June 1, 2008

Romans 1:16-17; 3:22b-28; Matthew 7:21-29
“Believe the Good News”

What does Paul tell us in today’s scripture from Romans (1:16-17; 3:22b-28? He says:

• The good news is God has a way of saving everyone who believes the good news.
• We have “all sinned and fallen short of God's glory”, but God accepts us anyway.
• God sent his son Jesus to do what we could not for ourselves, so we could come to God.
• God did this to show that in the past he was right to be patient and forgive sinners.
• God is right to accept people who have faith in Jesus.
• God loves us so much we need only believe, through Jesus Christ, we can be with God.
• We haven’t earned it, God has taken care of it.
• All we must do is believe, to trust it is so.
• God wants everyone to believe… to have faith… to trust, period.

What does Jesus say in Matthew 7? He says, “It would be wise to live you lives the way I said. Live like that and you can handle anything that comes along.”

Both Jesus and Paul have laid it out for us. “Life is yours. Believe in Jesus Christ.”

For those who hunger for a better life, a better way, that IS good news.

Jesus said (John 6:35 (CEV): “I am the bread that gives life! No one who comes to me will ever be hungry. No one who has faith in me will ever be thirsty.”

Today, as we come to the table for Holy Communion, think how patient God has been with all of us. We do some really strange things sometimes, and yet God is still there, waiting for us.

When we turned our backs on God or were far away, God was patient;
when we were slow to hear or busy doing other things, God was patient;
when we thought we knew but didn’t really understand, God was patient;
when we said we would but really couldn’t, God was patient.
Until we said, “I believe, I really do,” God was patient.

God has also been just as patient with others - even those who have not yet come to the table to be fed. God yearns for everyone to believe. Perhaps we can help make it happen. Pray it will be so.

May 25, 2008

1 Corinthians 4:1-5; Matthew 6:24-34
“The Art of Worry”

I imagine a lot of us worry from time to time about getting old or, having gotten old, about what lies around the corner. We would like to be young again, but that’s not really possible physically, is it? However Comedian George Carlin has some good advice for those who would like to maintain a ‘young’ attitude and outlook on things; he says:
1. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle.
2. Enjoy the simple things.
3. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
4. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.
5. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. And tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

We would all benefit from his advice, wouldn’t we? If we could just do some of those things, we would be better off. But there’s other things besides our attitude that enters into the equation here.

Have you ever thought about how the foods you eat could possibly affect your health or even your life expectancy? There seems to be something in the news all the time about what we should eat and what we might leave alone? With all those reports do you ever worry about whether you’re eating the right things or not? Maybe just a little? If so, then listen to these statistics before worrying any further. Perhaps another question we should ask is, does it really make any difference?

One report revealed the following:

The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

The French eat a lot of fat and also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

The Japanese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

The Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine and also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

The Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

The conclusion would seem to be then: Don’t worry about what you eat and drink… it’s speaking English that kills you.

And if you like to get rid of more things to worry about, visit The Worry Bank at www.worrybank.com. At The Worry Bank you can make regular worry deposits. The site says: “Everyone worries. How much time do you spend worrying? Most things we worry about don’t happen. But we still spend time and energy worrying about them. Do you ever wish someone else could do your worrying for you? Deposit your worries at The Worry Bank.” I guess that’s one option, but the apostle Paul has a better one.

He tells the church at Corinth that when it comes to determining if we’re doing the right thing, to “leave it up to God.” Oh, not in those exact words, but isn’t that the jest of what he’s saying? He does say, “I don’t judge myself… The Lord is my judge.” So if it comes down to ‘worrying’ about whether we’re living up to our charge as followers of Christ, Paul says, “Don’t.”

No doubt Paul is quite familiar with what Jesus told his followers as recorded in Matthew: “Don't worry about tomorrow. It will take care of itself. You have enough to worry about today.” And when he tells them, “Don’t worry about life.” what he is really saying is don’t worry about your life as a disciple. Whatever is needed, food to eat, something to drink, clothes to wear – whatever – it will all be taken care of. “The Father in heaven takes care (of the birds), why not you.”

What good does it do to worry, he asks. Is your faith so small you can’t trust God? Birds rely on God; Flowers rely on God; and so should we. That’s really what is important in life – not our toiling or our spinning – not what we do. Believe and trust in God. That’s what Jesus would have us substitute for worry - trusting God. We don’t have to worry about how life is going to turn out.

Still there may be a few doubts or questions, an objection or two, that makes it hard for us to go along with Jesus on this. We aren’t always worrying about life-threatening things like global warming or the world running out of oil. And most of us don’t dwell on the question of how or when the world will end.

No, most of the time our concerns are about issues like “Will I get a good report from the doctor?” or “Will my kids stay out of trouble?” or “Am I being a good parent?” or “Will I be able to pay my bills if my job goes ‘south’?” We’re not worrying all the time, just now and then.

Besides, everybody worries from time to time; it’s a good thing. We shouldn’t feel guilty about something we all do. It’s who we are as human beings, right? Besides sometimes it causes us to change what we do for our own good, especially when it might concern our health. We shouldn’t feel guilty about that, should we?

And if you really think about it, what Jesus says is too logical. He says, “Since you trust God, everything is going to work out for the good, and since you believe God cares for you even more than the birds and flowers (and God takes care of them), you needn’t worry then about anything.” Yeah, right.

Most of us just don’t buy it. It doesn’t make any sense, the way we see it, not to worry. We can’t talk ourselves out of it. And even though we’re told not to, we worry anyway. Some of us have even made worrying an art. Our head is filled with voices saying, “This may not work out, things might not happen like I planned, so and so could ‘drop the ball’, maybe there’s something I haven’t thought of, whatever can go wrong probably will.” Our minds can process those ‘what ifs’ over and over and over again, causing us to worry even more, which of course makes a person even more anxious.

So hearing “not to worry” is one thing, doing it is something else.

But folks, that’s not really the point. We may have missed what Jesus is really talking about in this passage. His main point is this: “Do your best to be close to God, and everything else will fall into place.” That’s what we should be doing - actively working for that closeness to God - and then some of the things we worry about are going to become non-issues because we’ve got more important things to be concerned with.

Oh, we’ll still worry about things now and then. It’s hard not to when you love someone or are sensitive to others or concerned about the world. But it will be nothing like before. Because when we focus on our relationship with God there will be no worry at all; we’ll be able to relax and trust in God’s care.

Remember earlier I said, “Don’t worry about what you eat and drink… it’s speaking English that kills you.” Well it isn’t speaking a language other than English that gives us reason not to worry, what gives us reason not to worry is trusting God.

May 18, 2008

2 Corinthians 13:11-13; Matthew 28:16-28 - "God Is Power, Love, and Present"

What is it that you believe about God? Whatever it is, that is your theology. And good, solid theology gets down to the very core of our existence and how we live our lives. It determines not only how we see God in our lives, but also what our relationship to God looks like.

For most of us here today, as followers of Christ, salvation is not the issue. That’s already been taken care of. Rather it is what Jesus teaches about the things we face on a daily basis, and how what he says might actually shape our life. So, consider for a moment that Jesus, who is to be the center of our life, and the breath we seek, always seemed to elevate the small above the large, the ordinary above the great, and the unlikely above the expected.

What seems small or commonplace to us mattered to Jesus because they made a huge difference in people’s lives. Look at some of the little things you might do. A genuine smile can have a greater impact on someone than the best of hymns sung in church. A simple kindness can be more helpful than a “great” sermon. And listening with genuine interest after asking someone about their day can actually be enough to make their day.

Jesus teaches that faith is to be tangible, no matter how small; it is to be “real,” no matter how strange; it is to be something you can “hang your hat on,” if only a nail. If our breath comes from God, that breath is to go out from us, across the land and make a difference in the lives of others. Huge things are possible here, folks, if we are willing to do some small things. Here’s how.

According to Kids Against Hunger, a child dies every 5 seconds in this world from hunger-related causes. That’s huge. It only costs $0.23 to buy a child a meal. A small thing like a quarter can make a large difference.

According to Living Water International, a child dies every 17 seconds because of a lack of clean water. It only costs $0.98 to provide clean, safe water to one person for one year. A small thing like a dollar can make all the difference in the world.

According to the World Health Organization, a child dies every 30 seconds in Africa from malaria. By giving $10 to the Nothing But Nets campaign, the cost to buy and deliver one treated mosquito net, a life can be saved. A little bit does go a long way.

And there are so many other “small things” we can do. Paul tells the church, “God gives love and peace. [Do the same.] God is present in people lives. [Do the same.] Jesus Christ will bless you. [Do the same.]” Breath of life breathe in me.

We believe God created us; God loves us and wants us to know peace; and we believe God is present in our lives. We may not know how it all works, but still we believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, don’t we?

And so today, churches around the world are observing Trinity Sunday, considering the doctrine of a triune God - the idea that God is known in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God’s creative power is found in the Father, God’s great love and gift of new life disclosed in the Son, and God’s presence in people’s lives made known in the Spirit.

Paul changes this order a bit to better express our personal experiences of God when he says, Jesus Christ comes first and through the grace of his life, death and resurrection we may be reconciled to God and able to experience " God’s great love." This is followed by the power and the presence of God coming into our life. This is the triune God who transforms our life from what has been into what is to be.

For our graduates, life as they have known it these last several years is ending; challenges have been faced and goals met; and everything now is coming together, both the old and new. When they graduate, one paragraph in their life’s story will end and another will begin. Some friendships will fade and others will grow, even new ones.

It’s appropriate we take note of all this on Trinity Sunday, a day for the church when everything comes together as well and Easter finds its fulfillment. The Father has been revealed in the Son who has shown how love conquers death; and both have come to life together in the work of the Spirit, present when everything began and present now in the hearts of those who seek to follow Jesus and open themselves up to the life renewing power of God. Breath of life, breath in me.

Today is a day for all of us to catch our breath and look at how far we have come before moving on to the work that is yet to be done. It’s a day to consider the journey God is calling us to, living day-to-day in a faith involving the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Ours is to be a life in which God is a source of our strength and inspiration, a friend and companion, and a force beyond our imagination, ever at work in our lives. As we come to the table today, may we find in the bread, the unfermented wine, and the breath we breathe,

- an awesome God, who we recognize in the vastness of the universe, the beauty of creation, and in all things too profound for words.

- a loving God, whose intent is healing and peace, who shares our tears and laughter, our pain and joy and who understands what we go through.

- an intimate God, who challenges us beyond what we are or what we would do on our own and is our source of courage, strength, and guidance.

May the breath of life breathe in each of you today and in all the days to come. Amen.

May 11, 2008

1 Corinthians 12:3-13; John 20:19-31
“Different, Yet the Same”

A story I heard while in Arizona:
A young woman, who we'll call Molly, was driving home from one of her business trips in Northern Arizona when she saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the road. As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and asked the Navajo woman if she would like a ride.
With a word or two of thanks, she got in the car.
After resuming the journey and a bit of small talk, the Navajo woman noticed a brown bag on the seat next to Molly.
“What’s in the bag?” asked the old woman.
Molly looked down at the brown bag and said, “It’s a bottle of wine. Got it for my husband.”
The Navajo woman was silent for a moment, and then speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder said, “Good trade.”

That story has nothing to do with today’s text, but perhaps there is some truth in it nonetheless.

Today’s Text
The truth found in today’s scripture is that the Holy Spirit provides the church, the followers of Jesus the Christ, with the gifts needed to go where the Spirit leads. Even though, at times, we may doubt it.

Like Thomas, some things are hard to believe or just too much for us to take in unless – we have some sort of proof. He said, “I must see… and touch… I won’t believe unless I do.” You see, a lot of us probably doubt whether we have any of those gifts Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians at all. We’re thinking, “Don’t just tell me; show me!” Right? Who “can speak with wisdom or knowledge”? Raise your hand. Who has the faith to heal the sick or the power to do miracles? Stand up. Where are the prophets here? Who can feel God’s Spirit present in them today? We may even be more certain we don’t have any of the gifts Paul mentions than we are that we do.

“There are different ways to serve the same Lord, and we can each do different things. Yet the same God works in all of us and helps us in everything we do. The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others.” – 1 Corinthians 12: 5-7

For Paul, diversity that serves to strengthen communal unity is the only accurate understanding of the Spirit's many manifestations. In today's final verse, Paul confirms the absolute power of the Holy Spirit in determining how its presence will be expressed within each individual Christian. All gifts are bestowed "as the Spirit chooses" -- not according to any special merit or worth of a particular believer. And the presence of all the spiritual gifts is equally necessary for a whole and healthy faith community.

“The body of Christ has many different parts, just as any other body does. (Our backgrounds and circumstances are different.) But God's Spirit baptized each of us and made us part of the body of Christ. Now we each drink from that same Spirit. (12-13)

Today’s Application
Paul tells his readers that a multitude of gifts are necessary for a healthy church – a faith community successfully living out Jesus’ commission to it (to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.) But here is the Good News - God’s Spirit will take care of everything. The Spirit has or will provide the church with the gifts that are needed. Do we believe that? Or like Thomas, do we have to be shown?

Some in leadership positions beyond our local churches are suggesting, and rightly so, that vital communities of faith are those shaped and sustained by radical hospitality, passionate worship, intentional faith development, life-long evangelism, risk-taking mission and service, and extravagant generosity. Churches, like ours, in order to be healthy and fruitful, will need people who practice those qualities. That’s a tall order, and yet Paul says – “it’s been taken care of.” The Holy Spirit provides people in the church with the gifts they need. It always has, and always will.

Think about your ‘spiritual’ life and how it has grown and developed to this point. Each of us is where we are today because certain people in our lives believed in us, sacrificed for us, and used their gifts to build us up. Think about those who have birthed your ‘spiritual’ life, those who have ‘mothered’ it and helped it to grow. Think about the person who first welcomed you into the church and provided that sense of belonging; or the one who helped you experience God in worship; or taught you about Jesus and God’s great love for you; or revealed what love of neighbor really means by encouraging your participation in mission and service; or showed you what generosity really meant by their example. Think of the person who has invested their spiritual gifts in your life. Make sure you have a name and a face in mind because we’re going to see just how we’re connected in the church, all of us, by the giftedness of others.

[Ball of yarn is tossed from person to person, until everyone is holding the yarn )a visual of our connectedness). Before it is tossed to the next, the name of someone who has invested their gift in us is named and thanks is given. This is repeated]

People like those we have named are absolutely necessary if we are to be the church God has established us to be. You are the fruit of such people. You have been touched by their lives and now you are being asked to touch the lives of those to whom you are connected – and are yet to be connected to. Those you have named have shown you how. Now it is time for you, empowered like them by the Holy Spirit, to do the same.

We are not the same - that's true. Paul says our part in the body of Christ is different. We are not all meant to do the same sort of things in the church. Some of us will welcome and make visitors feel at home here; some of us will teach children or adults, while others create opportunities to study more deeply; some of us will invite our friends to worship with us or tell our neighbors about what we have found here; some will seek ways to add to the worship experience of all, new and old alike; some will respond to those who hurt and are in need; and others will be generous beyond belief. But we all have a part. Our spiritual gifts will work together to build up this body, which is the church.

And in our being the church of Jesus Christ, we will be fruitful. Wisdom or knowledge will be heard, the sick will be healed and miracles will be done. There will be dreams and prophecy. And we will feel God’s Spirit among us. Paul says, “God's Spirit baptized each of us and made us part of the body of Christ.”

Now (may) we each drink from that same Spirit. Amen.