You are loved by God and there is nothing you can do about it. You can work your whole life doing great things, and none of those things will earn you that love. You can be the most spiritual person in the world, connected with nature and other people, with niceness and wisdom oozing from your pours and still you will not have earned that love. You are loved by God, because God chose to love you. As a loving parent cradles their crying child, so too God loves you and forgives your annoying shouts and fits through the forgiveness of Jesus the Christ.
So you are in a family of love. The grace of Jesus Christ fills your entire being and surely you will allow some of it to spill out. And this is the point that Paul is at in his letter to the Romans. He has explained God’s grace, how we do nothing to deserve it, and now we have these love filed bodies. What do we do with them?
I have to admit, love isn’t an easy thing to let spill all over. God’s love certainly spilled everywhere; “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,” but we have been taught to be careful with our cups. We have been taught from childhood to pour carefully rather than to spill. When you pour, you have control over where it is going. When you pour love, you are certain that it goes in the intended direction and not behind you where it just may land on your worst enemy. What a waste that would be. When you "pour" your love, you are seen as nice. The correct people will rejoice in your niceness and will appreciate your niceness. However, niceness never travels beyond a small group of people. Niceness does not spill love on the whole world as God’s grace did. One of the worst things your church could be called is “nice.” Niceness does not transform lives; grace does.
We have been taught to pour, but Jesus the Christ appreciates the spilling action of grace. Jesus has no problem with the child who takes the cup of love and wings a nice streak of love all across the room, marking the dog, soaking grandma, filling the $2,000 curtains, and finding its way through the screen door, onto the neighbor who cut down your tree just because it was blocking the sun.
Jesus appreciates having fellow spillers to share God’s word of grace. But, spilling is hard to do. It is hard to live messy lives. Things will not always be logical in a love spilled world. People who should not be honored and blessed will be, and people who should be blessed will be expected to do the work of doing the honoring. You do not get any awards for your great wisdom or your peaceful nature in a world of spilled love. Instead, in a world of spilled love people’s lives are changed by God (people you would never expect to turn their lives around have their lives turned around), and you get no recognition. This kind of world makes little sense; it certainly not come naturally; but it is the way of God. So, like the Olympic runner who reminds themselves of specific things in order to continue running a gold metal race, “Keep your fingers loose and floppy…glide don’t bounce,” Paul reminds us of specific things that will make certain we are sharing love and not just being nice.
Hate doing evil, and embrace good.
Outdo each other in showing appreciation for each other.
Have hope, God is not far away.
Be patient…even when suffering…be patient, God is not far away.
Help the poor…those who are forgotten or hated for being lazy.
Talk to the stranger and welcome them with everything that is yours. Don’t just stare at them.
Bless those who hate you. In fact, pray for them that they may turn from their ways. Do not say bad things about them or wish them to die. Encourage the goodness that they do have.
Spend time with others: rejoice and weep with them. In hard times, do not leave those who weep alone.
Spend time with the lowly, those whom no one else spends time.
Be yourself. Who you are is good enough. Do not claim to be better or more wise.
Do not seek revenge. God showed love on the cross, not revenge. God will deal with evil people the way God wants to. Your only job is to love.
Be peaceful. Do not stir up trouble. Be a peacemaker.
When it comes to love, there is no difference between your friends and your enemies: feed them, give them drink, provide them with shelter.
Spill your love on even enemies and hot refiners coals will shower on them, the evil will burn away, and what will remain in them is God’s grace.
You are an athlete for God. Practice spilling grace. Hopefully, when someone visits the church community they will not say, “They were really nice.” Instead, they will say, “When I went there, I found what it means to be loved by God.” Practice spilling grace.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Reflection on Matthew 14:13-21
The wilderness is where you go when struggling in life. Setting out into lonely, deserted places is what we do when struggling with faith, with life in general, and with grief in particular. It is where we go to cry, to shout, to get lost, and to search for answers.
After hearing about John the Baptist’s death, Jesus sets out for the wilderness. Getting into a boat by himself, he rows toward a deserted place with the memories of his friend…his earthly mentor…on his mind. He rows across the lake to a deserted place to have time to think.
When a close friend of mine discovered that his wife was cheating on him, he set out for the woods; for the wilderness. When my grandma discovered that she had cancer, she closed herself away in her room; the wilderness. And, when I discovered that I would be the only one left with the memories of fishing out on the lake with my grandfather, such as the time the fish spit my hook out and the combined force of the spit and my tugging sent the lure sailing dangerously close to giving my grandfather a pierced lip, I took a long walk in to nowhere in particular; the wilderness.
Lots of people search for answers in the wilderness. Perhaps, that is why when Jesus gets ashore he finds in his deserted wilderness 5000 men plus women and children wandering around and searching also. The wilderness is sometimes a popular place. Perhaps it is because in the wilderness we are certain that we will get our answers. We have a good reason to think this also. God wrestles Jacob in the wilderness and God gives him a blessing. God feeds the Israelites manna in the wilderness. Jesus is tested and given a purpose in life while in the wilderness. And the five thousand plus will also have their hunger satisfied.
Jesus, God on earth, sees their need and hears their cries. He shares healing and hope and feeds everyone with bread and fish. Everyone who wandered into the wilderness was filled. No one walked away without being filled.
The world normally assumes that God is present most, and at work the most, when great things in life are happening. There are preachers who live and breathe this type of understanding of God. They fly into deserted, hungry places with their helicopters, proclaim that if only people believed hard enough they too would have a great and rich life, and then they fly out again like angels who have found the good life. They teach that God is found in the great things. But, I find it interesting that the people of those deserted villages are provided actual food and given knowledge of how to farm not by these preachers, but by actual people who are willing to come into the wilderness, live there with the people, struggle there with the people, and discover God there with the people. The helicopter preachers have discovered the great and powerful god of wealth. The villagers have found the true and humble God of the wilderness. The true God sends people to live among them, struggle with them, and show grace to them.
God does not require big things to be present. God is always present in the little things. God is found in the deserted places, where we cannot depend on ourselves, and we need to trust. God is most present when we struggle and find ourselves in the wilderness. God’s love was found on the cross, the most deserted place of them all. Do you feel lost? Do you feel hurt? Are you lonely? Are you in the wilderness? You could not possibly be closer to God and God’s love.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Reflection on Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
We’ve all heard this parable before and we know the moral: be the seed rooted in good soil not the seed rooted on the path or on the rocks or in the thorns. Plant yourselves in good soil, do good things, yada, yada, yada, be loving like Jesus was loving, Amen. Short reflection today; time to venture forth from the computer and enjoy our summer afternoon at the mall, or at home in front of the tube, or playing games in a family member’s home.
Leaving everything right there does not feel right does it? Do not get me wrong, some part of us wishes I was not joking, because there are much more interesting things to be doing out there than sitting here reading a sermon. There are malls to be explored, great scary theme park rides to be enjoyed, beautiful gardens to plant, unexplored mountains to hike, and fish packed lakes to be emptied. I know that part of you probably has that desire pulling you out the door, but there is that equally piercing gut feeling that tells you such an attitude towards God’s house is like a skin piercing vine of thorns that will painfully snag you as it grows past, and haul you far away from the good soil.
Let us be honest, do we not come to websites like this expecting to find the presence of Christ, expecting to find good, rich, dark, soil in which we can sink our roots deeply? Do we not hope, each time we read reflections like this, to soak up a word that is full of water and minerals? Many times we do not get what we desire, but do we not wish that we could?
I will tell you the truth, I am not quite sure how this sowing the seed thing works. I am certain that a lot of people come and read with the expectation of meeting Christ and do not feel as if they have. I am honestly not certain that some people are ever given the chance at sinking their roots into dark, rich soil. It seems that lots of people are just sown in the wrong places from the very beginning.
I have known lots of people who are thrown onto heavily traveled paths where they do not even have a chance because they are picked at or trampled on right away. Others are cast into the shallow soil on top of rock where they have little hope to spread their roots and get firmly established. Usually, they are blown away with the gentlest of breezes. Others are always winding up in the thorns, and I think we all know what life is like when the thorns are trying to tear you away from your good soil. There are all these people that I know who are good people, but they just can not seem to get a break. Why did God cast them into such rough conditions?
Yet, at the same time, there are those who seem to find the good soil anywhere they go. They get thrown on the path, and somehow they find the middle of the path where they will not get trampled. They actually thrive being in the conflict of the path. You know these people. Others are thrown onto rock and somehow they find the crack in which they can send their root deeply. They use the rock to their advantage, hooking the bottom of the rock with their root. You have met this person. They are probably sitting nearby. And much rarer, but still out there are those who find a way not to be choked or pulled out by the thorns. Somehow these people are able to make the worst situation great.
But, those people are not the rule. I am not sure that there is really anyone to blame here. People cannot be expected to be put into terrible positions and come out with deep roots in rich, good soil. To expect such a thing is just unfair.
I am not even sure that God can be blamed. God could be blamed for being a terrible farmer. No one throws away their precious seed on the path or on rocky ground, or in the thorns. That is just bad economics. But, I do not think it is evil. I think that God means it for good.
God does choose to be a terrible farmer. God chooses to cast us with the Word in our hearts all over the place.
That leads me to think one thing. It seems to me that since some people find the good soil in the worst of places; that God casts us everywhere, even the worst places, so that every place can have the chance to experience Christ’s love and forgiveness. I mean, look at the yield that God can produce out of just a little good soil in between two huge rocks: a great yield is four fold, but God’s yield is a hundred fold, or sixty, or thirty. It is amazing what God can do with just a little good soil.
Perhaps, you know what it is like to be sown on a busy and conflicted path? Have you had troubles setting your roots deep? Have you been sown among the thorns? Consider that God has provided you a small patch of good, rich, dark soil anyway. Perhaps, God intended you to fall among the thorns, not to harm you, but so that good soil might start to sprout life even there. What a great, green glimmer of hope you may be to someone who finds themselves cast into the shadows of the thorns.
What a gracious God we have, who provides good soil, even in the most unlikely of places. What a gracious God we have, who desires Christ’s grace and forgiveness to land everywhere, for everyone to touch and experience.
Leaving everything right there does not feel right does it? Do not get me wrong, some part of us wishes I was not joking, because there are much more interesting things to be doing out there than sitting here reading a sermon. There are malls to be explored, great scary theme park rides to be enjoyed, beautiful gardens to plant, unexplored mountains to hike, and fish packed lakes to be emptied. I know that part of you probably has that desire pulling you out the door, but there is that equally piercing gut feeling that tells you such an attitude towards God’s house is like a skin piercing vine of thorns that will painfully snag you as it grows past, and haul you far away from the good soil.
Let us be honest, do we not come to websites like this expecting to find the presence of Christ, expecting to find good, rich, dark, soil in which we can sink our roots deeply? Do we not hope, each time we read reflections like this, to soak up a word that is full of water and minerals? Many times we do not get what we desire, but do we not wish that we could?
I will tell you the truth, I am not quite sure how this sowing the seed thing works. I am certain that a lot of people come and read with the expectation of meeting Christ and do not feel as if they have. I am honestly not certain that some people are ever given the chance at sinking their roots into dark, rich soil. It seems that lots of people are just sown in the wrong places from the very beginning.
I have known lots of people who are thrown onto heavily traveled paths where they do not even have a chance because they are picked at or trampled on right away. Others are cast into the shallow soil on top of rock where they have little hope to spread their roots and get firmly established. Usually, they are blown away with the gentlest of breezes. Others are always winding up in the thorns, and I think we all know what life is like when the thorns are trying to tear you away from your good soil. There are all these people that I know who are good people, but they just can not seem to get a break. Why did God cast them into such rough conditions?
Yet, at the same time, there are those who seem to find the good soil anywhere they go. They get thrown on the path, and somehow they find the middle of the path where they will not get trampled. They actually thrive being in the conflict of the path. You know these people. Others are thrown onto rock and somehow they find the crack in which they can send their root deeply. They use the rock to their advantage, hooking the bottom of the rock with their root. You have met this person. They are probably sitting nearby. And much rarer, but still out there are those who find a way not to be choked or pulled out by the thorns. Somehow these people are able to make the worst situation great.
But, those people are not the rule. I am not sure that there is really anyone to blame here. People cannot be expected to be put into terrible positions and come out with deep roots in rich, good soil. To expect such a thing is just unfair.
I am not even sure that God can be blamed. God could be blamed for being a terrible farmer. No one throws away their precious seed on the path or on rocky ground, or in the thorns. That is just bad economics. But, I do not think it is evil. I think that God means it for good.
God does choose to be a terrible farmer. God chooses to cast us with the Word in our hearts all over the place.
That leads me to think one thing. It seems to me that since some people find the good soil in the worst of places; that God casts us everywhere, even the worst places, so that every place can have the chance to experience Christ’s love and forgiveness. I mean, look at the yield that God can produce out of just a little good soil in between two huge rocks: a great yield is four fold, but God’s yield is a hundred fold, or sixty, or thirty. It is amazing what God can do with just a little good soil.
Perhaps, you know what it is like to be sown on a busy and conflicted path? Have you had troubles setting your roots deep? Have you been sown among the thorns? Consider that God has provided you a small patch of good, rich, dark soil anyway. Perhaps, God intended you to fall among the thorns, not to harm you, but so that good soil might start to sprout life even there. What a great, green glimmer of hope you may be to someone who finds themselves cast into the shadows of the thorns.
What a gracious God we have, who provides good soil, even in the most unlikely of places. What a gracious God we have, who desires Christ’s grace and forgiveness to land everywhere, for everyone to touch and experience.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Reflection on Romans 7:15-25a
The 1st Commandment: “I am the Lord your God…you shall have no other gods.”
The Bender Ball
Simply place the Bender Ball under your lower back while you do crunches, and you will soon see toned abs; a sexy core that will surely get recognized.
The secret is in The Bender Core Method, which targets the muscles you want from all sides, your upper abs, the sides and those hard to reach lower abs.The Bender Ball gives you a workout that's 408%* more effective than ordinary crunches. So you can sculpt beautiful abs fast!
For just $9.99 you can change your life. Your package comes with everything you will need. The Bender Ball Bender Method Manual and Leslie Bender's amazing video: The Bender Method of Core Training. Plus as a free gift, we are including a bonus Buns & Thighs video.
Testimonial: "I love my abdominals... I've gotten such good results that I would never go back to regular crunches. Leslee Bender is an inspiration!"
“Oh bender ball, you are absolutely wonderful. You give me hope. You promise me a great body and a changed life. For only $9.99, you are a small, plastic, pop the side open and blow up miracle. I give my breath to you, oh bender ball.”
“I am the Lord your God…you shall have no other gods.”
“I’m sorry God, I’ll do better next time.”
Ped Egg
The original PedEgg™ is the revolutionary foot file that you’ve seen nationally advertised on TV. It's the newest and fastest way to make your feet feel smooth and healthy with NO MESS! The secret is PedEgg™'s precision micro-files that gently remove calluses and dead skin to give your feet the incredible baby soft look and feel that everybody loves.
Two high quality emery buffing pads are included for the ultimate finishing touch. The unique “egg” shape of the PedEgg™ not only looks great, but is ergonomically designed to fit perfectly into the palm of your hand for easy and convenient use. Best of all, PedEgg™ has been designed to collect all the skin shavings in a convenient storage compartment allowing you to use it anywhere with no mess. You and your feet will love the new PedEgg™!
"Oh Ped Egg, you are my new hero. Though no one studies the soles of my feet, I am sure that without you I would be a complete outcast. Rough skin is the death of me. Without you I am nothing. I am simply a bumpy, cracked, not soft-to-the-touch foot horror. I give my feet to you Ped Egg."
“I am the Lord your God…you shall have no other gods.”
“I’m sorry God, I really, really promise that I will not do it again.”
Family
Family comes first.
Families matter most.
Families are number one.
Have you forgotten your family?
Everyone who is a healthy adult had a healthy family.
Focus your full attention on your family.
Focus on the family.
“Oh family, how could I neglect you for even a second? There are hundreds of people who could help their neighbor, but only I can help my family. I will devote myself to you 100%. I will never forget you. I will never put anything first, before you. You are my whole life, my family. You are what keeps me alive. You are what sustains me through every trial.”
“I am the Lord your God you shall have no other gods.”
“I’m sorry God. I didn’t even know I was doing it this time. I really, really, really, really promise that I will not do it again.”
America The Beautiful (Second Verse)
O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassion'd stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness.
America! America!
God mend thine ev'ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law.
“Oh America, thank you for keeping me safe. Mold me by your law. Keep me safe in your law. Shape me into a better person. American, imprint your law and your freedom in my heart so that it may never fade and your ideals may never falter in my life.”
“I am the Lord your God you shall have no other gods.”
“I’m sorry God. I really didn’t know I was doing it this time. I try and I try and I try, but I just cannot follow your law. I want to follow your law; I truly want to. I pray that I might finally be able to, but each time I try, something else distracts me. Sin is so hard to see working until it is too late. I keep getting distracted. Who will help me? I can’t do it! Who will save me?”
“Oh God, I keep failing. I am captive to sin and I can’t do anything about it. Save me God. Come to my rescue and save me from myself. I do not understand my own actions, for I do the very thing that I hate to do. Believe me God, though my actions do not say it, I have not forgotten your goodness and forgiveness. May your goodness and forgiveness touch me once again. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
The Bender Ball
Simply place the Bender Ball under your lower back while you do crunches, and you will soon see toned abs; a sexy core that will surely get recognized.
The secret is in The Bender Core Method, which targets the muscles you want from all sides, your upper abs, the sides and those hard to reach lower abs.The Bender Ball gives you a workout that's 408%* more effective than ordinary crunches. So you can sculpt beautiful abs fast!
For just $9.99 you can change your life. Your package comes with everything you will need. The Bender Ball Bender Method Manual and Leslie Bender's amazing video: The Bender Method of Core Training. Plus as a free gift, we are including a bonus Buns & Thighs video.
Testimonial: "I love my abdominals... I've gotten such good results that I would never go back to regular crunches. Leslee Bender is an inspiration!"
“Oh bender ball, you are absolutely wonderful. You give me hope. You promise me a great body and a changed life. For only $9.99, you are a small, plastic, pop the side open and blow up miracle. I give my breath to you, oh bender ball.”
“I am the Lord your God…you shall have no other gods.”
“I’m sorry God, I’ll do better next time.”
Ped Egg
The original PedEgg™ is the revolutionary foot file that you’ve seen nationally advertised on TV. It's the newest and fastest way to make your feet feel smooth and healthy with NO MESS! The secret is PedEgg™'s precision micro-files that gently remove calluses and dead skin to give your feet the incredible baby soft look and feel that everybody loves.
Two high quality emery buffing pads are included for the ultimate finishing touch. The unique “egg” shape of the PedEgg™ not only looks great, but is ergonomically designed to fit perfectly into the palm of your hand for easy and convenient use. Best of all, PedEgg™ has been designed to collect all the skin shavings in a convenient storage compartment allowing you to use it anywhere with no mess. You and your feet will love the new PedEgg™!
"Oh Ped Egg, you are my new hero. Though no one studies the soles of my feet, I am sure that without you I would be a complete outcast. Rough skin is the death of me. Without you I am nothing. I am simply a bumpy, cracked, not soft-to-the-touch foot horror. I give my feet to you Ped Egg."
“I am the Lord your God…you shall have no other gods.”
“I’m sorry God, I really, really promise that I will not do it again.”
Family
Family comes first.
Families matter most.
Families are number one.
Have you forgotten your family?
Everyone who is a healthy adult had a healthy family.
Focus your full attention on your family.
Focus on the family.
“Oh family, how could I neglect you for even a second? There are hundreds of people who could help their neighbor, but only I can help my family. I will devote myself to you 100%. I will never forget you. I will never put anything first, before you. You are my whole life, my family. You are what keeps me alive. You are what sustains me through every trial.”
“I am the Lord your God you shall have no other gods.”
“I’m sorry God. I didn’t even know I was doing it this time. I really, really, really, really promise that I will not do it again.”
America The Beautiful (Second Verse)
O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassion'd stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness.
America! America!
God mend thine ev'ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law.
“Oh America, thank you for keeping me safe. Mold me by your law. Keep me safe in your law. Shape me into a better person. American, imprint your law and your freedom in my heart so that it may never fade and your ideals may never falter in my life.”
“I am the Lord your God you shall have no other gods.”
“I’m sorry God. I really didn’t know I was doing it this time. I try and I try and I try, but I just cannot follow your law. I want to follow your law; I truly want to. I pray that I might finally be able to, but each time I try, something else distracts me. Sin is so hard to see working until it is too late. I keep getting distracted. Who will help me? I can’t do it! Who will save me?”
“Oh God, I keep failing. I am captive to sin and I can’t do anything about it. Save me God. Come to my rescue and save me from myself. I do not understand my own actions, for I do the very thing that I hate to do. Believe me God, though my actions do not say it, I have not forgotten your goodness and forgiveness. May your goodness and forgiveness touch me once again. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Reflection on John 21:15-19
Peter was following close behind Jesus, hidden in the shadows, as Jesus was drug off to the High Priests for questioning. His love for Jesus was great enough to care about what happened to Jesus, but was it great enough to stand with him to the end? A woman saw Peter standing nearby in the courtyard.
“The woman said to Peter, ‘You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?’
He said, ‘I am not.’”
Strike One.
In the courtyard were many court slaves and police, talking and waiting for the result of the case so that they may get back to work.
“Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing round it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself. As Simon Peter was standing and warming himself, they asked him, ‘You are not also one of his disciples, are you?’
He denied it and said, ‘I am not.’”
Strike Two.
“One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked,
‘Did I not see you in the garden with him?’
Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed.”
Strike Three.
Three strikes, Peter is out. Peter’s love for Jesus has failed. Does he love Jesus more than himself? Absolutely not! He has been put up to bat, he has had three attempts at the swing, and he has absolutely failed. It is time to move him to the dugout and forget about him.
Three strikes is about all that people can handle. If one misstep is taken, it can easily be dismissed as a fluke; as a sign of human vulnerability. The person will know better next time. Once a second, identical, misstep it taken, things start to get serious. “Why did you do that? You knew it wasn’t right. Why don’t you just stop?” Forgiveness too comes with the second misstep, but it is often with hesitancy and a clear warning that it should not be done again. And, as an almost universal human law, the third misstep is the last straw. You can visit any country or any culture and you will find this to be the case. The third time, the person knowingly did the misdeed and obviously intended the harm. This cannot be tolerated. It is time to say goodbye. Three strikes and you are out.
That being the case, it is amazing to me that Peter shows up in the story again.
Given an unprecedented fourth chance, Jesus asks Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" Peter said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." The question is asked two more times, “Do you love me?” two more times Peter says "yes," and two more times Jesus gives him responsibility over his sheep, to tend and to feed them.
Is Jesus stupid? Has Jesus learned nothing? It is very simple Jesus, Peter cannot be trusted. He will not go to the cross with you. He will not stick around through the sludge of life and care for your lambs. The guy has proven that he will simply run when things get tough. It is time to learn Jesus. It is time to wizen up. Or, perhaps, we are the ones with something to learn.
Forgiveness can be powerful stuff. Everyone forgives the first time. Most people forgive the second time. No one expects anyone to forgive the third time. The third time that a friend did something to destroy the relationship between he and his wife, all of his friends, including myself, told his wife to leave him. She should not allow herself to go through any more of his nonsense. Three strikes and you are out.
She did not leave him. We were not happy with this decision, but she apparently knew something that Christ knew, those who are forgiven much love much. The forth time, the unexpected opportunity at forgiveness, turned him around. There is something powerful about the unexpected opportunity at forgiveness. It can be powerful. It can be life transforming. It can keep a couple together so that their children can have an intact and happy home. It can start the amazing healing ministry of an apostle who knows he is only walking to his death.
Unexpected forgiveness, unexpected grace, can do amazing things. Unexpected grace leads to salvation. Perhaps, Jesus and his cross have something to teach us. Grace is the most powerful force in all creation. It has the power to break sin and death each time. Perhaps, Jesus and his cross have something to teach us.
All Scripture quotes are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyrighted, 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and is used by permission. All rights reserved.
“The woman said to Peter, ‘You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?’
He said, ‘I am not.’”
Strike One.
In the courtyard were many court slaves and police, talking and waiting for the result of the case so that they may get back to work.
“Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing round it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself. As Simon Peter was standing and warming himself, they asked him, ‘You are not also one of his disciples, are you?’
He denied it and said, ‘I am not.’”
Strike Two.
“One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked,
‘Did I not see you in the garden with him?’
Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed.”
Strike Three.
Three strikes, Peter is out. Peter’s love for Jesus has failed. Does he love Jesus more than himself? Absolutely not! He has been put up to bat, he has had three attempts at the swing, and he has absolutely failed. It is time to move him to the dugout and forget about him.
Three strikes is about all that people can handle. If one misstep is taken, it can easily be dismissed as a fluke; as a sign of human vulnerability. The person will know better next time. Once a second, identical, misstep it taken, things start to get serious. “Why did you do that? You knew it wasn’t right. Why don’t you just stop?” Forgiveness too comes with the second misstep, but it is often with hesitancy and a clear warning that it should not be done again. And, as an almost universal human law, the third misstep is the last straw. You can visit any country or any culture and you will find this to be the case. The third time, the person knowingly did the misdeed and obviously intended the harm. This cannot be tolerated. It is time to say goodbye. Three strikes and you are out.
That being the case, it is amazing to me that Peter shows up in the story again.
Given an unprecedented fourth chance, Jesus asks Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" Peter said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." The question is asked two more times, “Do you love me?” two more times Peter says "yes," and two more times Jesus gives him responsibility over his sheep, to tend and to feed them.
Is Jesus stupid? Has Jesus learned nothing? It is very simple Jesus, Peter cannot be trusted. He will not go to the cross with you. He will not stick around through the sludge of life and care for your lambs. The guy has proven that he will simply run when things get tough. It is time to learn Jesus. It is time to wizen up. Or, perhaps, we are the ones with something to learn.
Forgiveness can be powerful stuff. Everyone forgives the first time. Most people forgive the second time. No one expects anyone to forgive the third time. The third time that a friend did something to destroy the relationship between he and his wife, all of his friends, including myself, told his wife to leave him. She should not allow herself to go through any more of his nonsense. Three strikes and you are out.
She did not leave him. We were not happy with this decision, but she apparently knew something that Christ knew, those who are forgiven much love much. The forth time, the unexpected opportunity at forgiveness, turned him around. There is something powerful about the unexpected opportunity at forgiveness. It can be powerful. It can be life transforming. It can keep a couple together so that their children can have an intact and happy home. It can start the amazing healing ministry of an apostle who knows he is only walking to his death.
Unexpected forgiveness, unexpected grace, can do amazing things. Unexpected grace leads to salvation. Perhaps, Jesus and his cross have something to teach us. Grace is the most powerful force in all creation. It has the power to break sin and death each time. Perhaps, Jesus and his cross have something to teach us.
All Scripture quotes are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyrighted, 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and is used by permission. All rights reserved.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Baccalaureate Reflection on 1 Timothy 4
To The Class Of 2008 - Towanda PA
If I were a great preacher, I would have silver streaked hair and I would stand here and talk to you about how you are the future of the world. I would say something like, “Go forth into the world like Joshua, blow your horn, and take the world by storm, decimating the walls that divide people throughout the world. Instead of walls, construct a new heavens and a new earth where all will live in peace and harmony, and where we will preferably all make $100,000 a year. I just threw that last part in. A great preacher would not say that. But, I thought that those leaving High School and going into the theatre would really like that last part. They desperately desire to land a role other than, waiter. “Would you like some pepper with that sir?”
If I were a great preacher I would stir in your souls a vision of the athlete who works and works and works until their body is sculpted into perfect shape. I would instruct you in the ways of exercising your soul so that in time, in the future, when you really matter to society, you will be able to move mountains with your faith. But, not yet, now is the time to exercise. And, if I were super great, I would do it all with an amazing PowerPoint presentation of futuristic mountains shifting and morphing.
I would also use cyber lights. Oh how I wish we had cyber lights. They, of course, are the cool moving concert lights that automatically twist and turn and change color and shape. As they beam their light intensely on me I would say, “Now go forth, grow in your faith, and be the mountain shapers of the future.” And, the cyber lights would all move simultaneously to the back of the auditorium blasting open the doors and spilling their powerful light out into the world as if the children of God were just born and were soon going to conquer the earth.
That would be awesome. But, you didn’t get a great preacher, you just got me. I was cheap. Like, I cost nothing. Typically you get what you pay for.
Really, I am too young to preach something good to you. That is what I have been told anyway. I remember vividly the first time that I stood up to lead a worship service. I walked in front of the congregation, and just as I was about to open my mouth, a lady whispered pointing to me, “Isn’t that kid supposed to be lighting the candles?”
Another time I walked into a hospital room, offering to assist in any way that I could, “Hi, how are you today? How are you and God getting along?”
“When is the pastor coming in?” he replied.
When I told him that I was the pastor, he just laughed. He thought I cracked a great joke. He looked around the corner for the real pastor who was pulling his leg.
Now, I hate to say this but, don’t hate me just because I am beautiful and young.
If you have not heard it already, you will hear very soon, “Aren’t you a little young to be a doctor? Aren’t you a too young to be a lawyer? Don’t you need to be seasoned more to play in a professional orchestra?” “Do you really know enough or have enough experience to be guiding us in any meaningful way?” “You can’t really be 21; show me your ID.” And the grandest one of them all, are you ready, “you are the future.” If I am the future, what am I now? Dead air? “You are the future.” It seems like a nice sentiment at first, but if you really think about it, it sounds very much like, “Take a seat until it is your turn.” And, these words can zap the energy right out of you.
They were obviously zapping the energy right out of young Timothy as he tried to correct a Christian community which was driving itself off of a cliff. They were forgetting simple things like, “it’s OK to love each other and to even get married,” and “all things are acceptable to God, both food and people. Nothing and no one is trash to God.” Timothy knew these simple truths, but how do you do anything when you are simply a future and not a now? It is tempting to just say “whatever” and walk away.
“Don’t just walk away,” Timothy is encouraged in this letter to him. If you just walk away, you are doing the very thing that everyone else is trying to do to you, abandoning your God given gift. Christ chose you. “Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders.” Christ chose you. “Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.”
So, I am not the greatest preacher in the world, but Christ has given me something to say, and I am saying it. And, you are not great either. But, who cares? That means nothing. Christ has claimed you in love and has given you a unique gift also. Forget the dismissive words that a parent said to you in anger that one day, "You can't do anything right." Forget what a teacher said on a bad day or a frustrated coach one evening. You are a gift, and you have something to share now. You are not the future, you are the now. Hey, I think I just coined a great new catch phrase, “I am the now.” Alright, maybe it is not that great. “Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example.”
In the end, I chose not to dismiss the woman or the man or the countless others who tried to brush me off as being too young. I wanted to; believe me. But, I took a chance that Christ actually gave me a gift to offer these people. So, I stood up straight and preached to the woman, and I asked the man in the hospital bed a second time how things between him and God were going. Soon after the worship service was over, the woman met me and said, “Thank you, Pastor.” And at the end of the hospital visit the man said to me, “Make sure you come back preacher kid.” Take the chance and use your gift. Christ gave it to you to be used. “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example.”
All Scripture quotes are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyrighted, 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and is used by permission. All rights reserved.
If I were a great preacher, I would have silver streaked hair and I would stand here and talk to you about how you are the future of the world. I would say something like, “Go forth into the world like Joshua, blow your horn, and take the world by storm, decimating the walls that divide people throughout the world. Instead of walls, construct a new heavens and a new earth where all will live in peace and harmony, and where we will preferably all make $100,000 a year. I just threw that last part in. A great preacher would not say that. But, I thought that those leaving High School and going into the theatre would really like that last part. They desperately desire to land a role other than, waiter. “Would you like some pepper with that sir?”
If I were a great preacher I would stir in your souls a vision of the athlete who works and works and works until their body is sculpted into perfect shape. I would instruct you in the ways of exercising your soul so that in time, in the future, when you really matter to society, you will be able to move mountains with your faith. But, not yet, now is the time to exercise. And, if I were super great, I would do it all with an amazing PowerPoint presentation of futuristic mountains shifting and morphing.
I would also use cyber lights. Oh how I wish we had cyber lights. They, of course, are the cool moving concert lights that automatically twist and turn and change color and shape. As they beam their light intensely on me I would say, “Now go forth, grow in your faith, and be the mountain shapers of the future.” And, the cyber lights would all move simultaneously to the back of the auditorium blasting open the doors and spilling their powerful light out into the world as if the children of God were just born and were soon going to conquer the earth.
That would be awesome. But, you didn’t get a great preacher, you just got me. I was cheap. Like, I cost nothing. Typically you get what you pay for.
Really, I am too young to preach something good to you. That is what I have been told anyway. I remember vividly the first time that I stood up to lead a worship service. I walked in front of the congregation, and just as I was about to open my mouth, a lady whispered pointing to me, “Isn’t that kid supposed to be lighting the candles?”
Another time I walked into a hospital room, offering to assist in any way that I could, “Hi, how are you today? How are you and God getting along?”
“When is the pastor coming in?” he replied.
When I told him that I was the pastor, he just laughed. He thought I cracked a great joke. He looked around the corner for the real pastor who was pulling his leg.
Now, I hate to say this but, don’t hate me just because I am beautiful and young.
If you have not heard it already, you will hear very soon, “Aren’t you a little young to be a doctor? Aren’t you a too young to be a lawyer? Don’t you need to be seasoned more to play in a professional orchestra?” “Do you really know enough or have enough experience to be guiding us in any meaningful way?” “You can’t really be 21; show me your ID.” And the grandest one of them all, are you ready, “you are the future.” If I am the future, what am I now? Dead air? “You are the future.” It seems like a nice sentiment at first, but if you really think about it, it sounds very much like, “Take a seat until it is your turn.” And, these words can zap the energy right out of you.
They were obviously zapping the energy right out of young Timothy as he tried to correct a Christian community which was driving itself off of a cliff. They were forgetting simple things like, “it’s OK to love each other and to even get married,” and “all things are acceptable to God, both food and people. Nothing and no one is trash to God.” Timothy knew these simple truths, but how do you do anything when you are simply a future and not a now? It is tempting to just say “whatever” and walk away.
“Don’t just walk away,” Timothy is encouraged in this letter to him. If you just walk away, you are doing the very thing that everyone else is trying to do to you, abandoning your God given gift. Christ chose you. “Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders.” Christ chose you. “Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.”
So, I am not the greatest preacher in the world, but Christ has given me something to say, and I am saying it. And, you are not great either. But, who cares? That means nothing. Christ has claimed you in love and has given you a unique gift also. Forget the dismissive words that a parent said to you in anger that one day, "You can't do anything right." Forget what a teacher said on a bad day or a frustrated coach one evening. You are a gift, and you have something to share now. You are not the future, you are the now. Hey, I think I just coined a great new catch phrase, “I am the now.” Alright, maybe it is not that great. “Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example.”
In the end, I chose not to dismiss the woman or the man or the countless others who tried to brush me off as being too young. I wanted to; believe me. But, I took a chance that Christ actually gave me a gift to offer these people. So, I stood up straight and preached to the woman, and I asked the man in the hospital bed a second time how things between him and God were going. Soon after the worship service was over, the woman met me and said, “Thank you, Pastor.” And at the end of the hospital visit the man said to me, “Make sure you come back preacher kid.” Take the chance and use your gift. Christ gave it to you to be used. “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example.”
All Scripture quotes are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyrighted, 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and is used by permission. All rights reserved.
Reflection on Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26
Jesus has been spotted walking around with an interesting crowd of people, and it is causing people to ask you questions. Last night, a woman from a church just up the street told you that Jesus was spotted walking into the tavern with a couple of guys whose every skin pour reeked of whiskey. They had apparently gotten their fill of heavenly love constantly saying, “You’re great, I love you man.”
She badgered you saying, “These men haven’t spent a night with their family in weeks. And now, I saw Jesus’ hands with the telltale orange tint to them."
That is right, he had sat down with them at the bar and had some buffalo wings with them.
“Why does you teacher eat with slobs like that?” she asked?
Immediately, a man taps you on the shoulder with a somewhat perturbed look on his face. His lower lip quivers with barely concealed anger as he informs you that your teacher was seen on the television a couple of nights ago. Jesus was seen kneeling in a cell in Guantanamo Bay, praying beside a known terrorist and then laughing with the guy as he shared a simple meal.
“That guy hasn’t turned from his ways. What kind of teacher do you have?” He asked with disgust. “Do he and you support terrorists? Why does your teacher eat with terrorists?”
The question put to you is the same question that has been put to Jesus’ followers since the beginning. “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
A politician Jesus is not. Jesus is always eating with the wrong crowd. And, because of the fierce anger on their faces, you hesitantly give these two your answer, “My teacher eats with those who are sick, not hose who are healthy. You are right, those people probably haven’t turned from their ways. But, you have to understand, my teacher shows mercy. He doesn’t require anything to sit and eat with him; no money, no promises, not even repentance. My teacher believes in being merciful. Maybe you should give it a try.”
You move to walk away, but the guy grabs your attention once more, “If that is true, I saw your teacher eating with your pastor the other day.” You simply reply, “My teacher eats with sinners, with those who are sick.”
I assume that Jesus eats with you also. I assume that you welcome Jesus to your table and that Jesus joins you, eats with you, and mercifully accepts you as an eating companion, warts, sins and all. Too many people have the wrong impression of the church. Too many people have the sense that the church is a gathering of the righteous. I suppose that those of us who gather together may have contributed to that vast misconception, fancying ourselves as faithful and good, and presenting ourselves that way. But, the truth is; Jesus only eats with those who need him. We come to Christ’s table, because we are hurt, we have fallen short, and we have we sinned. We are not great. But, our lack of greatness leads us to understand a great many things; leading us to say the weirdest things.
This week, Brandon, Pastor Randele’s brother who lost his left foot because of a hit and run motorcyle and car accident, said the weirdest thing, “I’m not mad at the guy. I can understand how when you’ve made a huge mistake all you can think of doing is running. He didn’t have insurance. He probably felt trapped.”
For Brandon, there was no question that this man deserves a chance at mercy. This is the man whose carelessness changed Brandon's life forever. But, that is what eating with Jesus does, it changes us. We feed our fill of mercy and we cannot help but allow that mercy to spill out again.
She badgered you saying, “These men haven’t spent a night with their family in weeks. And now, I saw Jesus’ hands with the telltale orange tint to them."
That is right, he had sat down with them at the bar and had some buffalo wings with them.
“Why does you teacher eat with slobs like that?” she asked?
Immediately, a man taps you on the shoulder with a somewhat perturbed look on his face. His lower lip quivers with barely concealed anger as he informs you that your teacher was seen on the television a couple of nights ago. Jesus was seen kneeling in a cell in Guantanamo Bay, praying beside a known terrorist and then laughing with the guy as he shared a simple meal.
“That guy hasn’t turned from his ways. What kind of teacher do you have?” He asked with disgust. “Do he and you support terrorists? Why does your teacher eat with terrorists?”
The question put to you is the same question that has been put to Jesus’ followers since the beginning. “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
A politician Jesus is not. Jesus is always eating with the wrong crowd. And, because of the fierce anger on their faces, you hesitantly give these two your answer, “My teacher eats with those who are sick, not hose who are healthy. You are right, those people probably haven’t turned from their ways. But, you have to understand, my teacher shows mercy. He doesn’t require anything to sit and eat with him; no money, no promises, not even repentance. My teacher believes in being merciful. Maybe you should give it a try.”
You move to walk away, but the guy grabs your attention once more, “If that is true, I saw your teacher eating with your pastor the other day.” You simply reply, “My teacher eats with sinners, with those who are sick.”
I assume that Jesus eats with you also. I assume that you welcome Jesus to your table and that Jesus joins you, eats with you, and mercifully accepts you as an eating companion, warts, sins and all. Too many people have the wrong impression of the church. Too many people have the sense that the church is a gathering of the righteous. I suppose that those of us who gather together may have contributed to that vast misconception, fancying ourselves as faithful and good, and presenting ourselves that way. But, the truth is; Jesus only eats with those who need him. We come to Christ’s table, because we are hurt, we have fallen short, and we have we sinned. We are not great. But, our lack of greatness leads us to understand a great many things; leading us to say the weirdest things.
This week, Brandon, Pastor Randele’s brother who lost his left foot because of a hit and run motorcyle and car accident, said the weirdest thing, “I’m not mad at the guy. I can understand how when you’ve made a huge mistake all you can think of doing is running. He didn’t have insurance. He probably felt trapped.”
For Brandon, there was no question that this man deserves a chance at mercy. This is the man whose carelessness changed Brandon's life forever. But, that is what eating with Jesus does, it changes us. We feed our fill of mercy and we cannot help but allow that mercy to spill out again.
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