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....
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Escaping Alive!
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!
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!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Accentuate the Positive
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.
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.
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