Sermon on Luke 12:49-13:9

Scripture—Luke 12:49-13:9

49 “I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished! 51 Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. 52 For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three. 53 Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”
54 Then He also said to the multitudes, “Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming’; and so it is. 55 And when you see the south wind blow, you say, ‘There will be hot weather’; and there is. 56 Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?
57 “Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right? 58 When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. 59 I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite.”


1 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” 6 He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ 8 But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. 9 And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that[a] you can cut it down.’”



Manure

Ever heard one of those old-fashioned hellfire and brimstone sermons? Those kinds of sermons where the preacher would pound the pulpit and get red in the face about the judgment of God that is soon to come? The preacher would focus in on those passages that had to do with the wrath of God coming quickly upon those who have not chosen to believe. Hell would be described vividly. Stubborn men would grab the pews in front of them, their hands brown from working in the sun, and their knuckles pale white from gripping the pew in front of them.

Some of us hated those sermons. Others of us loved those sermons. Those of us that hated them hated them because they seemed so self-righteous and angry. Those of that loved them loved them for several reasons. For many of us, we walked that sawdust trail at a revival meeting and accepted Jesus after hearing one of those sermons. For others of us, we find comfort knowing that we are on the right side of God as he comes to judge the living and the dead. For nearly all of us that have enjoyed those hellfire and brimstone sermons, and pine away for them now, I think we liked one thing about them more than anything else. We liked those old-fashioned sermons because they were delivered with passion and gusto. With a sense of urgency even. When you heard those old fashioned hellfire and brimstone sermons you may love it, or you may hate it, but one thing that did happen was that you HEARD IT and YOU FELT IT.

Perhaps the most famous sermon in the English language about the judgment of God is a sermon written soon after the American Revolution by a man named Jonathan Edwards. The sermon was called “Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God.” Edwards preached this sermon in the heat of summer, without air-conditioning, in a town named Enfield, Conneticut. As he preached it is said that people began to have a sinking sensation, as if in that moment they felt themselves sinking into the flames of hell itself. It is said that as the sermon was preached, in many ways like a college lecture, that men and women grabbed hold of the pillars of the church and cried out for mercy. “Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God” was an memorable, effective sermon in the middle of a revival called the Great Awakening.

The thing I remember about the sermon, for some strange reason, is the spider web. Edwards describes us as like insects held over a great abyss by the strand of a spider’s web. And all that is holding us from falling into the fires of hell and judgment. We are dangling in a precarious position, and if we do not repent our “feet will slide in due time” and we will fall under the wrath of God. It is a very well written sermon. I think you should all find a way to read it at some point.

When I became a sophomore in college, I decided to go on a search for churches. The first church I went to in town was an independent Baptist church, much like Pitkin Avenue Baptist Church. The Sunday School class the first Sunday was on the judgment in the book of Revelation, and the sermon was on God’s wrath. The next week the Sunday School class was studying the book of Revelation, and the sermon was again on the wrath of God. The third Sunday, the Sunday school lesson was on God’s judgment, and the wrath of God was the topic of the sermon. The fourth Sunday…well…the fourth Sunday I found a new church to visit.

You see, I believe that Christ is returning as Judge. I believe that there is a heaven, and I believe that there is a hell. I believe that God does posses that characteristic that very few people mention today….wrath. I believe this because the Bible teaches it. But I believe all of this is a function of God’s justice. And that justice is a function of God’s love. I believe much of God’s wrath is honoring our choice to push his love and grace away.

What I don’t agree with in regard to this preacher Jonathan Edwards, or in relationship to the “hellfire and brimstone” preachers of days past, is that God is best described as an angry God. God can be angry. But his justified anger is a function of his love as well. God’s grace and God’s love is what defines him. Not his wrath and anger

Friends, we are in the hands of a loving God. We are in the hands of a God who withholds his anger from us, and when we were sinners he died for us. While we rejected him, he loved and continues to love us. He waits for us like the father of a rebellious child waits for that son to come home. He reaches out to us even now, if we will only grab his rescuing hand.

But God’s patience with us will not last forever. It may only last for another day. Another year. Another month. We don’t have endless chances to do the right thing. We have one more chance to repent. One more chance to love him. One more chance to do the right thing.

This is what the passage on the judgment of God that we read today teaches us. We have one more chance, and we better seize the opportunity to trust God while we still can. We have one more chance as a church to be fruitful. We have one more chance as people to accept the opportunity as believer’s to be fruitful. We have one more opportunity to accept the new life that Christ offers. We are not promised anything more than TODAY.

Following Christ is never the easy thing to do. It is always the right thing to do. So we choose to go to the cross with Christ, and he warns us the way will not be easy. It will not be easy, just true.
Jesus speaks of God’s judgment, and then warns people to get their lives right. He tells them that their time is limited and they need to repent. He puts it in economic terms. Jesus says in chapter 12, starting in verse 57:

57 “Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right? 58 When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. 59 I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite.”

This is another way of saying that the longer you marinate in your sin, your running from God, the longer you sit and soak up all that self-centeredness and lovelessness and unforgiveness into your heart, the harder it will be for you to escape the consequences of those attitudes in the long-run.

Then we get to chapter 13. And what do the people start talking about? Those other folks. Those Galileeans who got killed. This, they figured, must be a sign of God’s judgment that he is talking about. Jesus got frustrated with them when they said this. They just were not getting it.

You know how we all are. We hear “thou shalt not steal” and quote it at the druggie that stole some of our tools from the shed. We justify ourselves when we steal by cheating on our taxes.

We quote thou shalt not judge to the person who tries to hold us accountable, but then we get among our friends and talk about every reason we don’t approve of this person or that one and laugh. Or we run around judging people harshly who we perceive to be judgmental.

God confronts us. In his love he warns us that there are consequences for our choices, and our loyalties, our sins and our me first attitudes. And we say, “Yes there are consequences, and those awful people down the road are going to burn in hell for what they did.”

Jesus says, “Do you suppose these Galileeans are worse sinners than all the other Galilleans…..but unless you repent you will likewise perish”. In other words, Jesus says, “God’s people…I am not talking about them out there….I am talking to you. “





Have you been pointing fingers at others, Christian, or have you been looking into your own heart? Are you right with God, churchgoer, or do you think your moralism and faithful church attendance will save you? I have to warn you as a friend and as a brother, not one of us saved by being good enough. All of us are saved by grace through faith when we come to Jesus and say I have made a mess of my life and I realize that I can’t do it on my own, and I need you Jesus. None of us are good enough. That is why Jesus said if “you do not repent you will ALL likewise perish”

After this Jesus tells a parable. He tells a parable of an owner of a vineyard, a gardener, and a tree. The tree is a fig tree, and the fig tree is in the middle of a vineyard because the people of that time believed it helped the grapes to grow better. But, the fig tree is producing no fruit. So the owner wants to chop it down. But the gardener pleads for one more year to make it fruitful. He says he is going to take manure and mix it in with the soil and see if he can make it grow. Just give me a little more time the gardner says. And he gets that extra year.

The Bible does not make clear who the owner is. But it is clear we as human beings are the tree, and Jesus is the gardener. And we are being given a second chance. We must repent. We must have new life. And our time is limited.

Judgment is coming. We can be sure of that. But Jesus has not left us alone to our own devices. God has not stood at a distance, lightning bolts in hand, ready to cast them on us at any moment. Oh no.

God sent Jesus because he loves us. And Jesus loves us enough that he is going to get knee deep in all that fertilizer (as the NKJV puts it) or more literally that pile of manure around us. He is willing to enter into all of our mess in all its stinkiness with us in order to help us come alive. As a matter of fact, it is only through letting him get in the smelly dirty mess that our life is with us and heal us that we are going to be made whole.

God is not waiting to show us how much he hates those people who are not like us. No….he looks at each one of us, and asks for a little more time for us, and then he gets in the middle of the steaming filthy manure pile of our world and works to save us from our own devices.

But if you are going to do God’s will you must respond today. If you are going to repent now is the time. You are not promised tomorrow. No sister, no brother, you are promised this very moment. God’s Holy Spirit is working in you this very moment. You have no promises for later. You just have now.



Church, you have this day to repent. You have this day to start bearing fruit. You have this day to care as much about the folks outside these four walls of this church that are lonely, hurting, alone and lost as you do about the color of the carpet or the decorations in the sanctuary or what song we do or done sing. Church, you are not promised forever on this corner of Main and Eugene. I can drive you a few blocks and show you a church building that is now no church at all, and just a funeral parlor. You have this day to allow you to make this church a hospital for sinners needing triage instead of a mosoleum for the saints. You have this day to care more about how many lives your love has an eternal impact on than how many people are going to show up for your memorial service when you pass, and who will preach the funeral message. And if you don’t start bearing fruit as a church, it won’t be long before this church ceases to exist. So repent, church, of your blindness and your hypocrisy, your self-centeredness and malice, your eagerness to be good in a way that you are unwillingness to do any good for others because you might be tainted by them. Stop being casual fans of Jesus that meet once in a while for a pep rally and get in the game. Follow him. Trust him. Grow. Bear Fruit.

Christian, you have this day to repent. For too long you have been pointing the finger at everybody around you, and have not listened to Jesus call for you to make a change and be the change in the world that it needs. For too long you have made excuses to hide from God. For too long you have called yourself Christian but your life has been prayerless and faithless, your heart has been selfish and bitter, you have been sitting on your hands instead of reaching out to your neighbor in love. Your ears have been filled with the strife and the rancor of the world instead of the still small voice of God. Too often you have used your words to wound instead of to heal and encourage. Look in your heart, and I will look in mine. We will see the words of Jesus speak to us today. We need to repent. We don’t have long. We are not promised tomorrow.

Seeker….Runner…you know who you are. You know that you have refused to submit to Jesus. You may be stalling. You may have been running away from him. Come to him today. He is giving you another opportunity to trust him today. He has given you another day to seize the opportunity of new life he offers. It won’t be any easier to repent tomorrow than it is today. It will only be more difficult. It will just mean that you will have less and less of your life to truly live. Jesus is compassionate. God is patient and longsuffering. But at one point there will not be another opportunity to trust him. At one point you will be like the tree that bears no fruit. And the ax will be coming for him. Repent now, while you have the chance.

As you come to the Lord’s table remember that it is a table of the blood and body of Christ. A table that calls you to repent. A table that calls you to new life. A table that proclaims he has come to rescue us from mess of our lives and make us whole

Cash: American VI: Ain't No Grave

I am listening to the new release of the Johnny Cash album. It is hard to believe it is almost 7 years since we lost Johnny Cash in 2003.

This album, from the Rick Rubin recordings, is typical of the American Records releases. Stipped down of everything but the guitar and the his voice, the music is again hauntingly beautiful and wonderful.

The album really is old school acoustical gospel. Much of the music thinks about and looks toward heaven and death. Some of the songs are recordings of classics, like "Ain't No Grave" or "Cool Water". Others are original to Cash.

"Ain't No Grave" is haunting and beautiful. It is the first release and the title track of the album. The whole album almost allows Cash to speak back to us from death with the hope of eternal life. Good gospel music. Good music. The album ends with with Cash bidding us goodbye by singing "Aloha Oe"

Here is an article about Johnny that was written when upon release of the album.

Book Review of "What Difference Do It Make?" by Ron Hall, Denver Moore, and Lynn Vincent

What Difference Do It Make? is a continuation of the message and story begun with the book Same Kind of Different As Me. In Same Kind of Different As Me we were introduced to two men, Ron Hall and Denver Moore, and their unlikely friendship. In this sequel, we are treated to Ron and Denver's ongoing stories. We are also treated to several other interludes in the book where people from around the country share how the story of Mr. Hall and Mr. Moore influenced them and changed their lives.

Denver's part of the new book involves filling in some of the blanks in his personal history, and sharing some of his thoughts and experiences since the last book was written. It becomes obvious as you read along that Denver is finding his voice. He is stating his opinions more forcefully, challenging his hearers and readers more, and growing in his faith.

For me, Ron's story in this book was more compelling. Most of Ron's section of the book describes his conflict with his father throughout his life, and slowly moves toward telling the story of reconciliation with his father. It also spends some time telling about how Ron grieved the loss of his wife. In the first book, we hear about how God breaks down the walls between two men of very different backgrounds. In this book, we see how the Spirit breaks down the walls between Ron's alcoholic father and himself. When Ron is willing to treat his father with the same kind of love as he has Denver and the other homeless men he works with, his relationship with his father improves. For the most conservative of evangelicals, Ron's methods of reconciling with his father may be difficult to stomach. However you view his behavior, Ron clearly chose to accept his father the way he was instead of the way he wanted him to be, and that made all the difference in their relationship.

I recommend this story heartily for anyone who loved Same Kind of Different As Me. Otherwise, it will be hard to understand this book, and the foundation on which it was written.

(Although I was not required to write any review for this book, a copy was provided to me by Thomas Nelson publishers after reviewing the first book in the series)

Discussion Questions for Nooma 24: Whirlwind

NOOMA 24: WHIRLWIND by Nooma and Rob Bell: Discussion Questions

Getting Started:

How familiar are you with the book of Job?

What are your feelings about the book of Job? Do you like it? Avoid it?

What are your impressions of Job the person?

Video:

Write notes below

(Much of the video quotes Job 38-40:5)

Discussion Questions

Job's story:

What was the first response of Job's friends? (Job 2: 12-13)

How would you feel about this if you were Job?

Job asks God the "Why" question at some point. Is this wrong of him?

Is there a difference between questioning/asking and accusing God?

Does God give Job a clear answer to the question of his suffering?

Does God's answer work for Job? For you?

When you are the person who is suffering:

When it all falls apart, who are the people who would sit w/you?

What sorts of perspectives would they offer?

What do you think would be helpful? Why?

What do you think would not be helpful? Why?

When you are the friend of someone like Job (someone who is suffering):

Do you know someone "sitting in the ashes" right now?

What do you think your response should be?

How would you discern when it is time to speak?

How would you discern when it is time to be silent?

An interesting Book Review

Scot McKnight's review of Brian McLaren's latest book

Book Review: The Shark and the Goldfish

I just took a break from working on meetings for the weekend and read the book The Shark and the Goldfish by Jon Gordon. It was a fun read, and a stellar book to read when guiding yourself or an organization through difficult change.

The story is written about a goldfish who was dropped into the oceran by a little boy who took him to the beach. The goldfish is lost in the great big sea compared to his little fishbowl, and does not know how to survive. Luckily for him a shark shows him how to be more like a shark and less like a goldfish. The sharks instructions are both essential for his survival, and the tool that will help him thrive in the new environment.

You see, a goldfish is used to having others feed him. A shark is used to getting his food for himself. The goldfish does not believe he will be able to make it, because he does not have anyone to feed him. Slowly but surely the shark shows him that the goldfish's future is in his own hands. He has to learn the art of finding food.

There are several quotes I will share with you later, but the main point of all of them is that one's future is what one makes of it. And, if we keep swimming around hoping someone else will help us or feed us or make our life better we will end up disappointed. Our choices are in our hands.

This book speaks to communities as well as individuals. As a church leader, I find this parable helpful. We putter along, hoping for people to swim into our church and for our church to grow. Or we hope that the pastor's skill in leadership and/or preaching will grow our church in and of itself. God doesn't have us in a fishbowl. He has put us in an abundant ocean of life full of blessings and asked us to swim. And, as I go into our church business meeting I need to remember to remind people that we cannot wait for our future to come to us, we need to go out and move toward our future. I need to keep reminding people about that.

As a human being, I need to keep allowing God to lead me by faith into the future instead of creating a future for myself where I end up fearful and stuck.

Some fun quotes:
If you think your best days are behind you, they are. If you think your best days are ahead of you, they are. (p. 25)

Your belief must be greater than your negativity and doubt (p. 32)

Instead of being disappointed about where you are, be optimistic about where you are going (p. 47)

Best of the bloggies....

Scot McKnight's reflections on Eugene Peterson

Eric on the Tiger confession

Dennis Bickers on parsonage living

Stephanie's reflection on her bad day

Matt's book review

Reagan's thoughts on the Lenten Season

For Real?: Tony Kornheiser punished for having a sense of humor

Today Tony Kornheiser was suspended from PTI for two weeks. He was suspended because he made disparaging remarks about Hannah Storm's outfit on Sportscenter.

Now criticizing fashion choices has always been a part of Tony's on-air personality. Often he is the butt of his own jokes about what he wears.

I have read his comments, and I am not sure it is any different than we would hear Joan Rivers say on the TV GUIDE channel. They are certainly not sexist, as Tony often makes fun of what men wear as well.

This another example of how we are losing our freedom of speech to political correctness one special interest group at a time

Sermon on 2/21--Barn Builder

The Barn Builder
13 Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14 But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” 15 And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness,[a] for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’
21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

 
The movie begins with two men, both ill with cancer, stuck in a hospital room together. One, a man named Carter and played by Morgan Freeman, is a gifted historian who has worked in a garage fixing cars his whole career. The other man named Edward, and played by Jack Nicolson, is a four-time divorced health care tycoon who is alone except for his personal assistant, who he never calls by name. At first, they begin by needling one another. But the two men eventually become friends.
One day, while sitting in bed, Carter scribbles out a list. He writes out a list of dreams. Being a man of limited resources, in the middle of writing out the list he throws it on the floor in disgust. He will never get to see his dreams realized. He will most likely be dead soon.
The ornery Edward picks up this piece of paper. On the top of the paper is the list entitled “bucket list”. Edward quizzes Carter about the list. Carter eventually reveals that the list in things that he would like to do before he “kicks the bucket”. Edward has the means to allow Carter to accomplish many of these goals.
The second part of the movie sees Carter and Edward jet setting around the world, doing things like climbing the pyramids and skydiving. Edward has a few wishes. But really he is typical of many Jack Nicolson characters of late, a man who has all he needs except right relationships with friends and family. Carter’s friendship subtly becomes a big part of Edward’s bucket list. This is unknown to both of them.
Finally, when Carter is faced with temptation to cheat on his wife, he realizes that what he really wants is to be home with his friends and family. They both fly back to California.
It is then that we learn the truth about Edward. He has jets that can fly him around the world, but he cannot find a way to make it through his daughter’s front door, and has never met his granddaughter. He has built homes and barns if you will, but the deepest desires of his heart are unmet. He is alone without friends and unable to relate to his family. Although he has every worldly pleasure at his fingertips, he is utterly miserable.
He is, like the man who yelled at Jesus demanding justice on an inheritance or the man that built all sorts of barns, focused on wealth and power instead of being in right relationship with those he values, loves and misses.
The Bible says that there was this man in the crowd that wanted Jesus to adjudicate a conflict between him and his brother. Well, not so much be a judge between them and rule in his favor against his brother. In effect the brother cried out, “My brother is the executor of my parent’s estate. He is not dividing the wealth quickly. Could you make my brother give me my share of my inheritance and do it now”.
This kind of request was not unheard of for a teacher. Teachers were often asked to arbitrate or mediate conflicts. Jesus did not like the request though.
You always hope things go well when a relative passes away, but that is not always the case. My mom gave me a call a few years back telling me that her grandmother, and my great-grandmother had passed away. We all felt the loss immediately. She was a wonderful woman. Then I got a call the next day. My aunt Mary was executor of the estate. She was running over to Grandma Pearl’s house early in the morning to replace the locks. Even as she went to do that, relatives had been puttering around the house looking for the jewelry they thought they were entitled to. In addition, they were measuring the furniture to see which pieces would fit in the house. Grandma Pearl wasn’t even off the morticians slab yet and they were hovering like vultures. Still makes me angry.
I wish this behavior was uncommon. It is not. As often as people come closer after the death of a loved one, they often pull further away. Fighting for their rights. Harboring grudges. Its sad really. Because in moments like that, more than anything, what we need to know is that we are not alone.
No wonder Jesus wanted no part of this dispute. He had more important things to tend to in his ministry. Besides, getting in the middle of a conflict like that makes as much sense as trying to arbitrate the politics in a clique of junior high girls. It is a no win situation.
Even though Jesus was not going to be a lawyer, he did have some words of wisdom for this anonymous man from Scripture. He told the man to beware of covetousness. Then he told him that life was about more than what you can possess. What you can own.
Then he told them a story. He said that there was this guy that a fertile farm. The farm produced fine crops. He had a bumper harvest. More than he could store even.
Now, in that day, there were several options at his disposal. And the thing that people generally liked to do was to visit with other folks in the village. Especially the elders. Because crops, as you know, notoriously vary from year to year. Maybe someone would have some barns to store the food in. Maybe there was someone in need. Maybe he could trade with someone who needed what he had.
This man had only himself to talk to. To Jesus and the Mediterranean mind at that time this is very sad. Only himself to talk to. No family. No friends. Just stuff.
So he decided that he is going to have bigger barns built. Then he is going to store all of his crop in the barns for years to come. He will live on easy street he says to himself. He will eat drink and be merry he tells himself. Alone. Just him and his stuff.
One of my favorite TV shows to watch is Hoarders, which is preceded by Intervention. Intervention is an hour long documentary each week about someone who is addicted to something, and how their families try and help them recover. Hoarders, my favorite of the two, is about people whose homes and yards are full of clutter because they cannot let go of stuff that they have.
They share one thing in common. Both shows document people who have gotten to a point in life where they have a chosen a thing or things as their primary source of relationship instead of persons or living beings. And even when they have living beings that they hoard (like cats and dogs), they don’t care for them as much as they own them and use them to meet their emotional “needs”.
In Intervention, when a person is in full-on addiction mode, they do not care about the persons around them at all. They just care about their fix. It does not matter who they have to lie to or manipulate, they are going to get their drugs. And it is only when they are confronted with how much they are hurting others and have a mirror held up to their emotional and spiritual lives that people acknowledge that they need help.



Hoarders has this relation to things in even clearer display. The people have piles upon piles of stuff that they are relating to because they are lonely. They lost a loved one, and so they keep everything that reminds them of it. They are having marital problems, and the things they buy at the thrift store meets emotional needs. Their kids leave home, and they hold on to everything. They keep things to entertain people with, but the things they hoard leads to the person pushing people further and further away. An old man has hundreds of old washing machines in the front yard because the scrap metal might mean that he can pay for his grandkids education. And the more they get into their stuff, the further they get away from those that they love. The more isolated they become from their communities. Many of these people are not rich. In our society, it doesn’t take much in the way of dumpster diving and garage sale purchases to fill your place with junk. And so the hoarders build their barns full of the things that make them think they will be happy, and feel emptier than ever.
So the farmer tears down his barns and builds new ones the Bible says. And he seems pleased with himself. And then that night, God comes to this rich farmer. He calls him a fool. He tells him that that night his life will end, and he will go into eternity. “What good will your wealth be now?” Jesus says, “Who is going to inherit all your crops and enjoy all you have earned?”
Jesus goes on to say, “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, but is not rich toward God”.
The farmer put all his security in his stuff. Jesus says he has chosen poorly.
None of us here, to my knowledge, are rich. Most of us can still struggle in putting our security in things and stuff instead of investing in relationships with those God has put in our path. Most of us can place our security in stuff, and forget that our ultimate security should be in the Lord Almighty.
We want our kids and grandkids to be happy. So we buy them the name brand clothes that they want so that they will be liked by others. But there is always a new pair of shoes that are cooler, or a new pair of jeans that they must have.
We are not content with what we have been provided. So we put a new television or a new gun we want or that new outfit on the credit card. Then we end up out of work, wondering how to pay the bills. We think stuff can make us happy and satisfy our souls.
We can even live frugally, and spend years worried from month to month that we might not have enough to get by in a rainy day. And so we are miserly, and ungenerous toward everyone around us. Then we go into the nursing home and realize that everything we worked for is eaten up in about 6 months in medical cost and nursing home expenses.
Both the word “be merry” (or enjoy) and “fool” have the same root word. The root word has to do with the diaphragm. Be merry could be translated in a more literal way, “breathe easy”. The word fool speaks about having breathe taken away. He thought he could breathe easy, the word picture seems to say, but then he had his breathe taken away. Powerful stuff.
We hoard all sorts of things. We fill our barns of memories of the way it used to be and the way it should be today, and we get bitter and alone. We fill our lives with all sorts of noise on the television that makes us uncomfortable going out the door. We fill our lives full of activities so that we never have to slow down enough to actually relate to someone. We fill our lives running from experience to experience, sensation to sensation, one high to another, not wanting to miss out on anything, and in the process missing everything.
The greatest things in our lives are not the trucks we have in front of the house, the experience we had last night that we are too drunk to remember, the heirloom we have on our shelves, or the flat-screen television we see the world through. No, the greatest joys in our lives are the prayers of a child around a dinner table, a good hearty belly laugh at a well-spoken joke, a hug from someone we love, a sense of God’s presence even in the darkest hour.
The greatest things we have in our lives are not things at all. They are the people and the God we give our lives to. When we give away our time to our grandkids, and spend time truly listening to someone we love, we find we feel rich. When we experience the hope that God gives us when we least deserve it, the blessings that we receive when we give and don’t expect anything in return. That is when we find we have the treasures that everyone would want, but nobody can buy.

This was both a funny and sad faux pas...

Lent

Once again, I am seeking to practice Lent as a spiritual discipline this year. Lent seems for me to be a time to try on a new way of living and some new practices as an act of worship. I tend to be very goal-oriented during Lent. Some people find this distasteful. But I find it helpful to have some pragmatic handles for growth in denial and addition of things in my life.

My focus for this year is going to be HONORING MY BODY (as poor of a body as it is).
It will include the following acts of denial and acceptance. I am looking for people who would be willing to be accountability partners with me in Fowler until Easter. Notice I said partners, not necessarily just a coach. If you are interested, let me know. I start on these after the Ash Wednesday service this evening:

Exercise*
1. Walking the dog daily, regardless of the weather
2. Walking 4 laps around Gerard Park w/o the dog in addition to dog walks each day.
3. Getting to the gym 3 days a week for 45 minutes on the elliptical and at least 2 weight lifting exercises (one for lower body, the other for upper body)
4. 100 crunches a day

Diet*
1. No Mountian Dew
2. Pop only on weekends
3. No seconds at dinner (except w/ pizza)
4. Eat one fruit and vegitable serving a day
5. No regular or king-sized candy bars or candy
6. No snacks but fruit or veggies after 9pm


Medical
1. Go to the dentist
2. Take prescribed medication and floss daily
3. Go to the doctor

Enjoyment
1. Get in a hot tub or pool at least once a month
2. Use sauna at least once a month
3. Purchase at least one pair of pants and one shirt I feel good about wearing
4. Drink at one "heart-healthy" beverage each day for Lent

Accountability
1. Find at least 2 unrelated people to keep me accountable on this lenten journey
2. Choose at least one discipline from each catagory to adopt for the year


*exceptions made for all nite activities such as birth of child or youth lock-in.

Baby Name

First Name: Karis
Derived from the Greek charis, with a phonetic spelling. The word in the Greek New Testament for grace, which roughly means "unmerited favor" or as I explain it "undeserved gift". Hesitated on this name when my college roomate's child was also named this, but since I have seen him only once in the last 12 years....i decided that they could deal with a similar name for our kid.

Middle Name: Hope
So our child's name means "an undeserved gift of hope". Which...I think is kind of cool.

Cleanliness and Godliness - Books & Culture

I love Lauren Winner's writing. Here is another fascinating article about something we give very little thought to:


Cleanliness and Godliness - Books & Culture

Differing Expectations

I find it interesting how we as Americans radically adjust our expectation for our Winter Olympians. When I watch the Summer Olympics, anything but a gold is a disappointment. Certainly, not medaling seems like failure. But, in the winter games, we lower our expectations and standards.

We are in the top 10 in biathalon? Lets celebrate! We got in the top 10 in pairs figure skating? How wonderful. Try that with basketball or swimming expectations. See how that works for you.

I find the tolerance for mediocrity very interesting. And, a little disappointing.

Another thought provoking video by Francis Chan and friends

The Big Red Tractor from Jacob Lewis on Vimeo.

ht catalyst blog

Eva's Song

Last Tuesday, I went into Pueblo to visit a member of our church. The member's name is Eva, and she was suffering with a bout of pneumonia. Eva has had a rough go of it lately. When I arrived here about two years ago, she was recovering from an injury that would not allow her to walk as much as she needed to. This frustrated her, but she rarely complained, and if she did complain it was to blame herself for not being able to heal fast enough or work hard enough.

If the only prayer you ever say in your whole life is "thank you," that would suffice.
Meister Eckhart

Around October, Eva had another visit to the hospital. It was decided at that point that she would stay with her son Roger and his family. Eva would hold the babies during the day care her daughter-in-law ran. She eventually got sick, and her illness quickly turned from a cold into pneumonia. She was taken to the hospital.

When I visited Eva Tuesday, I spent a little time visiting with her, and a lot of time visiting with her son Roger. Roger and I talked vacation and golf, and about life in general. It was a good chat. When it came time for me to leave, I asked Eva if I could pray for her. Her poor hearing led her to believe that I was requesting that she pray for all of us. She told us to bow our heads, so we did. She told us to close our eyes, and we did that too. Then Eva began to pray.

Some people might be grieved by Eva's prayer. As she prays, it becomes clear that her mind is not as clear as it was months, or even weeks ago. She got stuck in a loop of prayers. For many this loop would be sad, for others a dark comedy. It has elements of both these things. But most of all, the prayer was beautiful.

It was beautiful because when Eva could not think of anything else, and she did not have the intellectual capacity to pray in the way you know she could in earlier years, she kept repeating the same word. That word was "thank you".

"Thank you Lord for this day....thank you....thank you Lord for our friends and family...thank you...thank you for providing us the food we ate....thank you....most of all Lord we thank you for Jesus, who loved us enough to make a way for us to spend eternity with you....thank you..."

She kept saying her thank you's over and over again. She would note God's work in creation. She would note God's love for us. She would thank God for Jesus. Not just once, or twice, but over and over again. I left the hospital after I finished by praying for her. On the drive home I found myself fighting back tears. And I was not fighting back tears because she is dying. I was fighting back tears because of her testimony. When her mind could not think through a paragraph, her heart kept saying "Thank you Lord, thank you, thank you!"

In one of my internships in seminary I visited a Alzheimer's clinic with a mentor/pastor named Charles. As we wandered through the clinic, we sat with a member of Charles' church in the cafeteria. Around us people screamed outoud, "Lord, why? Lord, why?" and "Please God just let me die." as the top of their lungs.

To be honest, I can't blame them. I hurt for the people in the Alzheimer's clinic that day. That is why I was so moved when Eva said, "Thank you!"

Through the week, I wondered if this was simply an anomaly. On Thursday, Eva's sons Richard and Roger moved Eva to the Fowler Nursing Home. I went to visit her. It took a while for her to understand who I was and why I was there. We chatted a little bit. Then she started singing

"Allleluia, Alleluia. God is so good. Alleluia," Eva sang.

Eva kept singing "alleluiah's" until she sang herself to sleep. I said good bye to the sons chatting at the door. I walked out to my car. Eva could hardly recognize me. We could hardly have a conversation. But as I walked to my car it was my turn to mumble to myself, "thank you, Lord, thank you for Eva."

Book Review: Tithing by Douglas Leblanc

Tithing by Douglas Leblanc is a book in a series of books called The Ancient Practices Series by Thomas Nelson Publishers. Each of the books in the series picks up on a historic practice of the Christian Church throughout its history, shares its importance, and speaks about how the practice can be best implemented in the contemporary church. I own several books in the series. What is interesting about the series is not only the diversity in denominational backgrounds of the authors of each book, but also the variation in the styles in which the authors present their material. Leblanc’s Tithing is the best example of this style variation.

Leblanc is a journalist by trade. In order to teach us about tithing, he seeks out tithing Christians and one Jewish rabbi to share their perspectives. These people reflect the diversity of believers across America. The profiles are of pacifists and veterans, liberals and conservatives, evangelicals and Catholics. The subjects of the interviews are also from each different region of the country, and they reflect a little racial diversity. Each person is passionate about the importance of tithing to grow one’s faith, although their motivations vary. The way that people give ten percent varies too. Some give all of their money to their local church. Others distribute their financial resources among other ministries. Still more reserve some of their tithe for assistance of persons in need.

Personally, this book was my favorite in the series. It was helpful to hear several different reasons for tithing. Some gave because it was their tradition, others for social justice reasons, others to be faithful to a clear demand of Scripture, and one believed a tithe was a kind of “earnest money” in the life of discipleship and blessings of the kingdom. Each of these reasons worked for me. Some people’s methods of how they tithe differed. This did not bother me much. No matter the method of tithing, I believe that “God loves a cheerful giver”.

 

 

 

Book Review: The Emotionally Healthy Church by Peter Scazzero

The Emotionally Healthy Church is a book about an emotionally healthy model of spiritual vitality for individuals and congregations. The book has four parts. The first two parts of the book lay out the need for emotionally healthy congregations and church leaders. The second two parts go about sharing the elements of an emotionally healthy disciple and an emotionally healthy congregation.

I have mixed emotions about this book. One one hand, I thought the whole book was mistitled. The title of the book--The Emotionally Healthy Church--leads one to believe that the book will be about community formation. Instead the book is about promoting emotional health in leaders, and then hoping that this penchant for emotional health will trickle down from the leadership to the congregation. The title should have made this more clear.

However, once I decided to read the book anyway I discovered a lot to think about and grow with in my ministry. It challenged me to work on ways to become more emotionally healthy, and to find ways to communicate that to my family and hopefully at some point to the church family I lead. There is a lot of good content in the book, and every pastoral leader should read The Emotionally Healthy Church and think about what it says

Growth in Faith and Mountain Driving

Every once in a while, especially among pastors and church leaders, there is a discussion that revolves around what a disciple looks like. There are some who believe that growth in Christlikeness is a straight line process. Sometimes a person may grow quicker, and sometimes a person may grow slower. Either way, the "straight-line" person would say true growth in faith is consistent growth in Christlikeness. An example of this would be the model of discipleship put together by Saddleback Church, where there is a baseball metaphor of discipleship. Discipleship is understood as a step by step process.

Others tend to view Christian growth as a more meandering process. There are ups and downs. A person goes in one direction, and then another. Everyone's journey is different. This model of Christian growth is grace-infused and true to many people's individuals experiences. However, it leaves people with very few handles on what Christian growth means, and seems to little to know hope for true spritual transformation.

I tend to think of spiritual growth like a slow ascent up a mountain road. Are you climbing? Yes. But on the road their are plenty of steep ascents, dips, curves and unexpected obstacles. Its is not something you race through to get to the peak. It is something you do to both arrive at your destination and enjoy the ups and downs of the journey toward maturity.

Anyway...just a thought for the day.

Seth Godin On Curiosity

I love videos like this. They are challenging and affirming at the same time. (ht Erin)

'curiosity' from Nic Askew on Vimeo.

Best of the Bloggies

Kim's Pregnancy Update

Scott McKnight on the persecution of homeschoolers in Europe

Becca's Border Crossing and the changing face of immigration on the US Border

Eric's adventurous weekend

Roger's Cowboy Dreams

Mike's thoughts on hope

Marko on "The Book of Eli"

Francis Chan on Safety and Risk...good stuff.

Love this video (ht Don Miller)

Loaf and Jug on Sunday

Today has been a busy day. I did my usual leading of Sunday School and church at Fowler First Baptist. Saturday evening and Sunday morning we cleaned house and prepared for houseguests to come. They had to cancel last minute. I also had to lead a nursing home worship service and a book club in the evening.

After coming home from the worship service at the nursing home, I decided that I was going to stop at Loaf n Jug to get some gas. January 31st is the last day that the rewards for purchasing gas at Loaf and groceries at any Kroger affiliate can be redeemed. So I pulled up to collect.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the convienience store had a line two deep to get into fill up with the shopping discount. We staying in line with cars idling for 10 minutes to fill up with a 20 cent a gallon discount.

Usually I don't like rewards cards, but I have been using the King Soupers card at Loaf to get my discount. I think most rewards cards are big brother's way of tracking you. So, I don't like them. But since I bought my gift cards at Loaf for Christmas....the discount was hard to resist.

I was amazed at two things. First, I was interested in how many people were so eager to save just a dollar or two in gas costs. So often we are willing to skimp in savings on one thing or another, but people will go out of their way for miles just to save a cent or two on gas. This always makes me grin.

Second, I find it interesting how many procrastinators there are. Even in our little small town, there was a line to redeem points from Loaf and Jug. Because the greatest number of us will almost always wait until the last possible minute to do something. Why is this? I wonder.

Rough Waters Sermon Part 1

SCRIPTURE
16 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. 18 Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. 19 So when they had rowed about three or four miles,[a] they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. 20 But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.
MESSAGE
I can hardly watch CNN anymore. Every day Anderson Cooper is down in Haiti with a bunch of reporters. Every day there is another story of the aftermath of the earthquake that is simply heartbreaking. A little girl that is an amputee, but still cannot find her mother or her father. A group of senior citizens at a nursing home taken outside of their collapsing building, set on their beds, and then left to fend for themselves. Some of them senile. Most of them incontinent. All of them alone. The staff went to find their own grandparents, to tend to their own children, and find their own shelter.

Some stories are more hopeful. A young girl rescued from the rubble after two weeks. A middle-aged woman rescued after being under a collapsed building for over a week. As she is pulled out of the rubble, given a drink, and put in a stretcher you can hear her voice. “God is good. Praise God. God is good. Praise God.” She cries. I don’t know if I have that kind of faith or that kind of witness. This woman did. And millions of people heard her witness.

Much of our lives are a result of the decisions we make and the attitudes we have. But there are many situations that seem outside of our control. I can’t control when the earth is going to shake. I don’t have any power to solve the problems in the Middle East. I hear prayer concerns from many of you, and I have no power within me to help make you any better. I wish I had that power, but I don’t. So I pray. I love. I hope. And I keep marching on.

In those situations, it is easy to be a little afraid. A little nervous. A little anxious. Especially when we are personally involved in those situations.

I can be high strung at times, but I am generally not an overly anxious type. Since Jennifer has gotten pregnant, I can see myself at times being more and more anxious about things. Recently she had a test that said we had a 1 in 250 chance of a certain kind of birth defect. There is a 99.6 percent chance that the little one is completely healthy. Still, until the high tech ultrasound next month, that concern is going to be in the back of my head.

After seeing a Ford Explorer turned over on the side of the road coming home from a meeting in the Springs on Thursday, I told Jennifer we needed a 20 year old Suburban with its own zip code in order for our child to be safe. Or a Hummer. You never know when some drunk driver is going to come squealing around the corner. I want to be prepared.

Let me get back to these thoughts in a moment. Let us look at the Scripture text for this morning.
In the beginning of Chapter 6, before we get the feeding of the 5000, the chapter begins with John telling us that the Passover holiday was approaching. There is a reason for this. John wants us to remember the Passover, and to put what Jesus is doing in that context.

When Jesus takes 5 loaves and two fish, and feeds 5000 people in the wilderness, the people want to make him king. We did not get much into this last week. Why did they want to do this? Because he could do miracles?

The answer is Yes and No. Yes he could do miracles. And many were impressed. But it is also the kind of miracle or sign he performed. He provided bread in the wilderness. What is this reminiscent of? It is to remind us of the Exodus. Of the manna that fell from heaven to provide for God’s people as they wandered in the wilderness. They think Jesus is the new Moses. The new deliverer. He is. But he is not going to be put in their box and expectations. His mission is bigger than military conquest.

So he send the disciples out on the water. He sends them out in a boat. The disciples try to make their way from Tiberias to Caperneum over water by rowing a 20 foot skiff with 12 men inside.

Now you need to know this. Jews were not keen on sea travel. The Pheonicians, just northwest of them, were known throughout the ancient world as men of the water. Jews were men of the land.

Hebrew superstition held that the sea was a place of chaos. The believed that under the water was an untamable place full of all sorts of unpredictable evil and uncontrollable powers. It was where everything bad resided. There was one time where Jesus healed a demon-possesed man. The demons asked if they could go into the pigs on the hillside. Jesus permitted them to do so. The pigs ran headlong over the cliff into the Sea of Galilee. Why? Because that is where the evil spirits went. Underwater.

The water could be a fearful place. The Sea of Galilee is especially fearful. Not much larger than Crater Lake in Oregon and or Blue Mesa Resevoir near Gunnison, though it is wider. During the day you would be able to see from one side to the other. At night, especially without modern electricity to light up cities, it was hard to see where you were going.

The Rough Waters Sermon Continued

Then a storm blew up. The Sea (or lake) of Galilee has crazy storms. It is over 600 feet below sea level, yet it is bordered by mountains about 2000 feet above sea level (if you can call those hills mountains). Winds come down the river, and off the Mediterraenan Sea after going over the “mountains”. Tiberius had 10 foot high waves crash into the middle of the city in 1992, and it caused millions of dollars in damage. It has crazy high water because of the weather conditions, and because the lake is somewhat shallow. And they were rowing north, while the Jordan flows gently south through the lake. Put a small little boat, waters that are a lot like a noreaster in the Eastern Seaboard, and rowing against the current, and you can see what the sailors were rowing against.

It must have been scary. And nerve-wracking. The Scripture says they got to a point where they were halfway to their destination, about four miles. But Scripture does not record them being fearful until they are in the water in the middle of the night and some being starts walking on the water toward them. Is it a ghost? An angel? Is it the death angel? Is it Jesus? Did we mess up somehow? Were we not supposed to leave him behind? Did they kill him and this is his ghost. These are the questions racing through their head.

Jesus tells them not to fear. He tells them it is Him. He walks up to them. They let him in the boat. As soon as they do, they are miraculously at their destination. This is the fifth sign of Jesus in the gospel of John.

What is Jesus saying through this sign?

Many people look at this story about Jesus, and others like it and they use it metaphorically. They talk about the power of Jesus over the storms and darkness in our lives. When hard times come our way, Jesus is bigger than those hard times. When it seems like all of our circumstances are stormy and out of control, Jesus can come in and bring peace and hope and new life. When our world is dark, Jesus can bring it light and hope. Certainly all of this is true. But this is not the whole story.

Again, at the beginning of the chapter we see that this set of circumstances in Jesus’ life is tied in with the Passover, celebrating the deliverance of the people of God from slavery in Egypt. And as the bread is to remind them of the manna. If this is the case, then what is walking on the water and power of a storm to remind them of around Passover? If you guessed the parting of the Red Sea you would be right on. Jesus has power over the waters to see his disciples through the walls of water crashing around them. Moses led his people through the parting of the Red Sea. Jesus is showing he is a deliverer like Moses. He is the Messiah. He is the promised one. He is showing that he is more powerful than any of the worlds governments or forces. His kingdom was supreme.
But, he does this by showing his power over nature. The one who created the wind and the waves rules them still. As he walks over the waves, Jesus stands over the forces of nature and says “Fear not, It is I”. When he says “It is I” this is a form of the words “I am” which is the name of God that God revealed to Moses. He is bigger than the most scary and nerve-wracking power in nature.

The water is the place in Jewish thought, remember, where chaos resided. Underwater was where evil had reign. The water was a place that was untamable and uncontrollable. It was a fearful place. And Jesus stood on top of it. He controlled it. He ruled over the waters. He was more powerful than the more fearful place on the planet for the Jews. And it did not phase Jesus one bit.

There are a lot of things in our lives beyond our control. I don’t have all the answers to why all of them happen. I don’t know why some people live 90 years and other babies live only a year or two. I am not sure why some people have all the money in the world, and others can’t even afford to buy shoes. I might have guesses. But I don’t have answers. I just know THE ANSWER.I know the one that stands upon the waters as they rage and says, “Fear not, it is I”.

There are a lot of things in my life beyond my control. I don’t know if I will only have one more breath, or 50 years worth. I don’t know if Jennifer and I will have a boy or a girl yet. I don’t what level of health or lack of it that child will have when it is born. I do know the eternal hope that the Scripture offers when it gives me this promise about my eternal destiny because I trusted in him from the prophet Isaiah:
1 But now, this is what the LORD says—
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
4 Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
and because I love you,
I will give men in exchange for you,
and people in exchange for your life.
5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bring your children from the east
and gather you from the west.

Final part of the Rough Water sermon

I do not have all of the answers to give anyone about why God would allow something like an earthquake in Haiti to happen. I don’t believe Pat Robertson does either, even if he says he has the answer. I don’t know all the big reasons why earthquakes have to happen, but I know that even in the midst of tremendous pain and suffering, the Lord that created the heavens and the earth is the Lord still. I know the Jesus that sees this pain and suffering endured the pain and suffering on the cross in our stead, and stands with us in our pain and suffers with us still.

I know that God has given us all sorts of opportunities to be witnesses to be his hands and feet and show what our faith is all about through giving to relief in Haiti. And you can do that at any point through our missions giving. Just write a check to the church and put Haiti relief in the memo. We will pass it on through the One Great Hour of Sharing offering and it will get directly to those who need it most.

I don’t have all the answers about why there are hurricanes in New Orleans, tsunamis in Southeast Asia, earthquakes in Haiti, and famines in Africa. God has not hired me as his consultant. I doubt he will. I do know that God is loving and God is good, and that some questions are not answerable, and some answers I could not comprehend. And I do know that the one that hovered over creation on that first day and the Jesus that stood on the water on the Sea of Galilee is Lord still. I can trust my life to him. I can trust my soul with Him.

Our final hymn was written by Horatio Spafford. Spafford was a businessman in Chicago. When the Great Fire of 1871 burned Chicago, the fire destroyed all he had. He lost his business and his home. The fire also killed his only son. Two years later he was going to travel with his family to Europe. He got delayed working on rebuilding after the fire in Chicago, and sent his wife and daughters ahead. The ship hit rough waters and sank. He later received a telegram from his wife. It said, “Saved Alone”. All their children were now dead. As he travelled by boat to meet his wife in England and bring her home, he stood on the boat over the waters where the boat sank and penned these words to the hymn, “It is Well with My Soul”. The first verse reads, “When peace like a river, attendeth my way,When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul.”

And I know if a woman trapped under a building with no food or water for over a week can be drug out and as soon as she has breathe can cry. “Praise God. God is Good.” I can say it too. And if a man who lost everything he ever loved can sing “It is well with my soul” I can sing it to. Not because I am supposed to. Not because I am that faithful. Because in the middle of my fears and the things in the world I can’t control, Jesus comes to me and you and says to each of us like he did to those disciples, “It is I, do not be afraid.” And then he gets in the boat with us in the middle of the storm. And the fact that he is with me, and with us makes all the difference.

Review of the Liturgical Year by Joan Chittister

(I have discovered a service at booksneeze.com that allows me to recieve complimentary books in exchange for offering reviews of these books on my blog. The following book is the first in this series of books. If you have interest in doing the same go to the website and register yourself!)

The Liturgical Year is an excellent book for those of us who want to know a little bit more about the church year, and what it means for our lives. The book is part of the Ancient Practices Series put together by Thomas Nelson on the Spiritual Disciplines. The book begins by making a case for the use of the Christian Calendar in spiritual formation, and then carefully explains each part of the church year. Interspersed in between the different seasons of the church year are explanations of how different parts of the church year help form different virtues in our character.

I enjoyed reading this book. At first I was anxious about reading The Liturgical Year because I had seen the author on television, and thought she appeared somewhat angry and dour. The book could not be more different. It exudes joy and passion.

Overall, I thought the book balanced intellectual rigor and clear explanation with a very readable treatment of the Christian year. I particularly enjoyed how Chittister integrated "Sunday" into the Christian year. In the "Sunday" section she advocated that each Sunday was infact a use of time (the day of the week) for spiritual formation. Also, by introducing Sunday morning as the foundation of the church year, Ms. Chittister was able to focus all of our liturgy and the liturgical year toward the death and resurrection of Christ. I also enjoyed her discussion about how the Christian year forms us in Christian character, and is not just empty ritual.

As a Protestant, I struggled with the sections that were more Catholic in nature. These included the feast days, the sanctorial cycle, and the marian celebrations. Some of these parts I simply skipped over. Other parts I simply chalked up to cross-denominational education.

Overall the book is well done, and would be especially helpful to Christian ministers and worship leaders.

Beginning of Last weeks sermon: Loaves and fish

SCRIPTURE: JOHN 6
1 After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased. 3 And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.
4 Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. 5 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” 6 But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.
7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.”
8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”
10 Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples[a] to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” 13 Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. 14 Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
15 Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.
 
LOAVES AND FISH
Can you imagine it? Can you imagine what it would have been like to have been on that hillside that day? That day when Jesus took those loaves and those fish and fed five thousand people…can you picture in your mind’s eye what that must have been like?

Can you imagine what it must have been like to be that boy with those loaves and those fishes? I have always wondered how it was that some boy was the only person with food in the whole crowd. How was one young boy the only person with provisions for the whole group?

The only way I can work it out in my head is that it went like this. Most of the people saw Jesus and were chasing him down. Sure they might have slapped together a sandwich for the day and grabbed a bottle of water, but they were not really worrying about provisions. They were just chasing down this man that was working miracles, going after him to see what he would do next.

But this one young guy, I imagine he is around ten. I also imagine he is surrounded by family friends as he is on the trip. But my guess is that this young boy had a mother. A mother that doted on him. I think that she of those mothers that worried about her little boy’s every move, but didn’t want him to miss out on this thing with Jesus. So she wondered how he was going to have food. So she grabbed a backpack. And she shoved in a sweatshirt, a blanket, a change of underwear, a flashlight in case he needed it, and all of the day old barley loaves on the shelves and a few fish. Everyone else may have snacked on a granola bar earlier in the day, or finished a sandwich while they were walking.

However, by the time the boy meets Jesus it is meal time. People don’t have any food. They are starting to get hungry. I am sure the hungry people would be pleasant to Jesus, but it often difficult for folks when they are hungry to be pleasant with one another. Tired people do not always have the most pleasant mood either. Jesus asks the question out loud, “Where shall we buy bread that they may eat?”

Middle part of last weeks sermon: loaves and fish

Now people were getting confused with Jesus questions, so the apostle John lets us know that this is a rhetorical question. John says he is testing the disciples. He is making a point. He is teaching a lesson.
Phillip informs Jesus that purchasing bread for 5000 people in cost prohibitive. There are always those of us like Phillip. We look at the situation, and we realize that there are all sorts of problems in the game plan. We can see the flaw in the logic of the plan from a mile away. We are wide-eyed realists. We believe in saying it how it is, and responding directly to a direct concern. Sometimes we may be called critical or negative. But we believe in a direct and forthright assessment of the situation. That was Phillip. “It is cost prohibitive,” he said or in the NKJV “Two hundred denari is not sufficient for them, that everyone may have a little.”

While Phillip was pondering financial matters, Andrew was scoping out the crowd. He noticed this little boy, with his momma’s backpack eating a little bread. They asked him how many barley loaves he had.

“Five,” the boy squeaked out.

The disciples asked the boy how many fish he had.

“Two,” the boy sheepishly admitted.

“I don’t know what good that is going to do but it is something,” they muttered.

The Bible says Andrew said, “What is so little among so many?”.

Jesus started instructing the disciples. He wanted them to get everyone seated for a meal. He lifted up those loaves and fishes and blessed them. Then he started distributing the loaves and fish to the disciples, who in turn distributed them to the people. He just kept handing out more bread. And more fish.

And the people ate. Then they ate some more. The smiled and laughed and burped and smiled. When everyone was filled the Bible says, it is at that point that Jesus instructed the disciples to gather up the loaves and the fish. Jesus didn’t want any of the food to be just left lying around and go to waste. So they gathered up the loaves and there were twelve baskets full of bread. Twelve baskets from the five loaves of the little boy. The people were amazed enough that sought to seize Jesus as their king. Jesus didn’t want to be a politician. So when they started trying to take him and make him king he decided to slip away for some alone time.
There are so many sermons that could be preached on this passage. This morning I want us to take notice of one thing. I want you to notice the difference between the resources the disciples perceived that they had, and the resources that the disciples actually had with Jesus.

The disciples looked at the situation in front of them—five thousand hungry people—and saw an unsolvable problem and an insurmountable challenge. Phillip saw the lack of money. Andrew saw the lack of food on hand. They saw not enough. They saw not good enough. Not enough stuff. Not enough resources to work with. As a result, they come off a little befuddled.

Thank God the kingdom of God is a little bit bigger than our realism and our sober assessments about what we lack. Thank God that he is bigger than our worries about the circumstances in front of us. Thank God that He is bigger than our limited abilities and skills.

Jesus takes a few loaves and fish, and turns them into a banquet fit for a king. And what Jesus does then, he does now. He takes our humble gifts and offerings, skills and abilities, and multiplies them for his glory.

If you are paying close attention to this text you will notice that there a number of words that communicate the abundant and lavish provision of God in this passage. It says each person ate all they wanted. The Scripture says that the disciples picked up the food after the people were filled. Then they had twelve baskets full of food after the meal.

We see not enough. We say not enough. Jesus says for us to give him our loaves and fish, and see what he can make of them. When we say not enough, Jesus shows us that with him there is more than enough.

We say I am not young enough. I am not strong enough. I am not good enough. I am not smart enough. I don’t have enough. I am not enough.

Jesus challenges us to offer what we have. The time we have. The skills we have. The resources we have. The excitement and passion we have. Jesus says give him what we have, and let him multiply all of our “not- enoughs” into more than enough. And exactly what Jesus wants.

The Last part of last weeks sermon: Loaves and fish

A newspaper reported a story of a young boy in a Presbyterian church in a Texas community that illustrates exactly how God is still doing this loaves and fishes kind of work. Here is the story from the August 5, 2006 edition of the San Antonio Express-News:

Jackson Rogers, ten, raised enough money to put up a house for the homeless. The young entrepreneur said he took on the fund-raising project for Habitat for Humanity in February when he accepted $100 and a challenge from his pastor at First Presbyterian Church.

“My pastor gave me a hundred dollars and told me to do something good to help someone,” said Jackson, one of several congregants who accepted their pastor’s challenge. They were told to use the money for good and then report on what they did.

At first Jackson’s father was hesitant about letting his son take up such a daunting task, but Jackson was determined. “I was discouraging him from volunteering because I didn’t know what the pastor intended. But he pulled away from me and ran down there,” the father said.

Jackson knew he wanted to help a homeless family. But he wasn’t sure how to do that, so he asked his dad. What they came up with was a letter-writing campaign asking for donations to raise $50,000 to build a house through Habitat for Humanity. Jackson then wrote a letter in his own handwriting on notebook paper. “I used the hundred dollars to buy stamps and paper,” he said. He then sent out letters to friends and family.

One woman was so touched by his letter that she passed it on to several of her friends and colleagues. Soon, people from Tennessee, Virginia, and Idaho were sending in checks. The 170 people who responded contributed a total of $43,000. When the congregation at First Presbyterian learned the little miracle-worker was $7,000 short of his goal, people chipped in the rest.
“A little person can do something really good. You don’t have to wait to be an adult,” said Jackson’s mother.


One hundred and ten years ago this church was founded by men and women moving to this new town in the Colorado Frontier. They came from places like Missouri—I hear there were a lot from Missouri—and other places further east. They bought land and planted crops. And they decided that there needed to be a Baptist church. So they started one.

Somewhere in the process folks decided to build a building. Interesting thing was that the church wasn’t established enough to get a loan on its own. So folks started taking out loans in their own names on behalf of First Baptist Church. Why did they do that? Why take such a risk? I think it is because the church believed that God was a God of abundance and not scarcity. They believed that if they set the loaves and fish of their credit in Jesus’ hand, that Jesus would multiply that into abundant ministry.

The Lord certainly did just that. How do I know that? I know that because the loans were paid off in short order. This is true. But I also know it is true because 110 years later we are still worshipping in the same building in this same town. We built an addition when the church was bursting at the seams in the middle of the century.

Many of us can remember years where church attendance was in the teens. Some of us can remember when church attendance was in the 100s. Through the times of success and failure, joy and grief, we have seen that God has took whatever resources this church has had and multiplied them for his glory.

God is still doing it. He is still multiplying whatever we will offer him into miracles. He still multiplies our giving into ministries of love. He still multiplies our time into the good news of God’s saving grace getting out to the masses. He takes our half-hearted efforts and our reluctant participation in his kingdom and makes them into beautiful ministry.

And that starts when we offer him our very lives. Maybe you have never offered your life to Christ. You have never accepted him as Lord and Savior. Believe this, no matter what mistakes you have made, God can use you. No matter how hopeless and useless you may feel, God can do great things through you. He can make your meager loaves and fishes into a feast.

Maybe you have been running from God. Or ignoring him. Turn back. God can still use you.

So come to him. Bring yourself as your gift to him. You will be amazed at what God can do with our meager offerings.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Haiti Earthquake Reactions
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis

Fear Is Scary Stuff

I hate fear. I despise feeling afraid. I dislike living in a culture that plays on our fears. I get frustrated with people that are overanxious.

Fear is inescapable really. It is on the television. It is on the news. It is all around us. Furthermore, it springs up from inside us. We are all afraid of something. Some fears we grow out of as adults. Other fears grow with time. Some fears appear out of nowhere.

I am not OCD, but I do have some obscessive compulsive tendencies. Sometimes I have to double and triple check locks. When I was in college the only way I got through this was to say outloud what I had done. "I have locked the door. I have my keys. I can go," I would say to myself.

Today on trips I have to do this with my phone, wallet, checkbook etc. And if something is not right with my CPAP machine, I am near a nervous breakdown. It is not pretty.

Most of my adult life I have made a conscious effort to not let fear rule my life. I often fear failure. I choose to face down that fear, and to take risks. I sometimes fear rejection, and so I force myself to put myself "out there" with people anyway. I also get really anxious while talking on the phone, but we will talk about that later.

I do have fears, but most of the time I am not afraid. I am not afraid of going into bad neighborhoods. I don't fear another terrorist attack like September 11. I don't often let people bully me around by making me feel afraid.

Lately, though, as I am forming a family, I get more and more anxious about all sorts of things, and it really bothers me. I get anxious about general stuff. This week I had to drive to a meeting in Denver. I found myself getting worried about it, and pondering how I could get out of making the drive. I worry about Jennifer driving back and forth to Pueblo. I get concerned that if I leave dishes to soak in the sink overnight that mice might get to them , and I fixate on this for several minutes. I get anxious about a thousand different things that usually don't concern me in the least.

And, with a child on the way, I get anxious and fearful about being a parent. Will I change diapers right? Will I put in the car seat correct? Will the child be kidnapped? molested? Will I pass on problems that I have to my child? How much time should I put the child in daycare? What if I drop the baby? What if our child becomes a meth addict? What if she is one of those meth users that loses her virginity in a public bathroom stall like on the billboard? Will I be able to love the child enough if it is born disabled? Is Fowler a good place to raise our child? Should I move closer to family? What if I get in a car accident? What if I prepare formula wrong? Will it mess our child up for life? What if I drop the baby? What if the wobbly railing on the stairway breaks? Fear is scary stuff!

And what I find is that my anxiety about being a parent makes me more worrisome and fearful about just about everything. Is this normal? Or am I just being wierd.