I wonder if anyone else wrestles with Independence Day as it relates to the church? In my past experience, I have seen churches do everything from a Sunday full of anthems and patriotism all the way down to just a mention of the holiday in prayers or announcements and every once in a while, there is no mention at all.
What I wrestle with is not the secular nature of what this holiday is or stands for, but rather how we as Christians can sometimes allow the patriotism of July 4th (and some other national holidays) to take over our faith and our worship services.
So here's the million dollar question...Should churches incorporate July 4th into this weekends' worship services and if so, to what extent?
Leave me a comment with what you think and I will share those with you, as well as some thoughts of my own, later in the week!
Blessings,
Russell
Friday, June 27, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Sanctification
Many are familiar with the passage out of the Gospel of John that says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life" (3:16 NRSV). We have learned that it was God's unfailing love, the sacrificial love in Christ Jesus that justifies us---makes it 'just as if nothing has ever happened'---in the sight of God. It is an unmerited gift of grace that we can do nothing to attain, earn, or get on our own. That, however, is not the end of the story.
I have heard time and time again that God loves us so much that he accepts us right where we are at; warts and all. I have also heard that God's love is so abundant, that though he accepts us where we are at, he refuses to leave us that way. The forgiveness, mercy, and grace that we experience in justification is just a foretaste of the grace that God has in store for us.
God really desires for us to be radically altered. This ongoing outpouring of grace into our lives-the grace that continues to transform us from the inside out-can be referred to as sanctification. It is the way that we are being renewed in the image of our creator and becoming more Christ-like. It is the ongoing gift of God that moves us towards perfect love.
I read a story this week (written by Misty Mowry) that goes something like this: A man went during the winter time and bought a house. The house he bought had a tree in the back yard, but because of the time of year it was leafless and had no characteristics that would distinguish it from any of the other nearby trees. The spring came after the man moved in and he began to notice that along with the fleshy green leaves that this tree was putting on, there were tiny pink blossoms that were beginning to appear. The man was excited and began to think that he would enjoy the flowering tree throughout the spring and summer. But with the spring came winds and rains and the blossoms fell off of the tree and littered his yard with pink. He thought that the tree was certainly no good. Later that summer, the man began to notice that the tree was producing green fruit about the size of a walnut. He went out and picked some and ate it. He couldn't believe how nasty, how bitter, how inedible the fruit was. He was now thoroughly convinced that the tree was worthless and that he would have to cut it down in the coming winter. The tree took no notice of the man and continued to soak up water from deep sources and bathe itself in the light of the sun. As fall came into being, the man again turned to his tree (thinking about the task that he had ahead of him) and noticed something odd. Where there once were tiny pink flowers too frail to withstand the wind and green fruit too unbearable to eat, now resided the most beautiful, fully red and ripe apples that he had ever seen.
The author makes the following observations. How often do we see ourselves or other people that have come to Christ flower with joy and excitement and ask ourselves if they can really hang on to it? How often do we witness the bitterness that is present in the Christian's heart (even our own) and wonder if they (or we) will ever bear good fruit? How often do we forget that the best fruit ripens later?
I want to be the tree in the story. I want to be so connected to the stream of life-giving water that I fully grow into the place that God is calling me. I want to bathe in the light of the Son until I am a reflection of Him in all that I do. I want to stay the course, despite opposition, until I bear the fruit that God has for me to bear. I want to be so radically altered by God's sanctifying grace that it is no longer me that people see, but rather it is Christ that they see in me.
I have heard time and time again that God loves us so much that he accepts us right where we are at; warts and all. I have also heard that God's love is so abundant, that though he accepts us where we are at, he refuses to leave us that way. The forgiveness, mercy, and grace that we experience in justification is just a foretaste of the grace that God has in store for us.
God really desires for us to be radically altered. This ongoing outpouring of grace into our lives-the grace that continues to transform us from the inside out-can be referred to as sanctification. It is the way that we are being renewed in the image of our creator and becoming more Christ-like. It is the ongoing gift of God that moves us towards perfect love.
I read a story this week (written by Misty Mowry) that goes something like this: A man went during the winter time and bought a house. The house he bought had a tree in the back yard, but because of the time of year it was leafless and had no characteristics that would distinguish it from any of the other nearby trees. The spring came after the man moved in and he began to notice that along with the fleshy green leaves that this tree was putting on, there were tiny pink blossoms that were beginning to appear. The man was excited and began to think that he would enjoy the flowering tree throughout the spring and summer. But with the spring came winds and rains and the blossoms fell off of the tree and littered his yard with pink. He thought that the tree was certainly no good. Later that summer, the man began to notice that the tree was producing green fruit about the size of a walnut. He went out and picked some and ate it. He couldn't believe how nasty, how bitter, how inedible the fruit was. He was now thoroughly convinced that the tree was worthless and that he would have to cut it down in the coming winter. The tree took no notice of the man and continued to soak up water from deep sources and bathe itself in the light of the sun. As fall came into being, the man again turned to his tree (thinking about the task that he had ahead of him) and noticed something odd. Where there once were tiny pink flowers too frail to withstand the wind and green fruit too unbearable to eat, now resided the most beautiful, fully red and ripe apples that he had ever seen.
The author makes the following observations. How often do we see ourselves or other people that have come to Christ flower with joy and excitement and ask ourselves if they can really hang on to it? How often do we witness the bitterness that is present in the Christian's heart (even our own) and wonder if they (or we) will ever bear good fruit? How often do we forget that the best fruit ripens later?
I want to be the tree in the story. I want to be so connected to the stream of life-giving water that I fully grow into the place that God is calling me. I want to bathe in the light of the Son until I am a reflection of Him in all that I do. I want to stay the course, despite opposition, until I bear the fruit that God has for me to bear. I want to be so radically altered by God's sanctifying grace that it is no longer me that people see, but rather it is Christ that they see in me.
A Literary Meme
A friend tagged me with the following literary meme:
The rules:
1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people and acknowledge who tagged you.
"While Marge's response may be perceived as short and curt, it also conveys the impression that one's choice of religion is based on more than the religion's rituals. The League was not persuaded by this response, commenting sarcastically in its newsletter, "Now why didn't we think of that? Just goes to show how thoughtful the Hollywood gang really is."
From the Gospel According to The Simpsons by Mark I. Pinsky.
I have to admit that the nearest book was actually a children's book of Bailey's with far less than 123 pages in it!
If you read this, then consider yourself tagged (and leave me a comment so I know to go read your post!).
The rules:
1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people and acknowledge who tagged you.
"While Marge's response may be perceived as short and curt, it also conveys the impression that one's choice of religion is based on more than the religion's rituals. The League was not persuaded by this response, commenting sarcastically in its newsletter, "Now why didn't we think of that? Just goes to show how thoughtful the Hollywood gang really is."
From the Gospel According to The Simpsons by Mark I. Pinsky.
I have to admit that the nearest book was actually a children's book of Bailey's with far less than 123 pages in it!
If you read this, then consider yourself tagged (and leave me a comment so I know to go read your post!).
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Blooms in the Darkness
I used to house sit for a couple in Houston when we lived there. I was responsible for taking care of their plants and their cats while they traveled around the world on business and pleasure. It was always a blessing and a privilege to stay there.
One of the things that I most enjoyed about staying at their house was their gorgeous back yard. There was a large patio that had many potted plants and many areas of colorful plantings throughout the yard. Being a former nurseryman/horticulturalist and landscaper, I was right at home among all of the blooming plants and trees. There was seldom a day that went by that something was not in bloom in this yard.
During one of my first stints of house sitting there, I noticed a plant that I didn't recognize. I asked my friends about it when they returned and they told me it was a Night Blooming Cyrus plant. They told me all about how beautiful it was and how it only bloomed at night during the month of June.
It just so happened that I was going to be there watching their house the following June, and I made it a special point to watch out for this plant to bloom. Here is a picture of what I witnessed:
Each bloom on this plant only lasts for less than 24 hours. Beginning at dusk the blooms begin to open until they are fully open somewhere around 1 or 2 a.m. in the morning. By the time the sun rises in the morning, the blooms are already beginning to fold up and wither. It is an amazing sight.
This plant may have several evenings of bloom each June, ranging from 1 bloom in an evening to a dozen or more blooms.
One of the gifts we received from this family were some cuttings of this plant. We have kept them in a pot and continued to nurture them. We absolutely love this plant. We love it so much, that we found friends that had another variety of it and we got clippings from it as well.
As a pastor I hear a lot about the peoples' lives that I am involved with. Lately I have heard about financial difficulties, loneliness, health problems, loss of loved ones, etc. I know from my own life, just how 'dark' some periods of our lives can be.
During those times of darkness, I am often led to remember this little plant. How it blooms at one of the hottest times of the year and is most fully brilliant at night's darkest point. It reminds me that there is nothing beyonds God's capability. Never will the heat of my situation or the darkness I find myself in be more than God can get through. The light and life of God can overcome all things. Grace can bloom in any situation.
Romans 8:38-39 reminds us:
"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Though we may not always be able to avoid the darkness around us, we can cling to the hope that we have in God, a hope that blooms even in the darkness.
One of the things that I most enjoyed about staying at their house was their gorgeous back yard. There was a large patio that had many potted plants and many areas of colorful plantings throughout the yard. Being a former nurseryman/horticulturalist and landscaper, I was right at home among all of the blooming plants and trees. There was seldom a day that went by that something was not in bloom in this yard.
During one of my first stints of house sitting there, I noticed a plant that I didn't recognize. I asked my friends about it when they returned and they told me it was a Night Blooming Cyrus plant. They told me all about how beautiful it was and how it only bloomed at night during the month of June.
It just so happened that I was going to be there watching their house the following June, and I made it a special point to watch out for this plant to bloom. Here is a picture of what I witnessed:
Each bloom on this plant only lasts for less than 24 hours. Beginning at dusk the blooms begin to open until they are fully open somewhere around 1 or 2 a.m. in the morning. By the time the sun rises in the morning, the blooms are already beginning to fold up and wither. It is an amazing sight.
This plant may have several evenings of bloom each June, ranging from 1 bloom in an evening to a dozen or more blooms.
One of the gifts we received from this family were some cuttings of this plant. We have kept them in a pot and continued to nurture them. We absolutely love this plant. We love it so much, that we found friends that had another variety of it and we got clippings from it as well.
As a pastor I hear a lot about the peoples' lives that I am involved with. Lately I have heard about financial difficulties, loneliness, health problems, loss of loved ones, etc. I know from my own life, just how 'dark' some periods of our lives can be.
During those times of darkness, I am often led to remember this little plant. How it blooms at one of the hottest times of the year and is most fully brilliant at night's darkest point. It reminds me that there is nothing beyonds God's capability. Never will the heat of my situation or the darkness I find myself in be more than God can get through. The light and life of God can overcome all things. Grace can bloom in any situation.
Romans 8:38-39 reminds us:
"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Though we may not always be able to avoid the darkness around us, we can cling to the hope that we have in God, a hope that blooms even in the darkness.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Just as if...
I know that I am a little late in posting something about Father's Day, but it just has to be written.
A little more than a week ago I was standing in the machine shop that my dad now manages watching him program a Masak CNC lathe. The man is absolutely brilliant when it comes to mechanical stuff! I don't think that it hit me then, but it has certainly hit me now. A little more than 25 years ago I had stood in the machine shop that my dad owned at the time and watched him work on a Masak lathe that was not computerized. It is funny how life seems to come full circle...
In the two and a half decades that had passed, a lot had transpired. Needless to say, I was not a well adjusted teen or twenty something! There were a lot of words, behaviors and choices that got lived out in my teen and twenty-something years that got in the way of my relationship with my dad (not to mention my relationship with God). Suffice it to say, we spent a good number of years not talking to one another.
One of the issues I wrestled with back then was my alcoholism and drug addiction. When I finally hit rock bottom (I will save the gruesome details for another day), I ended up in an in-patient facility for a little more than a month. This sentence, so to speak, was followed by almost 2 months of intensive out-patient treatment. After more than a year of sobriety, I was at a place in my "steps" where I had to make my amends.
I still don't remember the first conversation or two with my dad very well. What I do remember, however, is that dad invited me to go hunting with him...something I never got to do as a child/youth/young man. It was that year in south Texas that things dramatically changed. As we got the camp set up and cooked some dinner, dad and I began to talk. I got around to apologizing again for my behavior and choices and for all the things that I had done when I was younger. He followed up by apologizing for some things as well. What struck me was when he said, "what's done is done. Our history begins right here, right now."
The conversation that I had with my dad that year was accompanied by a similar conversation that I had with God. In hindsight, I can almost hear God saying, "You are forgiven. What's done is done. Our history together begins right here, right now."
The outcomes of both conversations are nothing short of miraculous...
I have been rereading the Acts of the Apostles recently, and began a sermon series this past Sunday on Father's Day from this book of the Bible. All of the above recollections began to wash over me as I was preparing for this sermon on Acts 5:1-8. The verses that kept standing out to me were verses 1 and 8: "Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," and, "But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us."
I couldn't help but remember that justification was once described to me as "God treating us just as if nothing ever happened; not because of what we have done, but because of what God has done in God's self---in the person of Jesus Christ---purchasing us and redeeming us from ourselves." Just as if nothing had ever happened; what a great thought!
While there are many kernels of truth within these 8 verses of scripture, perhaps none is so profound to me today as the thoughts around justification. I came to realize that my earthly father--my dad--was exemplifying Godly justification (whether he knew it or not). You see, in the years that have passed since that first hunting trip, he has treated me just as if there were no other history. He has mirrored grace and mercy in ways that are still reaching me today.
As I think about my dad, and how grateful I am to have him in my life today, I am reminded that our relationship is a gift from God. We are justified in each other's eyes, not because of some excuse or substantiation we have made about our past behaviors, but because of the grace-filled gift of a second chance that is wholly God given.
I am also reminded, this Father's Day, that I have been justified in my heavenly Father's eyes because of his mighty acts in Jesus Christ. Where once there was baggage riddled with trouble, there is now a peace and a rekindled relationship that dwells at the heart of my every breath. Thanks be to God.
So I say to my heavenly Father and to my earthly father, happy Father's Day.
A little more than a week ago I was standing in the machine shop that my dad now manages watching him program a Masak CNC lathe. The man is absolutely brilliant when it comes to mechanical stuff! I don't think that it hit me then, but it has certainly hit me now. A little more than 25 years ago I had stood in the machine shop that my dad owned at the time and watched him work on a Masak lathe that was not computerized. It is funny how life seems to come full circle...
In the two and a half decades that had passed, a lot had transpired. Needless to say, I was not a well adjusted teen or twenty something! There were a lot of words, behaviors and choices that got lived out in my teen and twenty-something years that got in the way of my relationship with my dad (not to mention my relationship with God). Suffice it to say, we spent a good number of years not talking to one another.
One of the issues I wrestled with back then was my alcoholism and drug addiction. When I finally hit rock bottom (I will save the gruesome details for another day), I ended up in an in-patient facility for a little more than a month. This sentence, so to speak, was followed by almost 2 months of intensive out-patient treatment. After more than a year of sobriety, I was at a place in my "steps" where I had to make my amends.
I still don't remember the first conversation or two with my dad very well. What I do remember, however, is that dad invited me to go hunting with him...something I never got to do as a child/youth/young man. It was that year in south Texas that things dramatically changed. As we got the camp set up and cooked some dinner, dad and I began to talk. I got around to apologizing again for my behavior and choices and for all the things that I had done when I was younger. He followed up by apologizing for some things as well. What struck me was when he said, "what's done is done. Our history begins right here, right now."
The conversation that I had with my dad that year was accompanied by a similar conversation that I had with God. In hindsight, I can almost hear God saying, "You are forgiven. What's done is done. Our history together begins right here, right now."
The outcomes of both conversations are nothing short of miraculous...
I have been rereading the Acts of the Apostles recently, and began a sermon series this past Sunday on Father's Day from this book of the Bible. All of the above recollections began to wash over me as I was preparing for this sermon on Acts 5:1-8. The verses that kept standing out to me were verses 1 and 8: "Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," and, "But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us."
I couldn't help but remember that justification was once described to me as "God treating us just as if nothing ever happened; not because of what we have done, but because of what God has done in God's self---in the person of Jesus Christ---purchasing us and redeeming us from ourselves." Just as if nothing had ever happened; what a great thought!
While there are many kernels of truth within these 8 verses of scripture, perhaps none is so profound to me today as the thoughts around justification. I came to realize that my earthly father--my dad--was exemplifying Godly justification (whether he knew it or not). You see, in the years that have passed since that first hunting trip, he has treated me just as if there were no other history. He has mirrored grace and mercy in ways that are still reaching me today.
As I think about my dad, and how grateful I am to have him in my life today, I am reminded that our relationship is a gift from God. We are justified in each other's eyes, not because of some excuse or substantiation we have made about our past behaviors, but because of the grace-filled gift of a second chance that is wholly God given.
I am also reminded, this Father's Day, that I have been justified in my heavenly Father's eyes because of his mighty acts in Jesus Christ. Where once there was baggage riddled with trouble, there is now a peace and a rekindled relationship that dwells at the heart of my every breath. Thanks be to God.
So I say to my heavenly Father and to my earthly father, happy Father's Day.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
New Church Website
The world is changing, there is no doubt about it! For the past few years our church has had a web presence; after all, in today's technologically driven world, it is simply a must. In an effort to keep up with the demand for information and to connect to folks as they are touring us before they ever show up at our door, we wanted to improve our site. While there is still much that can be done (and hopefully will be done in the future!), we have officially taken our first step and launched our new site design.
As many of you already know, when you work with a small to mid-sized church, your resources are limited. We have had to make use of programs that the webmasters have available to them, free space that our larger church structure provides for us, and free slide show makers, etc. In other words, everything is being done free and in house---a potentially dangerous combination! Although there have been space and other limitations and a learning curve that is practically vertical, in the end we think that we have come up with a more functional and informative site than we have had in the past.
I want to invite you to take a look around our new site...explore it fully...then I want to invite you to leave comments, kudos, constructive criticism, etc that will help us improve our site in the areas of functionality and communication.
Please keep in mind that we don't yet have the resources to go to a paid for pro web service that hosts and designs your site...with that in mind, if you have suggestions of things that can improve the site, we would be most capable of utilizing resources that are currently free (although we will explore ideas that require additional funding)...so if you can make suggestions regarding flash players, slide show producers, etc for our low cost budget, that would be awesome.
To check out our site, go to www.edomumc.org
Thanks in advance and blessings,
Russell
As many of you already know, when you work with a small to mid-sized church, your resources are limited. We have had to make use of programs that the webmasters have available to them, free space that our larger church structure provides for us, and free slide show makers, etc. In other words, everything is being done free and in house---a potentially dangerous combination! Although there have been space and other limitations and a learning curve that is practically vertical, in the end we think that we have come up with a more functional and informative site than we have had in the past.
I want to invite you to take a look around our new site...explore it fully...then I want to invite you to leave comments, kudos, constructive criticism, etc that will help us improve our site in the areas of functionality and communication.
Please keep in mind that we don't yet have the resources to go to a paid for pro web service that hosts and designs your site...with that in mind, if you have suggestions of things that can improve the site, we would be most capable of utilizing resources that are currently free (although we will explore ideas that require additional funding)...so if you can make suggestions regarding flash players, slide show producers, etc for our low cost budget, that would be awesome.
To check out our site, go to www.edomumc.org
Thanks in advance and blessings,
Russell
Monday, June 9, 2008
Passionate Worship
This past Sunday was another milestone for our church. You see, on most Sundays we average between 45 and 55 people in worship...this Sunday, we had 131 people in worship! There is no single service on record in the history of our church that has that many people in attendance. We give all the credit to God's faithfulness...thanks be to God!
It started almost 2 months ago when, after considerable prayer, I challenged the congregation in the newsletter and from the pulpit to have at least 100 people in worship on June 8th. We invited a friend (Kerri Crocker---check out her website at www.kerricrocker.com for more information on this gentle spirit and award winning independent Christian artist) to lead worship and share her testimony and we publicized it. Most importantly, we reminded people to invite a friend...and they did!
I have no doubt that God was at work in the weeks prior to Sunday and I have no doubt that God was at work during the service Sunday morning; but there is something I do wonder about...how were we different on this Sunday compared to other Sundays?
I would like to suggest that there were at least two distinct differences. First, our communal prayer life was deeper regarding this service. Simply put, there were more people praying for this service. These people included folks from our church, pastors and laity from within our district and conference, folks belonging to other ministries in the East Texas area (thanks Teen Mania!), etc. While we always have had people praying for our services, the depth and breadth of prayer relating to this service was extraordinary. Second, there was an excitement, a buzz, a genuine expectation that something was going to happen in this service...God was going to be encountered in a unique and very real way.
So when people arrived at Edom United Methodist Church this past Sunday, they and the service had been bathed in prayer and they were anticipating what gifts of grace that God had in store for them for that day.
If you are anything like me, it is easy to get roped into the usual; to become complacent with what is known. We can be creatures of habit and the habit of "doing church" can become mediocrity at its finest. But I don't think that is what God calls us to in worship. God calls us to passionate worship, to an authentic and radical encounter with the risen Lord. I believe whole-heartedly that passionate worship is as much about what we do to prepare for worship as it is about the worship itself. What would happen if we approached every Sunday like it was a "special" Sunday? What if we prayed more fervently and with more folks about each of our services? What if we came to worship every Sunday expecting to encounter the risen Lord?
I expect that the kingdom of God would grow by leaps and bounds and that we would be transformed into the worshipers we are called to be!
It started almost 2 months ago when, after considerable prayer, I challenged the congregation in the newsletter and from the pulpit to have at least 100 people in worship on June 8th. We invited a friend (Kerri Crocker---check out her website at www.kerricrocker.com for more information on this gentle spirit and award winning independent Christian artist) to lead worship and share her testimony and we publicized it. Most importantly, we reminded people to invite a friend...and they did!
I have no doubt that God was at work in the weeks prior to Sunday and I have no doubt that God was at work during the service Sunday morning; but there is something I do wonder about...how were we different on this Sunday compared to other Sundays?
I would like to suggest that there were at least two distinct differences. First, our communal prayer life was deeper regarding this service. Simply put, there were more people praying for this service. These people included folks from our church, pastors and laity from within our district and conference, folks belonging to other ministries in the East Texas area (thanks Teen Mania!), etc. While we always have had people praying for our services, the depth and breadth of prayer relating to this service was extraordinary. Second, there was an excitement, a buzz, a genuine expectation that something was going to happen in this service...God was going to be encountered in a unique and very real way.
So when people arrived at Edom United Methodist Church this past Sunday, they and the service had been bathed in prayer and they were anticipating what gifts of grace that God had in store for them for that day.
If you are anything like me, it is easy to get roped into the usual; to become complacent with what is known. We can be creatures of habit and the habit of "doing church" can become mediocrity at its finest. But I don't think that is what God calls us to in worship. God calls us to passionate worship, to an authentic and radical encounter with the risen Lord. I believe whole-heartedly that passionate worship is as much about what we do to prepare for worship as it is about the worship itself. What would happen if we approached every Sunday like it was a "special" Sunday? What if we prayed more fervently and with more folks about each of our services? What if we came to worship every Sunday expecting to encounter the risen Lord?
I expect that the kingdom of God would grow by leaps and bounds and that we would be transformed into the worshipers we are called to be!
Radical Hospitality
Genesis 18:1-8 says: "The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. Abraham looked up and saw three men standing near by. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. He said, 'If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way--now that you have come to your servant.' 'Very well,' they answered, 'do as you say.' So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. 'Quick,' he said, 'get three seahs of fine flour and knead it and bake some bread.' Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant who hurried to prepare it. He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set those before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree."
I am amazed at how intentional Abraham was with his guests; how he promised them water for their feet and a snack for their bellies, but provided them a feast made up of the finest flour and choicest calf he had available. I can only imagine the look on his guests' faces as they were served...I can only imagine the way it must have felt to them to have their expectations exceeded. This was truly radical hospitality.
For two years this commitment to "Radical Hospitality" has been a part of our lives at Edom United Methodist Church. We have engaged it in our preaching and teaching, and we have sought to live it out in all that we do.
This past Saturday I witnessed two dozen people from our little country church practice such radical hospitality...and I couldn't be more proud of them than I am today!
For weeks we had been planning a Fun Day in the Park that included free food, water games, board games, a bounce house, live worship music, and much more. I am amazed at the ways in which our congregation served those who came to play and relax. Playing games; serving food; keeping the give away water bottles full of water, lemonade, Gatorade and the like; being authentic in their conversations; welcoming all as if they were members of the family...it was amazing, absolutely amazing!
When we began, we had no idea what to expect. Living in a town of 322 people and being located 20 miles from the nearest town with more than 5,000 people, we weren't sure how many would show up. While the total number of people that came was around the 150 mark, 85 of those who actually registered had no formal connection to our church. So from 10 -4 we made 85 new connections in the community. What an incredible gift!
Over half of the people serving had been through a Bible Study on Genesis together and more than 2/3 of them had heard our bishop's messages and my own sermons about radical hospitality during the previous two years. Saturday was proof positive that the Word of God never returns empty handed.
It is my hope and my prayer that as a church and as a pastor, we/I continue to learn about radical hospitality from the pages of Scripture and continue to find ways to live out those lessons in the world around us.
We will be posting pictures from the Fun Day in the Park later this week when we launch our new website (there is a website up currently, but we are completely remodeling it!). Be sure and check it out at www.edomumc.org.
I am amazed at how intentional Abraham was with his guests; how he promised them water for their feet and a snack for their bellies, but provided them a feast made up of the finest flour and choicest calf he had available. I can only imagine the look on his guests' faces as they were served...I can only imagine the way it must have felt to them to have their expectations exceeded. This was truly radical hospitality.
For two years this commitment to "Radical Hospitality" has been a part of our lives at Edom United Methodist Church. We have engaged it in our preaching and teaching, and we have sought to live it out in all that we do.
This past Saturday I witnessed two dozen people from our little country church practice such radical hospitality...and I couldn't be more proud of them than I am today!
For weeks we had been planning a Fun Day in the Park that included free food, water games, board games, a bounce house, live worship music, and much more. I am amazed at the ways in which our congregation served those who came to play and relax. Playing games; serving food; keeping the give away water bottles full of water, lemonade, Gatorade and the like; being authentic in their conversations; welcoming all as if they were members of the family...it was amazing, absolutely amazing!
When we began, we had no idea what to expect. Living in a town of 322 people and being located 20 miles from the nearest town with more than 5,000 people, we weren't sure how many would show up. While the total number of people that came was around the 150 mark, 85 of those who actually registered had no formal connection to our church. So from 10 -4 we made 85 new connections in the community. What an incredible gift!
Over half of the people serving had been through a Bible Study on Genesis together and more than 2/3 of them had heard our bishop's messages and my own sermons about radical hospitality during the previous two years. Saturday was proof positive that the Word of God never returns empty handed.
It is my hope and my prayer that as a church and as a pastor, we/I continue to learn about radical hospitality from the pages of Scripture and continue to find ways to live out those lessons in the world around us.
We will be posting pictures from the Fun Day in the Park later this week when we launch our new website (there is a website up currently, but we are completely remodeling it!). Be sure and check it out at www.edomumc.org.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Healing and Wholeness
Sozo is a Greek word that appears numerous times in the New Testament, especially the gospels. It is a word that is invariably translated referring to healing and wholeness. As I peruse the gospel accounts of Christ's ministry, I am reminded of the countless times that Jesus heals and makes whole.
When four faithful friends bring a paralytic to Jesus through a hole they create in the roof of the establishment where he is teaching, the first thing Jesus does is forgives the paralytic's sins. It is toward spiritual health and wholeness that Jesus first moves in relation to the paralytic. When members of the crowd begin to balk, it is then that Jesus addresses the man's physical ailments. When the encounter is over, the man has been made physically and spiritually whole.
When Jesus encounters a leper, he touches him and makes him clean. He then instructs the leper to go to the high priest and make the sacrifices that Moses demanded in the law. This was done in order to make the leper completely whole...physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Can you imagine what it would have been like to be ostracized and placed in a colony away from your family and friends; or what it must have been like to wear a bell that warned everyone you were coming; or what it felt like to holler out unclean as you walked in places where people unaffected by leprosy may have been? Can you fathom not being able to join your community in worship? After not being touched by anyone, for who knows how long, Jesus touches the leper, then heals him physically. Jesus then sets in motion all that is needed to reconnect the leper to his community and his faith.
I have spent the last week pondering, writing, and preaching on a text out of Acts (5:12-16) which says (in the NRSV translation):
"Now many signs and wonders were done among the people through the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon's Portico. None of the rest dared to join them, but the people held them in high esteem. Yet more than ever believers were added to the Lord, great numbers of both men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on cots and mats, in order that Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he came by. A great number of people would also gather from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all cured."
If the church is called to follow in all that the apostles taught and to be co-laborers with Christ in mission and ministry to the world (making disciples, baptizing, etc), then it seems only natural that sozo (wholeness and healing) would be present in our ministry. It was that way for Christ. It was that way for the early church. Is there any reason why it shouldn't be that way for us today?
What would happen if when someone crossed into the shadow of the church or crossed into the shadow of a Christian, they encountered healing and wholeness? I would bet that the world would be radically altered!
I pray that God would use us to be vessels of his mercy and grace. I pray that all that we do points towards Christ; the one who is capable of transforming our brokenness, healing our hurts, and making us anew in the image of God---whole and lacking nothing. Amen.
When four faithful friends bring a paralytic to Jesus through a hole they create in the roof of the establishment where he is teaching, the first thing Jesus does is forgives the paralytic's sins. It is toward spiritual health and wholeness that Jesus first moves in relation to the paralytic. When members of the crowd begin to balk, it is then that Jesus addresses the man's physical ailments. When the encounter is over, the man has been made physically and spiritually whole.
When Jesus encounters a leper, he touches him and makes him clean. He then instructs the leper to go to the high priest and make the sacrifices that Moses demanded in the law. This was done in order to make the leper completely whole...physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Can you imagine what it would have been like to be ostracized and placed in a colony away from your family and friends; or what it must have been like to wear a bell that warned everyone you were coming; or what it felt like to holler out unclean as you walked in places where people unaffected by leprosy may have been? Can you fathom not being able to join your community in worship? After not being touched by anyone, for who knows how long, Jesus touches the leper, then heals him physically. Jesus then sets in motion all that is needed to reconnect the leper to his community and his faith.
I have spent the last week pondering, writing, and preaching on a text out of Acts (5:12-16) which says (in the NRSV translation):
"Now many signs and wonders were done among the people through the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon's Portico. None of the rest dared to join them, but the people held them in high esteem. Yet more than ever believers were added to the Lord, great numbers of both men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on cots and mats, in order that Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he came by. A great number of people would also gather from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all cured."
If the church is called to follow in all that the apostles taught and to be co-laborers with Christ in mission and ministry to the world (making disciples, baptizing, etc), then it seems only natural that sozo (wholeness and healing) would be present in our ministry. It was that way for Christ. It was that way for the early church. Is there any reason why it shouldn't be that way for us today?
What would happen if when someone crossed into the shadow of the church or crossed into the shadow of a Christian, they encountered healing and wholeness? I would bet that the world would be radically altered!
I pray that God would use us to be vessels of his mercy and grace. I pray that all that we do points towards Christ; the one who is capable of transforming our brokenness, healing our hurts, and making us anew in the image of God---whole and lacking nothing. Amen.
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