Preacher on a Soapbox

Corn Nuts

2012-02-28T11:20:00.009-08:00

When I was eleven or twelve I went on my first Boy Scout camping trip. The Patrol Leader for my patrol was a young man named Marty Dyer. Marty was about three or four years older than me and I looked up to him - not only because he was older, but because Marty, in my eyes, embodied the ideals of scouting. Part of what makes that first trip so memorable was we ended up being tent mates for that outing.

We were in our sleeping bags after 'lights out' and so, of course, we had our flashlights working overtime, talking and laughing and having fun like boys do in that situation. At one point he reached into his pack and pulled out some snacks. "Have you ever tried these?" he asked. I confessed that I never had and he ripped the bag open and we began to partake. Food of the gods! I thought. They were "Corn Nuts" and I was hooked. For the past forty plus years, I have indulged in "Corn Nuts." I am unabashedly and unashamedly a fan of this wonderful food. Yes, I realize it's probably not good for me - deep fried and loaded with salt, they are nevertheless my idea of a what a snack food should be. And I will continue my true confessions by saying that I still indulge my "Corn Nuts" habit. Especially on a long drive, at that point when you just begin to fight drowsiness - white line fever sets in, and I combat it with - you guessed it - "Corn Nuts." The crunchy texture of this deep fried delicacy is just right for popping sleepy eyes open.

Now the makers of "Corn Nuts" have attempted to expand their market by offering different flavors. They now offer, I believe, ranch flavored and salsa flavored. There may be others though I don't know, because I am a "Corn Nuts" purist - I am hooked on the original. This wonderful snack food that was introduced to me more than forty years ago by a someone I admired and felt a kinship with - he opened my eyes to something that has stayed with me ever since.

Faith should be something like this I think. Faith, fellowship, church should by when someone you love, admire, care for, or have a kinship with introduces you to the wonderful love and grace of God that comes to us in Jesus. That first taste, and that exquisite experience of an encounter with God in Christ should open our senses to a whole new world of flavor and texture and colors. Faith is not about doctrine or dogma or even theology - these things are a reflection of our faith but they are not what's in the bag. They are like different flavors of the same snack - all of them are good and have value. But ultimately what's in the bag is Jesus, in whatever flavor we envision him. Our faith, our lives, and our churches should be the bag that once opened and shared invites others into a wonderful new experience that will not only change their lives, but stay with them for years.

Do we have a "Corn Nuts" faith? Do we have a passion for it, so that, we offer it to others with enthusiasm, inviting them to share? I am not refering to denominations, doctrines, or theology, but simply our faith - "Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God and my savior and Lord." Are we excited about the fellowship or community we are part of, so that, we cannot wait for others to experience it? Will we reach into the backpack of our lives and pull out our bag of faith, ripping it open for others?

The interesting thing about something as simple as "Corn Nuts" was that it in all the simplicity of the moment, it has stayed with me for my entire life. I don't know where Marty is today, but the "Corn Nuts" habit is still mine. Who introduced you to Jesus? More importantly who do you know that needs what our belief in Christ offers? Maybe it's time to ask them, "Have you ever tried this?" One warning though, it will almost certainly be habit forming.

A Valentine's Heart

2012-02-14T12:53:00.000-08:00

I see a certain connection between Christmas and Valentine's Day. In one we celebrate the love of God for us, and in the other we celebrate our love for each other.

But love takes different shapes and forms. We love our spouses and significant others in a different way than we love our children, parents, siblings, etc. So while Valentine's Day is a time when we celebrate love for one another we often focus on love as it is manifested romantically or in shared affection in family. But Jesus calls us to a different love for each other. It is a love that takes form in a different word (in Greek) and in a different way.

The love Christ calls us to is sacrificial. It is a love that is given even when there is little or no chance for a return. Agape (the Greek word) is often referred to with definitions such as unconditional, but I prefer this definition: agape does what is best for another, whether or not there is any emotional bond or any hope for a return.

The love that we, as humans, tend to share most easily is based in emotion and is most often reciprocal. I love someone who loves me back. It is instinctive. I would qualify that, though, by saying that this kind of love must include the sacrificial elements of agape if it is going to be successful. But to love those who don't love us, or even more, to love those who hate, betray or are our enemies? This is not as easy. Jesus moves us to a higher calling - love your enemy, pray for those who persecute, and for those who demand something from you, do that and then do more. "For if you only love those who love you what reward do you have? Even tax collectors and sinners do the same" (Mt. 5:46, Lk 6:32).

In the past weeks we, as a church, have had many of our family in the hospitals or struggling with other issues and I have seen amazing acts of love from many of those in our church family. Today we will celebrate the love we share in our own families. As we continue to share love for each other in our families and in our church families, I encourage us to remember that there are hurting folks in our world who need the kind of love that only those who follow the Way of Jesus can give. I encourage us to continue to strive to reach out in love to bring people to faith and to give them hope. It is love that has called us in Jesus, love that binds us as family, and love that is the greatest thing we offer to the world. Love is the Way of Christ, and it must be the way of those who follow. Happy Valentine's Day!!

Called by Name

2012-01-16T08:40:00.000-08:00

A reflection on following the Way of Jesus - originally delivered as a sermon on January 15, 2012, based on John 1:43-51.

What words describe you? Father, son, daughter, mother, brother, sister, teacher, minister, lawyer, athlete, or something else - what labels do you wear?

Perhaps, as importantly, what words or labels are applied to you that you wish didn’t describe you? Tall, short, jock, nerd, chunky, skinny, or others can offer negative connotations and often are words that we might wish didn't define us.

Identity is established in community. When I posted some thoughts related to this topic on Facebook, I got some interesting responses that tend to support this assertion. One person wrote about the things that other people say that define us, good and bad, and another wrote about the people she knew in high school who, at the reunion, defined themselves and each others by the jobs they do or the children they have had.

Community is instrumental in defining who we are, at least in part, because many of the ways in which we are defined are the ways in which others perceive us – identity is often established in relationships.

As we have suggested, perhaps some of the identities we hold for ourselves, are either assigned to us or given to us by others. So, who are you? What parts of your own identity are derived from yourself and what parts are given to you by others? What identity is given by your family relationships; what identity is given by your name itself? I would suggest that some of the most potent forms of identity are given to us, for good or bad, institutionally: driver’s license#, SSN, etc. But additionally, our parents give us a name and names have meaning. In many cultures to have someone’s name is to have a form of power over them.

And in a modern digital age, I think that may be truer than we know. One of the most powerful crimes today is identity theft. And while we know that identity can be stolen by having our SSN or other pertinent numbers, it is also true that identity theft can occur with simply your name.

In 1985, David D. lost his wallet. It did not have his Social Security card in it. But it did have his driver’s license and a credit card. David immediately cancelled the credit card and reported his license lost. But with just this bit of information, a scrupulous man was able to commit 81 counts of identity theft totaling about $165,000. We must all guard our identities and especially our Social Security Number and other information, but in this technological age, there is still power in a name.

There is also power in the titles we use and that others use for us as well. Too often those names and titles become the defining characteristics for us. Have you ever been labeled somehow, then after several years, growing, changing, and reshaping, come to find that others still see you with that label? Too often no matter what changes we undergo and no matter what ways we might be transformed we continue to retain those same old identities. And often, we are stereotyped by our character traits, by our old habits, by our names or by our jobs. Too often we are assigned an identity based on these stereotypes. He’s a party animal, she’s a flirt, he won’t work and can't hold a job, she’s unreliable and so forth. Sometimes lawyers are seen as shady characters and many people mistrust mechanics. Sometimes these identities are accurate, but sometimes they linger, even if we have changed. How often are we marked by a past that we can never overcome? And how often is a label applied based on what has been heard about us before someone has ever met us?

Nathanael stereotypes Jesus in this passage, he applies a label based on what he has heard about Jesus' place of origin. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Based on Jesus’ heritage, Nathanael assigns Jesus an identity, but it is not a good one. Nazareth was somewhat off the beaten track, and is considerd to be more provincial than some of the other cities of Judea. Since Jesus is from there, can he possibly amount to anything? Our identity is defined by many different words, and sometimes we are defined by words that we might wish didn’t define us. Nathanael has defined Jesus before he has ever met him.

Too often we, as the followers of Jesus today, want to define people before we know them. And too often, we want to define Jesus without true understanding of him. Too often we want to define Jesus based on our understandings and not by who he truly was. Nathanael has already defined Jesus, but when he encounters him, he realizes that Jesus is not what he initially thought.

An honest and deep encounter with Jesus will surprise us. If we seek Jesus with our hearts open, if we read scripture with our hearts open, if we go to God in prayer with our hearts open, we will find that Jesus can and does still surprise us and will turn our expectations upside down. There is a story of a young woman who wanted to go to college, but her heart sank when she read the question on the application, “Are you a leader.” Disappointed she answered honestly, “No.” But to her surprise she was accepted with the following letter, “Dear Applicant: a study of the application forms reveals that we will have 1452 new leaders on campus this fall. We are accepting you because we need at least one follower.”

The church needs followers, Jesus needs followers – too often we are certain we know what Jesus would say or do, too often we believe we know exactly who God is, too often, we sit like Nathanael and say, “Can anything good come from ______?” But we take the name of Jesus to be followers – to be surprised by him, just as Nathanael was.

When we are too certain about Jesus, our identity as his followers gets stolen, and we start to follow our own way instead of his Way. We narrow Jesus (and God) to fit our parameters and our understanding. Jesus identity is lost and our identity as his followers is lost. But there are other times our identity gets stolen, because we are not living out our call to share Jesus. Jesus calls us to “follow me” by inviting others to “come and see.” Nathanael comes to follow Jesus because Philip invited him to come and see. We are invited not just to follow Jesus, but to invite others to come and see. So sometimes our identity gets stolen when we are unwilling to share the Lord with others, or when we are unwilling to be open to a Jesus who is larger than we perceive. (See J.B. Phillips' wonderful book, "Your God is Too Small")

We are defined by our relationships – but does our relationship with Jesus define us before others? In what ways? Do we seek to encounter Christ in new and deeper ways, can God still surprise us, or will we sit under our modern fig trees convinced that we have a handle on it all? Do we seek to invite others to come and see Jesus? In short, do we follow Christ and invite others to do the same, or are we defined solely by the worldly words that are applied to us? Is part of your identity and is part of the identity others have for you, Jesus Christ? If not, why not? What can we do to make sure that Jesus defines us? Nathanael believes he has it all figured out, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” but he is surprised by Jesus. He and the other disciples come to be defined by Jesus – we are called to have our identity defined by Jesus as well. And that may mean letting go of some of our own stereotypes, preconceived notions, and narrow theology about Jesus, and about others. We are called by name to follow the Way of Jesus. I pray for those who take his name that we may find ourselves defined not by our preconceptions, but by our Lord.

Extreme Politics

2011-08-03T08:16:00.000-07:00

We seem to live in an age of extremism. Extreme sports, extreme cooking, extreme home makeover, and so on. I have a family member that goes for extreme sports: hang-gliding, bungee jumping, parasailing, and more. He loves the adrenaline rush. Me, I see it as highly risky. I see that in the recent debt deal as well; it has become a game of extreme politics. Throughout the debate, polls reflected the disappointment and distaste of the American people for the partisan extremism that kept the process in the throes of debate for such an extended time. These polls and the disappointment of the people were ignored to enhance the ideological stands of party politics. Extremists in both parties, refusing to give, have moved our nation to the brink of disaster. This whole process and the ensuing compromise, that no one seems to be happy with, have left me to pose again the question, where has the middle gone - what has happened to the moderate voice in our politics?

Before the last election cycle, then chair of the RNC, Michael Steele commented on one of the morning talk shows that he believed the GOP needed to get back to its conservative roots. Meanwhile liberals in the DNC continue to suggest that the President must be careful to keep his base happy. I am not an expert in politics, but I believe they have both missed the point. President Obama, by all accounts, won the election because of independent voters (who are most typically moderates) because he promised change. The Republicans flourished in this last election because the independents supported them. Both parties have seen this as an ideological victory, but I believe the recent polls and the feelings of disdain generated by the debt debate suggest that both parties won those election cycles because the people were disgusted with the politics as usual incumbents. The voters that are moving the politics of our day are moderates - and unfortunately we are the least represented.

Allow me to offer a modest means to help achieve the goal of reduced deficit - let us cut the highway department. We no longer need to do maintenance on all of the nation's roads because no one uses the blacktop anymore, they are all on the shoulders. Extremism and the selfish insistence that our ideology is correct, therfore yours must be wrong, these are not only dividing us as a people - they are handicapping us as a nation and have become the stone that has created ripples across the pond of global economics as well.

Extremism is opposed to everything Jesus stood for. I listen to representative after representative talk about their faith. I listen to people proclaiming their certainty that we are a Christian nation. Yet, extremism seems to flourish in our culture. It is endimic on the highways, it is obvious in the malls and superstores, and it is apparent in our rude and absolute disregard for one another. In John 14:6, Jesus proclaims, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." But do we understand that the three are connected? Eugene Peterson writes, "We cannot proclaim the Jesus truth but then do it any old way we like. Nor can we follow the Jesus way without speaking the Jesus truth. But Jesus as the truth gets far more attention than Jesus as the way. We cannot skip the way of Jesus in our hurry to get the truth of Jesus...the way of Jesus is the way that we practice and come to understand the truth of Jesus, living Jesus in our homes and workplaces, with our family and friends" (The Jesus Way, p. 4)

Too often today we want to proclaim the truth of Jesus as an exclusive commodity. Too often we add the word "only" to John 4:16, and continue our practice of extremism. But to share the Jesus truth, we must be willing to use the Jesus way (love) and live the Jesus life (community). And the enemy of love and community is the very types of extremism we see in our culture and reflected in our political processes.

Now I am not suggesting that all of our elected officials have to be Christian. What I am suggesting is that those of us who are Christians must influence our leadership, not with divisive words and ideologies but through love. Jesus began his ministry by proclaiming that the Kingdom of God was at hand (Mark 1:15). He instituted in his person and in his ministry this new kingdom; it was radical in nature and communal in arrangement. And the bond that held the community together was love. And what does that kind of love look like? See Paul's first letter to the Corinthians in the 13th chapter. How would politics look if we lived this kind of love? Now I know - some of you are suggesting that sometimes we are right and the other person is wrong and we have to stand up for what's right. Really? To paraphrase Paul in 1 Cor. 13, I may have all knowledge, I might be right, I might have the necessary wisdom and understanding of the universe - but if I do not have love, I am simply making noise. Love, Paul says, doesn't demand its rights and it doesn't demand its own way. It seems to me that this sounds a lot like compromise - seeking to know and understand what the other person needs so we can do what's best for the entire community and not just for part of them.

As I listen to our political discourse and as I live and work in our small community, I am struck more and more by how we continue as a people to choose up sides and demand that others align themselves with us. We want to know how to fix Washington, we say. We don't want politics as usual, we say. We want change, a balanced budget, prosperity, jobs, we say. I suggest that Washington is reflecting the extremist nature of our culture - this incessant demand that we must be right. I suggest that if we truly want to embody the notion of being a Christian nation, we must live out the the life of Jesus - the Kingdom of God, a community - and we must live out the way of Jesus - a way of love that seeks what is best for the other. The extreme politics we have just witnessed is a reflection of a nation that lives on the extremes - competing for everything and winning at all costs. But how do we as a nation win, when 1/3 to 1/2 of the population loses? Jesus calls us to community - a community that shares with one another - a community that loves one another. A community shaped by these things is a community that is not separated onto the left and right shoulders of the road, but is driving down the center of the highway, together.

(The thoughts and views reflected in this blog are the writer's own and do not reflect either those of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) or of First Christian Church, Neosho.)

As the deer...

2011-07-19T18:53:00.000-07:00

The morning is quiet, filled only with the chirping of crickets and the trilling of the birds. Occasionally, in the distance, I can hear the noise of a vehicle as it passes along the distant highway bound for destinations unknown. Despite the heatwave that we are mired in, the morning is pleasant with a barely perceptible breeze offering a too intermittent caress on my face.

The peaceful time of reflection on my deck is interrupted only by the air conditioner turning on as it cools the house. In the serene stillness I discover that, as always, God is present, waiting simply for me to recognize and acknowledge in my mind what my heart is certain of and has always known - God's amazing presence.

The blue sky is like a divine smile caressing my Spirit and connecting, or re-connecting, me to my Creator. The rustle of the leaves is the chuckle of Yahweh, realizing my surprise to discover the Holy Presence around me.The bird chirps and I hear, "Don't you understand my child? I am always here, waiting only for you to call me, to notice me, to acknowledge me."

A doe slips out of the trees and moves across the corner of the yard to disappear into the woods on the other side. I wonder how long she stood there, blending into the woods, the trees, the brush. How long did she stand there unnoticed, visible if I had only taken the time to look. I wonder how many times my casual glance passed across her and didn't see. How long did her presence go unnoticed - God standing in the woods, waiting, waiting....

Escaping Alive!

2011-07-14T12:35:00.000-07:00

I must confess that I am not much of a country music fan. That is not to say that I never listen to it, it is just not my first choice. None of the presets on my car radio are set to country stations and you won't find much of it in my CD or record collection. As a mandolin player, I do have an affinity for bluegrass, and I am rather partial to Southern Rock and Country Rock and folk. But country just has never really appealed to me. There are exceptions of course. For example, I really like Elvis and I am a big fan of Hank Williams.

We have just returned from our denomination's General Assembly (some folks call this a convocation) in Nashville and we were privileged to be able to spend some time visiting the Country Music Hall of Fame. (As a side note, we heard a young man play and sing that evening named Willie Huston - he was a very talented singer-songwriter and a wonderful banjo player. I encourage you to check his Facebook page to hear some of his music.) No doubt the reader is aware that any museum devoted to country music must have a Hank Williams display. There was a picture of Williams from late in his career with a hand written note, "I'll never get out of this world alive."

This is, of course, the title of his last song to make the radio before his death. It is a song about a man who is a hard-luck, ne'er do well, who complains that "no matter how I struggle, no matter how I strive, / I'll never get out of this world alive." As we looked at the portrait and the writing, my daughter commented, "Of course not, none of us will." Perhaps that is exactly the point.

Perhaps Williams was struggling to express the faith he had claimed in "I Saw the Light" even as he struggled with his personal demons and brokenness. Perhaps he never intended the comment to be more than a superficial proclamation of a universla truth. Either way, I beleive his statement is entirely profound for people of faith. No one will ever get out of this world alive. But we may certainly get out of this world with life.

No matter the depths of our struggles, or the heights of our mountains that must be climbed - no matter how deep our valleys and how black the shadows - we are promised life, full and abundant, overflowing and eternal. The contrast between the struggles of the songwriters (Williams co-wrote it with Fred Rose) and the declaration of hopelessness of the hook line, there is hope for us who claim new life in Jesus. While I am not a country music fan, many fans claim it is a reflection of life and struggle and triumph, and in this song at least we hear the struggle of living. But I encourage us to look beyond the hopelessness of "I'll never get out of this world alive" to the promise of hope that we share in Christ Jesus as Lord. We are a people of joy, not because life is always wonderful, but because we will never get out alive! But we will get out with life. Thanks be to God in Christ!

Accentuate the Positive

2011-07-06T08:18:00.000-07:00

The following sermon is based on Romans 6:12-23 and included a video from "youtube" featuring Bing Crosby and Bette Midler performing the song, "Accentuate the Positive"

There is an old story that speaks of Satan. The story goes that one day he had a yard sale. He thought he would get rid of some of the old tools he had cluttering up the place. So he sat out slander and adultery, they were getting obvious and worn. He put out greed and hunger for power, they were still good, but more and more people were wary of them. He debated over lying and decided he would go and place it on the table and see if anyone was interested. He added theft, murder, anger and few others.

Interested buyers crowded the table curious about the tools that were available. Unnoticed, one customer strolled into Satan’s garage and found a well-oiled, well cared for tool on the shelf. He picked it up and took it to the Prince of Evil and inquired what he wanted for it. “No, no,” exclaimed Satan, “that is not for sale, it is one of my best tools.” Oh, the customer replied, okay, but may I ask what its is?

“It is negativity,” the devil replied.

Alice, not her real name, was a member of a prior church. She was such a sweet lady who loved being in church, sharing fellowship with the other folks, and being in Sunday School. She was in her early 80’s and still active and had spent her life as a Christian and knew her Bible and her faith well. One Sunday morning we were chatting together before Sunday school and she commented, “When are we going to hear a sermon on judgment?” My first response to questions like that are almost always, why – why do you want to hear a sermon on that? I often wonder if we want to feel somehow justified in our faith or if we want to be lifted up in some other way. Alice replied, “Well it is part of our faith belief.” It is, but I believe that God would like to have every single person come to faith so that no one would have to be judged. And for me, that is the important focus, establishing God’s grace and love for each person. To focus on judgment is to approach our faith from the negative aspect.

To focus on the negative does not build people into a deep relationship with God, but rather is a subtle means of creating chaos. There is a group that claims to be Christian that takes wonderful events and uses them as a platform for criticism and condemnation. At the funerals of soldiers they frequently appear, not to celebrate the lives sacrificed or to honor their memories, but to criticize. Instead of celebrating the good things that the person stood for, they offer instead criticism of our culture.

This is not a new problem. One of my favorite singers is Bing Crosby. I want to share a clip with you this morning in which he shares a duet with Bette Midler.

Accentuate the Positive.

This song is an encouragement to focus on the positive and eliminate the negative. And we should. We, as Christians, above all people should focus on the positive – for, after all, our salvation is assured and our eternal life is guaranteed. But Jesus is not just for tomorrow, he is for today as well, and when we are negative, we deny our legacy as his people.

Jesus was all about building unity, about wholeness, healing, and creating hope for those who were broken and in captivity. When we focus on the negative, we do just the opposite of these things, we create conflict, discord, and disharmony.

Now, I feel like I need to tell you that I have been accused, at times, of being a Pollyanna and a raging optimist. In fact one of my previous elders when we were speaking about this same subject said to me, you are one of those glass is half-full stare at the world through rose colored glasses, deny all reality and pretend everything is sunshine and roses kind of people. No, actually, my nature is to be pessimistic – by nature I am actually a glass is half empty kind of guy, a whatever can go wrong will type of person. But I believe that seeking to focus on the positive is a spiritual gift and that as the Holy Spirit continues to form us, we learn to focus on the positive. Let me repeat that, we learn to do it. I believe that by nature we all tend to be negative – I think it is easier. So, to find ways not to ignore the negative, but in the midst of the negative to focus on the positive is something we do by choice, but it requires thought and determination and guidance from the Spirit. You have heard it another way as well – count your blessings. But I think that perhaps we are often better at counting our blessings than we are at focusing on the positive.

It is easy to be negative, and it is reinforced by our culture. We hear this negativity continually on talk shows, from political commentators, and from pundits. We are treated more and more to people who simply enumerate problems instead of focusing on solutions. Being positive requires that we work a bit harder to find the positive – but as people of faith, do we not believe that God uses all things for good? We are told a little later in Romans 8:15 that we have not been enslaved to fear but set free in Jesus. If we present ourselves as slaves to the negativity of our world, we simply enslave ourselves to the sin that Jesus has set us free from. And negativity is sin. The fruits of our salvation, the fruit of grace, the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, generosity, and self-control do not allow for the negative, but accentuates the positive. We are called to be healers, we are called to share hope, we are called to encourage one another – in fact the writer of Hebrews suggests that that is a particular emphasis of meeting together. To do these things doesn’t mean to turn a blind eye to problems, but instead to focus on solutions. It doesn’t mean to ignore sin, but it does mean to focus not the sin, but on God’s grace, to focus not on the brokenness but on healing.

This is a wonderful story about what happens when we focus on the negative. David Wiggs shares this story about a man in his community. Wiggs had served for several years in this church, where he found himself challenged by a local man who lived a few doors down. The man was in his 70’s and most people agreed that they had never seen him in church. Wiggs had invited this man many times to come and share church. The man was well respected in the community and honest, he was often referred to as a man of integrity, but he did not attend church and no one really knew if he was a Christian. Finally after repeated invitations, one Sunday the man showed up. He sat quietly in a pew near the back, dressed neatly in a dark brown suit. After the service, Wiggs asked him about his sudden appearance. The man hesitated and then with a grimace, told this story.

I was raised in a large family. We struggled to survive the Great Depression and it was always a question of whether or not we would have food on the table that day. We never had money for luxury items and most of the time didn’t have money to buy new clothes or shoes, but had to wear pass alongs and hand-me-downs. When I was 10 a friend invited me to go to church with him. I loved it! We sang songs, we learned Bible stories, there were lots of kids, and I could forget my troubles for a while. I thought I found something good in the middle of all the struggles. But after Sunday school the teacher took me aside and said, “Son, we need to look our best when we come to God’s house. Please don’t come back dressed like that.”

I looked down at my tattered hand me down overalls and I said, “No ma’am, I won’t.” With watery eyes and an obvious lump in his throat he looked at Wiggs and said, “You know what, I never did.”

What difference might it have made in his life if instead of focusing on the negative of his appearance, the teacher had said, we are so glad you are here this morning and we hope you will keep coming back.

When we focus on the negatives, we can keep people from Jesus. When we focus on the positive instead, we can create an atmosphere where people can feel welcome and loved – where they can overcome their struggles with our support and encouragement. We create a place where people can encounter Jesus and discover that eternal life we are promised. We do not need to enumerate sin, to remind people of their broken-ness or to pick apart their faults and failings; instead, we need to simply be healing reminders that the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. When we focus on the negative we enslave ourselves to negativity and sin. When we focus on the positive we offer each other encouragement in Christ Jesus.

Kaleidoscope

2011-05-24T08:21:00.000-07:00

All of the parents and youth clapped for the young Scout as he recieved his First Class award at the Troop 55 Court of Honor on Monday evening. The Court of Honor event went forward despite the devastation of Joplin on Sunday. It was an interesting perspective for me after a day spent trying to locate people, evaluate damage, serve as a chaplain, and help arrange the beginnings of relief efforts. And in the middle of a joyous celebration there was also discussion of the devastation and what we could do to help. Despite the death and destruction, these youth were finding ways to celebrate life - not just for themselves, but also by helping others. I was humbled to be in the presence of those who could both mourn and laugh, who could both share joy and share what they had. These were sharp contrasts, yet these young people embraced both without hesitation. In these, and many other young people, I have seen the ability to simply enfold life, both good and bad, in their arms.

And I thought of a kaleidoscope.

Have you ever used a kaleidoscope? Perhaps, if you are like me, it has been a while. I loved them when I was growing up. All of the wondrous shapes and colors. And then, turn the tube and they all shifted around. The patterns, the colors, and the lighting effect were unique to each tube, but shared common elements. And kaleidoscopes are made up of an assembly of different things: broken glass, beads, sand, and other loose, colored objects as well as mirrors to reflect and refract the light. And as you move the tube, the loose items shift around and reform offering different images and patterns as the light continues to reflect through. And if you move the kaleidoscope away from the light, it is hard to see the patterns and shapes and bright colors. And part of what makes the kaleidoscope so interesting and beautiful is derived from its brokenness.

As we continue to search for survivors, grieve our losses, and dig through the rubble of the tornado's aftermath, we see the brokenness of life. We are reminded of how fragile life is as well as what a gift life is. But as we think about the trials and struggle ahead and about picking up the pieces and putting them back together, I encourage us to remember the kaleidoscope.

If we continue to focus on the light, the broken pieces of life can be assembled into a beautiful pattern that offers joy and wonder. But we must remain focused on the light, even in the midst of darkness. And, we must look to the whole. If we took the individual bits of the kaleidoscope and laid them on the table, they wouldn't look like much. But when they are assembled and bound by the tube and pointed to the light...

In the trials we can sometimes become focused on the struggle. It is a natural reaction. But I encourage us to strive to see past the struggle to the larger picture that is God's kaleidoscope. Many people have died, and we mourn their loss. But many have survived. Many people have lost all of their worldly possessions, but many others are reaching out with love and support, with open hands and giving hearts.

We are still early in the process, but I would share with you the hope that I heard in our Scouts. It is the hope of our faith. And the certainity of faith that there is a future - it is a future we will move toward together. Paul encourages us in Romans 8:28 to remember that God can use all things for good for those who have faith. For those who focus on the light of God's love in Jesus Christ can trust that God will help them pick up the pieces. The Lord will walk beside us as we dig through the rubble, mourn our losses, and pick up the pieces. It may take a while - it will not happen today or maybe even tomorrow for there must be time to grieve, time to mourn the loss, time to heal and time to begin to rebuild. But for those who continue to focus on God's light, there is hope. Our hope is that God will take the pieces of our shattered lives and put them together, so that in the light of His love, we will see the beautiful patterns and colors of those lives assembled together and shining brightly once again.

Sleeper, Awake

2011-04-04T08:31:00.000-07:00

The following is a reprint of my sermon of April 3rd, based upon Ephesians 5:8-14:

When was the last time you had a nightmare? Did it wake you up, and if so, did it wake you with a pounding heart and some measure of anxiety or trepidation? Are you afraid of the dark? Would you admit it if you were? Mostly adults don’t struggle with night terrors, but often young children do. Night terrors are a kind of extreme nightmare that are often accompanied by screaming or sweats and elevated pulse and heart rates and shortness of breath. To help alleviate the thoughts of things in the night, nightmares, and night terrors parents often utilize night lights. There is something comforting about awaking in the darkness and being able to see.

Perhaps since we were primal beings living in caves, humanity has struggled with trying to light the darkness, so much so, in fact, that darkness has come to symbolize the things that are wrong, while its opposite, light, has come to symbolize all that is right. Light and dark become opposite sides of the coin, and if we know Jesus as the ultimate good and we hear that Jesus is light, then darkness must surely represent evil. But evil is devious; it is deceitful and often hides itself as something innocuous. Evil can never be good and dark can never be light, but sometimes the darkness of evil imitates the light, and sometimes it hides in the twilight – that time at the end of the day between light and dark.

It is darkness that tries to hide or obscure the light, and it can be difficult to see in the half-light of evening. Indeed, there are shadows and dark areas that can hide things - did something move, or is it only the shadows? In the darkness we sleep, but when the light comes we are to awake, get up and enter into the light to live our lives. Paul uses these metaphors for our faith journey, calling on us to awake! We can no longer sleep in the darkness, oblivious to the ways of the dark. It is time to awake and to come into the light, living like the good that is our Lord. Indeed, sin relishes secrecy; it revels in being hidden, in nestling into the dark. Sins that are committed in the dark are often exposed in the light.

Whispers in the dark create hurt in the light. Secrets in the dark are exposed in the light, and so Paul calls on believers to live not in the darkness whispering secrets and nurturing sin, but to come into the light and live fully awake and aware. And awareness is necessary, because too often sin hides itself in the half-light of life – in places where we might not recognize it. This story offers an illustration of how the half-light can work against us. It has floated around the internet for a while, but is a reminder of our call to be awake and aware and to live in the light. (Note: I have modified it for my own use).

Satan called a worldwide convention. In his opening address to his minions, he said,

“Jesus has built his church on a rock and the very gates of hell cannot prevail against it. The faith confession allows people to enter into a relationship with the Lord, and the transforming Spirit comes to live in them, a transforming presence that can put them beyond our reach. But we do not have to keep them from Jesus or from church or even from the Spirit to have success in creating chaos and evil.

Here is our plan of action: distract them from their Savior and interfere with their attempts to form community in church with each other.

‘But how is this accomplished?’ his servants asked.

Keep them busy in the nonessentials of life and invent innumerable schemes and ways to occupy their minds and their time. Tempt them to spend and borrow so they have to work longer hours to maintain their lifestyle. Convince them that church is just one option among the many that are available for them, like a smorgasborg of good things to choose from. Encourage them to enjoy activities that compete with spiritual development and with community formation so that fellowship with other believers is fragmented.

Convince them that material gain and self-sufficiency are the most important aspects of life – and that independence is vital. As the pressures of work and family accumulate and as they lose connections in their faith community their family life and relationships will also crumble. Fill their minds with images of physical beauty and physical love, so that they become convinced that bodily perfection and physical attraction are the measure of love and relationships.

Overstimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still small voice. Entice them to play the mp3 player or the CD player all the time. Tempt them to keep their phone or TV or CD or PC going constantly, consuming their time and further interfering with meaningful relationships.

Fill their coffee tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with 24 hour a day news and advertising, and invade their driving moments with billboards and rolling advertisements on other vehicles. Flood their email and their mailboxes with junk mail, sweepstakes that promise instant gratification, and promotional offers for products and services that fill them with false hope.

Encourage them to measure their self-worth by their productivity so that they resist sitting in quiet solitude and spending time in communion with God. Make productivity the measure of even their recreation time, so that it too becomes excessive. Then they return to home and work from their vacations exhausted, disquieted and unprepared to return to work and to life.

Convince them either that being amidst God’s nature is unproductive, or, that being in nature replaces being in fellowship with other Christians in church. Help them to justify their absence from church fellowship with the belief that church is only about worship and they can do that anywhere. That way the people who need them and the people they need will not be unavailable for support and encouragement. In the meantime, crowd their lives with so many good causes and worthy goals that they have no time to seek sustaining power from Jesus. Soon they will rely on their own strength and will sacrifice health and family for the good things that they are engaged in.

When they do meet for fellowship and community, for study together and worship, encourage gossip and hurtful small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences and unsettled emotions. Encourage them to nurse their little hurts so that they fail to forgive and lose support for each other. Support their belief that the splinter in the other person’s eye is so much larger than the log in their own. Discourage mutual understanding and communication so that they will continue to nurture the hurt feelings and sense of loss that they have suffered.

‘But these are such little things,’ the demons complained.

Ah, but if we confuse them with the half-light, they will wander into the darkness on their own.”

Paul calls on the followers of Jesus to move from the darkness to the light, to awaken to the light and live there. And the danger for most of us is not in the obvious places. The danger for most of us is in the half light, where sometimes wrong can look right, where choices can become confused, and where compassion becomes judgment and condemnation. In the half light we can justify our broken community and the works with which we accuse and hurt. And in the half light, the danger is that we will wander into the darkness on our own.

The strategy of the evil one is simple. Is it effective?

Sleeper, awake and move into the light.

Time Management

2010-11-12T06:06:00.000-08:00

I confess that I am often impatient - it seems that there aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done that I want to get done, much less everything that I need to get done. After all the time management seminars, the workshops about learning to prioritize - after the whole "Seven Habits of Highly Successful People" and so on - I still struggle to find the time for everything. Unfortunately sometimes the small things, which are actually important, get sacrificed for the bigger things, which turn out to be less important in the long run.

And no matter how well I manage my time, sometimes, circumstances (God?) create a situation in which I have no choice about my priorities. The other night, for example, my daughter was participating in a school program. She was disappointed that I could not be there. But I was the chaplain on call for the hospital and I received an emergency call just a brief time before her program. I had to go. I did the right thing, and yes, she understood, but it seems at times that there is just no way to truly manage my time. As much time as I spend creating to do lists, priorities, and scheduling my day, sometimes it just seems as though there is no way to truly manage my time.

Now my next statement is going to make all you "type A" personalities a bit nervous: perhaps there is no way to manage our time. Or, at least, perhaps we need to understand that there must be enough flexibility in our time management to allow room for God-moments - for God's time. This is perhaps one of the lessons of John's narrative in his gospel, in chapter 11:1-44.

Jesus lingers too long "in the place where he was" before responding to Martha's and Mary's call to come see to their sick brother, Lazarus. Now, of course, you are familiar with this narrative - by the time Jesus arrives, Lazarus is dead. One of the lessons that is difficult to hear, but that we probably need to hear is that God moves in God's time to accomplish His purposes. It doesn't mean that God is uncaring - Jesus wept over Lazarus after all; and even though he was about to raise him from the dead he still felt sadness and sympathy for those who mourned. Still it is the mystery of our God that His timing is sometimes beyond our comprehension - His purposes sometimes beyond our understanding. No matter how much we may attempt to master time, it remains unmasterable except by the master. I believe that the best we can do is to cultivate that deep and intimate connection with God in Jesus Christ, that can offer us guidance and direction in the midst of turbulence and triumph. While we may not grasp the timing and the plan that God has, we can strive for the intimacy with God that will lead us through. Martha's response to Jesus' question about faith is perhaps our best response to changing times and changing seasons of life - you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God and you are our savior, and most importantly Lord of our lives. May Christ reign in your heart and life today - His time management is the best there is!!

Living Large or Living God

2010-10-05T13:38:00.000-07:00

Myrna, a lady in the congregation I serve, was in the office the other day and we were talking about gardening as we are prone to do when she comes in. She was telling me about some 'moonflowers' that she grew from seeds that a friend gave her. The flowers grow quite tall, almost as tall as she. But she noticed the other days that the leaves were eaten so badly that only the veins were left. She discovered that there were hornworms on her beautiful flowers. They had apparently been there a while, but had gone unnoticed until they ate enough of the leaves to catch her attention and by then, they had grown quite large, living in ease off of the greenery that Myrna had worked so hard to grow. The hornworms were living large, they were prospering and enjoying their prosperity, that is until their comfortable and prosperous lifestyle brought them to Myrna’s notice. In the same way, sometimes people become so prosperous that they begin living large, sometimes without noticing it.

The man was a C.E.O. for a large corporation. His employees loved him because he was generous with bonuses and celebrations for achieving their goals. We are a team, he said, we share the work and the rewards, they liked him and looked up to him. He was driven back and forth to work in a chauffeured limousine, and he lived in a beautifully landscaped, new and modern gated community. He was content and had as much security as one could hope for in life. Outside the gate of his beautiful community lived a homeless man – we’ll call him Lazarus – who was crippled and could not work. There was perhaps a government grant he could receive, but he did not know how to apply for it. He was hungry. Not just today and not just occasionally – it was a constant hunger. He often searched through the garbage for the scraps of food that were thrown away. The rich man had noticed Lazarus, but had looked through and beyond him, after all he paid taxes so people like that could be taken care of – he gave money to the church so that people who were gifted for that sort of thing could minister to the homeless and poor. So his limo passed through the gate and it closed behind him and he was secure on the inside from the Lazaruses of the world.

Then one morning Lazarus, who had been slowly wasting away for months, lay down in a puddle in the alley near the garbage cans and died. Unknown to him the rich man was finishing his preparations for work and at that moment had a massive heart attack and died. Death is the great equalizer you see. It doesn’t care who you are or what you have; it simply claims you when it is your time. Now for most of us what we could know of the story would end there, but it doesn’t. Lazarus went to be in paradise where he found comfort and contentment, and the rich man went to the lower darkness where he yearned for some touch of human contact, some touch of comfort.

Our first thought as we share this parable is that the rich man was not a good person. That is not the case however, for his employees loved him, and I am guessing his funeral was well attended with many flowers and the wake was lavish with many to offer comfort to his family. He was generous with his employees, he paid his taxes and he even gave to the church. So, why does Jesus suggest, and this is a modernized version of the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16, that the rich man didn’t make it to paradise?

I think that Paul’s admonitions to his son in the faith, Timothy (1 Timothy 6:6-19), can help us to understand the parable, and our own perspectives on material goods. This pericope includes one of those scriptural references that is often misquoted and I first of all want us to truly hear this – it is not money itself that is the problem; it is love of money that is the root of evil. So if the problem is not money, then what is it that sends the rich man to the lower darkness?

Paul urges Timothy to godliness with contentment. This is a difficult passage to translate and without going into a long discussion of Greek grammar, let me simply tell you that contentment in this context is a description of godliness – it is an aspect, an attribute, of godliness. In the prior verses Paul suggests that some pursue godliness for their own gain, and this he says is wrong, true godliness requires contentment: we are imitators of Christ when we live by an inward sufficiency through the Holy Spirit. That is in opposition to the world which teaches us that bigger is better. Modern consumerism opposes the old saying that less is more. A recent issue of “Good Housekeeping” had an article entitled ‘Clutter Cure’ in which they suggested ways to overcome the clutter in our homes. The article outlined organizational strategies and storage solutions, but nowhere in the article did they suggest getting rid of stuff and not buying more – that would be countercultural. We are overburdened by the pursuit of the material and living large, perhaps without realizing it. And while we should be aware of the dangers inherent in the accumulation of material goods, this is not a call to poverty. It is not money or material goods that create problems; it is the improper perspective on them – the love of them.

The danger is that in loving money and material things we wander away from the faith. Money and material gain should not be the focus of either our life's journey or our faith journey, nor should they be a distraction from it – we are to pursue a godliness that is defined by contentment that is rooted in Christ

Paul suggests that the things of the world can cause us to lose sight of the Lord and to drift away. When we decide to live large, instead of living God, we are admired by the world, but perhaps we lose sight of God. Paul contrasts this with the active pursuit of righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness; and to take hold of the that to which we have been called – life, life abundant, and life eternal. Paul is not suggesting here that we earn salvation, what he is directing us to is the mystery of living in the already, but not yet of salvation. We are saved by grace, but we are also saved for discipleship, for service, for participation in the radical Kingdom of God that comes into being through Jesus Christ, who is the Lord of Life. It is Christ who holds the key to real life, eternal life, a life that counts. His is the only path to this life. Paul uses a formula that was familiar to the early church when he suggests that Jesus is king of kings and Lord of lords, he is making a political statement. In this text Paul is suggesting that life cannot be found in economics or politics, but in Jesus Christ, who is Lord of life. The economics and political structures of his day, and of ours, are not God’s kingdom or God’s economy. We are to be, he says, tekna fotos, people of the light, the indescribable and unapproachable light of Christ.

And so, he suggests, with money then, comes great responsibility. Money does not buy contentment or security, but is given to us that we might enact God’s economy. And when we do, we declare in our words and our actions that Jesus is Lord, Lord of the world, Lord of life.

When we see our money and material goods with the proper perspective, not as permanent, but as temporary, we engage in discipleship that proclaims Jesus as Lord of our lives. We also engage in a faith statement that says we understand the difference between temporary and permanent. You’ve heard the old saying; you can’t take it with you. We are blessed to be a blessing, and when we focus on our money and material things they become a gate that stands as a barrier to community.

The name Lazarus means “God heals.” One of the ways we share that healing that we have received is by rejecting our culture’s call to living large and intentionally living out God’s love and compassion for others. Our cultural mindset is about living large, but living God is about contentment and sharing - it is about understanding God's economy as revealed in Jesus Christ. As people of faith, we are not called to live by cultural norms, but to live in a radically new way that calls attention to the Kingdom of God on earth. It is about contentment - an attribute of Godliness.

Capture the Flag

2010-04-06T06:50:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite activities as a young Boy Scout was a game called "Capture the Flag." Part of its attraction for me was its competitive nature, its activity level and the requirement of stealth. It was also played in the dark. The idea of the game was to divide into two teams, each having a flag. The playing area needed to be large and was divided into two sections, one for each team. Your team would place its flag somewhere in its area and put some defenders to guard it. The rest of the team, by stealth and speed, would try to sneak into the opponents territory and capture their flag and return it to your own territory, thereby declaring victory. If you got caught in the opponent's territory you were captured (by being tagged) and then you could only be freed if a teammate tagged you without getting caught. The distinguishing feature of the game was the center line that divided the two teams. There was no gray area, there was no neutral area, no rest area, you were either in your territory or you weren't.

As the health care bill has passed Congress and been signed into law by the President, I listen to the rhetoric coming from several different groups, including the two political parties and an abundance of commentators and I am reminded of my boyhood game of capture the flag. A colleague suggested to me the other day that we had lots of politicians in Washington, but very few statesmen. What he meant by that was that he felt like we had lots of people who would take up their party's ideological positions but no one who could construct a viable compromise in the heat of ideological battles. I am inclined to agree with him. There is no gray area, no neutral area, there is only one or the other with a line drawn down the middle. And those of us who are in the middle are left out. We come to elections looking for statesmen who will negotiate legislation that is good for America and what we get are party loyalists whose decisions are shaped by how well their party will fare in the next election.

As I listened to the White House summit on health care I heard repeatedly, from both parties, the statement, "We're not that far apart." Yet neither party and none of the individuals present would consider moving off of their respective side. Somehow they are worried that they might cross the center line into the opposition territory and be "captured." What I did hear was statements about "ramming a bill through" and "let's scrap this bill and start over." Neither idea was palatable to me. The line was drawn and no one is willing to cross over.

A person recently posted a comment on Facebook saying that they supported health care reform, but didn't like some of the things in the law. I agree. For seven years I have worked with various groups, state and federal government officials and representatives, and interfaith groups for health car reform, and there are some things in this law I don't like either. But we will never have a perfect bill in this country. The two extremes are not ever going to come together with anything that everyone can agree on. We continue to draw lines that divide us on global warming, the economy, jobs, and yes, even now that it is law, health care reform. We cannot continue to debate while people go without health care. We cannot continue to scrap everything and start over. This is too important

"We are a Christian nation" is a statement that I hear frequently. And if so, then I ask us to consider, what would our Lord do, what does God require of us. Micah's answer is "to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly" with our God. And even though Jesus did not agree with the Pharisees, when Nicodemus came to him, Jesus was willing to talk. I see no places in the life and ministry of Jesus where he drew lines that excluded people. I see no places in the ministry of Jesus where ideology or culture overrides the precept of love and grace. The provision of health care in our country has become a business, a for profit, in most cases, business. And while that may be either good or bad depending on your ideology, I ask us to consider how we sacrifice someone's health and health care for money. Now you may say that if someone in our country needs care they can get it. And I agree - emergency care. But why do we insist on spending untold millions of dollars to pay for emergency care much of which could have possibly been prevented if that person had access to regular and routine medical care? And I wonder how Jesus reacts when we tell someone that they must surrender their home to pay for medical bills, or that they will not longer have insurance coverage because their condition is too costly to the insurance company.

I hear Jesus proclaiming his mission in Luke (4:16-21) to be,at least in part, about healing. I hear his testimony in the 25th chapter of Matthew suggest that we are doing the work he has called us to when we provide healing for those who are sick. I hear his command to Peter and the disciples in John 20 to feed and tend his sheep and I wonder what will become of us as we continue to draw lines that separate us. It is difficult to read the New Testament, especially though the Old as well, and not hear the call to be a community in God through Jesus Christ. And I wonder what will become of our faith and our nation as we continue to draw lines that separate and divide. Government should not be a giant game of capture the flag. Government that is of by and for the people should be about finding ways to make laws that all of us can live with together - as a community.

Haiti: The Other Side of the Road

2010-01-21T08:21:00.001-08:00

Since I was in high school I have been one of millions of people captivated by Tolkien's masterwork, "The Lord of the Rings" and its companion books. I am one of millions more who have been captivated by the stunning visuals of Peter Jackson's movies. And whether you believe this to be an analogy of Christianity or not, certainly it is a wonderful exploration of good vs. evil, weak vs. strong, and so many other worthwhile themes. So I have used it often as sermon illustrations, Bible study materials and in other places.

One of my favorite quotes from the entire work occurs while the Fellowship of the Ring is traveling through Moria. Frodo, unhappy with his task of carrying the ring, curses his fate, his luck, and above all, Gollum: "It's a pity Bilbo didn't kill him when he had the chance." But Gandalf responds: "Pity? It was pity that stayed his hand. Many that live deserve death. Some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo? Do not be too eager to deal out judgment. Even the very wise cannot see all ends. My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play yet, for good or ill before this is over. The pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many."

As I continue to watch events unfold in Haiti, I am encouraged by the compassionate response of so many, including my own church, and dumbstruck by the massive destruction. My heart and prayers go out to the Haitian people and to all of those who are working to respond with aid. And as I continue to monitor the activity, I wanted to take a moment to share some thoughts that have been prompted by a comment in the media.

Any time there is a crisis of this magnitude someone invariably points to God exclaiming that this is God’s judgment. I will let the reader wrestle with their own theology regarding judgment, but will suggest that Paul says in Romans that all of us have been judged and found wanting, hence the incarnation and salvation work of Christ (Romans 8:23-31). So, for us, then, to claim that a natural disaster is some form of judgment suggests that somehow we are better than other people are, and Paul seems to suggest otherwise. As Gandalf relates to Frodo, who are we to be so eager to deal out judgement?

But I also look back to Jesus and his teaching, and it is especially the parable of the Good Samaritan that comes to mind (Luke 10:25-37). The teacher of the law wants to justify himself and asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” And Jesus tells him the parable—do you remember it? The people of God in Jesus’ day pass the injured man on the other side of the road ignoring his pain. It is only the Samaritan, considered to be ritually unclean, who stops to help him. And do you remember that at the end of the parable Jesus asks the teacher of the law who was a neighbor to the injured man? Of course he says the Samaritan acted as the man’s neighbor. But here is at least one really important point to the parable. Jesus concludes the conversation with the statement, “Go and do likewise.”

The church of Jesus’ day (represented by the priest and the Levite) deemed the injured man unworthy to help. In other words, they made a judgment about him. He had to rely on someone outside his faith to give him aid. When the teacher of the law admits this, Jesus charges him to do as the Samaritan did—to render aid without regard to nationality, creed, or religious beliefs, to render aid without judgment, from a heart of compassion and love.

I believe that God loves all of creation unequivocally. That means when a disaster happens, I am less inclined to believe that it is God’s judgment and more inclined to believe that God cries over those who are hurt and killed. But it may be that God cries even more when his people who are called to share love and grace, when the people who claim the name of Jesus Christ, pass by on the other side of the road. I hope that each of us will understand our common bond with people everywhere, and without judgment, continue to render whatever aid we can give in the name of love and in the name of Christ.

Warming up to the idea.

2009-12-11T11:43:00.000-08:00

When I was 16 I started smoking. It looked cool, I thought. Not to date myself, but that was about the time they began to put the warning labels on the side of the cigarette packs. I read the warning and listened to all the dialogue. Some smokers argued that it was all much ado about nothing. I listened, I heard, but I chose to ignore the warnings and the science, which some legitimately called into question. I was young, I was healthy, and it was so cool. Twenty odd years later at approximately two packs per day (yes I can be rather compulsive), following a stay in ICU for heart problems I finally quit. But it took heart problems to prompt me to stop. It wasn't the warnings or the science. I was so addicted to smoke and nicotine that I found every excuse to keep on smoking.

A friend of mine recently suggested that global warning was the biggest scam since Bernie Madoff.

Maybe.

But, so what? What if it is? Or what if all the scientists who support it are completely wrong, naive, or misled? What is it exactly that we find so repulsive about it that we take a stand against it? Allow me to clarify two points before I continue. The first is, as any freshman geology survey course will tell you, that the earth has alternately warmed and cooled many times over the course of history - the question is how much worse is humanity and our technology making it. Second, global warming doesn't simply mean that the weather is always warmer, it means there are violent shifts in the weather caused by a changing climate.

Most scientists do not dispute the understanding that the earth is in a warming period. The question becomes whether or not human technology is exacerbating the situation. So, what if we're not? Contrary to the majority of scientists who claim we are, what if the recent emails are right and we've been fooled? What is it exactly that we are being asked to do that is so unpalatable?

Reduce emissions from fossil fuels. Forgive me, but I don't understand, what's the issue? Does anyone honestly think that all the carbon monoxide we're pumping into the atmosphere is good for us? What about oil consumption - are we truly that pleased with the cost of gas, oil, and heating oil? Again I date myself, but when I started driving gas was .28 per gallon - I paid $2.39 a gallon yesterday. And besides the simple cost, I hear politicians repeatedly claiming we need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. But beyond these issues, I believe that the way we pollute our air and water is contrary to our call to be good stewards of God's Creation.

So even if global warming is a hoax, what is the issue? Shouldn't we, as people of faith, respect God's creation? Shouldn't we seek to live in as close a harmony with creation as possible? I'm not suggesting that we abandon all technology and live like primitives, but I am suggesting that we are God's caretakers of creation, and as such we have an obligation to the Lord, as well as to our fellow humans to safeguard it. Yes, I realize, that there are costs involved with capping emissions and finding alternatives to fossil fuels. There are costs to converting to 'greener' technologies. There are changes that have to be made that will be uncomfortable. But following God has never been easy and often God, and Jesus as well, has called us to sacrificial love, sacrificial giving. What does our faith call us to as we think about our planet?

"The earth is the Lords' and everything in it" (Psalm 24:1) suggests that we are not empowered as stewards to use and abuse it in any old way we choose. Rather the psalmist encourages us to remember that we are the creation, not the creator. Are we so addicted to the carbon monoxide that is produced by our cars and factories that we cannot find other ways to empower our technology? Do we wait until it is too late to avoid the consequences of our activities to change? Will we be like the one steward who buried his talent, too afraid to risk himself for his Lord?

Perhaps global warming is a hoax. Certainly the hacked emails make one ask questions. Perhaps all of the science is simply wrong. Still, I cannot help but believe that all the smog, pollution, and carbon emissions are not good for us. The gunk we dump in our water is not healthy for us. So I am warming up to the idea that global warming or not, we need to make some changes. And as I reflect on the simple question of my health and the health of my family and my children, and my children's children, I also pause to ask what God would have us do with the creation that the Lord has so lovingly given into our care.

It's Always Something

2009-12-08T12:23:00.000-08:00

Based on reflections on Luke 14:15-24

It was a clear evening, with the sun just setting, creating a kaleidoscope in the sky. It was still warm, but promised to be a clear, star-lit night. They had gathered at the table, the table of a Pharisee, a table where she would not have been welcome under the best of circumstances, and she was certainly not welcome at this table on this evening in this home. The things she had done, the person she was, precluded her from this home and this table. But his presence changed all that. As she anointed his feet with oil, he declared that she was indeed welcome at the table of the Lord. But this created a problem for Simon the Pharisee – because he certainly couldn’t eat with her. He wanted to learn what the teacher would share, but he couldn’t sit with her – it was always something.

One of my favorite shows when I was younger was Saturday Night Live. I have watched it for years, though I am not certain it has ever been as good as it was in the days of the “Not Ready for Prime Time Players.” And while I loved Chevy Chase, Dan Ackroyd, Jim Belushi, Steve Martin, Jane Curtain, and Bill Murray, I have to say that probably my favorite bit was when Gilda Radner appeared in the Weekend Update segments as Roseanne Roseanna-Danna. RRD offered opinion pieces on various topics, but she always managed to sidetrack into an area of discourse that was completely different from wherever she started. Usually her wanderings began with a comment, “My daddy always told me, Roseanne Roseanna-Danna, it just goes to show ya. If it’s not one thing, it’s another, it’s always something.” Good comedy offers us a mirror through which to view life, and I believe Gilda was right – it is always something and that something can sidetrack us until we are no longer focused on the things we should be focused on.
So we shouldn’t be too hard on good Simon. He was a man of faith; he was part of the people of God in his time, and his faith, his church, his religion focused on personal holiness. By his very faith beliefs he could not sit at table with the prostitute, or even welcome her into his home. No, we shouldn’t be too hard on Simon, for I have heard far too many Christians in recent years who focused on the idea of personal holiness as well. Now don’t get me wrong, moral values and ethical standards are established by which we as Christians should live. But as Jesus told Simon, as Jesus told the young lawyer who asked about eternal life, there is more.

In this parable from Luke's gospel, the host has prepared a banquet and invited those to participate ahead of time. But when the table was set and the feast was ready, those who were invited couldn’t come. It’s always something.

Now this parable was given to the people of God, to Simon, and to us. What is it that keeps Simon from the banquet table? It’s not personal holiness, for “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). Simon is one of those invited to the table, but something is keeping him from it. The modern church of Jesus Christ stands at a critical point, at a crossroad. We are invited, is something keeping us from the table as well?

There is a story told about a famous Christian speaker, who is well known for his powerful sermons and messages – he is very much in demand as a speaker. But he endangered his
speaking career at one point. He was called to speak to a conference of Christian men and after his introduction he stepped to the podium and addressed those 1500 men, and said, “You know what bugs the stuff out of me?” Only he didn’t say stuff. He used an expletive; he used it intentionally and it became even more powerful because of the setting. “You know what bugs the stuff out of me, is that 16,000 children will go to bed hungry tonight.” And after a minute as the furor died down, he continued, “You know what bugs me even more? It’s that more of you will be concerned that I used that word then will be about the fact that 16,000 children in America will go to bed hungry tonight.”

It bugs me as well. It bugs me that in the richest nation on earth, in the history of the planet for that matter, that 31 million Americans live in poverty. It bugs me that over the past 20 years 2.2 million low rent housing units have disappeared and that 3 million people today are homeless. It bugs me that 41 million WORKING Americans have no health insurance. It breaks my heart that there are people now, today, in our nation, in our state, in our community who may not be able to get the prescription drugs and the health care they need to survive. It bugs me that a few blocks from here there are children who wake up this morning hungry and will go to bed hungry tonight.

And this is just in America. What about the rest of the world?

This is not about politics. This is about compassion. It is not about Democrat or Republican, left or right, it is about love. It is not about business as usual but about the business of God. And I certainly hope that we who gather as the church of Jesus Christ on Sunday mornings will not hear this as a condemnation, for it is not meant to be that. It is meant, rather, to challenge us. It is meant to remind us that there is still more to do. It is meant to urge us to action. Let us hold our leaders and the leaders of the world accountable for ever increasing poverty and homelessness. Let us, as church, seek ways to aid those who live in hunger and poverty, who live without homes and without hope.

Let us, as the people of God, quit arguing about Democratic agendas & Republican agendas, about liberalism, socialism, conservatism, and find a way to provide health care for all in our country. How can we read the 25th chapter of Matthew and be content with the current state of our nation?

There is still more to do. And, if you remember John’s version of the story of Simon, Judas complains about the cost of the oil and Jesus replies that the poor will always be with us. It is always something.

But we are called; we are invited into the kingdom of God. Come to the banquet, sit at the table. What will keep us from coming to the table? We must remember that there are two parts to the commandments of Jesus, two challenges to the laws of God. Part one is personal holiness. Part two is relational. Love God, love one another. Neither is optional – we are called to both. Or in the words of the prophet, “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.” Or as the beloved disciple said, “How does God’s love abide anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and refuses help?”

So, I think it is significant to note whom the host calls to the banquet when the people of God who were invited do not come. Did you notice? The poor, the crippled, the blind, the lame, all of those who had been marginalized by society – all of those who had been excluded are invited to the table by the Lord. Blessed are the poor, the hungry, those who mourn, says Jesus, I have come to bring good news to them, to release the captives and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God! What will keep us from it? It’s not personal holiness, though we are encouraged to pursue that. But there are things that distract us from fulfilling the commitments we’ve made to God, if we let them. As church, let us encourage one another, even more so as we see the day approaching, and together let us seek ways to do justice and love mercy, to extend the invitation, on behalf of our Lord, so that all may be invited to the table of his grace. Let the broken be healed, the hungry, fed, the widow cared for, and the homeless given shelter. Let us bind up the captives and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.

© 2005
Albert J. Gritten