Sunday, December 15, 2013
December 15 - Hope Proclaimed
The blog is taking an unannounced vacation until after Christmas. Come back then, and in the meantime proclaim the hope and Good News that is Jesus Christ!
Saturday, December 7, 2013
December 8 - Hope Revealed
Theophilus - I mentioned that Theophilus could be a reference to a specific person or it could be a reference to all "beloved of God." There is some interesting information here.
Our reading this morning came from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) instead of the Common English Bible (CEB) that we usually use. The reading is much more familiar with the NRSV phrasing. The CEB uses "guest room" instead of "inn." Here's a blog that talks about why (note that it is referring to a different version of the Bible but the use of "guest room" is the same. If you want more information on the question of where Jesus was born read this article.
I don't normally cite Wikipedia entries but this one on Augustus really is good.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
December 1 - Hope Revisited
Throughout Advent we're referencing the artwork of John August Swanson. The works that we are looking at are guided by a study done in cooperation with Candler School of Theology, a United Methodist seminary affiliated with Emory University, A Thrill of Hope. You can always stop in on the Tuesday or Sunday studies, both at 6:30pm.
For more on infant mortality in the first century look here. It's not a subject that I can find much research on.
More on Frederick Buechner and more on Thomas Merton, both of who were quoted in the message today.
For more on infant mortality in the first century look here. It's not a subject that I can find much research on.
More on Frederick Buechner and more on Thomas Merton, both of who were quoted in the message today.
Saturday, November 23, 2013
November 24 - Power and Love
For more on the Christian calendar check here. If you would like to intentionally organize your life more around the Christian calendar, you can actually order a wall calendar based on it here. It's an interesting idea and looks to me like a good product. It doesn't ignore the months of the year, but it puts the emphasis on the Christian seasons.
Malala really did confront Obama. Here's a link to the CNN story from October 11.
The quote from Martin Luther King, Jr. is from a speech he gave. Here's an excerpt on YouTube.
Malala really did confront Obama. Here's a link to the CNN story from October 11.
The quote from Martin Luther King, Jr. is from a speech he gave. Here's an excerpt on YouTube.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
November 17 - To See or Not to See
If you haven't already, you may want to read this week's newsletter. It contains a brief reflection on the Council of Bishops' statement.
We also use a variety of Bible translations, but the one we use most often is the Common English Bible. It's a newer translation. One of the most notable differences between it and other translations is the use of the title "The Human One" instead of "Son of Man" for Jesus. Here's a good starting point if you want to read more about the reasons behind the change.
Sometime I'll preach some more sermons just on the story of the Rich Young Ruler. The story appears in Mark and Matthew as well as Luke. Here's a sermon from another pastor that is similar to one of the two or three I would preach.
The Leonard Sweet quote is from his forward to the book Truth is the Word. I found the quote online. I heard him say something similar in person once and got lucky. I haven't read the book so can't comment on it one way or the other, but if Sweet recommends it it's probably a good read.
Sermon Notes
Some of the information for today's sermon comes from The New Interpreter's Commentary. It's pricey, but if you want some of the best scholarship it's worth the price. I used several commentaries in my work, but this is the one I use most often.We also use a variety of Bible translations, but the one we use most often is the Common English Bible. It's a newer translation. One of the most notable differences between it and other translations is the use of the title "The Human One" instead of "Son of Man" for Jesus. Here's a good starting point if you want to read more about the reasons behind the change.
Sometime I'll preach some more sermons just on the story of the Rich Young Ruler. The story appears in Mark and Matthew as well as Luke. Here's a sermon from another pastor that is similar to one of the two or three I would preach.
The Leonard Sweet quote is from his forward to the book Truth is the Word. I found the quote online. I heard him say something similar in person once and got lucky. I haven't read the book so can't comment on it one way or the other, but if Sweet recommends it it's probably a good read.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
November 10 - High Hopes
Before we look at this week's message, please consider donating to UMCOR for relief in the Philippines. This is part of how we be the hope that God is calling us to be.
Today's Scripture passage comes during the Babylonian exile. You can learn more about the Babylonian Exile here and here.
Here's a slightly different version of the woman, rowboat, helicopter story from someone who relates it to faith healing.
I mention briefly that we know very little about Jewish life in Babylon during the exile. The little we do know comes from a discovery called the Murashu documents. Honestly, I know nothing more than the Wikipedia entry and a couple other websites I visited. If someone has the time to delve deeper into the subject I'd love to hear the results.
At the end of the sermon I mentioned the book Mere Christianity. It is an absolute must read. Like anything there are statements we will disagree with, but it is an outstanding book.
Today's Scripture passage comes during the Babylonian exile. You can learn more about the Babylonian Exile here and here.
Here's a slightly different version of the woman, rowboat, helicopter story from someone who relates it to faith healing.
I mention briefly that we know very little about Jewish life in Babylon during the exile. The little we do know comes from a discovery called the Murashu documents. Honestly, I know nothing more than the Wikipedia entry and a couple other websites I visited. If someone has the time to delve deeper into the subject I'd love to hear the results.
At the end of the sermon I mentioned the book Mere Christianity. It is an absolute must read. Like anything there are statements we will disagree with, but it is an outstanding book.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Presence and Discipleship
This morning is our Commitment Sunday. Thank you for each one of you who makes commitments today to prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. Christ has no hands but ours. The commitments we make help us to make Jesus real to the world.
Sermon Notes:
For more information on the change in Willow Creek's approach to ministry, see this article. You can also read the book they wrote about the study, Reveal.
A little more history on Methodism.
And some on works of piety
And works of mercy
Sermon Notes:
For more information on the change in Willow Creek's approach to ministry, see this article. You can also read the book they wrote about the study, Reveal.
A little more history on Methodism.
And some on works of piety
And works of mercy
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Presence in Fellowship
We're spending two weeks talking about the importance of community. The Greek word that we're thinking about is koinonia. Here's a reference to the various passages in the New Testament where we find the word. (Note: I cite this website only for this purpose. I do not endorse the website as a whole.)
In the sermon today, I made use of Robert Putnam's book Bowling Alone. It is a really good book, but you have to be very patient with it - it's thick with lots of data.
I also mentioned his newer book, American Grace. It's on my want list. If you read it let me know how it is! If you don't have time to read the book, here's a very interesting interview of Putnam where he talks about his findings and predictions.
In the sermon today, I made use of Robert Putnam's book Bowling Alone. It is a really good book, but you have to be very patient with it - it's thick with lots of data.
I also mentioned his newer book, American Grace. It's on my want list. If you read it let me know how it is! If you don't have time to read the book, here's a very interesting interview of Putnam where he talks about his findings and predictions.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Sunday, October 6, 2013
A Place at the Table
With the adoption in January of revised values and a new Mission statement, St. Paul's is entering a new period. Last Saturday St. Paul's leadership accepted the Incubator Team's report and adopted three vision statements to guide us in the near future. Change does not stop, but change need not divide.
Our second hymn, We Are the Body of Christ, is one we've sung in the past. It is a reminder of our common call with Christians throughout the world. When you read through the letters of Paul in the New Testament, look for how often the language of the Church as the Body of Christ appears.
Take a look at the lyrics to Stefanie's offertory, Do They See in Jesus in Me? Use this as a challenge to yourself when you leave worship today.
Ho Hey
Your Grace Is Enough
Love the Lord
Home
Do They See Jesus in Me
Right Here
Our second hymn, We Are the Body of Christ, is one we've sung in the past. It is a reminder of our common call with Christians throughout the world. When you read through the letters of Paul in the New Testament, look for how often the language of the Church as the Body of Christ appears.
Take a look at the lyrics to Stefanie's offertory, Do They See in Jesus in Me? Use this as a challenge to yourself when you leave worship today.
8:15
This morning's Call to Worship is based on a litany by Gordon Brown found in the book Shaping Sanctuary. A couple years ago Linda Stoner visited a church that had adapted it as a Call to Worship. She brought it back to St. Paul's, where Marti Johnson further adapted it and add our Welcome Statement to it. We have used it two or three times each year since then. Email us at stpaulsumc@stpaulslenexa.org if you'd like a copy of the whole Call to Worship.Our second hymn, We Are the Body of Christ, is one we've sung in the past. It is a reminder of our common call with Christians throughout the world. When you read through the letters of Paul in the New Testament, look for how often the language of the Church as the Body of Christ appears.
Take a look at the lyrics to Stefanie's offertory, Do They See in Jesus in Me? Use this as a challenge to yourself when you leave worship today.
9:30
Today's Playlist:Ho Hey
Your Grace Is Enough
Love the Lord
Home
Do They See Jesus in Me
Right Here
11:00
This morning's Call to Worship is based on a litany by Gordon Brown found in the book Shaping Sanctuary. A couple years ago Linda Stoner visited a church that had adapted it as a Call to Worship. She brought it back to St. Paul's, where Marti Johnson further adapted it and add our Welcome Statement to it. We have used it two or three times each year since then.Our second hymn, We Are the Body of Christ, is one we've sung in the past. It is a reminder of our common call with Christians throughout the world. When you read through the letters of Paul in the New Testament, look for how often the language of the Church as the Body of Christ appears.
Take a look at the lyrics to Stefanie's offertory, Do They See in Jesus in Me? Use this as a challenge to yourself when you leave worship today.
This week's sermon:
For more on the number of Christian denominations worldwide look here.Saturday, September 28, 2013
Free for the other
Today's Scripture passage is a weird one, but one of my personal favorites. Read it here. This links to the CEB version which is the version we usually use in worship, but feel free to select a different version to compare.
A note on liturgy and prayers in the bulletin: We use and adapt pieces that have been written by a variety of authors on Sunday mornings. We believe it is good for us to be exposed to a variety of voices. Whenever we use a resource from outside of St. Paul's the author's name is listed in the bulletin. If you do not see an author's name (like this morning's Call to Worship) then the writer is someone from within St. Paul's, usually Jeni Anderson, sometimes David Livingston, occasionally someone else.
Ain't No Mountain High Enough
I Refuse
Hold Us Together
Free to Be Me
We Shall Be Free
You Are My King (Amazing Love)
By Grace We Have Been Saved comes from a "new" United Methodist hymnal called Worship and Song. It was released a couple years ago. Most often when you see a song listed in the bulletin that does not have a hymn number by it, it has been selected from this new hymnal. Because we use it pretty rarely and we use the screen for words we have chosen not to invest in hymnals for the congregation. We can order a few though. If you'd like one leave a comment on the blog. We can purchase a few and leave them in the back of the sanctuary for you to pick up on those days that we do use it.
Rachael Hulse is dancing with the Chancel Choir's anthem this morning. Rachael and her family are members of St. Paul's. She is a senior at UMKC, majoring in dance performance. She spent a couple of weeks over the summer in Panama City, Panama performing and teaching in conjunction with an organization called YWAM. Her next major performance will be her final Senior Recital on March 1 at White Recital Hall at UMKC.
- Dietary issues were just one of many points of conflict among the Corinthians. Read more about the church here. Paul was not entirely successful in squelching the animosity. The church in Corinth had a reputation as a divided church into the second century, more than fifty years after Paul's letter.
8:15
By Grace We Have Been Saved comes from a "new" United Methodist hymnal called Worship and Song. It was released a couple years ago. Most often when you see a song listed in the bulletin that does not have a hymn number by it, it has been selected from this new hymnal. Because we use it pretty rarely and we use the screen for words we have chosen not to invest in hymnals for the congregation. We can order a few though. If you'd like one leave a comment on the blog. We can purchase a few and leave them in the back of the sanctuary for you to pick up on those days that we do use it.A note on liturgy and prayers in the bulletin: We use and adapt pieces that have been written by a variety of authors on Sunday mornings. We believe it is good for us to be exposed to a variety of voices. Whenever we use a resource from outside of St. Paul's the author's name is listed in the bulletin. If you do not see an author's name (like this morning's Call to Worship) then the writer is someone from within St. Paul's, usually Jeni Anderson, sometimes David Livingston, occasionally someone else.
9:30
Playlist:Ain't No Mountain High Enough
I Refuse
Hold Us Together
Free to Be Me
We Shall Be Free
You Are My King (Amazing Love)
11:00
A note on liturgy and prayers in the bulletin: We use and adapt pieces that have been written by a variety of authors on Sunday mornings. We believe it is good for us to be exposed to a variety of voices. Whenever we use a resource from outside of St. Paul's the author's name is listed in the bulletin. If you do not see an author's name (like this morning's Call to Worship) then the writer is someone from within St. Paul's, usually Jeni Anderson, sometimes David Livingston, occasionally someone else.By Grace We Have Been Saved comes from a "new" United Methodist hymnal called Worship and Song. It was released a couple years ago. Most often when you see a song listed in the bulletin that does not have a hymn number by it, it has been selected from this new hymnal. Because we use it pretty rarely and we use the screen for words we have chosen not to invest in hymnals for the congregation. We can order a few though. If you'd like one leave a comment on the blog. We can purchase a few and leave them in the back of the sanctuary for you to pick up on those days that we do use it.
Rachael Hulse is dancing with the Chancel Choir's anthem this morning. Rachael and her family are members of St. Paul's. She is a senior at UMKC, majoring in dance performance. She spent a couple of weeks over the summer in Panama City, Panama performing and teaching in conjunction with an organization called YWAM. Her next major performance will be her final Senior Recital on March 1 at White Recital Hall at UMKC.
Sermon notes:
- Jewish food customs weren't just different in the first century. They still are different. Here's an article that explains some of the distinctions. This Wikipedia article goes into a lot more detail.- Dietary issues were just one of many points of conflict among the Corinthians. Read more about the church here. Paul was not entirely successful in squelching the animosity. The church in Corinth had a reputation as a divided church into the second century, more than fifty years after Paul's letter.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Free from the Past
The past is the past - just leave it behind. Don't you wish it was so simple? Well, it's not. But you don't have to be defined by the past.
But first, a prayer by Walter Brueggermann:
Every once in a while our Chancel Choir will sing at 8:15. This is one of those lucky times! The song they are singing this morning, Freedom, is actually a medley of five African American spirituals. Two of them you will recognize as songs we've sung in the last few weeks. There may be no group for whom freedom has been as allusive as the African American community in the United States. Mark Hayes, who arranged this piece, is one of our choir's favorites! John Van de Voort is the soloist today. Criag Beck, Brad Footh, Becky Graham, Erik Hulse, Jeremy Krug, and Danny Rojas are helping with the instruments.
Our opening hymn, This Is a Day of New Beginnings, was written by Brian Wren. Wren says the song, "written for a New Year’s Day service [1978] at Holy Family Church, Blackbird Leys, Oxford. In itself, the new year is an arbitrary convention, its “newness” a mere mark on the calendar. The recurrent awakening of life in nature is not a strong enough foundation for hope of real change. Yet by faith in the really new events of the Christian story, a day, or a month, or and hour can become charged with promise, and be a springboard to a changed life!" Read more here. Today is your next chance for a new beginning! Take advantage of it and start now!
If you weren't here last week you might refer back to last week's blog for information on Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone).
We have several "secular" songs today. But secular is really a misnomer. Secular suggests that God is not involved. God's grace can be involved in anything! Our hope is that when you hear songs like Freebird outside of worship that you'll think about God, maybe think about what you learned today, and even say a prayer of thanks for the way that God redeems the world, including music!
Freebird
Love Is Alive
Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)
Worn
Message in a Bottle
10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)
Our opening hymn, This Is a Day of New Beginnings, was written by Brian Wren. Wren says the song, "written for a New Year’s Day service [1978] at Holy Family Church, Blackbird Leys, Oxford. In itself, the new year is an arbitrary convention, its “newness” a mere mark on the calendar. The recurrent awakening of life in nature is not a strong enough foundation for hope of real change. Yet by faith in the really new events of the Christian story, a day, or a month, or and hour can become charged with promise, and be a springboard to a changed life!" Read more here. Today is your next chance for a new beginning! Take advantage of it and start now!
If you weren't here last week you might refer back to last week's blog for information on Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone).
This morning's anthem, Freedom, is actually a medley of five African American spirituals. Two of them you will recognize as songs we've sung in the last few weeks. There may be no group for whom freedom has been as allusive as the African American community in the United States. Mark Hayes, who arranged this piece, is one of our choir's favorites! John Van de Voort is the soloist today. Criag Beck, Brad Footh, Becky Graham, Erik Hulse, Jeremy Krug, and Danny Rojas are helping with the instruments.
The monkey story is not a new one. I heard it a week ago at a Court of Honor for a church member, but when I Googled it I found several references. I ran out of time this week, but look for a blog post later today on http://revliv1.blogspot.com/ about some other ways that we can think of the monkey story.
As a pastor I hear lots of stories from people who feel like everything that has happened to them happened because God planned it that way. It's not true. Sometimes it was a monkey throwing the ball! If you feel like everything that happens because God planned it you might go back to my sermon from September 8.
But first, a prayer by Walter Brueggermann:
You are the God of all things new.
You lurk on Saturday night in silence
just as you lurked
at the edge of the old deportation.
And then you leapt up on Easter morning with new life,
just as you enunciated homecoming for our ancient people.
You refuse the power of death
and have broken open our displacement with new possibility.
We give thanks for your promises you have kept among us,
and for your promises still under way,
promises of a new heaven,
a new earth,
a new Jerusalem, and
a new covenant.
We watch with eager longing
for your newness
that will outrun all our losses.
Emancipate us from our anxiety to watch for your gifts of newness
and to receive the strange forms
that your new beginnings may take among us.
At the far edge of our exile,
just as the new day breaks,
we will shout with glad elation,
"He is risen indeed!"
8:15
Every once in a while our Chancel Choir will sing at 8:15. This is one of those lucky times! The song they are singing this morning, Freedom, is actually a medley of five African American spirituals. Two of them you will recognize as songs we've sung in the last few weeks. There may be no group for whom freedom has been as allusive as the African American community in the United States. Mark Hayes, who arranged this piece, is one of our choir's favorites! John Van de Voort is the soloist today. Criag Beck, Brad Footh, Becky Graham, Erik Hulse, Jeremy Krug, and Danny Rojas are helping with the instruments.
Our opening hymn, This Is a Day of New Beginnings, was written by Brian Wren. Wren says the song, "written for a New Year’s Day service [1978] at Holy Family Church, Blackbird Leys, Oxford. In itself, the new year is an arbitrary convention, its “newness” a mere mark on the calendar. The recurrent awakening of life in nature is not a strong enough foundation for hope of real change. Yet by faith in the really new events of the Christian story, a day, or a month, or and hour can become charged with promise, and be a springboard to a changed life!" Read more here. Today is your next chance for a new beginning! Take advantage of it and start now!
If you weren't here last week you might refer back to last week's blog for information on Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone).
9:30
We have several "secular" songs today. But secular is really a misnomer. Secular suggests that God is not involved. God's grace can be involved in anything! Our hope is that when you hear songs like Freebird outside of worship that you'll think about God, maybe think about what you learned today, and even say a prayer of thanks for the way that God redeems the world, including music!Freebird
Love Is Alive
Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)
Worn
Message in a Bottle
10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)
11:00
Our opening hymn, This Is a Day of New Beginnings, was written by Brian Wren. Wren says the song, "written for a New Year’s Day service [1978] at Holy Family Church, Blackbird Leys, Oxford. In itself, the new year is an arbitrary convention, its “newness” a mere mark on the calendar. The recurrent awakening of life in nature is not a strong enough foundation for hope of real change. Yet by faith in the really new events of the Christian story, a day, or a month, or and hour can become charged with promise, and be a springboard to a changed life!" Read more here. Today is your next chance for a new beginning! Take advantage of it and start now!
If you weren't here last week you might refer back to last week's blog for information on Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone).
This morning's anthem, Freedom, is actually a medley of five African American spirituals. Two of them you will recognize as songs we've sung in the last few weeks. There may be no group for whom freedom has been as allusive as the African American community in the United States. Mark Hayes, who arranged this piece, is one of our choir's favorites! John Van de Voort is the soloist today. Criag Beck, Brad Footh, Becky Graham, Erik Hulse, Jeremy Krug, and Danny Rojas are helping with the instruments.
Today's Sermon:
The monkey story is not a new one. I heard it a week ago at a Court of Honor for a church member, but when I Googled it I found several references. I ran out of time this week, but look for a blog post later today on http://revliv1.blogspot.com/ about some other ways that we can think of the monkey story.
As a pastor I hear lots of stories from people who feel like everything that has happened to them happened because God planned it that way. It's not true. Sometimes it was a monkey throwing the ball! If you feel like everything that happens because God planned it you might go back to my sermon from September 8.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Free from the Law
Week two of the Break Free series. Last week we established that while we may not have complete free will to literally do whatever we want (I'm still not a major league baseball player!!) we do have a broad ability to make our own choices. So how do we know if we're making good choices or bad choices? Well, that's part of why God has given us laws to follow. But the law can become an idol. So this week we discuss what it means to be free from the law.
A new face joins us today! Stefanie Wienecke is a long term substitute for Jeremy Watson while he is on a national tour of Miss Saigon. Stefanie grew up in Kansas, and decided to venture out to Nashville Tennessee for college where she attended Trevecca Nazarene University. She graduated with a commercial music and songwriting degree. Stefanie was 1 of 6 winners in the John Lennon songwriting competition with one of her original compositions. She is also a part of a traveling worship group called Ruah, and they have had some great success. If you are interested in hearing what they're all about, their self-titled album is available on iTunes. Now based out of Kansas City, Stefanie works full-time doing professional theatre, and is loving every minute of it. Welcome Stefanie!
8:15
The Scripture reading this morning comes from The Message. The Message is a paraphrase written by Eugene Peterson. It's called a paraphrase rather than a translation because he was freer with his word choice than a translator would be. The translator tries to keep the integrity of each word, whereas Peterson tried to keep the artistry of the original language - "What would this text sound like if it was being written today" instead of "what is the correct English word for this Greek word?" We prefer to use translations like the Common English Bible in worship, but every once in a while Peterson hits on a reading that sounds just right.
Our Call to Worship this morning is global. It was adapted from Ann Siddall, a member of the Uniting Church. The Uniting Church is an Australian denomination that came together from Methodist, Presbeteryian, and Congregationalist traditions.
We're incorporating the refrain from Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) around children's time this morning. This is a great example of contemporary
Our Call to Worship this morning is global. It was adapted from Ann Siddall, a member of the Uniting Church. The Uniting Church is an Australian denomination that came together from Methodist, Presbeteryian, and Congregationalist traditions.
We're incorporating the refrain from Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) around children's time this morning. This is a great example of contemporary
church musicians and pastors bringing traditional hymns and songs into
congregational worship, they have done so with great creativity and with a
variety of methods. For more background on this song go to http://www.gbod.org/lead-your-church/worship-song/resource/amazing-grace-my-chains-are-gone
9:30
This morning's playlist:
Free Ride
I Am Free
Manifesto
Free
Redeemed
Welcome to our new members! Eric Hissong, Janelle Schnorf-Hissong, and Zack Schnorf join as full members. Von and Madison join as preparatory members. Preparatory members become full members when they are Confirmed. Confirmation is a series of classes that we generally hold for high-school freshmen and older. Madison and Von plan to be part of the next Confirmation class in the spring of 2014.
Free Ride
I Am Free
Manifesto
Free
Redeemed
Welcome to our new members! Eric Hissong, Janelle Schnorf-Hissong, and Zack Schnorf join as full members. Von and Madison join as preparatory members. Preparatory members become full members when they are Confirmed. Confirmation is a series of classes that we generally hold for high-school freshmen and older. Madison and Von plan to be part of the next Confirmation class in the spring of 2014.
11:00
Our Call to Worship this morning is global. It was adapted from Ann Siddall, a member of the Uniting Church. The Uniting Church is an Australian denomination that came together from Methodist, Presbeteryian, and Congregationalist traditions.
The Scripture reading this morning comes from The Message. The Message is a paraphrase written by Eugene Peterson. It's called a paraphrase rather than a translation because he was freer with his word choice than a translator would be. The translator tries to keep the integrity of each word, whereas Peterson tried to keep the artistry of the original language - "What would this text sound like if it was being written today" instead of "what is the correct English word for this Greek word?" We prefer to use translations like the Common English Bible in worship, but every once in a while Peterson hits on a reading that sounds just right.
The anthem this Sunday is a musical look at life inspired by a poem from Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass." The spirit of youthful life is portrayed in the energetic piano accompaniment. Under brief lines of narration, chords paint a palette of spacious texture and freedom. While the text speaks to the infinite opportunities of life, the piano ends with a dissonant chord, suggesting a tension of choices, possibilities, and the unknown.
The Scripture reading this morning comes from The Message. The Message is a paraphrase written by Eugene Peterson. It's called a paraphrase rather than a translation because he was freer with his word choice than a translator would be. The translator tries to keep the integrity of each word, whereas Peterson tried to keep the artistry of the original language - "What would this text sound like if it was being written today" instead of "what is the correct English word for this Greek word?" We prefer to use translations like the Common English Bible in worship, but every once in a while Peterson hits on a reading that sounds just right.
The anthem this Sunday is a musical look at life inspired by a poem from Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass." The spirit of youthful life is portrayed in the energetic piano accompaniment. Under brief lines of narration, chords paint a palette of spacious texture and freedom. While the text speaks to the infinite opportunities of life, the piano ends with a dissonant chord, suggesting a tension of choices, possibilities, and the unknown.
This week's sermon:
There are several good resources if you want to dive deeper into the differences among the various sects (think denominations) of First Century Judaism. Major and minor movements are described in the Jewish Virtual Library site. Here's another look from a Jewish laywoman that I think may be better. She includes the Zealots, which are another important group. We sometimes forget that Christianity has its roots in Judaism. We encourage you to explore Jewish traditions more deeply to discover the connections.
An important sentence is buried in the sermon that some day I will talk about more. In discussing Jesus' use of two Old Testament stories I said, "This is exactly how the first century reader would have seen it." This is an important sentence because it is a significant part of how I, and the majority of Christians back to the very beginning, interpret Scripture. The first person that I am aware of who talked about reading the Bible "literally" was Augustine in the 4th century. But for Augustine, reading the Bible literally meant exactly what I just said - it meant reading the Bible the way the first Christians would have read it. The idea that each word of Scripture is historically or scientifically true, what we think of today as "literal", is not what the original authors or first readers had in mind.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Freedom of Choice
We're starting a new sermon series this week about freedom. The first question that needs to be asked about freedom is whether or not it even exists. It's a more controversial idea than you might think at first.
The Visual Arts Team redesigns the sanctuary thematically for each series. The team consists of Shirley McNeal, Suzie Dutton, Jonelle Schenk, Sonder Crane, Julie Hoag, Courtney Mayorga and Kim Anothanyanontha.
Here's a little background on the cocoon pendant lights.
Made from shaped chicken wire, spray adhesive was used to secure layers of tissue paper to create muli-shaded texture. Yarn was then used to wrap the "cocoons". Each cocoon is lit from the inside with an LED light bar.
Freedom Is Coming is a traditional South African song that has been important in the Civil Rights Movement. Anne Burnette Hook writes, "Under the power of the Holy Spirit, we are granted true freedom. Unfortunately, humans continue to enslave and oppress one another and there are always reasons to call in prayer upon the Almighty for freedom from moaning and weeping, as long as people anywhere in the world seek to be freed from any form of tyranny." One of the vows we make when joining a United Methodist Church is to "accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves." How are you using the freedom that God has given you to fulfill this membership vow?
From time to time we're going to be using a sung response to the Affirmation of Faith other than the Gloria Patri. this morning's song, Shout to the Lord, is just the refrain of a longer song. You can find the whole text here.
Welcome back to the Chancel Choir! Elizabeth Mulkey is beginning her 8th year as our Chancel Choir Director. Take a moment after worship this morning to thank Elizabeth and the whole choir for their help in leading worship.
Retrocausation: Here's a brief and a longer article on the experiment of a future event causing a past event. If you really want your mind blown, this 43 minute video begins to explore whether this effect can actually take place in the real world that we live in (i.e. Newtonian instead of Quantum). Confession: my mind was blown a few minutes in. I haven't watched the whole thing yet.
Determinism: I feel wimpy referencing Wikipedia, but this is really a pretty detailed article on determinism. Plus a philosophical article on the subject. You can link from here to articles supporting free will too.
"It's all part of God's plan": Here's a link to a good sermon from another United Methodist pastor about this. I love the title of his sermon series - "9 Lies You Hear in Church". We're planning a similar one called "Twisted Scripture" that will reference Scriptures frequently misused, but this series is more focused on sayings that we hear that have no scriptural basis at all.
The Visual Arts Team redesigns the sanctuary thematically for each series. The team consists of Shirley McNeal, Suzie Dutton, Jonelle Schenk, Sonder Crane, Julie Hoag, Courtney Mayorga and Kim Anothanyanontha.
Here's a little background on the cocoon pendant lights.
Made from shaped chicken wire, spray adhesive was used to secure layers of tissue paper to create muli-shaded texture. Yarn was then used to wrap the "cocoons". Each cocoon is lit from the inside with an LED light bar.
8:15 Worship
Morning Has Broken - This morning's scripture passage tells us about the last days Adam and Eve spent in Eden. As we sing the first words, "Morning has broken like the first morning," imagine those first days of creation. Imagine a young universe emerging from chaos, a growing Earth beginning to fill with life, and then finally a new human baby laying in the dew of the morning. God's good creation is all around us. We get to choose how we appreciate it and how to care for it.Freedom Is Coming is a traditional South African song that has been important in the Civil Rights Movement. Anne Burnette Hook writes, "Under the power of the Holy Spirit, we are granted true freedom. Unfortunately, humans continue to enslave and oppress one another and there are always reasons to call in prayer upon the Almighty for freedom from moaning and weeping, as long as people anywhere in the world seek to be freed from any form of tyranny." One of the vows we make when joining a United Methodist Church is to "accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves." How are you using the freedom that God has given you to fulfill this membership vow?
9:30 Worship
BethanyBridge debuts a new song
today: Manifesto by The City Harmonic, a
Canadian Christian rock band
formed in 2009 in Hamilton, Ontario. The
band released their debut EP, Introducing the City Harmonic, on
November 23, 2010 in Canada and the United States. After appearing on
the K-LOVE Morning
show on February 8 2011, Introducing The City Harmonic rose to
No. 5 on the iTunes sales
charts in the Christian & Gospel Albums category. The song has also
been featured as the walk-up song for Oakland Athletics outfielder Seth Smith,[5] was
recently played at a San Diego Padres game,
and was selected as the anthem for the National Day of Prayer celebrations
in Nashville.
Here's the whole lineup:
Break on Through
11:00 Worship
Each week of this sermon series will start with Freedom Is Coming as a musical introit. It is a traditional South African song that has been important in the Civil Rights Movement. Anne Burnette Hook writes, "Under the power of the Holy Spirit, we are granted true freedom. Unfortunately, humans continue to enslave and oppress one another and there are always reasons to call in prayer upon the Almighty for freedom from moaning and weeping, as long as people anywhere in the world seek to be freed from any form of tyranny." One of the vows we make when joining a United Methodist Church is to "accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves." How are you using the freedom that God has given you to fulfill this membership vow?From time to time we're going to be using a sung response to the Affirmation of Faith other than the Gloria Patri. this morning's song, Shout to the Lord, is just the refrain of a longer song. You can find the whole text here.
Welcome back to the Chancel Choir! Elizabeth Mulkey is beginning her 8th year as our Chancel Choir Director. Take a moment after worship this morning to thank Elizabeth and the whole choir for their help in leading worship.
Today's Sermon: Freedom of Choice
There are several really good resources if you'd like to delve deeper into some of the topics we're covering today. Honestly, even with four full weeks on freedom there is not enough time to talk about everything. To go deeper, try these:Retrocausation: Here's a brief and a longer article on the experiment of a future event causing a past event. If you really want your mind blown, this 43 minute video begins to explore whether this effect can actually take place in the real world that we live in (i.e. Newtonian instead of Quantum). Confession: my mind was blown a few minutes in. I haven't watched the whole thing yet.
Determinism: I feel wimpy referencing Wikipedia, but this is really a pretty detailed article on determinism. Plus a philosophical article on the subject. You can link from here to articles supporting free will too.
"It's all part of God's plan": Here's a link to a good sermon from another United Methodist pastor about this. I love the title of his sermon series - "9 Lies You Hear in Church". We're planning a similar one called "Twisted Scripture" that will reference Scriptures frequently misused, but this series is more focused on sayings that we hear that have no scriptural basis at all.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Same Site, New Purpose
This blog is being transformed into a new concept. We hope that it's a way of enhancing worship for some while not being obtrusive to those who aren't interested. Each week we will select portions of worship to highlight or extrapolate on and post them here. For example, you might see the history behind the writing of a song. There may be links to resources related to the sermon. There may be suggestions for you to focus on during prayer. It will be different every week. Please let us know how you find this helpful or how it could be made more helpful!
David will still post occasional pieces on theology and society, but on a new blog - revliv1.blogspot.com.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Striking Down DOMA Is a Landmark, Not a Destination
Today the Supreme Court has taken a giant step towards equality by striking down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). This is truly a landmark case. It is likely the turning of the tide towards legalization of same-sex marriage in more and more states (though it's important to remember that it does NOT change marriage laws in states that have not legalized it). But we must remember two important points today.
1. History teaches us that laws change some minds but not all minds. This very week a celebrity chef has lost her job because of allegedly racist comments and Marissa Mayer, the CEO of Yahoo, was subjected to sexist comments at a shareholders' meeting. The civil rights movement was supposed to change these kinds of things. Progress has been made, but clearly much work remains to be done. Similarly, striking down DOMA is a landmark but not a final destination.
2. The DOMA decision is a secular decision, not a Christian decision. The law of Christ (to love God with our whole being and to love others as ourselves) is not the same thing as the law of the land. Even when (and I hope it's a when not if) the laws of all states are changed to recognize full equality our churches will still have to wrestle with what God and the Bible say.
As a Christian who supports full inclusion, I believe today should be a day for celebration. Tomorrow should be a day to get back to work. For perhaps the first time in western history, the faith community as a whole is far behind the world around us in treating all people as sisters and brothers with the same rights. We have a lot of catching up to do. As a faith community, the Supreme Court decision should remind us of how much work there is to do and also give us confidence that progress can continue to be made.
1. History teaches us that laws change some minds but not all minds. This very week a celebrity chef has lost her job because of allegedly racist comments and Marissa Mayer, the CEO of Yahoo, was subjected to sexist comments at a shareholders' meeting. The civil rights movement was supposed to change these kinds of things. Progress has been made, but clearly much work remains to be done. Similarly, striking down DOMA is a landmark but not a final destination.
2. The DOMA decision is a secular decision, not a Christian decision. The law of Christ (to love God with our whole being and to love others as ourselves) is not the same thing as the law of the land. Even when (and I hope it's a when not if) the laws of all states are changed to recognize full equality our churches will still have to wrestle with what God and the Bible say.
As a Christian who supports full inclusion, I believe today should be a day for celebration. Tomorrow should be a day to get back to work. For perhaps the first time in western history, the faith community as a whole is far behind the world around us in treating all people as sisters and brothers with the same rights. We have a lot of catching up to do. As a faith community, the Supreme Court decision should remind us of how much work there is to do and also give us confidence that progress can continue to be made.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Schism? Why bother?
Let me get right to the bottom line. If the United Methodist Church is going to break in half we better do it for the right reason. LGBT equality is not it. We've disagreed on this ever since the word "homosexual" first made it into the Book of Discipline in 1972. I don't see any reason why we should split now more than 30 years after that fight began.
Biblical authority is not it. I'm working on a post now that shows how this is a strawman. Short version: We all agree that the Bible is authoritative. Our disagreement is about how the Bible is authoritative.
Use of the Quadrilateral is not it. We've misunderstood and misused it almost from the moment Outler started talking about it.
I'm convinced that the core problem in the UMC right now is one of identity. We don't know who we are. If you were to ask 100 United Methodists why they are United Methodists instead of, say, Lutherans, I bet you'd get at least 75 different answers. Adoption of a purpose statement helps, but when that statement is so broad that it can serve as a statement for any Christian church (at least I hope the Great Commission could be adopted by any Christian church) it doesn't help much. to be United Methodist should mean something besides simply being Christian. But what is it?
I don't agree with them on much, but the Confessing Movement is right - we need a confession of faith. We need a statement that says what is at the core of what Methodists believe. We need a method of adopting such a confession at General Conference by a supermajority (say, 75%) so that it is broad enough that no one group can control the content. It should be voted on line by line, point by point, so that no single issue causes a whole group to vote it down. It should be a very short confession, at least in my opinion, exemplifying Wesley's "Catholic Spirit". And it should be in the Constitution so that changing it after it is adopted is possible but extremely difficult.
If we adopt a confession and a group within the UMC can't sign off on it then we should split. Then we would be splitting for the right reason - because we have fundamental differences of opinion that prevent us from working together for the glory of God. I am fully convinced that we do not have such fundamental differences of opinion. We have a lot of loud voices that have stopped listening to each other and would rather be right than work towards solutions.
Biblical authority is not it. I'm working on a post now that shows how this is a strawman. Short version: We all agree that the Bible is authoritative. Our disagreement is about how the Bible is authoritative.
Use of the Quadrilateral is not it. We've misunderstood and misused it almost from the moment Outler started talking about it.
I'm convinced that the core problem in the UMC right now is one of identity. We don't know who we are. If you were to ask 100 United Methodists why they are United Methodists instead of, say, Lutherans, I bet you'd get at least 75 different answers. Adoption of a purpose statement helps, but when that statement is so broad that it can serve as a statement for any Christian church (at least I hope the Great Commission could be adopted by any Christian church) it doesn't help much. to be United Methodist should mean something besides simply being Christian. But what is it?
I don't agree with them on much, but the Confessing Movement is right - we need a confession of faith. We need a statement that says what is at the core of what Methodists believe. We need a method of adopting such a confession at General Conference by a supermajority (say, 75%) so that it is broad enough that no one group can control the content. It should be voted on line by line, point by point, so that no single issue causes a whole group to vote it down. It should be a very short confession, at least in my opinion, exemplifying Wesley's "Catholic Spirit". And it should be in the Constitution so that changing it after it is adopted is possible but extremely difficult.
If we adopt a confession and a group within the UMC can't sign off on it then we should split. Then we would be splitting for the right reason - because we have fundamental differences of opinion that prevent us from working together for the glory of God. I am fully convinced that we do not have such fundamental differences of opinion. We have a lot of loud voices that have stopped listening to each other and would rather be right than work towards solutions.
Saturday, April 6, 2013
The Bible and Homosexuality
I would like to look in greater detail at a whole number of issues that I don't have the time to do right now. I hope to do so later either on this blog or a new one that I'm planning that will address issues of the greater church. For now, please consider the following links to resources that I've found helpful. Some may be helpful for you too.
You will find my sermon at stpaulslenexa.org/media.
A great place to start is Religioustolerance.com. The authors definitely have their own point of view, but they really do strive to present multiple sides to the same issue.
Matthew Vines is the nephew of one of our church members. He also just so happens to be an incredibly well researched and articulate speaker on the subject. His YouTube video of a presentation he made at a United Methodist Church in Wichita went viral and sparked the formation of his own website and non-profit.
Paul Among the People is an outstanding book by Sarah Ruden. Ruden is a classics scholar who brings her understanding of ancient Greek literature to bear on what Paul said to the first readers of his letters. Her focus is Paul, not specifically the Bible and Homosexuality, but her chapter on this topic is fantastic.
Adam Hamilton, pastor at Church of the Resurrection, delivered a great sermon last fall. He comes from a slightly different perspective than I do. The sermon is 45 minutes so he has a chance to share stories of church members and to get more specific than I have with particular passages of Scripture.
There are many, many more wonderful resources. Please feel free to share them in the comments are email me.
You will find my sermon at stpaulslenexa.org/media.
A great place to start is Religioustolerance.com. The authors definitely have their own point of view, but they really do strive to present multiple sides to the same issue.
Matthew Vines is the nephew of one of our church members. He also just so happens to be an incredibly well researched and articulate speaker on the subject. His YouTube video of a presentation he made at a United Methodist Church in Wichita went viral and sparked the formation of his own website and non-profit.
Paul Among the People is an outstanding book by Sarah Ruden. Ruden is a classics scholar who brings her understanding of ancient Greek literature to bear on what Paul said to the first readers of his letters. Her focus is Paul, not specifically the Bible and Homosexuality, but her chapter on this topic is fantastic.
Adam Hamilton, pastor at Church of the Resurrection, delivered a great sermon last fall. He comes from a slightly different perspective than I do. The sermon is 45 minutes so he has a chance to share stories of church members and to get more specific than I have with particular passages of Scripture.
There are many, many more wonderful resources. Please feel free to share them in the comments are email me.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
The Easter Story Continues
Just for fun, here's a link to the whole Chicken Lickin' Dog story. The storyteller in this video is not the friend of my parents that I referenced, but she does a pretty good crying dog!
Now to some more serious stuff. Below, from the Common English Bible, is the shorter and then longer endings of Mark.
[9 They promptly reported all of the young man’s instructions to those who were with Peter. Afterward, through the work of his disciples, Jesus sent out, from the east to the west, the sacred and undying message of eternal salvation. Amen. ]
You can hear in this passage echoes of the Great Commission from Matthew 28. It's a post-resurrection explanation of how Christianity spread throughout the known world.
[[9 After Jesus rose up early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10 She went and reported to the ones who had been with him, who were mourning and weeping. 11 But even after they heard the news, they didn’t believe that Jesus was alive and that Mary had seen him.
12 After that he appeared in a different form to two of them who were walking along in the countryside. 13 When they returned, they reported it to the others, but they didn’t believe them. 14 Finally he appeared to the eleven while they were eating. Jesus criticized their unbelief and stubbornness because they didn’t believe those who saw him after he was raised up. 15 He said to them, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the good news to every creature. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever doesn’t believe will be condemned. 17 These signs will be associated with those who believe: they will throw out demons in my name. They will speak in new languages. 18 They will pick up snakes with their hands. If they drink anything poisonous, it will not hurt them. They will place their hands on the sick, and they will get well.”
19 After the Lord Jesus spoke to them, he was lifted up into heaven and sat down on the right side of God. 20 But they went out and proclaimed the message everywhere. The Lord worked with them, confirming the word by the signs associated with them.]]
Here in the longer ending we see allusions to other stories from Matthew, Luke, and John. The doubt in verse 11 parallels the doubt in Luke 24:11. Mark 16:12 parallels Luke 24:13-34, the story of the journey to Emmaus. Verse 14 parallels John's story of the disciples gathered together in the Upper Room. 15-1 again parallels the Great Commission. 17-18 could be a reference to Acts 28:4-5, which was written by the same author as Luke's Gospel. Finally Mark 16:19-20 parallels Jesus' ascension, which is told briefly at the end of Matthew and more fully in Acts 1.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Cleansing the Temple
Our challenge question today was "What clutter do you need to remove from your
life to renew your relationship with God?" Just like we sometimes need to clean up the house, we also need to clean up our hearts. Lent is the perfect time to do just that.
As a church, rewriting our Mission Statement was one way of remembering how important our relationship with God is. Here's a sneak peak of language that will go on our website later this week about the mission statement:
As a church, rewriting our Mission Statement was one way of remembering how important our relationship with God is. Here's a sneak peak of language that will go on our website later this week about the mission statement:
The mission of St. Paul
This is not a mission focused on
a task to be completed. It is focused on a culture that we hope to live out. We
believe that as we live out this mission we begin to see the Kingdom of God
LOVE – As reflected in our
Welcome Statement, Love, hospitality, and welcome are primary virtues
that we believe in. We affirm the Scriptural witness that Love is central to
God’s identity (1 John 4:16) and to how God calls us to live (Matthew 22:38-40).
We like to talk about Sundays at St.
Paul St.
Paul
SEEK – If you have questions
about faith and life then this may be the church for you. If you already have
all the answers it probably isn’t the right place for you. We see ourselves as
seekers on a journey. Christianity is more about the journey than the
destination. So we seek! You’ll find this true in our adult Sunday School
classes and evening small groups that ask questions not only about the Bible but
also about current world events and faithful living in a changing world. You’ll
also find this in Sunday morning worship. We don’t just ask
what the Bible meant 2,000 years ago. We explore what it means for life today.
Sometimes we come away with new insights, sometimes we come away with even more
questions. In either case we know that our opinions are respected and that we
are welcome to continue on the journey together!
SERVE – You will find St. Paul ’s members all over Kansas City Kansas
City
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Practicing Patience
As I was preparing this week's message on the discipline of patience I had to learn patience myself! I started in an entirely different direction and ended up reworking and reworking all the way up until 8:00 Sunday morning. Part of my problem was that I kept rushing to the Easter story. But then I wouldn't be practicing the patience I was preaching about!
If you're at a time in life where patience is hard, you might look at this video. It's not about patience, it's about Good Friday and Easter. It's a good reminder, though, that in all of our trials and tribulations something better is on the way.
If you'd like to see a longer version of the Marshmallow Test video look here. And here's the link to the Wikipedia entry on the test.
If you weren't in worship, you can find the audio online here. And a reminder of this week's question: "Just as Jesus showed us patience and discipline in waiting, we should try to be more patient as well. In what part of life must you learn to be more patient?"
If you're at a time in life where patience is hard, you might look at this video. It's not about patience, it's about Good Friday and Easter. It's a good reminder, though, that in all of our trials and tribulations something better is on the way.
If you'd like to see a longer version of the Marshmallow Test video look here. And here's the link to the Wikipedia entry on the test.
If you weren't in worship, you can find the audio online here. And a reminder of this week's question: "Just as Jesus showed us patience and discipline in waiting, we should try to be more patient as well. In what part of life must you learn to be more patient?"
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Jesus the Healer
The Choir's anthem at 11:00 worship was Fanny Crosby's wonderful hymn Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior. The lyrics are below.
As you read the lyrics, I encourage you to imagine yourself as one of the lepers that Jesus healed (Luke 17:11-19). What would you do after the healing? How do you respond in real life when you sense God working for good in your life? Then imagine one of the "untouchables" in your life as the one crying out to Jesus. Remember that as Jesus reached out to the lepers, Jesus wants us to reach out to all people.
Trusting only in Thy merit,
Would I seek Thy face;
Heal my wounded, broken spirit,
Save me by Thy grace.
Thou the spring of all my comfort,
More than life to me,
Whom have I on earth beside Thee,
Whom in Heav’n but Thee.
As you read the lyrics, I encourage you to imagine yourself as one of the lepers that Jesus healed (Luke 17:11-19). What would you do after the healing? How do you respond in real life when you sense God working for good in your life? Then imagine one of the "untouchables" in your life as the one crying out to Jesus. Remember that as Jesus reached out to the lepers, Jesus wants us to reach out to all people.
Pass me not, O gentle Savior,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.
Refrain:
Savior, Savior,
Hear my humble cry,
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.
Savior, Savior,
Hear my humble cry,
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.
Let me at Thy throne of mercy
Find a sweet relief;
Kneeling there in deep contrition,
Help my unbelief.
Find a sweet relief;
Kneeling there in deep contrition,
Help my unbelief.
Trusting only in Thy merit,
Would I seek Thy face;
Heal my wounded, broken spirit,
Save me by Thy grace.
Thou the spring of all my comfort,
More than life to me,
Whom have I on earth beside Thee,
Whom in Heav’n but Thee.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Jesus the Lawbreaker
I spent some extra time this week reading about the Pharisees. Honestly, I didn't know as much about them as I thought I did. One of my primary resources was a great Bible Dictionary I own called the New Interpreters' Bible Dictionary. At $80 for the whole set it's really a good deal. Even more interesting is to read up on the history of the Sabbath. Like much of early Jewish history, the concept of sabbath has roots in the Near Eastern world that the early Jews lived in. What made the Jewish people different was the way they interpreted sabbath in the context of their religious faith. This specific example of taking a cultural artifact and giving it new meaning was new to me, but there are lots of examples throughout history. Celebrating Christmas on December 25 is one good example. There's also nothing wrong with it. We can readily acknowledge that God gives truth to the world in a whole variety of ways. God's presence and grace is everywhere, after all.
Back on the subject at hand, though, here's the challenge from this week. What social norms (rules, laws) do you follow that God would want you to break? I'm sure there's at least one. Feel free to share some in the comments.
Back on the subject at hand, though, here's the challenge from this week. What social norms (rules, laws) do you follow that God would want you to break? I'm sure there's at least one. Feel free to share some in the comments.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
In the World vs. Set Apart
Like with the previous two weeks, today I set a contrast between two choices. Of course those aren't really the only two choices for how the Church functions in relation to the world. But it was either that or spend a whole afternoon preaching! If you want to look at a range of views, the classic book on the subject is Reinhold Niebuhr's Christ and Culture. It's pretty academic, but really is well written.
I'm not really into art (Some quick St. Paul's staff trivia - Sandra was an art history major. Don't tell her I'm not an art fan!) but I love Scott Mutter's work. There's an online exhibition of his work here. Extraordinary stuff.
You may have noticed I used two words, hermit and anchorite, as synonyms. Techncially they're not the same. Anchorite is a broader term that can refer to monks in monasteries as well as hermits. An anchorite is anyone who is seeking refuge from the world for a lifetime. Hermits are those who live entirely on their own and, as much as physically possible, do not come into contact with others. As I was writing the sermon the word hermit cracked me up, so I decided to use anchorite instead. Bottom line is the intent of both is to escape the world. For the purposes of the sermon the distinction between the two was irrelevant.
I'm not really into art (Some quick St. Paul's staff trivia - Sandra was an art history major. Don't tell her I'm not an art fan!) but I love Scott Mutter's work. There's an online exhibition of his work here. Extraordinary stuff.
You may have noticed I used two words, hermit and anchorite, as synonyms. Techncially they're not the same. Anchorite is a broader term that can refer to monks in monasteries as well as hermits. An anchorite is anyone who is seeking refuge from the world for a lifetime. Hermits are those who live entirely on their own and, as much as physically possible, do not come into contact with others. As I was writing the sermon the word hermit cracked me up, so I decided to use anchorite instead. Bottom line is the intent of both is to escape the world. For the purposes of the sermon the distinction between the two was irrelevant.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Panic Attacks
Looking back on it, I can now identify that I had my first panic attack when I was a Senior in high school but I didn't have a second one until several years later. The causes, triggers, and symptoms of panic attacks can vary dramatically for different people. Check this site for several good resources to learn more.
For me, the strangest part of the experience is knowing intellectually that there is nothing wrong at all but feeling in imminent danger. I knew it was not real...but it seemed so real. I tell people that if I had not experienced this myself I would think it was entirely in a sufferer's head. Pretend. Make believe. There is a real physical reaction to the trigger, neurons start firing, and, at least in my experience, no matter how sure you are that everything is fine your body just doesn't believe it.
The most helpful thing for me was to know that my wife Tracy believed me when I said it was real. It didn't make the attacks stop, but it helped me know that I wasn't losing my mind. Having a supportive spouse made a huge difference. If you know someone who has panic attacks, please start to help by simply believing it's real.
The second most helpful thing for me was medicine. It doesn't work for everyone, but for me a very low does of an anxiety medicine has done the trick. It has been years since I've had a signficant attack.
Finally, it's important to be able to talk about it. Panic attacks can be very debilitating. I'm really fortunate that even at their worst my panic attacks were better than what many others have experienced. Regardless of the severity, panic attacks are like any other medical condition. They can be treated and in many cases cured or completely managed. They are also more common than most people know and absolutely not something that should have a stigma associated with them. Hopefully my sharing will help you or someone you know feel a little less "anxious" about anxiety issues like panic attacks.
For me, the strangest part of the experience is knowing intellectually that there is nothing wrong at all but feeling in imminent danger. I knew it was not real...but it seemed so real. I tell people that if I had not experienced this myself I would think it was entirely in a sufferer's head. Pretend. Make believe. There is a real physical reaction to the trigger, neurons start firing, and, at least in my experience, no matter how sure you are that everything is fine your body just doesn't believe it.
The most helpful thing for me was to know that my wife Tracy believed me when I said it was real. It didn't make the attacks stop, but it helped me know that I wasn't losing my mind. Having a supportive spouse made a huge difference. If you know someone who has panic attacks, please start to help by simply believing it's real.
The second most helpful thing for me was medicine. It doesn't work for everyone, but for me a very low does of an anxiety medicine has done the trick. It has been years since I've had a signficant attack.
Finally, it's important to be able to talk about it. Panic attacks can be very debilitating. I'm really fortunate that even at their worst my panic attacks were better than what many others have experienced. Regardless of the severity, panic attacks are like any other medical condition. They can be treated and in many cases cured or completely managed. They are also more common than most people know and absolutely not something that should have a stigma associated with them. Hopefully my sharing will help you or someone you know feel a little less "anxious" about anxiety issues like panic attacks.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
They Know If You've Been Naughty...
Generally when pastors make the news it's not a good thing. That was the case this week when Pastor Alois Bell from St. Louis made the news for stiffing a waitress at Applebee's. Pastor Bell says it was a lapse in judgment, that her privacy was violated, and reportedly asked for the waitress to be fired.
Some lessons for all of us:
1. If you say something stupid you should assume everyone is going to hear about it. The waitress should not have posted a picture of the receipt, but she also shouldn't have been stiffed by a pastor. It shouldn't surprise Pastor Bell that the picture was posted and it shouldn't surprise the waitress that she was fired. This is all really pretty predictable stuff in the era of social media and camera phones.
2. Pastor Bell is correct when she says, "I've brought embarrassment to my church and ministry." It's pretty tough to preach about Jesus loving "the least of these" when you won't even give a waitress a tip that's well within societal norms. I would say she's embarrased Christians everywhere. In his book They Like Jesus but Not the Church, Dan Kimball shares his conversation with a waitress who says she hates working on Sunday mornings because when all the Christians get out of church and come to the coffee shop and are rude and don't tip well. So this latest experience is really just one of many being experienced across the country. I'm embarrased for our faith. Not that I'm any better. I've had plenty to apologize for in my life (and apparently Pastor Bell has at least sorta-kinda apologized). We all mess up. But,
3. We need to remember that when we mess up people are watching. They're watching when we don't mess up too, but they're more likely to notice when we mess up. Once upon a time "practice what you preach" was a nice phrase to use in a sermon as a reminder to the congregation to behave. Now "practice what you preach" is a necessity in ministry. If we don't practice it, people don't believe us. I'm not saying this to pastors only, but to all Christians. If we don't practice love why should people believe God is love? If we don't practice compassion why should people believe that God is compassionate? If we don't practice forgiveness (like forgiving Pastor Bell for messing up this one time?) then why should people believe in a God who forgives?
I feel sorry for Alois Bell. Hopefully she's learned an important lesson. Hopefully all of us have.
Some lessons for all of us:
1. If you say something stupid you should assume everyone is going to hear about it. The waitress should not have posted a picture of the receipt, but she also shouldn't have been stiffed by a pastor. It shouldn't surprise Pastor Bell that the picture was posted and it shouldn't surprise the waitress that she was fired. This is all really pretty predictable stuff in the era of social media and camera phones.
2. Pastor Bell is correct when she says, "I've brought embarrassment to my church and ministry." It's pretty tough to preach about Jesus loving "the least of these" when you won't even give a waitress a tip that's well within societal norms. I would say she's embarrased Christians everywhere. In his book They Like Jesus but Not the Church, Dan Kimball shares his conversation with a waitress who says she hates working on Sunday mornings because when all the Christians get out of church and come to the coffee shop and are rude and don't tip well. So this latest experience is really just one of many being experienced across the country. I'm embarrased for our faith. Not that I'm any better. I've had plenty to apologize for in my life (and apparently Pastor Bell has at least sorta-kinda apologized). We all mess up. But,
3. We need to remember that when we mess up people are watching. They're watching when we don't mess up too, but they're more likely to notice when we mess up. Once upon a time "practice what you preach" was a nice phrase to use in a sermon as a reminder to the congregation to behave. Now "practice what you preach" is a necessity in ministry. If we don't practice it, people don't believe us. I'm not saying this to pastors only, but to all Christians. If we don't practice love why should people believe God is love? If we don't practice compassion why should people believe that God is compassionate? If we don't practice forgiveness (like forgiving Pastor Bell for messing up this one time?) then why should people believe in a God who forgives?
I feel sorry for Alois Bell. Hopefully she's learned an important lesson. Hopefully all of us have.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Scripture as Timeless Truth
This post is a supplement for my sermon on January 27th, Timeless Truth vs. Changing Times. You should be able to access the sermon here. If you were there you heard me say that the passage from 2 Timothy used so often to prove the inerrancy of Scripture (Every scripture is inspired by God [or God-breathed] and is useful for teaching, for showing mistakes, for correcting, and for training character, so that the person who belongs to God can be equipped to do everything that is good.[CEB]) is actually misused to make that point. Here's some of the reasons why:
1. When 2 Timothy references "scripture" it isn't talking about what you and I know as scripture. The Bible as we know it wasn't canonized (made "official" scripture) until the 4th century. Between the time of Jesus and then a strong consensus emerged about what writings should be considered sacred, but they would not have been called scripture. Instead, for the author of 2 Timothy scripture referred to what we call the Old Testament (more or less - that's a whole other story). So at most we're now talking about only the Old Testament being infallible.
2. We have only translations from copies of original manuscripts. Most people today who say all of scripture is inerrant will say that it is infallible in the original manuscripts. This shows an understanding that there is always something lost in translation (i.e. from Greek to English or Hebrew to English) and that even the documents we have in the original language read differently. A good example is the Gospel of Mark, where some manuscripts have a short ending, some have a long ending, and others have both the short and long ending. Which one is the God inspired one? The original one - whichever that one was. The problem is we don't know which one that was. It doesn't help us to know that the original manuscript was inerrant if we don't know exactly what the original manuscript was.
3. 2 Timothy doesn't actually say that even the Old Testament is inerrant. To say "inspired by God" or "God-breathed" is close to the same thing as inerrant, but not quite. More importantly, note what the next part of the passage says. Scripture is "useful for teaching, for showing mistakes, for correcting, and for training character..." It is inspired by God for these purposes. It is not inspired by God for teaching biology, astronomy, or history. Those topics that sometimes we want the Bible to be most authoritative about are topics that 2 Timothy says are not what it is really about.
With all that said, I truly believe in the Bible. If you heard the message on the 27th I hope that was clear. We just need to be honest about what it means to say we believe in the Bible.
1. When 2 Timothy references "scripture" it isn't talking about what you and I know as scripture. The Bible as we know it wasn't canonized (made "official" scripture) until the 4th century. Between the time of Jesus and then a strong consensus emerged about what writings should be considered sacred, but they would not have been called scripture. Instead, for the author of 2 Timothy scripture referred to what we call the Old Testament (more or less - that's a whole other story). So at most we're now talking about only the Old Testament being infallible.
2. We have only translations from copies of original manuscripts. Most people today who say all of scripture is inerrant will say that it is infallible in the original manuscripts. This shows an understanding that there is always something lost in translation (i.e. from Greek to English or Hebrew to English) and that even the documents we have in the original language read differently. A good example is the Gospel of Mark, where some manuscripts have a short ending, some have a long ending, and others have both the short and long ending. Which one is the God inspired one? The original one - whichever that one was. The problem is we don't know which one that was. It doesn't help us to know that the original manuscript was inerrant if we don't know exactly what the original manuscript was.
3. 2 Timothy doesn't actually say that even the Old Testament is inerrant. To say "inspired by God" or "God-breathed" is close to the same thing as inerrant, but not quite. More importantly, note what the next part of the passage says. Scripture is "useful for teaching, for showing mistakes, for correcting, and for training character..." It is inspired by God for these purposes. It is not inspired by God for teaching biology, astronomy, or history. Those topics that sometimes we want the Bible to be most authoritative about are topics that 2 Timothy says are not what it is really about.
With all that said, I truly believe in the Bible. If you heard the message on the 27th I hope that was clear. We just need to be honest about what it means to say we believe in the Bible.
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