Scripture: Psalm 22, Jonah 1
Monday, October 20, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
October 12 Sermon: Faith and the Spirit of Politics 1: Politics of Compassion
Introduce Series: What we mean by
1.Faith: 2 meanings—beliefs of a particular religion or denomination. And Trust in a transcendent center of value and power. Difference between the two is that skeptics can practice the 2nd.
2. Spirit: a. Energy, vivacity, enthusiasm, ardor, courage. “A spirited person.” B. a temper or disposition of mind and heart, or a group. German GEIST
3. Politics: social relations involving authority and power.
4 kinds of person:
top right corner high ego strength and a high ability to relate to others in a mutually beneficial way.
Bottom left low ego strength and a low ability to relate to others: they are withdrawn and unable to form close relationships. Sometimes they are self harming as well. Jonah.
Bottom right: self deprecatory and dependent persons. Low ego strength and a strong connection to others, and thus tend to be clingy.
Top left: narcissistic and self-aggrandizing types, high ego strength and little ability to relate to others; or at least little concern for doing so.
A few verses before our Romans passage today, Paul says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” He then goes on to elaborate on this renewing of the mind by talking about forgiving one another and treating each other with love and hospitality. This is how our minds are renewed.
The Politics Of Compassion
Compassionate Leadership
1. What can leaders do to increase their capacity for compassion, spiritual maturity, and sense of self worth?
2. What can churches do to support their pastors in these endeavors?
3. Read Mark 12:28-34 for some guiding principles.
Sermon Notes:
As far as our ________ ___________ go, we as Christians have an advantage in knowing what God would recommend for us, since we believe our Gospel is the record of how God lived in ____________ with others.
On a social dimension, which includes ________ ___________ though, things get __________, which is one reason religion and politics is such a ____________ ____________.
Reinhold Niebuhr, the founder of the school of “Christian realism,” stressed that in the interpersonal dimension of ethics, Christians strive to avoid ____________, beause of the radically loving, self-surrendering example of Jesus upon the cross.
But in politics, some degree of _________ may be required to _________ ____________ and ________ ___________.
Examples of two societies that have experienced a Politics of Compassion: _____________ __________________
End with Story of man holding candle outside white house during the Vietnam war. Reporter asked him one rainy night as he stood there getting wet, holding his little white candle, “Do you really think you will change the policies of this country by standing out here every nite w/ that candle? “Oh I don’t do this to change the country, I do this so the country won’t change me.”
Thursday, October 09, 2008
New Sermon Series to Begin Oct. 12: "Faith and the Spirits of Politics"
Hopefully the title of the Sermon Series gets your attention, but to clarify: No, I'm not going to be preaching about partisan politics, or endorsing any candidate from the pulpit--instead we're going to be focusing on five "spirits" of politics that characterize our human condition. We will be using the term "politics" in a general way, that is "social relations involving authority and power." The politics that will be covered are a politics of compassion, politics of isolation, politics of resentment, politics of domination, and on All Saints Sunday, we will remember our loved ones who have passed away during the year and hear about the politics of eternity. So, yes, this is hopefully a timely sermon series due to the fact that we are in a presidential election season, but no, this isn't a sermon series that will encourage partisan politics.
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Vision Planting Sunday
Click on title to be taken to the internet archive, where you can download the podcast--or just listen here!Here are the sermon notes, and you might also appreciate a photo of the altar setting. The scriptures are 2 Corinthians 9: 5-15 and Psalm 1
1 cor. 9
Story about coming across two people chiseling marble: I’m carving stone, second says “I’m building a cathedral.”
This day is about holding that second perspective up, trying to take it on if we don’t naturally think that way.
We are building a cathedral—our lives are a testament toward God—that should be the aim and focus ever before us. When we plod through life, that should be our theme—we are doing what we’re doing today because our lives matter to God.
To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; credible we must be truthful.
Edward R. Murrow
We must be persuasive. We have a life changing message of hope, and it must be shared. At the root of our persuasiveness will be our truth—and our truthfulness must be accountable.
Explain visual significance. Place our pledges as we would be planted by the water. We yield our fruit in season—we will prosper.
Giving of ourselves roots us in the promise of God’s goodness. We are like vessels for God’s grace.
Experience of being “poured through.”
Whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly, whosoever sows generously reaps generously. If you are having a lackluster experience as a Christian, if you’re wondering “well, is this all there is to it?” If you feel like a “social club Christian” then ask yourself—“what have I sown? What am I giving?”
This is why Wesley invented a methodology to discipleship, why he emphasized disciplines and accountability. He knew that we work better when we have a routine. But he knew that this routine, forming people in this way, could be detrimental to the Methodists in the end. He said….
"I fear, wherever riches have increased, the essence of religion has decreased in the same proportion. Therefore, I do not see how it is possible, in the nature of things, for any revival of religion to continue long. For religion must necessarily produce both industry and frugality, and these cannot but produce riches. But as riches increase, so will pride, anger, and love of the world in all its branches."
The more you free your mind and heart from the grip of Money, the more you will exalt in the riches of God.
In a shaky economy, this is one thing you are guaranteed. This is the economy of God. The more we loosen ourselves from the grip of the worldly powers of money, the more we taste and see the goodness and richness of God.
Giving nothing, giving a token amount, giving less than we should, is planting ourselves in barren soil, giving abundantly comes through being planted by the water. You will be fed and nourished by God’s grace. You will have more than you need—you will bear fruit for others. You will never thirst.
I want to assure you that the failure to give is a failure to trust. A failure to trust is a failure to receive what God is overflowing for us.
If you are unhappy with your level of giving—if this exercise of planning for 2009 has caused you to face an unspectacular record thus far—then set a percentage that you will give, and ask God to grow you toward the tithe.
Set some goals for your own discipleship, and let us as a community be in a covenant relationship with God and with one another so that we may become more and more worth to bear the name of the Redeemer.
Ask God to pull you up by the roots and move you close to his heart, so that you may discover the joy of yielding fruit in more and more abundance.
All the gifts that we possess aren’t ours. All of those skills and abilities and finances. They are on loan. We are asked to employ our gifts for the living God—Employing those gifts for God’s glory is a way of bearing witness to the Living God.
As Christians, we are called to give to God "what is right, not what is left," as the popular quote from a church marquee states. God calls us to offer our "first fruits," not the "leftovers."
First fruits giving requires the theological premise that our possessions and assets ultimately belong to God. All that we have in life is a gift from God! Faith-filled, first fruits giving is our opportunity to return to God a small portion of God's abundant blessing in our lives.
Moreover, these blessings are not limited to financial assets or possessions. Most of us can examine our own lives and find numerous blessings, perhaps even some astounding miracles.
Today all Christians in the world who participate are celebrating communion. Remembrance of Christ giving everything so that we might have life.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sept. 28 Sermon: LIke a Mighty Wind
Sermon Text: Acts 2: 1-12
Spirit doing a new thing. Scriptures speak of the “rush of a mighty wind.”
With all the changes going on in our society, with the decreasing amount of importance people seem to be placing on church, we may be tempted to think that the only sound of a mighty wind in our age is the sound the church emptying out.
You hear a lot about this these days. You hear about the church dying out. You hear about the church losing relevance, as people seek out personal encounters with God without having to be bothered by God’s people.
But I’m hear to tell you that regardless of how dire things may look, the Spirit can and will do something new. The Spirit will revive and re-birth this church as She always has.
A new and vibrant church has always been born out of strife. Birth comes with labor pangs—The early church was borne out of persecution, as we see here in Acts, with its recounting of disciple after disciple being accused and killed for their faith. The early church persevered an Empire that caught followers and tortured them for entertainment.
The church was re-birthed out of a lapse into excess and corruption through the Reformation.
The Wesleyan revival was birthed out of classism….political revolution….religious laze-faire.
Can the Spirit birth something new and bold and meaningful out of the current difficulties that we face? Can the Spirit birth the church out of decreasing attendance and relevance in the lives of the people who claim the name of Jesus?
Can the Spirit birth the church out of a society where our once-thought-impenetrable economy seems to be slipping and falling?
Can the Spirit birth the church out of materialism and greed and short-sightedness?
Well, the Spirit has worked with all these difficulties and more to bring something beautiful and powerful and meaningful into existence.
Our Creation story shows the Spirit sweeping over the primordial chaos of pre-existence itself to bring forth and birth the universe and what we know as reality. If the Spirit can work with primordial chaos, the Spirit can certainly work with mortal chaos!
We must expect something. The scripture says that the first Christians, the followers of “The Way” were “all gathered together in one place.”
We must gather together not just out of some obligatory sense of duty and the shame of not being here—we must gather to expect something.
Phyllis Tickle, a contemporary theologian and historian of the church, believes we are living in the midst of something called, “The Great Emergence,” when the church is being birthed again as something new and different.
This new and different thing includes church being structured in ways and conducted in places that we may find unusual. Then again, it seems unusual to see a family having dinner on their front lawn and inviting a stranger waiting for the bus, doesn’t it?
The church will be caught up in “The Mighty Wind,” that is mentioned here in this scripture, but perhaps we must first “go outside,” in order to feel the breeze!
What do you imagine when you hear those words, “our church must “go outside?” Picture that with me for a moment. Is it something “outside your comfort zone?”
This coming Thurs. we will host our district superintendent for a dreaming session, of sorts. Among our business that we report to our DS as a matter of accountability, we’ll also hear of a charge from our bishop to begin dreaming up ways to “get outside.”
We’ll also hear about some tools that we will be using over the next couple years for self-examination.
The following Sunday, we’ll gather here together once again with expectancy. Here, we’ll ask the Spirit to bless our commitment to this church. NO matter what we yield to the Spirit’s use, it will no doubt be part of the recipe for something great that the Spirit is cooking up for and through us.
We have a charge to keep! We can be part of the Spirit’s work, the Church’s new emergence as something new and bold and meaningful instead of something played out and weak and meaningless.
Spirit doing a new thing. Scriptures speak of the “rush of a mighty wind.”
With all the changes going on in our society, with the decreasing amount of importance people seem to be placing on church, we may be tempted to think that the only sound of a mighty wind in our age is the sound the church emptying out.
You hear a lot about this these days. You hear about the church dying out. You hear about the church losing relevance, as people seek out personal encounters with God without having to be bothered by God’s people.
But I’m hear to tell you that regardless of how dire things may look, the Spirit can and will do something new. The Spirit will revive and re-birth this church as She always has.
A new and vibrant church has always been born out of strife. Birth comes with labor pangs—The early church was borne out of persecution, as we see here in Acts, with its recounting of disciple after disciple being accused and killed for their faith. The early church persevered an Empire that caught followers and tortured them for entertainment.
The church was re-birthed out of a lapse into excess and corruption through the Reformation.
The Wesleyan revival was birthed out of classism….political revolution….religious laze-faire.
Can the Spirit birth something new and bold and meaningful out of the current difficulties that we face? Can the Spirit birth the church out of decreasing attendance and relevance in the lives of the people who claim the name of Jesus?
Can the Spirit birth the church out of a society where our once-thought-impenetrable economy seems to be slipping and falling?
Can the Spirit birth the church out of materialism and greed and short-sightedness?
Well, the Spirit has worked with all these difficulties and more to bring something beautiful and powerful and meaningful into existence.
Our Creation story shows the Spirit sweeping over the primordial chaos of pre-existence itself to bring forth and birth the universe and what we know as reality. If the Spirit can work with primordial chaos, the Spirit can certainly work with mortal chaos!
We must expect something. The scripture says that the first Christians, the followers of “The Way” were “all gathered together in one place.”
We must gather together not just out of some obligatory sense of duty and the shame of not being here—we must gather to expect something.
Phyllis Tickle, a contemporary theologian and historian of the church, believes we are living in the midst of something called, “The Great Emergence,” when the church is being birthed again as something new and different.
This new and different thing includes church being structured in ways and conducted in places that we may find unusual. Then again, it seems unusual to see a family having dinner on their front lawn and inviting a stranger waiting for the bus, doesn’t it?
The church will be caught up in “The Mighty Wind,” that is mentioned here in this scripture, but perhaps we must first “go outside,” in order to feel the breeze!
What do you imagine when you hear those words, “our church must “go outside?” Picture that with me for a moment. Is it something “outside your comfort zone?”
This coming Thurs. we will host our district superintendent for a dreaming session, of sorts. Among our business that we report to our DS as a matter of accountability, we’ll also hear of a charge from our bishop to begin dreaming up ways to “get outside.”
We’ll also hear about some tools that we will be using over the next couple years for self-examination.
The following Sunday, we’ll gather here together once again with expectancy. Here, we’ll ask the Spirit to bless our commitment to this church. NO matter what we yield to the Spirit’s use, it will no doubt be part of the recipe for something great that the Spirit is cooking up for and through us.
We have a charge to keep! We can be part of the Spirit’s work, the Church’s new emergence as something new and bold and meaningful instead of something played out and weak and meaningless.
Stewardship Program for 2009
“They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.” Psalm 1:3
Dear Members and Friends of First United Methodist Church, Morris
October 5th will be an important day in the life of our church. On this “Vision Planting Sunday,” we will express our intended investment in the church for the coming year by pledging our support of the 2009 vision of this congregation. We know we have been planted next to the River of God’s grace and provision—now it is the season to yield fruit. Included in this letter is a card that represents your plans for fruit-bearing in 2009 that we ask you to prayerfully consider and complete by yourself or with your family and then place on the altar on Sunday, Oct. 5. We are each asked to support the church with our presence, prayers, service, witness, and gifts. As a way to encourage each other along the road of discipleship in 2009, the pastor and financial secretary will mail you a copy of your commitment at the end of each quarter during 2009. During October and November of 2008, they will give a total of the combined pledges to the finance committee to help them prepare a budget. (A 2008 “Missional Budget” is printed on the reverse so you can see what we have achieved over the past year.) Perhaps we will achieve a more expansive ministry with your pledged commitment.
As this day approaches, I ask that each of us make our offerings to the church a matter of prayerful consideration. That way, whatever commitment we decide to make on the fifth of October will be a faith venture between God and our families.
In uncertain financial times, many of us hesitate to increase, or even state our commitment. Yet I believe that God gives us the strength to do what God leads us to do. Sometimes, the discernment of what we shall give to God through our community of faith’s ministries compels us to examine our priorities. Lara and I have already decided to maintain giving a tithe (10% of our income) to God through this church. If you are not able to give a tithe, try to designate some percentage of your income that you will give. We have faith that you too will find that pledging your commitment to support this church through your presence, prayers, service, witness, and gifts will reflect what the Psalmist sees when singing about “a tree planted by the river.” As Paul also says to the Corinthians, “Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.”
Grace and Peace,
Rev. Nathan Mattox Duane Lester, Chair of Finance
Ken Morris, Chair of Church Council
Missional Budget 2008
First United Methodist Church, Morris
United Methodist Mission Statement: “To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”
Local Church Mission Statement: “Sharing the love of Christ by offering resources to persons in our church, community, and around the world who are in need.”
It is important for us to keep in mind that the finances of the church are collected and distributed solely toward the aim of realizing the goal of our mission. We collect our worldly resources to provide for this body of faith so that this body of faith can distribute the divine resources with which we’ve been gifted: Word, Wisdom, and Love. In our mission statement, we commit ourselves to “offering resources.” We offer these divine resources through the practices of the church. This budget is constructed so that you might see anew how what we do at church is cultivate and share the Divine gifts of God. Each gift is linked with a portion of our financial budget that we feel is committed to cultivating and sharing these gifts.
Offering the Resource of Word: We gather each Sunday to worship, where the Word of God is shared and reflected upon. We believe the Word of God is the nature of Christ (John 1), and when we gather, Christ is present. Our facilities which shelters us, minister who guides us, and volunteers who empower us help us offer this resource to our community (through worship) and the world (through our website, which has received 13,000 hits from all over the world).
(Includes worship supplies, insurance apportionment paid to conference, percentage of utilities budget, percentage of minister and staff salary packages, and percentage of administrative costs.) $29,025
Offering the Resource of Wisdom: Through the educational life of our church, we gather each week to study together and keep in covenant. Proverbs says that “An intelligent mind acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.” Our local church provides Bibles studies, fellowship groups; our connectional church provides workshops, retreats, and scholarships. Through what we provide for the church, we offer this resource to the community and world.
(Includes educational supplies for children, youth, and adults, percentage of apportionment, percentage of utilities budget, percentage of minister and staff salary packages, and percentage of administrative costs)
$34,558
Offering the Resource of Love: Through our mission and care and hospitality groups, we provide love and service to our neighbors-whether it be the reminder that you are being prayed for in a bouquet of flowers at the hospital, the kind of care the Good Samaritan provided (Luke 10), counseling for those with addictions, ministry to those in prisoner (the last are two of many service and mission ministries provided through the apportionment.) The friendships fostered in this community of faith reflect the friendship we find in Christ. Along with ministries funded with this area of our budget, we also occasionally solicit special fund drives for particular emergencies.
(Includes mission budget, percentage of apportionment, percentage of utilities budget, percentage of minister and staff salary packages, and percentage of administrative costs) $31,535
Total funds needed to make disciples who will transform the world in 2008: $95,118
Sunday, September 28, 2008
New Book Study beginning second Sun. of Oct.
I've been awaiting the publication of this book, which has received great reviews (pasted below). If you'd like to read along with a small group and discuss, please join us! The books are $13. We'll discuss the first chapter on Oct. 12 at 5pm. See you there! Also, if you're interested, this book is the focus of an event in Memphis in December--check it out!Product Description
Rooted in the observation that massive transitions in the church happen about every 500 years, Phyllis Tickle shows readers that we live in such a time right now. She compares the Great Emergence to other "Greats" in the history of Christianity, including the Great Transformation (when God walked among us), the time of Gregory the Great, the Great Schism, and the Great Reformation. Combining history, a look at the causes of social upheaval, and current events, The Great Emergence shows readers what the Great Emergence in church and culture is, how it came to be, and where it is going. Anyone who is interested in the future of the church in America, no matter what their personal affiliation, will find this book a fascinating exploration.
From the Inside Flap
"The Great Emergence offers a sweeping overview of church history and locates us in a moment of great opportunity and challenge. To some, this analysis will come as a rude awakening, and to others, as a dream coming true. My hunch is that this will be one of the most important books of the year, and will shape the conversation among a wide range of Christians for years to come."--Brian McLaren, author/activist "Without exaggeration, I say this book is a masterwork, and it will be cited for decades to come as the most pointed articulation of the church and Christianity that is emerging from the compost of Christendom. I don't know which I admire more: Tickle's erudition, her brilliant writing, or her faithfulness."--Tony Jones, national coordinator, Emergent Village; author, The New Christians As an internationally renowned expert on religion, Phyllis Tickle has incisive perspective on the trends and transformations of our time. Here, she invites us into a conversation as she shares her reflections stemming from not only personal faith but also decades of observation and analysis. The result is a work that meets the challenge of chronicling a pivotal time in the church's history so we might better understand where we have been and what the future holds. Tickle clearly lays out the gradual steps leading up to this transformation, including the influences and effects of Darwin, Freud, Einstein, the automobile, and technological advances. She then sets her sights on where we're going, leaving us with a vision of an exciting future for the Church.
Rooted in the observation that massive transitions in the church happen about every 500 years, Phyllis Tickle shows readers that we live in such a time right now. She compares the Great Emergence to other "Greats" in the history of Christianity, including the Great Transformation (when God walked among us), the time of Gregory the Great, the Great Schism, and the Great Reformation. Combining history, a look at the causes of social upheaval, and current events, The Great Emergence shows readers what the Great Emergence in church and culture is, how it came to be, and where it is going. Anyone who is interested in the future of the church in America, no matter what their personal affiliation, will find this book a fascinating exploration.
From the Inside Flap
"The Great Emergence offers a sweeping overview of church history and locates us in a moment of great opportunity and challenge. To some, this analysis will come as a rude awakening, and to others, as a dream coming true. My hunch is that this will be one of the most important books of the year, and will shape the conversation among a wide range of Christians for years to come."--Brian McLaren, author/activist "Without exaggeration, I say this book is a masterwork, and it will be cited for decades to come as the most pointed articulation of the church and Christianity that is emerging from the compost of Christendom. I don't know which I admire more: Tickle's erudition, her brilliant writing, or her faithfulness."--Tony Jones, national coordinator, Emergent Village; author, The New Christians As an internationally renowned expert on religion, Phyllis Tickle has incisive perspective on the trends and transformations of our time. Here, she invites us into a conversation as she shares her reflections stemming from not only personal faith but also decades of observation and analysis. The result is a work that meets the challenge of chronicling a pivotal time in the church's history so we might better understand where we have been and what the future holds. Tickle clearly lays out the gradual steps leading up to this transformation, including the influences and effects of Darwin, Freud, Einstein, the automobile, and technological advances. She then sets her sights on where we're going, leaving us with a vision of an exciting future for the Church.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Sept. 21 Sermon: Kingdom Vision
Sermon Text: Matthew 13: 32-33
Sermon Notes:
Acts 2: 1-12
Matthew 13: 31-32
Seed growing into a tree.
Orders meeting: last place you’d expect to be inspired for a sermon:
Kingdom vision: planting a seed with the vision that great things will come of it. In the Lord’s prayer, we say “as Earth as it is in heaven.”
We’re cognizant of the full grown tree in heaven, in fact it is what John saw in his vision recorded in Revelation…read text Rev. 21?
But, we’re not living with our bags packed. Jesus doesn’t ask us to shut out this world, he wants us to live with garden gloves on. We should live bearing the fruit of that tree.
Christ makes it clear that this life is what religion is about—give us this day our daily bread. Help us forgive—why because forgiveness makes the life you are living better and bigger and deeper.
We bear the fruit of that tree pictured for us in heaven, and the first followers of “the Way,” mentioned in acts. They understood that community embodies God, and that’s why they made the commitment to a radical life of community.
We live with the hope and the knowledge that the kingdom that is present in our midst, even if it is as subtle as a mustard seed, it is as potent—that seed, that hope, contains God’s designs for the world.
I would encourage us to think of ourselves as seed-nourishers, as gardeners, but the truth about mustard seed is that it grows whether the farmer wants it there or not. Mustard plant spreads and flourishes, sometimes despite the best efforts of the farmer, that’s why while we work for it, we also wait for it.
The Kingdom is coming—it is assuredly coming—sometimes the point of faith is re-orienting ourselves to the perspective that we “want” it to come.
We need kingdom vision and bird-hearts. We need to think of ourselves as beings who will find the Kingdom to be shelter and home. This may sound easy—after all who doesn’t like the idea of the sweet Buhlah land that we sang last week.
The Kingdom isn’t lollipop land. The kingdom involves us putting away much that we have grown comfortable with. We are “transformed by faith divine, we gain that perfect love unknown, bright in all thy image shine, by putting on the Son.” As Charles Wesley said in one of his poems—(which was part of our readings this week.)
Part of this transformation involves putting away distrust and self-centeredness. As I read to this couple I married yesterday, Paul says Love always trusts, it always hopes, it always perserveres.
Video, Nat’l geo photographer, story about him reading “random acts of kindness” and then wanting to pay the toll for someone on the golden gate bridge. Finally decided to do it, turned out that a shiny black porshe. Toll booth operator, you don’t know that person, do you? Made her day, porshed zoomed by, and the guy pumps his fist in the air, “woo-hoo.” Deciding to take a chance on hope and trust are the best “bets” we can make. This is living with Kingdom eyes. This is treating a stranger as if he were a brother. It’s living “as if” what we believe is true.
Living “as if.” Integral part of falling in love with what you are doing. At the “vision planning Sunday in a couple weeks, we’ll invest this same sense of hope and trust in the life of this congregation of believers. We are bearing the fruit of this community through accountability. It’s just an idea if we don’t have accountability. We must behave “as if” this church is going to help bring the kingdom into this community.
Story about the two chiseling marble in Italy. “chipping stone” o “building a cathedral.”
That is living with kingdom vision. You treat the seed as though it were the mustard tree. You treat strangers as if they were brothers. You live life with hope and trust.
Pray that God gives you the vision to see things as they are in God’s eyes. Pray for “Thy kingdom come, and thy will be done—on earth as it is in heaven.”
Sermon Notes:
Acts 2: 1-12
Matthew 13: 31-32
Seed growing into a tree.
Orders meeting: last place you’d expect to be inspired for a sermon:
Kingdom vision: planting a seed with the vision that great things will come of it. In the Lord’s prayer, we say “as Earth as it is in heaven.”
We’re cognizant of the full grown tree in heaven, in fact it is what John saw in his vision recorded in Revelation…read text Rev. 21?
But, we’re not living with our bags packed. Jesus doesn’t ask us to shut out this world, he wants us to live with garden gloves on. We should live bearing the fruit of that tree.
Christ makes it clear that this life is what religion is about—give us this day our daily bread. Help us forgive—why because forgiveness makes the life you are living better and bigger and deeper.
We bear the fruit of that tree pictured for us in heaven, and the first followers of “the Way,” mentioned in acts. They understood that community embodies God, and that’s why they made the commitment to a radical life of community.
We live with the hope and the knowledge that the kingdom that is present in our midst, even if it is as subtle as a mustard seed, it is as potent—that seed, that hope, contains God’s designs for the world.
I would encourage us to think of ourselves as seed-nourishers, as gardeners, but the truth about mustard seed is that it grows whether the farmer wants it there or not. Mustard plant spreads and flourishes, sometimes despite the best efforts of the farmer, that’s why while we work for it, we also wait for it.
The Kingdom is coming—it is assuredly coming—sometimes the point of faith is re-orienting ourselves to the perspective that we “want” it to come.
We need kingdom vision and bird-hearts. We need to think of ourselves as beings who will find the Kingdom to be shelter and home. This may sound easy—after all who doesn’t like the idea of the sweet Buhlah land that we sang last week.
The Kingdom isn’t lollipop land. The kingdom involves us putting away much that we have grown comfortable with. We are “transformed by faith divine, we gain that perfect love unknown, bright in all thy image shine, by putting on the Son.” As Charles Wesley said in one of his poems—(which was part of our readings this week.)
Part of this transformation involves putting away distrust and self-centeredness. As I read to this couple I married yesterday, Paul says Love always trusts, it always hopes, it always perserveres.
Video, Nat’l geo photographer, story about him reading “random acts of kindness” and then wanting to pay the toll for someone on the golden gate bridge. Finally decided to do it, turned out that a shiny black porshe. Toll booth operator, you don’t know that person, do you? Made her day, porshed zoomed by, and the guy pumps his fist in the air, “woo-hoo.” Deciding to take a chance on hope and trust are the best “bets” we can make. This is living with Kingdom eyes. This is treating a stranger as if he were a brother. It’s living “as if” what we believe is true.
Living “as if.” Integral part of falling in love with what you are doing. At the “vision planning Sunday in a couple weeks, we’ll invest this same sense of hope and trust in the life of this congregation of believers. We are bearing the fruit of this community through accountability. It’s just an idea if we don’t have accountability. We must behave “as if” this church is going to help bring the kingdom into this community.
Story about the two chiseling marble in Italy. “chipping stone” o “building a cathedral.”
That is living with kingdom vision. You treat the seed as though it were the mustard tree. You treat strangers as if they were brothers. You live life with hope and trust.
Pray that God gives you the vision to see things as they are in God’s eyes. Pray for “Thy kingdom come, and thy will be done—on earth as it is in heaven.”
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Sept. 15 Sermon: Claiming The Talent
Click the title to hear sermon. (You may have to download quicktime or some other media player to access sermon)
Sermon Text: Matthew 25: 14-30
Sermon Text: Matthew 25: 14-30
Monday, September 08, 2008
Sept. 6 Sermon: Spine, Muscles, and Sinew
Sermon Text:
Matthew 25: 14-30
Romans 12: 4-8
Sorry, no audio-sermon today--something messed up with our gabcast. Here are my notes.
Wesley’s notes:. “So we - All believers. Are one body - Closely connected together in Christ, and consequently ought to be helpful to each other.”
Such a simple idea. Reflects Paul’s metaphor. Isn’t it the case that the different aspects and parts of our body work in concert and are of benefit to one another? Our muscles are woven together, our spine brings electric messages to our hands and our feet in order to move us to where we need to go.
You’ve heard that saying, “So and so doesn’t have a spine,” or “grow a spine!” We all know what that means, right—get some courage! Get some direction!
Right now the lay leadership committee and I are looking for people with a spine to be the spine of our congregation. We need to replace a church council chair, a trustee chair, a PPR chair, among others, who have heard “job well done my good and faithful servant.”
The church must have people who are willing to listen, through prayer and discernment, to the will of God, and then delegate that will out among the people of our congregation—much like a spine carries the will of the mind to the muscles and hands and feet. If our congregation doesn’t have a spine, we will be like that “spineless” person who has no courage or direction.
But I’m not saying this to chastise us, I’m saying this to celebrate the necessity and the function of those of you who have taken on these roles in the past and who are prayerfully considering these roles in the future. Because of you, we are a body of Christ with a spine.
As necessary as the spine are the muscles which take the assignments and the direction of the spine and move the body in the appropriate direction. But what else are your roles in the mystical body? There must be strong bonds between the muscles. We’ve all seen and perhaps experienced, I know of one case at least, a football player end their season with a torn muscle or ligament.
When fractures occur between the people in the congregation, our functioning as a body of Christ becomes hampered by that injury.
We are slowed down, we are impaired—by the fractures that occur in our relationships, especially our relationships with one another in our local congregation—but we can speak of this fracture in a larger church sense too.
The fractures of differing worldviews, different values, can hamper the body of Christ in the same way a torn ligament will restrain a football player. Our opponent has an advantage when the Body of Christ is torn and consumed by its own squabbles and differences.
And what happens to muscles when they are being used and active? They grow—I think this is something we can expect from this body of Christ when we are carrying out the work of Christ. We can and will grow larger, and muscle mass will be added to this Body of Christ.
As well as growing in size, we also grow in depth as disciples. Our spirits, like muscles, become more toned and attractive, as long as we are remaining active and alert to the will of our head—Jesus Christ.
The hard truth is that growth can be painful. We have all felt that soreness of the muscles after working out. A group of people must confront issues and conflict and disagreement when new people join a community and perhaps renew debates that have supposedly been settled.
When our growth is a deepening growth in our spiritual lives, there are likewise inner confrontations and issues that do come up. Spiritual growth incorporates those confrontations and issues.
Not all disagreement or conflict in the body is bad, muscles grow because new there is stress to the existing muscle.
The danger of being sedentary holds the same danger for the Mystical Body of Christ as it does for our physical bodies. We grow weak—unable to carry out the desire of the Christ/Mind. Chances are, we also grow fat, and the fat has a good chance of killing us. What does it look like when a congregation is sedentary? The congregation is most likely myopic and inwardly focused. The congregation cares little for what goes on in the world and community around it. The congregation becomes single-minded and risk averse. We pray that the Spirit stays with us and we continue to resist the pull of Spiritual Couch Potatoism!
That’s the purpose of this Vision Plan that you will be asked to support this month. We stay vigorously aware of why we do the things we do as a congregation, and we hatch new ideas for ministry and relating to our community. We are alert for the signals from our head—and we embody those signals to carry the Body where it needs to go.
Matthew 25: 14-30
Romans 12: 4-8
Sorry, no audio-sermon today--something messed up with our gabcast. Here are my notes.
Wesley’s notes:. “So we - All believers. Are one body - Closely connected together in Christ, and consequently ought to be helpful to each other.”
Such a simple idea. Reflects Paul’s metaphor. Isn’t it the case that the different aspects and parts of our body work in concert and are of benefit to one another? Our muscles are woven together, our spine brings electric messages to our hands and our feet in order to move us to where we need to go.
You’ve heard that saying, “So and so doesn’t have a spine,” or “grow a spine!” We all know what that means, right—get some courage! Get some direction!
Right now the lay leadership committee and I are looking for people with a spine to be the spine of our congregation. We need to replace a church council chair, a trustee chair, a PPR chair, among others, who have heard “job well done my good and faithful servant.”
The church must have people who are willing to listen, through prayer and discernment, to the will of God, and then delegate that will out among the people of our congregation—much like a spine carries the will of the mind to the muscles and hands and feet. If our congregation doesn’t have a spine, we will be like that “spineless” person who has no courage or direction.
But I’m not saying this to chastise us, I’m saying this to celebrate the necessity and the function of those of you who have taken on these roles in the past and who are prayerfully considering these roles in the future. Because of you, we are a body of Christ with a spine.
As necessary as the spine are the muscles which take the assignments and the direction of the spine and move the body in the appropriate direction. But what else are your roles in the mystical body? There must be strong bonds between the muscles. We’ve all seen and perhaps experienced, I know of one case at least, a football player end their season with a torn muscle or ligament.
When fractures occur between the people in the congregation, our functioning as a body of Christ becomes hampered by that injury.
We are slowed down, we are impaired—by the fractures that occur in our relationships, especially our relationships with one another in our local congregation—but we can speak of this fracture in a larger church sense too.
The fractures of differing worldviews, different values, can hamper the body of Christ in the same way a torn ligament will restrain a football player. Our opponent has an advantage when the Body of Christ is torn and consumed by its own squabbles and differences.
And what happens to muscles when they are being used and active? They grow—I think this is something we can expect from this body of Christ when we are carrying out the work of Christ. We can and will grow larger, and muscle mass will be added to this Body of Christ.
As well as growing in size, we also grow in depth as disciples. Our spirits, like muscles, become more toned and attractive, as long as we are remaining active and alert to the will of our head—Jesus Christ.
The hard truth is that growth can be painful. We have all felt that soreness of the muscles after working out. A group of people must confront issues and conflict and disagreement when new people join a community and perhaps renew debates that have supposedly been settled.
When our growth is a deepening growth in our spiritual lives, there are likewise inner confrontations and issues that do come up. Spiritual growth incorporates those confrontations and issues.
Not all disagreement or conflict in the body is bad, muscles grow because new there is stress to the existing muscle.
The danger of being sedentary holds the same danger for the Mystical Body of Christ as it does for our physical bodies. We grow weak—unable to carry out the desire of the Christ/Mind. Chances are, we also grow fat, and the fat has a good chance of killing us. What does it look like when a congregation is sedentary? The congregation is most likely myopic and inwardly focused. The congregation cares little for what goes on in the world and community around it. The congregation becomes single-minded and risk averse. We pray that the Spirit stays with us and we continue to resist the pull of Spiritual Couch Potatoism!
That’s the purpose of this Vision Plan that you will be asked to support this month. We stay vigorously aware of why we do the things we do as a congregation, and we hatch new ideas for ministry and relating to our community. We are alert for the signals from our head—and we embody those signals to carry the Body where it needs to go.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
40 Days of Purpose--oops
We have started the period of discernment prior to our Church Conference on Oct. 2. This period of discernment, called "40 Days of Purpose" is being carried out by all United Methodist churches in the Oklahoma Conference. In worship, we will be hearing sermons instigated by the scripture that everyone who picked up a devotional guide will be meditating on in the week to follow. If you have not been able to pick up a devotional guide, you can click the link in the previous sentence. If you picked one up from the church, you need to read it backwards--You should begin on day 40, not day 1. (You count down, not up). The conference office sent those to us, and stapled them incorrectly. Sorry! But you can see what it feels lke to be a lefty for forty days!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Sermons #15 - Elijah Sermon Series 4: "Make it a Double"
Gabcast! Sermons #15 - Elijah Sermon Series 4: "Make it a Double"
This sermon is based on 2 Kings 2: 1-15, which is the story of the translation of Elijah and the passing of the mantle to Elisha. This sermon concludes the 4 part series.
Quilt Auction
Here's where you can bid on the quilts for United Methodist Camps. The quilt made by folks from our church is #1!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
New Discussion group to begin Sunday
Many in the church have enjoyed reading the Shack, by William Long. The coming Sunday at 5pm, we'll discuss the book together. Be there!
Aug. 17 sermon: Elijah pt. 3: But I WANT it!
We had a problem with gabcast this past Sunday. Sorry for the delay, but here are the sermon notes I used to preach. It went something like this.
Text: Psalm 5 and1 Kings 21:1-21
Text: Psalm 5 and1 Kings 21:1-21
Our world is full of things that are out of our reach.
We dwell on what we don’t have rather than rejoice for what we have.
Our world is full of “easy solutions” that compromise our ethics or ideals.
God gives us a conscience, but we try to evade it.
But our world also contains truth and prophets, seeking to chasten our greed.
May the Holy Spirit correct us, and keep us on the paths that lead to righteousness.
Sometimes our choices are not between good and evil, but the choice between competing claims or interests. Most of our failure is due to the slow erosion of principles. Undisciplined in our commitments we can soon find ourselves drifting from the harbor of faith into an ocean of regrets. I like Naboth, how he answered clarity and with conviction: "The Lord forbid that I should give you my ancestral inheritance."
in ancient Israel, high value was placed on keeping land within the extended family. For a faithful man like Naboth to let the king have his vineyard would be the moral equivalent of selling the king his first-born child. An honorable person wouldn’t consider it.
The 10th commandment. Do you remember it? The last climatic commandment? Thou shalt not covet. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thy neighbor’s spouse, thy neighbor’s servants, and presumably thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s vineyard either
.
The plain English word for Ahab and Jezebel’s sin, a sin that will ruin the human soul, ruin a nation, is greed. Where does greed come from?
It comes from the worry that you never have enough and that you must have more and you will do whatever you can to get more, even if it belongs to someone else. This is something our nation needs to think deeply about, years after we were founded. America’s obsession with getting and spending can’t be good for its soul.
This matter of coveting is also a personal issue. I think how it shows up in my heart – I’m not going to have someone executed – but I can be envious. Can you? I can look at someone and think, boy, I wish I looked like that! Or I wish I had what she has. We rarely take from others what they have, but none of us is above being envious of those who have what we want.
Sometimes we don’t even admit it to ourselves, but we can act hatefully toward the person who has what we do not and not even be aware of it. Thou shalt not covet. It’s not a commandment meant to make us miserable. It’s a commandment meant to make us human in the way God intended
Good argument against a society approving of capital punishment. Even if the Law of the Bible allows for it, it can be evil and displeasing in the eyes of God. It can be misused.
2 witnesses—Deut. Law 17.6
And speak to the people of Israel, saying: Anyone who curses God shall bear the sin. One who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall be put to death; the whole congregation shall stone the blasphemer. Aliens as well as citizens, when they blaspheme the Name, shall be put to death" (Lev. 24:15-16).
When you do everything so biblically, what can go wrong?
I understand that you may have personal opinions on the matter of capital punishment that differ with one another, but as a church we speak with one voice to challenge it. If you are personally for it, and are bothered that your church speaks differently than you do personally, allow the voice of the church to be a conversation partner.
“Well-meaning people of faith weigh in on both sides of the debate. Some argue the death penalty deters crime and protects society. Others contend that it has not proven to be a deterrence, is biased against the poor and African Americans, and isn't something Jesus would "do." The death penalty is currently legal in 38 U.S. states.
The United Methodist Church, in its Social Principles, officially opposes capital punishment and urges its elimination from all criminal codes. The church's General Conference, a delegated body representing members around the world, meets every four years and is the only entity that can take official positions for the denomination. Those statements are included in the church's Book of Discipline and Book of Resolutions. On many issues addressed by the church, individual members hold a wide range of viewpoints, including outright opposition to denomination policy.”
The United Methodist Church has held this position for 50 years. At the 1956 General Conference in Minneapolis, delegates first passed legislation that put the church officially on record as opposed to the death penalty.
Each Methodist and United Methodist General Conference since that time has reaffirmed its opposition to capital punishment
I am reminded of those famous words of Lord Acton from the 19th century, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Here you see it plain and clear, tyranny at its bloodiest. Note that the one who plotted the bloodshed and the one who allowed the plot to go forward had no actual blood on their hands. When the stoning took place, they were miles away.
Go, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead" (21:15). In these words we can almost hear a reverse echo of the story of the prodigal son, who was not dead, but living, was lost and became found.
God, through Elijah, ahs the last word, though--
You have sold yourself"—that's the most damaging accusation of all, isn't it? Because that one strikes at our own twenty-first century hearts. We talk a lot about the true self, coming to one's self, finding one's self. So to be accused of selling one's self—that is the sale we have made many times. For popularity when we were in high school or college, for the love at whatever price of virtue or integrity when we were in our twenties and thirties, for money and success any time it was offered. Oh, we stand before Elijah or whatever prophet God calls before us, because we know that we have sold ourselves.
Remember hearing the legend of Robert Johnson selling his soul to the devil at the crossroads to become the greatest blues singer. I was scared I’d accidently sell my soul to the devil somehow. Probably more subtle than a ‘big black man” as Johnson described it “coming and tuning our guitar” or making some kind of formal exchange with a certificate, as usually portrayed.
Ahab probably didn’t see himself at a “crossroads” when he went home and pouted about not getting the vineyard. No—it was process.
When we sell ourselves, we sell our souls. When we allow greed to deform us, we have subtly sold our souls. But they aren’t ours to sell—
What a wonderful opportunity; what a wonderful responsibility we have to replace this addiction to having more things with having more compassion for others, to replace the love of power with the power to love, as God loved the world, as revealed in Jesus Christ, who let go of everything for our sakes, including equality with God.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
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