty barn and shrugged their shoulders. They didn't plant and they didn't harvest for another year.
The next year they eagerly signed up again for the regional farming conference. They were so excited to learn how to be better farmers, and to be taught how to grow and harvest more effectively. They were really ready for this conference to make them even better farmers than the conference the year before.
----
After I became a Christian I wasted several years. I didn't share my faith with anyone for a long time because I was afraid. I assumed that I didn't have the right words, or that I couldn't answer their questions. I was afraid that people would reject me. I read books on the subject, and listened to sermons about it, but I never took that first step of sharing my faith.
I love the simplicity of the witness of the man in today's story. He sees that the Pharisees are stuck on some complex theological issue and he states simply that he doesn't know the answer. But he continues, "One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!"
It's this simple answer that the divided world is looking for. While professors and lawyers argue over great theological questions - the rest of us are left to give the simple answer. We can only share what we know. "I was blind but now I see!" I hated everything about myself and now I love myself. I was an angry drunk and now I love my family. I was a sinner and now I'm forgiven.
I want you to watch this video.
[I'm not sure if we'll watch the whole video in church ... maybe just a few minutes. I really wrestled with the idea of performing this, or making this interactive somehow. I'm not done wrestling yet!]
I want you to think about your own life. Could you explain what Jesus has done on one piece of paper? Could you then stand up on a stage and show that paper to everyone else? Could you say those two phrases to someone that you really love?
These last few weeks we've been preaching about sharing our faith. We hope that we have helped you become more confident and motivated to share your faith. As Christians, we believe that our collective testimony is powerful and world-changing. I want to share three stories with you all today that highlight this fact:
Almost 300 years ago the Methodist movement began. It grew out of frustration with the established church. It was a time in church history when the church was dead. The wealthy and the powerful went to church to be seen. The poor and the powerless were simply not welcome.
John and Charles Wesley came from an odd family life. Their father had been a priest, but he left his congregation to move to the city. His wife, Susanna, felt that it was important that her children have instruction - so she began teaching them on Sunday mornings. Well, soon enough, the other mothers found out about the Bible classes and asked if their children could also attend. And soon the mothers also began attending. And then the fathers began attending.
Susanna Wesley soon had a thriving congregation on her hands - and, unintentionally, she was their priest. So the Wesley children grew up with the knowledge that God worked in strange and wonderful ways - and that God worked through all kinds of people.
When the Wesley brothers were old enough they became priests as well, but the sensed that the church was dying - if not already dead! People with great wealth went to church on Sunday morning to be seen by others. The poor were no longer welcome in the church. The job of "priest" had become a profitable career choice. The Wesley brothers wanted to see their church come alive again. They became part of a home group - and during this time their hearts were strangely warmed. They began to see the problems that had been slowly eating away at the church.
They began preaching to all people. If the poor weren't welcomed into the church - then neither was Jesus and neither were the Wesley brothers. They would go and preach somewhere else. They preached the good news that Jesus Christ died for sinners and that all may be made right with God through Jesus - and they preached it everywhere. They preached in marketplaces and they stood on tombstones and preached it in cemeteries. Crowds gathered to hear this radical idea - and this idea is still radical today! - and the Wesley brothers formed these men and women into home groups.
75 years ago Elaine Neale was growing up in a poor immigrant family. Her father was a mean drunk and it wasn't uncommon for the children to have bruises. One of her neighbors attended the Methodist church in her little town, and came over one day to ask if she could bring Elaine and her sisters to Sunday School with her own children. Each Sunday she would walk with her sisters to the local United Methodist church.
They went to the United Methodist church because they were welcome there. People loved them there. To the people at that little United Methodist congregation; it didn't matter how poor those little girls were, it didn't matter how much of a drunk their daddy was, and it didn't matter that they didn't know anything about the Bible or how good people behaved. What mattered was that Jesus loved them, and so did the people of that little church.
I am standing here today because that woman had the courage to invite my grandmother to church and because that little church loved her and her sister's unconditionally.
In Mongolia I met several people with the name Nergyui. Now, in Mongolia people attribute great importance to names. I assumed that Nergyui must be a particularly beautiful and meaningful name. I asked one of the boys named Nergyui what his name meant and his eyes looked toward the floor. "My name means, 'no name'" he said.
In Mongolia, if a child dies, his or her name is no longer considered beautiful. So, if parents think that a child will die they choose not to waste a good name on them. I met many such people. Ter bish - not this. no one. nothing.
All of their lives, the world had told them that they were nothing - but in the church they found that they were so precious that God was willing to give Jesus to be nothing in their place. The United Methodist church in Mongolia is filled with such people. These people find the meaning and purpose that their lives had always been missing.
I share these examples to show the church in three very different locations and time periods working at its best. These were churches that looked beyond what the world saw and in turn they were able to transform the world.
In the past I have been afraid to share my faith because I felt like I was doing it simply for myself. I was trying to make myself feel better, or I was trying to be a better Christian because witnessing was what I was "supposed to do." When we share our faith with the world, we move in the direction of transformation.
If that neighbor lady hadn't invited my grandmother to church, I wouldn't be here today. For three generations we have worked for the cause of the gospel. We have shared our faith and we have fought for social change. I am very, very thankful that that woman worked up the courage to ask if she could bring my grandmother and her sisters to church. I owe a lot of my life and my ministry to her.
When we share our faith in big and small ways, we receive a blessing. But the fried that we share with also receives a blessing. Whether he or she accepts or rejects your words, the blessing is in part simply knowing that you care enough to share. If that friend accepts, his or her life will be blessed immeasurably by God. The world will be blessed by the new life that person has in God. The people they share with will be blessed.
When Jesus spat in the mud and placed it in the eyes of the blind man, he opened his eyes to a whole new world. The man had never seen anything before. He and his family had been shunned by the community because of his blindness - and now he could see. His life had been transformed by Jesus Christ and he was ready to tell the whole world.
You know, there are a lot of people who will tell you that it's wrong to share your faith. The pharisees were angry and upset that Jesus had performed this miracle. As though there was something sinful about opening someone's eyes to a whole new world. If people felt this way about Jesus, you can bet the farm that they'll feel the same way when you do it. People will be upset when you help to open people's hearts to God.
But, do you know who wasn't upset or angry? The blind man. He was thrilled to have his sight back. He was so overjoyed that he was ready to share his faith even with the powerful and important men who were clearly angry at this Jesus who "sinned" by healing on the Sabbath. No matter how you go about it, any person whose life is changed by Jesus Christ will be glad that you shared with them.
Go forth this day, armed with nothing but your simple story, and transform this world for Jesus Christ.
I once knew a couple who were farmers, and we used to go often to visit their farm. At one point in my childhood, finances got tight and they had to close down the farm for a few years. They sold all of the livestock and didn't plant any new crops. The barns stood empty and the fields were bare. But, for these two farmers, their lives revolved around the farming community. Their calendar had been filled with farming, farming conferences, cattle auctions, and shows.
So, with or without the farm, they continued with their farming lifestyle. They attended farming conferences. They listened to lectures about the latest farming technologies. They discussed which seed varieties worked best in their region. They learned about which tractors and combines were most effective to plow and to harvest.
And then they went home. They didn't farm. They talked about how helpful the farming conference had been and they both agreed that it had made them better farmers.
They went to cattle auctions and watched as other people bid on cows. Then they went home. They looked out at the empty barn and shrugged their shoulders. They didn't plant and they didn't harvest for another year.
The next year they eagerly signed up again for the regional farming conference. They were so excited to learn how to be better farmers, and to be taught how to grow and harvest more effectively. They were really ready for this conference to make them even better farmers than the conference the year before.
----
After I became a Christian I wasted several years. I didn't share my faith with anyone for a long time because I was afraid. I assumed that I didn't have the right words, or that I couldn't answer their questions. I was afraid that people would reject me. I read books on the subject, and listened to sermons about it, but I never took that first step of sharing my faith.
I love the simplicity of the witness of the man in today's story. He sees that the Pharisees are stuck on some complex theological issue and he states simply that he doesn't know the answer. But he continues, "One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!"
It's this simple answer that the divided world is looking for. While professors and lawyers argue over great theological questions - the rest of us are left to give the simple answer. We can only share what we know. "I was blind but now I see!" I hated everything about myself and now I love myself. I was an angry drunk and now I love my family. I was a sinner and now I'm forgiven.
I want you to watch this video.
[I'm not sure if we'll watch the whole video in church ... maybe just a few minutes. I really wrestled with the idea of performing this, or making this interactive somehow. I'm not done wrestling yet!]
I want you to think about your own life. Could you explain what Jesus has done on one piece of paper? Could you then stand up on a stage and show that paper to everyone else? Could you say those two phrases to someone that you really love?
These last few weeks we've been preaching about sharing our faith. We hope that we have helped you become more confident and motivated to share your faith. As Christians, we believe that our collective testimony is powerful and world-changing. I want to share three stories with you all today that highlight this fact:
Almost 300 years ago the Methodist movement began. It grew out of frustration with the established church. It was a time in church history when the church was dead. The wealthy and the powerful went to church to be seen. The poor and the powerless were simply not welcome.
John and Charles Wesley came from an odd family life. Their father had been a priest, but he left his congregation to move to the city. His wife, Susanna, felt that it was important that her children have instruction - so she began teaching them on Sunday mornings. Well, soon enough, the other mothers found out about the Bible classes and asked if their children could also attend. And soon the mothers also began attending. And then the fathers began attending.
Susanna Wesley soon had a thriving congregation on her hands - and, unintentionally, she was their priest. So the Wesley children grew up with the knowledge that God worked in strange and wonderful ways - and that God worked through all kinds of people.
When the Wesley brothers were old enough they became priests as well, but the sensed that the church was dying - if not already dead! People with great wealth went to church on Sunday morning to be seen by others. The poor were no longer welcome in the church. The job of "priest" had become a profitable career choice. The Wesley brothers wanted to see their church come alive again. They became part of a home group - and during this time their hearts were strangely warmed. They began to see the problems that had been slowly eating away at the church.
They began preaching to all people. If the poor weren't welcomed into the church - then neither was Jesus and neither were the Wesley brothers. They would go and preach somewhere else. They preached the good news that Jesus Christ died for sinners and that all may be made right with God through Jesus - and they preached it everywhere. They preached in marketplaces and they stood on tombstones and preached it in cemeteries. Crowds gathered to hear this radical idea - and this idea is still radical today! - and the Wesley brothers formed these men and women into home groups.
75 years ago Elaine Neale was growing up in a poor immigrant family. Her father was a mean drunk and it wasn't uncommon for the children to have bruises. One of her neighbors attended the Methodist church in her little town, and came over one day to ask if she could bring Elaine and her sisters to Sunday School with her own children. Each Sunday she would walk with her sisters to the local United Methodist church.
They went to the United Methodist church because they were welcome there. People loved them there. To the people at that little United Methodist congregation; it didn't matter how poor those little girls were, it didn't matter how much of a drunk their daddy was, and it didn't matter that they didn't know anything about the Bible or how good people behaved. What mattered was that Jesus loved them, and so did the people of that little church.
I am standing here today because that woman had the courage to invite my grandmother to church and because that little church loved her and her sister's unconditionally.
In Mongolia I met several people with the name Nergyui. Now, in Mongolia people attribute great importance to names. I assumed that Nergyui must be a particularly beautiful and meaningful name. I asked one of the boys named Nergyui what his name meant and his eyes looked toward the floor. "My name means, 'no name'" he said.
In Mongolia, if a child dies, his or her name is no longer considered beautiful. So, if parents think that a child will die they choose not to waste a good name on them. I met many such people. Ter bish - not this. no one. nothing.
All of their lives, the world had told them that they were nothing - but in the church they found that they were so precious that God was willing to give Jesus to be nothing in their place. The United Methodist church in Mongolia is filled with such people. These people find the meaning and purpose that their lives had always been missing.
I share these examples to show the church in three very different locations and time periods working at its best. These were churches that looked beyond what the world saw and in turn they were able to transform the world.
In the past I have been afraid to share my faith because I felt like I was doing it simply for myself. I was trying to make myself feel better, or I was trying to be a better Christian because witnessing was what I was "supposed to do." When we share our faith with the world, we move in the direction of transformation.
If that neighbor lady hadn't invited my grandmother to church, I wouldn't be here today. For three generations we have worked for the cause of the gospel. We have shared our faith and we have fought for social change. I am very, very thankful that that woman worked up the courage to ask if she could bring my grandmother and her sisters to church. I owe a lot of my life and my ministry to her.
When we share our faith in big and small ways, we receive a blessing. But the fried that we share with also receives a blessing. Whether he or she accepts or rejects your words, the blessing is in part simply knowing that you care enough to share. If that friend accepts, his or her life will be blessed immeasurably by God. The world will be blessed by the new life that person has in God. The people they share with will be blessed.
When Jesus spat in the mud and placed it in the eyes of the blind man, he opened his eyes to a whole new world. The man had never seen anything before. He and his family had been shunned by the community because of his blindness - and now he could see. His life had been transformed by Jesus Christ and he was ready to tell the whole world.
You know, there are a lot of people who will tell you that it's wrong to share your faith. The pharisees were angry and upset that Jesus had performed this miracle. As though there was something sinful about opening someone's eyes to a whole new world. If people felt this way about Jesus, you can bet the farm that they'll feel the same way when you do it. People will be upset when you help to open people's hearts to God.
But, do you know who wasn't upset or angry? The blind man. He was thrilled to have his sight back. He was so overjoyed that he was ready to share his faith even with the powerful and important men who were clearly angry at this Jesus who "sinned" by healing on the Sabbath. No matter how you go about it, any person whose life is changed by Jesus Christ will be glad that you shared with them.
Go forth this day, armed with nothing but your simple story, and transform this world for Jesus Christ.
Monday, March 14, 2011
I celebrated Christmas today. It was one of those random moments that I'm slightly notorious for. There remains a slight perception that in my family people either end up eccentric or crazy - and I have few qualms about embracing eccentricity.
Truth be told, the need to celebrate Christmas had something to do with losing Jonathan. There was some hint of grief and indwelling sadness, a hint that might remain for some time. I couldn't quite make the connection. It's like the lochness monster, I'm still convinced that it's there - I just couldn't find it.
I cooked a traditional Christmas dinner, invited a friend over, and watched some Christmas specials. It was perfect like the morning after the last Pancake and Pajama night. The one with Rebecca still in Georgia. A group had spent the night and studied for a math exam. I was more than ready, and managed to sleep at least 6 hours while everyone else crammed. I was the only one to pass the exam. In the morning, Rebecca made us all pancakes before she went into work. She made a Mickey mouse pancake for Jonathan. It was perfect like Christmas dinner in March.
It feels a little bit as though so many things are broken in my life. I banter around the phrase "in my broken Ukrainian" to describe all of my conversations; this as though at one point I had spoken Ukrainian quiet lovely and fluently and then one day a neighborhood kid hit a baseball through it and suddenly it was broken.
We need a better word:
Flailing?
Stuttered?
Slovenly?
Because it's not that things are broken. It's that things are flailing about in a slovenly fashion. I stutter over the remains of self confidence and stop-gap at memories.
I can't mention baseball without remembering the time that Jonathan was staying at my house and the tree branch fell on my neighbor's roof. It made a tremendous noise, and sounded like someone had broken down the door. By the time I sat up and reached under my bed for the baseball bat, Jonathan was already out on the porch in - with my baseball bat in hand, in nothing but his underwear. It was another of those eccentric moments that made my gossipy neighbors overjoyed.
It will take a while to deal with this grief. It will help to go to his graveside, to visit with his family, to talk with our friends about him. But, this too shall pass. I'll move past mandating holidays and word-association games. Eventually I'll get to the point were things are back to normal. I'll forgive easily and I'll love easily, again.
It might take a few more random holidays. Who's up for Halloween in two weeks? Really.
Truth be told, the need to celebrate Christmas had something to do with losing Jonathan. There was some hint of grief and indwelling sadness, a hint that might remain for some time. I couldn't quite make the connection. It's like the lochness monster, I'm still convinced that it's there - I just couldn't find it.
I cooked a traditional Christmas dinner, invited a friend over, and watched some Christmas specials. It was perfect like the morning after the last Pancake and Pajama night. The one with Rebecca still in Georgia. A group had spent the night and studied for a math exam. I was more than ready, and managed to sleep at least 6 hours while everyone else crammed. I was the only one to pass the exam. In the morning, Rebecca made us all pancakes before she went into work. She made a Mickey mouse pancake for Jonathan. It was perfect like Christmas dinner in March.
It feels a little bit as though so many things are broken in my life. I banter around the phrase "in my broken Ukrainian" to describe all of my conversations; this as though at one point I had spoken Ukrainian quiet lovely and fluently and then one day a neighborhood kid hit a baseball through it and suddenly it was broken.
We need a better word:
Flailing?
Stuttered?
Slovenly?
Because it's not that things are broken. It's that things are flailing about in a slovenly fashion. I stutter over the remains of self confidence and stop-gap at memories.
I can't mention baseball without remembering the time that Jonathan was staying at my house and the tree branch fell on my neighbor's roof. It made a tremendous noise, and sounded like someone had broken down the door. By the time I sat up and reached under my bed for the baseball bat, Jonathan was already out on the porch in - with my baseball bat in hand, in nothing but his underwear. It was another of those eccentric moments that made my gossipy neighbors overjoyed.
It will take a while to deal with this grief. It will help to go to his graveside, to visit with his family, to talk with our friends about him. But, this too shall pass. I'll move past mandating holidays and word-association games. Eventually I'll get to the point were things are back to normal. I'll forgive easily and I'll love easily, again.
It might take a few more random holidays. Who's up for Halloween in two weeks? Really.
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
In memoriam...
Jonathan and I became friends when he decided to write a love letter to my friend, Rachel. I had met him before and didn't like him. He seemed too cocky, to self-assured. We sat on an old pipe that crossed the river and had a strict discussion. A few days later I went to his room to confront him about an action that I found inappropriate. I thought he would blow me off - but soon he started showing up at my house to talk.
Jonathan and I would go on long drives together, he would offer to buy me a beverage every time we stopped at a gas station. I had never paid gas-station-prices for anything, and felt that I was being treated to a real luxury. Sometimes we would steal away to a secret spot to smoke a clove cigarette. This fact embarrasses me now beyond belief - but I haven't smoked in ages and it didn't embarrass Jon; so maybe it shouldn't. We wanted to be rebellious and as middle-class white males we really didn't have much else going in our favor in that department - so smoking would suffice.
With passion oozing out of every orifice, he would explain the latest injustice. Some days we felt like we could change the world - other days felt more hopeless than a quicksand swimming pool.
Now that this long battle is over; I begin to wonder, "What's next?" With whom will I crusade? How am I suppose to change the world without J.G. Pound at my side? Sometimes the weight is oppresive - that I might have to carry out our vision without him. Other days I laugh with joy and hope - Jonathan has led like a true visionary and there are hundreds who will take up the cross to go where Jon has been heading.
Who among our friends will leave behind their vision of a comfy desk job to staff an orphanage in India? Which fellow student will begin working with troubled teens to show them God's love? Who will plant churches? Who will challenge "good Christians" to think a little harder about the theological pills they're swallowing? Who will fight the administration when it tries to screw over students to gain more of the almighty dollar? Who will love people that others find detestable?
You. You who knew and loved our dear friend. You who have loved and prayed and fought to the very end. You will crusade with us. You will live out the vision that Jonathan has boldly proclaimed in the name of Christ.
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Sick.
I've been sick this last week. It was just a little virus with no major complications ... but it sure did knock me out for a while. I felt a little ill on Monday night law week, but tried to push through it. I managed to get everything done for English Club last Tuesday, but I had to go home sick in the afternoon - and I was in bed sick for the next five days! I managed to make it through the whole day on Sunday, but I have been taking it easy since then. I'm still at about 50% energy!
Sorry for not blogging at all these last few weeks.
Sorry for not blogging at all these last few weeks.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Do not worry
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.
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.
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.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Beatitudes
I'm not very good at reading my Bible as often as I should. I know - this is probably shocking news for everyone. One would assume that as the intern I would be perfect in every way. But, that would be a wrong understanding.
I have various reasons for not reading my Bible. Most often I just forget, or I get distracted, or I'm "too busy," or any other number of excuses. But sometimes I just don't want to read the Bible. Sometimes it's hard to view the Bible as a message of love. After a lifetime spent with this book, and with the people who read it - sometimes I just get really discouraged. I get really furious at the people who misrepresent the Bible to justify their own hate. It makes me really sad to think of all the terrible things throughout history that have been justified by the Bible. It makes me sad that people are still using the Bible for this purpose. It breaks my heart that people who have only read a few select verses feel that they can speak for all of the Bible and for all of Christianity. And sometimes I blame all of this on the Bible itself.
Which, to be honest, that's a really childish response. But, childish or not, it's what I've done for a long time. But I realized a few years ago that there was one part of the Bible that I could always turn to. When things are really bad in my life, when my faith is in tatters, and when the world is really dark I can always turn to this one small section and I can be filled with hope again. Let's turn to the beatitudes and read them today.
:: Matthew 5:3-11 ::
The beatitudes are the opening stanza of the Sermon on the Mount.
They say that the most difficult part of writing a book is writing the first sentence. It's really intimidating to write the first sentence of a sermon as well. Some pastors always start with a joke, others give an update on their lives. I had a pastor once that would always start by talking about the most recent football or basketball scores. It really is unnerving to stand up in front of people and begin a sermon. I feel that it's like jumping in to a swimming pool - it's better to just jump in and get used to the water right away rather than to wade in slowly. Jesus not only jumps into the water - he dives head first into the messy swamp of humanity.
Some call this particular sermon Jesus is preaching, The Upside Down Kingdom. Jesus takes the whole world and turns it upside down.
---
Jonathan and I were roommates in University. We were very close friends and we would talk almost every night until we fell asleep. A lot of the time we would talk about happiness and how to be happier. I was happy while I was in school. I had good friends, a nice apartment, a wonderful church family, and I enjoyed my classes. But I felt that my happiness should depend on what was going on around me. If I got good grades I would be happier. If I ate thick, juicy steak I would be happier than if I ate a more meager diet. I was happy being single, but I felt that if I could just be in a healthy relationship that I would be truly happy.
I was letting outside influences dictate my happiness, not only that but the thoughts and opinions of others also played a huge factor. I didn't like steak more than chicken - but other people thought I should ... so I did.
---
Last year I got a phone call from my friend Jonathan. His call was not a happy one. He was calling to inform me that he had been diagnosed with stage four cancer in several parts of his body. They were measuring his life in months or weeks - not years. There were a lot of unknowns. I just remember vomiting until I was dry heaving. I couldn't keep food down for days. My body and my mind were in shock.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,for they will be comforted.
These aren't some far off promises that some day life will get better. Jesus says, "You are truly blessed when you find yourself mourning." It's not that right now you are mourning, but some day you will be blessed. In this moment of mourning - find yourself blessed.
And we did. Throughout this last year Jonathan has suffered unbelievable hell. He has taken chemotherapy treatments that should have killed him. And through it all his faith in Christ has grown deeper and he has taken a stranglehold on joy. Through this year we have been taught to live in the joy of Christ. We don't try to be happier, we just enjoy the joy that being a small part of God's creation brings.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled.
These blessings come with promises. In our meekness we are blessed and we will inherit the earth. In our hunger for righteousness we are blessed and we will be filled.
The promise isn't that we are going to get better. Jesus never promises that we will live up to earthly standards. The poor won't win the lottery, the meek won't become star athletes. But Jesus promises that they will have a much greater reward.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Because we feel so certain that we know how to define success. The new Ukrainian with the bodyguard and the super sexy trophy wife - man, he's living the life. But Jesus challenges us on each assumption. He forces us to look at the beggar with no legs or the blind woman playing her accordion and he makes us see that they are blessed. That God loves them. That we are rewarded for being merciful to them, that we will see God when we can look at them with pure hearts and love them like God does.
If we see anything less than Jesus when we look at these people, we have missed the point. In the beatitudes, Jesus writes an autobiography. Jesus is our model, our example, and our guide.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Who is God's son? Who is the child of God? Who came and lived among us and died that we might find peace with God?
Jesus is the peacemaker, and because of him we too can become peacemakers. We can make a difference in the world around us. Our humble lives of peace lived in service of Jesus of Nazareth will change the world. Jesus shows us the way to live the upside down life - to truly turn the world upside down.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
Don't think for a second that you can turn the world upside down without some consequences. When you reject the world's standard of success, the world will reject you.
People will hate you and you will not fit in.
But you will be blessed. You will be a child of God and you will inherit the Promised Land.
Blessed are you!
I have various reasons for not reading my Bible. Most often I just forget, or I get distracted, or I'm "too busy," or any other number of excuses. But sometimes I just don't want to read the Bible. Sometimes it's hard to view the Bible as a message of love. After a lifetime spent with this book, and with the people who read it - sometimes I just get really discouraged. I get really furious at the people who misrepresent the Bible to justify their own hate. It makes me really sad to think of all the terrible things throughout history that have been justified by the Bible. It makes me sad that people are still using the Bible for this purpose. It breaks my heart that people who have only read a few select verses feel that they can speak for all of the Bible and for all of Christianity. And sometimes I blame all of this on the Bible itself.
Which, to be honest, that's a really childish response. But, childish or not, it's what I've done for a long time. But I realized a few years ago that there was one part of the Bible that I could always turn to. When things are really bad in my life, when my faith is in tatters, and when the world is really dark I can always turn to this one small section and I can be filled with hope again. Let's turn to the beatitudes and read them today.
:: Matthew 5:3-11 ::
The beatitudes are the opening stanza of the Sermon on the Mount.
They say that the most difficult part of writing a book is writing the first sentence. It's really intimidating to write the first sentence of a sermon as well. Some pastors always start with a joke, others give an update on their lives. I had a pastor once that would always start by talking about the most recent football or basketball scores. It really is unnerving to stand up in front of people and begin a sermon. I feel that it's like jumping in to a swimming pool - it's better to just jump in and get used to the water right away rather than to wade in slowly. Jesus not only jumps into the water - he dives head first into the messy swamp of humanity.
Some call this particular sermon Jesus is preaching, The Upside Down Kingdom. Jesus takes the whole world and turns it upside down.
---
Jonathan and I were roommates in University. We were very close friends and we would talk almost every night until we fell asleep. A lot of the time we would talk about happiness and how to be happier. I was happy while I was in school. I had good friends, a nice apartment, a wonderful church family, and I enjoyed my classes. But I felt that my happiness should depend on what was going on around me. If I got good grades I would be happier. If I ate thick, juicy steak I would be happier than if I ate a more meager diet. I was happy being single, but I felt that if I could just be in a healthy relationship that I would be truly happy.
I was letting outside influences dictate my happiness, not only that but the thoughts and opinions of others also played a huge factor. I didn't like steak more than chicken - but other people thought I should ... so I did.
---
Last year I got a phone call from my friend Jonathan. His call was not a happy one. He was calling to inform me that he had been diagnosed with stage four cancer in several parts of his body. They were measuring his life in months or weeks - not years. There were a lot of unknowns. I just remember vomiting until I was dry heaving. I couldn't keep food down for days. My body and my mind were in shock.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,for they will be comforted.
These aren't some far off promises that some day life will get better. Jesus says, "You are truly blessed when you find yourself mourning." It's not that right now you are mourning, but some day you will be blessed. In this moment of mourning - find yourself blessed.
And we did. Throughout this last year Jonathan has suffered unbelievable hell. He has taken chemotherapy treatments that should have killed him. And through it all his faith in Christ has grown deeper and he has taken a stranglehold on joy. Through this year we have been taught to live in the joy of Christ. We don't try to be happier, we just enjoy the joy that being a small part of God's creation brings.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled.
These blessings come with promises. In our meekness we are blessed and we will inherit the earth. In our hunger for righteousness we are blessed and we will be filled.
The promise isn't that we are going to get better. Jesus never promises that we will live up to earthly standards. The poor won't win the lottery, the meek won't become star athletes. But Jesus promises that they will have a much greater reward.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Because we feel so certain that we know how to define success. The new Ukrainian with the bodyguard and the super sexy trophy wife - man, he's living the life. But Jesus challenges us on each assumption. He forces us to look at the beggar with no legs or the blind woman playing her accordion and he makes us see that they are blessed. That God loves them. That we are rewarded for being merciful to them, that we will see God when we can look at them with pure hearts and love them like God does.
If we see anything less than Jesus when we look at these people, we have missed the point. In the beatitudes, Jesus writes an autobiography. Jesus is our model, our example, and our guide.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Who is God's son? Who is the child of God? Who came and lived among us and died that we might find peace with God?
Jesus is the peacemaker, and because of him we too can become peacemakers. We can make a difference in the world around us. Our humble lives of peace lived in service of Jesus of Nazareth will change the world. Jesus shows us the way to live the upside down life - to truly turn the world upside down.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
Don't think for a second that you can turn the world upside down without some consequences. When you reject the world's standard of success, the world will reject you.
People will hate you and you will not fit in.
But you will be blessed. You will be a child of God and you will inherit the Promised Land.
Blessed are you!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Light of the World
This Thursday we are going to have a drama performed. This sermon will be in response to that drama.
The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness has never put it out.
Amen.
Over the weekend I visited the museum at Auschwitz. This was the site of the largest Nazi concentration camps. More than a million people were murdered there. It was really overwhelming more than anything else. I kept wanting to change the subject in my head, to push out the bad. I kept turning to the song that we sing at Pilgrims so often. In my head I would start singing, "Oh, how he loves us..." but then my inner voice would scream, "Stop!" "Don't love us ... look at how evil we are! Look at what we are capable of doing! Why would you ever love us?"
And my sins aren't that great either. While I've never masterminded the genocide of a people, I have messed up the lives of others in fairly substantial ways. I've hurt other people and felt no sympathy. I have committed terrible sins. My sins are great, but my savior is greater.
My pastor told this story once. He knew a man who was very strict and severe. The man was very conservative and was very strict with his daughters. They weren't allowed to date until they were 18. When his youngest daughter was in college she got knocked up.
He immediately disowned her and vowed that he would never speak to her again. But nine months later the baby was born and his wife was able to convince him to see the new baby. She was certain that if he could just see the little bundle of joy that all would be forgiven.
The day came and his daughter walked into the house with the baby in her arms. The man took the baby in his own arms and sat down in his chair. He held the baby in his arms and began to cry.
He stood back up and he handed the baby back to its mother. He said, "I never want to see you or this baby again."
These last few weeks we have celebrated the birth of Jesus - we have enjoyed the traditions of our Christian faith. We have looked the Holy Baby in the face - and now we must make the decision. Do we want him to be a part of our lives? Or will we reject him? We can't just pretend that everything is okay. We can't say that we like the idea of the baby but that we like our lives they way they are. If we want Christ to have a part in our lives, we must be ready to give him all of our lives.
It's during these times that we are most likely to lose our focus and our connection. It's a dark time right now for many of us. We're busy studying and we have so many things to do. It's hard to balance finals and holidays and the people we love. It's harder to make Christ the center for all of that time. I know that this upcoming week is going to be especially challenging for many of you. I love nothing more than an extra challenge! Around this room there are sign up sheets. We are going to have a busy-persons' retreat this week.
This will be a time for us to gather together, to relax, to calm down, and to re-energize our souls. We will focus on the beatitudes. There are five options - and I want everyone to choose at least one of these options. They are each offered on different days and at different times. I want everyone to set aside one extra hour this week to focus on God and what God has in store for our lives.
The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness has never put it out.
The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness has never put it out.
Amen.
Over the weekend I visited the museum at Auschwitz. This was the site of the largest Nazi concentration camps. More than a million people were murdered there. It was really overwhelming more than anything else. I kept wanting to change the subject in my head, to push out the bad. I kept turning to the song that we sing at Pilgrims so often. In my head I would start singing, "Oh, how he loves us..." but then my inner voice would scream, "Stop!" "Don't love us ... look at how evil we are! Look at what we are capable of doing! Why would you ever love us?"
And my sins aren't that great either. While I've never masterminded the genocide of a people, I have messed up the lives of others in fairly substantial ways. I've hurt other people and felt no sympathy. I have committed terrible sins. My sins are great, but my savior is greater.
My pastor told this story once. He knew a man who was very strict and severe. The man was very conservative and was very strict with his daughters. They weren't allowed to date until they were 18. When his youngest daughter was in college she got knocked up.
He immediately disowned her and vowed that he would never speak to her again. But nine months later the baby was born and his wife was able to convince him to see the new baby. She was certain that if he could just see the little bundle of joy that all would be forgiven.
The day came and his daughter walked into the house with the baby in her arms. The man took the baby in his own arms and sat down in his chair. He held the baby in his arms and began to cry.
He stood back up and he handed the baby back to its mother. He said, "I never want to see you or this baby again."
These last few weeks we have celebrated the birth of Jesus - we have enjoyed the traditions of our Christian faith. We have looked the Holy Baby in the face - and now we must make the decision. Do we want him to be a part of our lives? Or will we reject him? We can't just pretend that everything is okay. We can't say that we like the idea of the baby but that we like our lives they way they are. If we want Christ to have a part in our lives, we must be ready to give him all of our lives.
It's during these times that we are most likely to lose our focus and our connection. It's a dark time right now for many of us. We're busy studying and we have so many things to do. It's hard to balance finals and holidays and the people we love. It's harder to make Christ the center for all of that time. I know that this upcoming week is going to be especially challenging for many of you. I love nothing more than an extra challenge! Around this room there are sign up sheets. We are going to have a busy-persons' retreat this week.
This will be a time for us to gather together, to relax, to calm down, and to re-energize our souls. We will focus on the beatitudes. There are five options - and I want everyone to choose at least one of these options. They are each offered on different days and at different times. I want everyone to set aside one extra hour this week to focus on God and what God has in store for our lives.
The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness has never put it out.
Sunday, January 09, 2011
January Game
http://www.supercook.com/
So, this is a fun tool for mid-stage January game play. You can enter all the ingredients you have in your house and it will generate recipes for you based on the food you currently have.
It could definitely use more vegetarian options (or I could have stock piled more meat in December) and it would be best if you could sort foods by complexity (i.e: to be able to make the dish that uses the most ingredients) or the strangest (i.e: to find a recipe that calls for coconut milk before I use up everything else I would need to use the coconut milk.
So, this is a fun tool for mid-stage January game play. You can enter all the ingredients you have in your house and it will generate recipes for you based on the food you currently have.
It could definitely use more vegetarian options (or I could have stock piled more meat in December) and it would be best if you could sort foods by complexity (i.e: to be able to make the dish that uses the most ingredients) or the strangest (i.e: to find a recipe that calls for coconut milk before I use up everything else I would need to use the coconut milk.
My Birthday Party
I'm officially 24. Here's a short video of the party we had at the student center.
Friday, January 07, 2011
January Game post #3
So, the only thing I've been getting rid of lately has been my money. It was my birthday and I broke the rules a few times. I might break them again. The good news is that I now have a refrigerator full of leftovers and a well stocked pantry to destroy this month.
Debbie Airgood, who also plays the January game, made her first purchase of the month. She found a can of discontinued Pumpkin and bought it. Shelf life, Shmelf life. I wish I had her commitment.
I also received a ton of birthday presents. So far I'm definitely losing the January game. But, the holidays are over - and I think that I'm going to do just fine the rest of the month.
Debbie Airgood, who also plays the January game, made her first purchase of the month. She found a can of discontinued Pumpkin and bought it. Shelf life, Shmelf life. I wish I had her commitment.
I also received a ton of birthday presents. So far I'm definitely losing the January game. But, the holidays are over - and I think that I'm going to do just fine the rest of the month.
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
January Game #2
So today I cleaned out my inbox and my wallet. I deleted over 600 messages ... which still leaves over 700 messages! At least I tried.
I also cleaned out my wallet - only to discover that my debit card will no longer work because it is past the expiration date. So ... I only have a small amount of cash and my credit card until my new debit card comes in the mail. Haha. I generally plan ahead for such circumstances!
I also cleaned out my wallet - only to discover that my debit card will no longer work because it is past the expiration date. So ... I only have a small amount of cash and my credit card until my new debit card comes in the mail. Haha. I generally plan ahead for such circumstances!
Monday, January 03, 2011
January Game post #1
Okay. These are the first two things I've removed from my life. This is one of my suitcases. The wheels don't work anymore, and I've been worrying about carting it home. So - I will officially return to the states with only one suitcase.
My mystery St. Nicholas gave this to me. Sadly, it's arm broke off. I figured that I would eventually throw it away when I left, so I might as well bite the bullet today and chuck it. It was a nice gift idea ... so thanks if you gave it to me.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
The January Game
So this year I will resume the January Game.
Last January I was reliant upon the kindness of strangers for my housing - and while I briefly advocated the January Game, it was Mongolia and things stored in freezers were meant to last as long as possible and to be savored rarely.
The basic rules of the January Game are simple:
1. Don't purchase any food until you have finished everything in storage.
2. You may buy bread, milk, and one other item each week.
3. Create one new feature to enhance the game and personalize it - the new feature should focus on simplifying life, generating surprise income, or saving money.
My friends Jared and Janet (and now Jovi Indigo!) Kaup taught me the game a few years ago. In the final days of January we ate a shrimp pizza made from biscuit dough, shrimp dipping sauce, Parmesan cheese, and frozen shrimp. It was delicious.
One January I put all of my books up for sale on Amazon and made a few hundred dollars. The same January my friends cleaned our the garage and returned all unused supplies to the hardware stores they had purchased the items at. You would be surprised the amount of cash that we just sit on in our daily lives.
This year will be a little difficult because I live with roommates and they eat my food - so I don't have much stockpiled. I envision a lot of rice happening at the end of the month.
My extra component this year will focus on simplifying my life.
I will remove one item a day from my life. This means that I will either throw away, give away, sell, return, or re-purpose one item every day.
On January 1st I will throw away one of my suitcases. The wheels are broken, and I have been dreading carting it to the airport in that condition - so instead I will only take one suitcase back to the states. This means that I will need to let go of many things between now and then. When I have the time and energy I will post pictures and stories of things as they leave me throughout the month of January.
Last January I was reliant upon the kindness of strangers for my housing - and while I briefly advocated the January Game, it was Mongolia and things stored in freezers were meant to last as long as possible and to be savored rarely.
The basic rules of the January Game are simple:
1. Don't purchase any food until you have finished everything in storage.
2. You may buy bread, milk, and one other item each week.
3. Create one new feature to enhance the game and personalize it - the new feature should focus on simplifying life, generating surprise income, or saving money.
My friends Jared and Janet (and now Jovi Indigo!) Kaup taught me the game a few years ago. In the final days of January we ate a shrimp pizza made from biscuit dough, shrimp dipping sauce, Parmesan cheese, and frozen shrimp. It was delicious.
One January I put all of my books up for sale on Amazon and made a few hundred dollars. The same January my friends cleaned our the garage and returned all unused supplies to the hardware stores they had purchased the items at. You would be surprised the amount of cash that we just sit on in our daily lives.
This year will be a little difficult because I live with roommates and they eat my food - so I don't have much stockpiled. I envision a lot of rice happening at the end of the month.
My extra component this year will focus on simplifying my life.
I will remove one item a day from my life. This means that I will either throw away, give away, sell, return, or re-purpose one item every day.
On January 1st I will throw away one of my suitcases. The wheels are broken, and I have been dreading carting it to the airport in that condition - so instead I will only take one suitcase back to the states. This means that I will need to let go of many things between now and then. When I have the time and energy I will post pictures and stories of things as they leave me throughout the month of January.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Togetherness
[This is the sermon for the sixth week of Advent. We will read the stories of the Magi and the Shepherds and light the разом (togetherness) candle. With this sermon, we will finish discussing each of the major players in the birth narrative. The following Friday Pastors David Goran and Lyubomir Rudko will preach together for the Christmas sermon. That will be followed by a "leftover lunch."]
The magi are exactly the people we would expect to be searching for the baby king. They are wealthy and wise. They knew enough to follow a strange star in the west as far as it would take them. They knew that they were coming upon something wonderful – but they don’t know exactly what they are looking for. They bring lavish gifts – gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These are expensive gifts – but they are gifts better suited to an old man; they are burial items. Kings were buried with gold – and mummified using these spices. The gifts they bring prove that they were not expecting to find a baby in a manger at the end of their journey.
The shepherds weren’t expecting to go on a journey at all. They were quietly watching their sheep at night when an angel shoots into the sky. The terrified common laborers are ready to head for the hills when the angel explains that a baby is coming and that baby is the promised Messiah. And after this amazing light show they all begin to lead their sheep into the chaotic city because they don’t want to miss a thing.
The magi are wealthy elites. The shepherds are poor and dirty. We see both of these groups in our time.
We see the new Ukrainians in their fancy cars that we couldn’t even afford to wash.
We see the people working to fix our streets and the children raising chickens in the village.
But we don’t see these peoples coming together. We don’t see them sitting in a café and sharing lunch or working together on some project. We never associate these people.
But in the story of the birth of Jesus these two groups are side by side. They are both given miraculous signs showing that something amazing is happening – and they both follow because they don’t want to miss out.
My friend Joe was a pastor at a very large church in a city in America. The church was very old and historic, as well as very rich. There was one man in particular who was filthy rich. He was old money – his family had been unfathomably wealthy for generations. He was really a stereotype of wealthy people. He wore a three-piece suit to church every Sunday. He was driven into the city by his driver.
One Sunday the church was particularly full. There were very few seats left. Right before the service began a homeless man walked in. If you hadn’t seen him you would have smelled him. He wandered up and down the aisle looking for a seat. Everyone was a little astonished to hear the voice of the rich man in the three piece suit. He said, “Excuse me, sir? There’s a seat right over here” as he moved over. The homeless man squeezed into the seat next to the wealthy man – and they worshipped together.
The story of Jesus is the only thing that can bring people together. Only the grace of God can bring wealthy rulers and poor farmers into the same barn to see the miracle of the baby king.
Because of Jesus we can put our differences aside and share life together. This Friday (the 7th) we are going to come together and share a meal. On the days leading up to Christmas we will all be busy preparing the twelve traditional dishes to share with our families – and after the huge feast we will all be left with lots of food. We are asking that the following morning you pack up some of that food and bring it here to share with us.
The idea is that we all will bring different food prepared in different ways by different people. But, when we bring it all together we will share in a complete feast. We will be able to come together and relax and enjoy each other’s company. And in the same way God has brought us to this place. We all have different personalities and gifts – but God brings us together into one body. Together we can do more than we could ever dream to do alone. Together we are complete.
The Magi and the Shepherds show us that all may come to the King and worship. Gentile or Jew, white or black, rich or poor, foreign or local, educated or simple – it doesn’t matter who you are. What matters is that we are willing to come into the manger and worship the King - together.
Amen.
The magi are exactly the people we would expect to be searching for the baby king. They are wealthy and wise. They knew enough to follow a strange star in the west as far as it would take them. They knew that they were coming upon something wonderful – but they don’t know exactly what they are looking for. They bring lavish gifts – gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These are expensive gifts – but they are gifts better suited to an old man; they are burial items. Kings were buried with gold – and mummified using these spices. The gifts they bring prove that they were not expecting to find a baby in a manger at the end of their journey.
The shepherds weren’t expecting to go on a journey at all. They were quietly watching their sheep at night when an angel shoots into the sky. The terrified common laborers are ready to head for the hills when the angel explains that a baby is coming and that baby is the promised Messiah. And after this amazing light show they all begin to lead their sheep into the chaotic city because they don’t want to miss a thing.
The magi are wealthy elites. The shepherds are poor and dirty. We see both of these groups in our time.
We see the new Ukrainians in their fancy cars that we couldn’t even afford to wash.
We see the people working to fix our streets and the children raising chickens in the village.
But we don’t see these peoples coming together. We don’t see them sitting in a café and sharing lunch or working together on some project. We never associate these people.
But in the story of the birth of Jesus these two groups are side by side. They are both given miraculous signs showing that something amazing is happening – and they both follow because they don’t want to miss out.
My friend Joe was a pastor at a very large church in a city in America. The church was very old and historic, as well as very rich. There was one man in particular who was filthy rich. He was old money – his family had been unfathomably wealthy for generations. He was really a stereotype of wealthy people. He wore a three-piece suit to church every Sunday. He was driven into the city by his driver.
One Sunday the church was particularly full. There were very few seats left. Right before the service began a homeless man walked in. If you hadn’t seen him you would have smelled him. He wandered up and down the aisle looking for a seat. Everyone was a little astonished to hear the voice of the rich man in the three piece suit. He said, “Excuse me, sir? There’s a seat right over here” as he moved over. The homeless man squeezed into the seat next to the wealthy man – and they worshipped together.
The story of Jesus is the only thing that can bring people together. Only the grace of God can bring wealthy rulers and poor farmers into the same barn to see the miracle of the baby king.
Because of Jesus we can put our differences aside and share life together. This Friday (the 7th) we are going to come together and share a meal. On the days leading up to Christmas we will all be busy preparing the twelve traditional dishes to share with our families – and after the huge feast we will all be left with lots of food. We are asking that the following morning you pack up some of that food and bring it here to share with us.
The idea is that we all will bring different food prepared in different ways by different people. But, when we bring it all together we will share in a complete feast. We will be able to come together and relax and enjoy each other’s company. And in the same way God has brought us to this place. We all have different personalities and gifts – but God brings us together into one body. Together we can do more than we could ever dream to do alone. Together we are complete.
The Magi and the Shepherds show us that all may come to the King and worship. Gentile or Jew, white or black, rich or poor, foreign or local, educated or simple – it doesn’t matter who you are. What matters is that we are willing to come into the manger and worship the King - together.
Amen.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Words matter.
Growing up we used to sing-song, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me."
Now, clearly this is the greatest lie we were taught as children - because words do hurt.
There has recently been a campaign to stop using "The 'I-word' because of it's inherently negative implications. Illegal, is the "I-word" if you missed it ... because I know I did. I had to read the article a few times to catch the reference. To reference immigrants as "illegals" is hurtful.
When I lived in Korea, I constantly heard the Korean words for "foreigner" and "American." It was the tone and the staring that hurt most. Daily I was reminded that there was something shameful about my presence. Being treated poorly didn't make me want to become a stronger member of society.
In Ukraine I am at least given a little dignity - and I work hard to return the favor. I work harder to learn Ukrainian because I know that I will be rewarded for my effort. I adopt many Ukrainian habits and customs because I genuinely enjoy a culture that would welcome and accept me.
The huge part of the immigration problem in America is that we fail to show respect. Our motivation for showing respect is not that they have earned it, but because we are good people. We are better than racist slurs and hurtful comments. Let's work hard so that they will have a reason to work hard. Let's be kind, welcoming, and generous - and let's watch todays illegals become tomorrows productive citizens.
Growing up we used to sing-song, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me."
Now, clearly this is the greatest lie we were taught as children - because words do hurt.
There has recently been a campaign to stop using "The 'I-word' because of it's inherently negative implications. Illegal, is the "I-word" if you missed it ... because I know I did. I had to read the article a few times to catch the reference. To reference immigrants as "illegals" is hurtful.
When I lived in Korea, I constantly heard the Korean words for "foreigner" and "American." It was the tone and the staring that hurt most. Daily I was reminded that there was something shameful about my presence. Being treated poorly didn't make me want to become a stronger member of society.
In Ukraine I am at least given a little dignity - and I work hard to return the favor. I work harder to learn Ukrainian because I know that I will be rewarded for my effort. I adopt many Ukrainian habits and customs because I genuinely enjoy a culture that would welcome and accept me.
The huge part of the immigration problem in America is that we fail to show respect. Our motivation for showing respect is not that they have earned it, but because we are good people. We are better than racist slurs and hurtful comments. Let's work hard so that they will have a reason to work hard. Let's be kind, welcoming, and generous - and let's watch todays illegals become tomorrows productive citizens.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Dort.
My grandmother was a terrible driver. In my memory she didn't drive until after her husband had passed away. It seems that she sold the clunky "free-candy" van that my grandfather preferred and traded up for a rice-burner of some variety. There was a lot of shame in what seemed to me a no-brainer. Grandma wore a foam neck-brace for a while after an accident of some kind, but I think that after every drive to the corner store she could have used her neck brace.
And, yes, she would drive to the corner store. She would come back later if there wasn't a convenient parking space, too. Once, after she had moved to live closer to our family, I was riding with grandma in her car. We pulled into the first intersection off of her street and were almost hit by an oncoming truck. Grandma quickly whipped up her stubby little arm and threw out her stubby, middle finger.
"Grandma! How could you flip him off?"
"I didn't flip nobody off. I wouldn't do nothing like that."
" Grandma! I saw you flip him off!"
"Well, he deserved it."
Grandma made a much better backseat driver. I laughed riotously through Flannery O'Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find." I had been the child strapped into the back seat with that old woman. I knew her well. Grandma was the best backseat driver in the world.
If anyone even tapped the breaks with a little too much gusto her goiter would start acting up or some such nonsense. It was always something. The arm that would fly twelve feet up into the air during a rendition of the "chicken dance" at a wedding or hoe-down couldn't muster the altitude or strength to reach for the seatbelt.
This was always the first argument. It was never the last.
As a child it was just an assumed fact that a car was either going too fast or too slow. Prodded by my grandmother's nagging I assumed that the speed limit was a fixed number. If the sign read 55, cars were expected to drive at exactly 55 MPH - the wand couldn't be at 54 and certainly not at 56. I still drive with this secret knowledge.
With Dort as the backseat driver we never arrived anywhere too early or too late. We never veered off course. We never stopped to see side attractions that would prolong our trip for another second.
Theology is a great backseat driver. It keeps us on track and in a timely manner. But, in all honesty, it's probably a terrible driver. Theology should always take a back seat to the practice of loving people. If your theology isn't big enough to include someone or some group in those you count as beloved - you have probably let theology sit in the driver's seat for far too long.
Because theology finds it far too easy to flip people off. When we focus on the intellectual pursuits of our faith it is much too easy to forget about people. Suddenly figuring out the exact number of angels that can dance on the head of a pin becomes more important than having people over for dinner and a movie.
But we can't dispense of theology. We need it's ever-present voice nagging from the backseat. We need our love to be tempered with truth and our actions to speak to a greater understanding.
It's important that theology is along for the ride, but it's equally important that it's not steering the car.
And, yes, she would drive to the corner store. She would come back later if there wasn't a convenient parking space, too. Once, after she had moved to live closer to our family, I was riding with grandma in her car. We pulled into the first intersection off of her street and were almost hit by an oncoming truck. Grandma quickly whipped up her stubby little arm and threw out her stubby, middle finger.
"Grandma! How could you flip him off?"
"I didn't flip nobody off. I wouldn't do nothing like that."
" Grandma! I saw you flip him off!"
"Well, he deserved it."
Grandma made a much better backseat driver. I laughed riotously through Flannery O'Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find." I had been the child strapped into the back seat with that old woman. I knew her well. Grandma was the best backseat driver in the world.
If anyone even tapped the breaks with a little too much gusto her goiter would start acting up or some such nonsense. It was always something. The arm that would fly twelve feet up into the air during a rendition of the "chicken dance" at a wedding or hoe-down couldn't muster the altitude or strength to reach for the seatbelt.
This was always the first argument. It was never the last.
As a child it was just an assumed fact that a car was either going too fast or too slow. Prodded by my grandmother's nagging I assumed that the speed limit was a fixed number. If the sign read 55, cars were expected to drive at exactly 55 MPH - the wand couldn't be at 54 and certainly not at 56. I still drive with this secret knowledge.
With Dort as the backseat driver we never arrived anywhere too early or too late. We never veered off course. We never stopped to see side attractions that would prolong our trip for another second.
Theology is a great backseat driver. It keeps us on track and in a timely manner. But, in all honesty, it's probably a terrible driver. Theology should always take a back seat to the practice of loving people. If your theology isn't big enough to include someone or some group in those you count as beloved - you have probably let theology sit in the driver's seat for far too long.
Because theology finds it far too easy to flip people off. When we focus on the intellectual pursuits of our faith it is much too easy to forget about people. Suddenly figuring out the exact number of angels that can dance on the head of a pin becomes more important than having people over for dinner and a movie.
But we can't dispense of theology. We need it's ever-present voice nagging from the backseat. We need our love to be tempered with truth and our actions to speak to a greater understanding.
It's important that theology is along for the ride, but it's equally important that it's not steering the car.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Students First
If there is one cause to support - this is it. Michelle Rhee has launched a new initiative to reform education.
If anyone is capable of such an undertaking - it is her.
I really encourage you to check out studentsfirst.org and consider how you can be part of lasting change in your community.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
The war that was and is and maybe ever shall be.
It began with a mouse.
This particular mouse was charming and delightful and decorative. Its head fit over the handle of a plunger and it concealed the plunger, as well as several rolls of toilet paper. It arrived from Grandma Airgood's house after she moved into a smaller residence.
Little did we know that it was only the beginning of the great bathroom wars.
In the house in which I grew up it was made quite clear by our choice of toilet paper that someone in the house had lived through the great depression. It seems that our toilet paper was made out of recycled paper: specifically old sears catalogs and sandpaper. I'm the only American who seems impressed by how soft and fluffy the Soviet era newsprint toilet paper is in Russia.
This was but a small part of our bathroom's theme. The theme was nautical, really. Nautical in the sense that if it didn't belong in a navy war ship's bathroom - it didn't belong in ours. Our bathroom was so sterile one could have performed surgery on any counter top. The decorations amounted to the towels on the back of the door and soaps that changed colors with whatever hotel we had stayed in last.
At grandma Airgood's house they used the softest, most fluffy toilet paper known to man. Only 8 sheets fit on a standard roll. Layers of moisturizer and skin softener were cleverly folded into each blanket of toilet paper. Being in their bathroom was like being in a cocoon. Every surface was soft and snuggly.
Soon after both of his parents were dead, my father decided that he needed a bathroom exactly like the one in the house where he had grown up. He claimed the downstairs bathroom and began subtly making changes.
First he bought a squishy toilet seat. When one is accustomed to a toilet seat more fitting of Auschwitz, a plush toilet seat is a bizarre addition. Mother's motto was "If it isn't cold to sit on, it doesn't belong in our house." This was soon topped by a yarn-knit toilet seat cover and floor wrap around. We all waited in anticipation for the doily and accompanying Barbie (in a hand-knit formal ball gown) that had once sat upon the back of the throne at Grandma and Grandpa Airgood's house - but apparently they were out of stock at Wal-mart.
When he covered the walls with the Formica of his childhood and bought a sink support stand for a sink that didn't need supporting we all knew that the battle was coming to a head. It was so bizarre to see my father as a decorator - to watch him meticulously pick out curtains. He even built the window to be smaller than it was - and it seems that the only octagonal window in the neighborhood belongs to our house now.
Like the detailed Model-T plastic toys he had built as a child - he had created an exact replica of the bathroom of his childhood. Right down to the decorative soaps.
Dad made several attempts to convert the upstairs bathroom - but mom wouldn't budge. The first several comfy toilet seats installed in the upstairs bathroom mysteriously cracked. Like an emo middle schooler, she kept blaming the cat even though it was much too straight to have been done by a claw.
Like some infamous Koreas, the war is at a standstill. A shot hasn't been fired for several years - but the innocent victims live in fear. What if Wal-mart runs a special on plastic cup dispensers and Disney-themed paper cups? What if a wicker/marble hamper becomes available on Ebay?
This particular mouse was charming and delightful and decorative. Its head fit over the handle of a plunger and it concealed the plunger, as well as several rolls of toilet paper. It arrived from Grandma Airgood's house after she moved into a smaller residence.
Little did we know that it was only the beginning of the great bathroom wars.
In the house in which I grew up it was made quite clear by our choice of toilet paper that someone in the house had lived through the great depression. It seems that our toilet paper was made out of recycled paper: specifically old sears catalogs and sandpaper. I'm the only American who seems impressed by how soft and fluffy the Soviet era newsprint toilet paper is in Russia.
This was but a small part of our bathroom's theme. The theme was nautical, really. Nautical in the sense that if it didn't belong in a navy war ship's bathroom - it didn't belong in ours. Our bathroom was so sterile one could have performed surgery on any counter top. The decorations amounted to the towels on the back of the door and soaps that changed colors with whatever hotel we had stayed in last.
At grandma Airgood's house they used the softest, most fluffy toilet paper known to man. Only 8 sheets fit on a standard roll. Layers of moisturizer and skin softener were cleverly folded into each blanket of toilet paper. Being in their bathroom was like being in a cocoon. Every surface was soft and snuggly.
Soon after both of his parents were dead, my father decided that he needed a bathroom exactly like the one in the house where he had grown up. He claimed the downstairs bathroom and began subtly making changes.
First he bought a squishy toilet seat. When one is accustomed to a toilet seat more fitting of Auschwitz, a plush toilet seat is a bizarre addition. Mother's motto was "If it isn't cold to sit on, it doesn't belong in our house." This was soon topped by a yarn-knit toilet seat cover and floor wrap around. We all waited in anticipation for the doily and accompanying Barbie (in a hand-knit formal ball gown) that had once sat upon the back of the throne at Grandma and Grandpa Airgood's house - but apparently they were out of stock at Wal-mart.
When he covered the walls with the Formica of his childhood and bought a sink support stand for a sink that didn't need supporting we all knew that the battle was coming to a head. It was so bizarre to see my father as a decorator - to watch him meticulously pick out curtains. He even built the window to be smaller than it was - and it seems that the only octagonal window in the neighborhood belongs to our house now.
Like the detailed Model-T plastic toys he had built as a child - he had created an exact replica of the bathroom of his childhood. Right down to the decorative soaps.
Dad made several attempts to convert the upstairs bathroom - but mom wouldn't budge. The first several comfy toilet seats installed in the upstairs bathroom mysteriously cracked. Like an emo middle schooler, she kept blaming the cat even though it was much too straight to have been done by a claw.
Like some infamous Koreas, the war is at a standstill. A shot hasn't been fired for several years - but the innocent victims live in fear. What if Wal-mart runs a special on plastic cup dispensers and Disney-themed paper cups? What if a wicker/marble hamper becomes available on Ebay?
Monday, December 13, 2010
I haven't really thought about writing in a long time. There are many things that I wish I could write. Commonly, I simply need to start writing and see what comes out. Generally, I need to let something rest for a few weeks and then try to re-write it. Generically, I'm not impressed with anything I've written thus far.
I have written a select few short stories. They smack of the love child of Steven King and Truman Capote. I wouldn't let you read them, let alone consider trying to get them published.
I have a great deal of respect for Stephen King. His stories are stunning works - they are technically well written; but more than that - they practically dance. You can't put the books down. I also respect that his children have done their own thing. He has a son who happens to be a writer. He writes under a pseudonym because he doesn't want to sell books based on his father's popularity. He has a daughter who is an Episcopalian priest and wins awards for her stunning sermons.
Part of my problem is the nagging feeling that my generation is overexposed and that I'm simply another kid with a blog. Writers should be above the blogosphere - they should eschew modern technology and check typewriters while traveling like David Sedaris is want to do. They should at least know grammar. A writer creates new uses for punctuation as a means of artistic expression - not because he simply doesn't know how to use it ~ like really; I have no: clue.
Or perhaps I'm not tortured enough. I'm not even as tortured as those who must read my clunky paragraph transitions. I live a happy life. I'm not an alcoholic. I'm busy but not stressed. I laugh often and loudly.
So maybe I'll start to think about writing a little more often. I could work on some more short stories or at least a few magazine articles.
I have written a select few short stories. They smack of the love child of Steven King and Truman Capote. I wouldn't let you read them, let alone consider trying to get them published.
I have a great deal of respect for Stephen King. His stories are stunning works - they are technically well written; but more than that - they practically dance. You can't put the books down. I also respect that his children have done their own thing. He has a son who happens to be a writer. He writes under a pseudonym because he doesn't want to sell books based on his father's popularity. He has a daughter who is an Episcopalian priest and wins awards for her stunning sermons.
Part of my problem is the nagging feeling that my generation is overexposed and that I'm simply another kid with a blog. Writers should be above the blogosphere - they should eschew modern technology and check typewriters while traveling like David Sedaris is want to do. They should at least know grammar. A writer creates new uses for punctuation as a means of artistic expression - not because he simply doesn't know how to use it ~ like really; I have no: clue.
Or perhaps I'm not tortured enough. I'm not even as tortured as those who must read my clunky paragraph transitions. I live a happy life. I'm not an alcoholic. I'm busy but not stressed. I laugh often and loudly.
So maybe I'll start to think about writing a little more often. I could work on some more short stories or at least a few magazine articles.
Friday, December 10, 2010
3rd Person Christmas Letter
Michael Airgood has had a very exciting year.
In January, Michael celebrated his birthday with a great meal with friends and a flight the following day to begin a new adventure. He left South Korea for Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, where he served as an Individual Volunteer with the United Methodist missionary community there.
Michael worked with the third UM church planted in that country and walked through the ancient palace on his way to work every day. It didn't get over -20 Celsius while he was in country.
In March he left the wonderful people of Mongolia to serve as the intern at Molod do Isusa, a student-led inter-confessional student ministry in L'viv, Ukraine. The missionaries, David and Shannon Goran, were going back to the states for a few months to have their first child and they left Michael in charge of their house and some of their responsibilities at the student center.
During this time Michael had very special visitors. Debbie and Jim Airgood came all the way from lil' ole' Kane, Pennsylvania to L'viv Ukraine for a week long visit. Jim ate Big Macs after sampling the vegetarian fare Michael prepares and Debbie played an incredibly out of tune piano (beautifully) to the utter delight of Michael's students.
Michael re-imagined the English club and has turned it into a fun, hipster outlet for young people to express their opinions on difficult social issues. More than 30 young people show up on a regular basis for the class/discussion group.
Michael has been one of the people shepherding the new United Methodist church plant in L'viv, Ukraine. In March the average attendance was in the single digits. This month we have averaged 25+. The Sunday School could be used as a model for teaching any Christian Education class.
Over the summer Michael attended the Global Young People's Convocation and Legislative Assembly in Berlin, Germany. He had a wonderful time connecting with other young people across the connectional system. Michael read the scripture in Russian one morning at worship and spoke on the floor several times during plenary sessions.
Michael spent a month working with St. Luke's family center in Kyiv. It was a big time of growth in Michael's life. It was very difficult, but extremely rewarding for him.
These last few months Michael has preached almost every week at one venue or another. This surprises no one more than Michael himself. He never saw himself in a preaching capacity. More than 40 students showed up last night to hear him preach at Pilgrims, the Thursday night student worship service. He has gained a reputation for out-of-the-box sermon illustrations. Last night it involved knife throwing.
He rents a small room in a communal apartment in a nice suburb of L'viv. His roommates are all Ukrainians, all vegetarians, and all artists. He loves them dearly and is quite thankful for his new "family."
Michael's son (Vassya cat) is enjoying his vacation time in Siberia (Pennsylvania), but wishes his dad would hurry up and come home.
Michael plans to return to the states on April 8, 2011. He will pursue seminary while (hopefully) serving as a student pastor. He is still in the application process to become a full time GBGM missionary.
In January, Michael celebrated his birthday with a great meal with friends and a flight the following day to begin a new adventure. He left South Korea for Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, where he served as an Individual Volunteer with the United Methodist missionary community there.
Michael worked with the third UM church planted in that country and walked through the ancient palace on his way to work every day. It didn't get over -20 Celsius while he was in country.
In March he left the wonderful people of Mongolia to serve as the intern at Molod do Isusa, a student-led inter-confessional student ministry in L'viv, Ukraine. The missionaries, David and Shannon Goran, were going back to the states for a few months to have their first child and they left Michael in charge of their house and some of their responsibilities at the student center.
During this time Michael had very special visitors. Debbie and Jim Airgood came all the way from lil' ole' Kane, Pennsylvania to L'viv Ukraine for a week long visit. Jim ate Big Macs after sampling the vegetarian fare Michael prepares and Debbie played an incredibly out of tune piano (beautifully) to the utter delight of Michael's students.
Michael re-imagined the English club and has turned it into a fun, hipster outlet for young people to express their opinions on difficult social issues. More than 30 young people show up on a regular basis for the class/discussion group.
Michael has been one of the people shepherding the new United Methodist church plant in L'viv, Ukraine. In March the average attendance was in the single digits. This month we have averaged 25+. The Sunday School could be used as a model for teaching any Christian Education class.
Over the summer Michael attended the Global Young People's Convocation and Legislative Assembly in Berlin, Germany. He had a wonderful time connecting with other young people across the connectional system. Michael read the scripture in Russian one morning at worship and spoke on the floor several times during plenary sessions.
Michael spent a month working with St. Luke's family center in Kyiv. It was a big time of growth in Michael's life. It was very difficult, but extremely rewarding for him.
These last few months Michael has preached almost every week at one venue or another. This surprises no one more than Michael himself. He never saw himself in a preaching capacity. More than 40 students showed up last night to hear him preach at Pilgrims, the Thursday night student worship service. He has gained a reputation for out-of-the-box sermon illustrations. Last night it involved knife throwing.
He rents a small room in a communal apartment in a nice suburb of L'viv. His roommates are all Ukrainians, all vegetarians, and all artists. He loves them dearly and is quite thankful for his new "family."
Michael's son (Vassya cat) is enjoying his vacation time in Siberia (Pennsylvania), but wishes his dad would hurry up and come home.
Michael plans to return to the states on April 8, 2011. He will pursue seminary while (hopefully) serving as a student pastor. He is still in the application process to become a full time GBGM missionary.
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Dating Sermon
First I want you to know that I'm probably not the person to be up here. I have very little experience with dating - and, since I'm single and not married, you can probably figure out that all of my past dating relationships have ended and some of them ended badly. So take my portion of this sermon with a grain of salt.
When we pick a topic we like to open our bible and look for biblical examples. But, with this particular topic, that's a little difficult. Our concept of dating doesn't really line up with the Bible in any significant way.
Adam and Eve was the match made in heaven. Literally. But who did their sons marry? Really? We could go through the list of Old Testament heroes ... but we won't find much dating advice. A few fell in love - but the usual outcome was that the man had to work for the woman's father for seven years to earn enough for the dowry payments.
In Biblical times marriages were arranged affairs. Parents, relatives, and villages arranged marriages. Usually there was a financial reason - rarely was love ever brought into the equation. And while I'm sure that many of your parents would love it if this was still the case, we live in a different world and a different culture. Jesus didn't ride in automobiles - but that doesn't mean that we should avoid them.
We must take a step back and look for larger themes to see what the Bible teaches us about dating.
Jesus spoke about love all the time. Specifically, Jesus calls us to sacrificial love - to living with love that serves others and hopes for good. Paul uses the love of Jesus Christ as the example for our married lives - that we should love our spouse so much that we would be willing to die for him or her. That wives should serve their husbands like Christ served the world and that husbands should love their wives like Christ loved the world.
It's interesting that there is so little discussion on this subject. While dating and romantic relationships are a huge part of our lives - the scriptures are fairly quiet on the issue. We don't find chapter after chapter of teaching on this subject. Jesus doesn't say, "And if he tries to kiss you on the second date you should break up with him." Jesus doesn't say, "You should buy her jewelry to show that you're interested." Our understanding of dating and relationships are primarily culture. The tension is primarily between what we have been taught, what we believe, and the traditions of our country vs. Hollywood.
Hollywood would like us to believe that every couple hops into bed on the first date - and this simply isn't true. We don't run after our significant other and catch her before she gets on the plane. The first kiss isn't perfect.
Hollywood and Ukrainian culture both agree on one thing - if you aren't in a relationship you are basically worthless. A Hollywood actress who is 25 and single should start adopting cats and suffer her single life for eternity - and here in Ukraine it seems that things are worse.
Within minutes of meeting people they ask if I am married. When they find out that I'm not married and not dating - they immediately begin throwing women at me. I know this isn't just because I'm an American. I know that there is a ton of social pressure in this culture to get married.
I'm of the opinion that you should give yourself a little slack. You should have fun and enjoy dates. You should put up boundaries and discuss them with people you are dating because you are worth waiting for. Take things slow and enjoy the ride. Listen to the opinions of your parents - but feel free to let them know that you aren't in any rush and that you're really happy at just the spot you're at.
But, if you're still feeling that pressure - we want to give you some tips, advice, and guidance on how to take the next steps. So ... we're going to play a little game.
Welcome to the dating game.
ласкаво просимо на -гра у побачення!-
[ At this point, I will become the announcer for a fun, new dating game show. Shannon will be the female contestant and David (along with two of our most handsome students) will be a male contestant. The whole thing will be done in Ukrainian - which is a big step for all of us. We're all nervous. But it should be good. During the game David will preach twice on topics of dating and we will end with Shannon closing the sermon. ]
When we pick a topic we like to open our bible and look for biblical examples. But, with this particular topic, that's a little difficult. Our concept of dating doesn't really line up with the Bible in any significant way.
Adam and Eve was the match made in heaven. Literally. But who did their sons marry? Really? We could go through the list of Old Testament heroes ... but we won't find much dating advice. A few fell in love - but the usual outcome was that the man had to work for the woman's father for seven years to earn enough for the dowry payments.
In Biblical times marriages were arranged affairs. Parents, relatives, and villages arranged marriages. Usually there was a financial reason - rarely was love ever brought into the equation. And while I'm sure that many of your parents would love it if this was still the case, we live in a different world and a different culture. Jesus didn't ride in automobiles - but that doesn't mean that we should avoid them.
We must take a step back and look for larger themes to see what the Bible teaches us about dating.
Jesus spoke about love all the time. Specifically, Jesus calls us to sacrificial love - to living with love that serves others and hopes for good. Paul uses the love of Jesus Christ as the example for our married lives - that we should love our spouse so much that we would be willing to die for him or her. That wives should serve their husbands like Christ served the world and that husbands should love their wives like Christ loved the world.
It's interesting that there is so little discussion on this subject. While dating and romantic relationships are a huge part of our lives - the scriptures are fairly quiet on the issue. We don't find chapter after chapter of teaching on this subject. Jesus doesn't say, "And if he tries to kiss you on the second date you should break up with him." Jesus doesn't say, "You should buy her jewelry to show that you're interested." Our understanding of dating and relationships are primarily culture. The tension is primarily between what we have been taught, what we believe, and the traditions of our country vs. Hollywood.
Hollywood would like us to believe that every couple hops into bed on the first date - and this simply isn't true. We don't run after our significant other and catch her before she gets on the plane. The first kiss isn't perfect.
Hollywood and Ukrainian culture both agree on one thing - if you aren't in a relationship you are basically worthless. A Hollywood actress who is 25 and single should start adopting cats and suffer her single life for eternity - and here in Ukraine it seems that things are worse.
Within minutes of meeting people they ask if I am married. When they find out that I'm not married and not dating - they immediately begin throwing women at me. I know this isn't just because I'm an American. I know that there is a ton of social pressure in this culture to get married.
I'm of the opinion that you should give yourself a little slack. You should have fun and enjoy dates. You should put up boundaries and discuss them with people you are dating because you are worth waiting for. Take things slow and enjoy the ride. Listen to the opinions of your parents - but feel free to let them know that you aren't in any rush and that you're really happy at just the spot you're at.
But, if you're still feeling that pressure - we want to give you some tips, advice, and guidance on how to take the next steps. So ... we're going to play a little game.
Welcome to the dating game.
ласкаво просимо на -гра у побачення!-
[ At this point, I will become the announcer for a fun, new dating game show. Shannon will be the female contestant and David (along with two of our most handsome students) will be a male contestant. The whole thing will be done in Ukrainian - which is a big step for all of us. We're all nervous. But it should be good. During the game David will preach twice on topics of dating and we will end with Shannon closing the sermon. ]
Monday, December 06, 2010
Sermon
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace." - Romans 8:1-6
Today I want to talk about sin. So go ahead and pull out your sack cloth and ashes - set your face to shame ... because you are a sinner.
Yes, you. I'm talking about you and your sins today.
"For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (Rom. 3:23) We read this passage and we feel that we couldn't agree more. But, really, when this was written it was a radical statement. In the beginning of the Christian Church there was huge debate over who could become a Christian. Many people felt that only Jewish people were worthy of God's love. But Paul believed differently. Paul believed that the only qualification a person needed to become a Christian was to be human - to be a sinner.
This is the thing that binds all of us together. We are humans and we sin - we make human choices.
What is sin, anyway?
The word sin means "to miss the mark."
(Have someone come up and I'll pretend to be a knife thrower)
So, you may not know this, but I used to be a knife thrower in a carnival. I apologize in advance - I don't have my usual knives - they're still in the evidence room of a police station back in the states.
So - would it matter to you if I missed the mark by a little bit or a lot?
In the Old Testament we are given a lengthy list of "Thou Shalt Nots" And we know these rules. We are taught the 10 commandments. We know that we are supposed to feel endlessly guilty for our sexual transgressions. We know what sins are the "big sins."
But I want to challenge this thought process.
All sins are equal. When we sin we hurt God. We turn our back on the God who loves us and we say that our way is better. It's important that the first sin was something as simple as eating an apple. We would like to think that if we had been in that garden we would not have eaten the fruit - but in reality we would have. We make the decision every day that our choices are better than the options God has for us.
In the ten commandments we are taught "Though Shalt not covet." And, I never really understood what that was all about. I mean, when I covet - no one is hurt. As an American, coveting is part of our cultural heritage. We are taught daily to covet. Some day you'll have a nice job, a nice house, and a trophy wife.
What could possibly be sinful about wanting those things. But when we covet, we decide that the future God has for us is insufficient. We decide that we could do things better on our own. We decide that God didn't know what he was talking about and that the apple probably tastes pretty good.
So what is sin? Sin is when we decide that our way is better than God's way. We miss the mark. In this game, close doesn't count. Either we hit the target or we don't.
And while all sins are equally bad - some are more dangerous than others.
In America we're all terrified of sharks. We have oceans on either side of us and we're all afraid of shark attacks. We even have "Shark Week" where the discovery channel focuses on the dangers of sharks. In actuality - very few people are injured by shark attacks. In fact - more people choke to death on McDonald's french fries every year than die from shark attacks.
But ... we don't have "French Fry Week" on the Discovery channel.
The sins that are most dangerous are the sins that we commit without guilt or shame - the rules we break without even thinking about it. None of us would break the 6th or 7th commandment- we know not to kill or to commit adultery. Yet, when Jesus gives the sermon on the mount he shares that if you hate someone in your heart that you have killed him. If you have a lustful thought you have committed adultery.
The sins that we feel are most egregious are probably cultural taboos that also happen to be against the Bible. The sins that God grieves most are sins that we ignore - usually in the Bible these are sins that involve inequality. God is angry that we continually ignore the systemic abuses perpetuated against the poor. The sins that should trouble our hearts are the sins that have a consequence on others.
In the United Methodist Church we read this confession together. It's good for the soul to confess our sins. Would you join me?
Merciful God,
we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart.
We have failed to be an obedient church.
We have not done your will,
we have broken your law,
we have rebelled against your love,
we have not loved our neighbors,
and we have not heard the cry of the needy.
Forgive us we pray.
Free us for joyful obedience,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
This confession ends with the idea - free us for joyful obedience. We make our own choices - and our prayer is that every day we move a little closer to the ideals of perfection. This is a tightrope walk and it's tricky.
On one side is a fear of all things sinful. If we lean too far to that side - if we even look at a sinner - we might fall into sin. The other side is that we are free to do anything - and that we can even indulge in sin.
We must be careful to live in this tension.
John Wesley said, "When our hearts are filled with the love of God, there will be no more room for sin." And while I'm a long way away from this ideal - in my heart I really believe this.
In University I knew so many Christians who wanted so desperately to be sinless. They would fight their sins with every breath they had. And they just happened to be the most joyless people I've ever met. They were missing the mark.
By choosing to live in their own power and to not live in the freedom of God's love they were choosing their way over Gods and they were living in sin.
Your sins are not enough to weigh you down. Your sins are enough to make you human - and the grace of Jesus Christ is sufficient. His sufficiency is enough to set you free. If you are a Christian your job is to live in the joy of freedom.
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