Regardless of what the retail industry is telling us, Christmas isn't here yet! I admit it; I'm a curmudgeon when it comes to keeping Advent. I believe in the tension of waiting. I believe that it is a spiritual exercise that we too often deny ourselves. We rush from task to task, from obligation to obligation, and if we have to wait between these things, we simmer, we fume, we boil. Or at least that's what most of us do.
But if we were to recognize waiting as a time of grace, of a time for reflection on what's been good in our lives, would we be in such a hurry? The text for this week is Isaiah 64:1-9. This isn't a happy, feel-good text, but one that highlights God faithfulness to us as we wait. For me it has highlighted the idea that waiting in productive time, not a waste as we all too often think of it. It's an invitation to see God at work behind the scenes.
Let's accept God's invitation to wait for the celebration of the birth of the Christ child. Let's chill out and accept the gift of waiting!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Getting what we didn't ask for
Exodus is a great story. Before we read it, though, most Americans need to erase the vision of Charleton Heston in Cecil B. DeMille's Ten Commandments from our minds eye. There are some similarities -- but there are many differences too.
For instance, do you remember that God told Moses to ask for a 3 day leave of absence? The familiar refrain is "Let my people go!" But the end of that phrase is "...so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness. (Ex 5:1) God had said to Moses. "...go to the king of Egypt and say to him, 'The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the wildrenesss to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God.'" (Ex. 3:18) The reason for a three-day journey was so that they could get far enough away from the Egyptians' settlements so that their sacrifices wouldn't stink up the city. The people, when they left, thought they were going on a road trip -- a vacation -- not a life-long journey!
How many times has this happened; you think you're going to live a simple, well-planned life, and then something happens: illness, accident, death of a loved one -- these circumstances can take us on a life-long journey that we never intended to embark upon.
God protects those who get where they're going in the time that they think they are going there, as well as those who travel down detours, whether they are of their own making or whether they are forced upon them. The challenge is for those who get to finish their trip according to plan to realize that those who don't get to their destination often didn't veer off the road because they wanted to -- it's just the way it turned out.
For instance, do you remember that God told Moses to ask for a 3 day leave of absence? The familiar refrain is "Let my people go!" But the end of that phrase is "...so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness. (Ex 5:1) God had said to Moses. "...go to the king of Egypt and say to him, 'The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the wildrenesss to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God.'" (Ex. 3:18) The reason for a three-day journey was so that they could get far enough away from the Egyptians' settlements so that their sacrifices wouldn't stink up the city. The people, when they left, thought they were going on a road trip -- a vacation -- not a life-long journey!
How many times has this happened; you think you're going to live a simple, well-planned life, and then something happens: illness, accident, death of a loved one -- these circumstances can take us on a life-long journey that we never intended to embark upon.
God protects those who get where they're going in the time that they think they are going there, as well as those who travel down detours, whether they are of their own making or whether they are forced upon them. The challenge is for those who get to finish their trip according to plan to realize that those who don't get to their destination often didn't veer off the road because they wanted to -- it's just the way it turned out.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Power to Continue
"The Power of God and gods of Power" series has been challenging, but enlightening. It is difficult to translate what it means to rely on the power of the living God, particularly when I feel like I'm personally running out of steam. But the fact that I am continuing to put in a full day's work means that the power is coming from somewhere, and I choose to believe it is from being tapped into the living power of God.
This week we're going to explore 2 of the biggest theological topics there are: Why does God permit suffering, and how do we discuss and understand the Trinity. These are big questions -- and the answers only partly satisfy. This is where faith is necessary -- that certainty of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen. We can't always explain everything to our ultimate human satisfaction, just as human activity would never be fully explanable to an ant. We don't have the capacity to fully understand the ultimate Mystery. This frustrates some and confounds many. Yet to throw up our hands and say "forget it all" isn't an option either, because the longing to be connected with this power doesn't go away.
Some answer this longing outside "organized" religion (only those on the outside think we're really organized -- we know the truth!). They try to connect with the "universal life force" or talk about karma. No matter what we call it, we're still looking for completeness. Even the atheists that rail against the existence of God and claim that the evils of society can be laid at the doorsteps of those of us who believe in God's existence "doth protest too much." (Besides, if we're responsible for all of those evils, you have to acknowledge all of the things that we've done right as well, because there have been many.)
I think the power to continue to explore Mystery is given to us by that Mystery --- because God loves us so much God is always looking for us to come and dance!
This week we're going to explore 2 of the biggest theological topics there are: Why does God permit suffering, and how do we discuss and understand the Trinity. These are big questions -- and the answers only partly satisfy. This is where faith is necessary -- that certainty of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen. We can't always explain everything to our ultimate human satisfaction, just as human activity would never be fully explanable to an ant. We don't have the capacity to fully understand the ultimate Mystery. This frustrates some and confounds many. Yet to throw up our hands and say "forget it all" isn't an option either, because the longing to be connected with this power doesn't go away.
Some answer this longing outside "organized" religion (only those on the outside think we're really organized -- we know the truth!). They try to connect with the "universal life force" or talk about karma. No matter what we call it, we're still looking for completeness. Even the atheists that rail against the existence of God and claim that the evils of society can be laid at the doorsteps of those of us who believe in God's existence "doth protest too much." (Besides, if we're responsible for all of those evils, you have to acknowledge all of the things that we've done right as well, because there have been many.)
I think the power to continue to explore Mystery is given to us by that Mystery --- because God loves us so much God is always looking for us to come and dance!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
The Power of God -- can it be defined?
Daniel Migliore's book The Power of God and the gods of Power is the basis for the current sermon series. The premise is that we must be aware of the gods that often take the place for the real, living God in our lives. Reading it has been challenging -- preaching about false gods is even more so, because they are pervasive and often invisible to the naked eye. We all must uncover those gods to clear our way to living for the real God.
What are the gods that dominate our lives? How is our distorted view of the living God affecting how we live? As we continue to study this, I'm reminded that what we call power and what God considers power are all too often completely disparate things.
What are the gods that dominate our lives? How is our distorted view of the living God affecting how we live? As we continue to study this, I'm reminded that what we call power and what God considers power are all too often completely disparate things.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Young and Enthusiastic
I'm back from my week in California with 13 youth and 2 adults doing mission work and attending the International Christian Youth Fellowship Conference. The theme was "Read the Book -- Be the Movie". These young ones are doing their best to live out their faith in all of its confusion. They are spiritual and earthy at the same time. They are not afraid to name something junk when they see it and claim something true when they experience it. They aren't doing church the way we did -- and I think that's a good thing. They are not content to attend services on Sunday and say that this is their religion. They want to experience God's world, help God's people, and drink in everything that their Creator made for them that is good.
It was my great fortune to be with them this week. It's kept me out of the pulpit and allowed me to soak up so much of the gospel that I'm overflowing. I can't wait to share it all with you.
It was my great fortune to be with them this week. It's kept me out of the pulpit and allowed me to soak up so much of the gospel that I'm overflowing. I can't wait to share it all with you.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
God and teenagers
Well -- sorry all of you avid blog fans, but I won't be preaching this week. Instead, I am joining 5 teens and a recently former teen (he's just turned 21, so he's an "adult"!) for our International Christian Youth Fellowship once-every-4-year event. We'll be doing mission work and then hangin' with God together in worship, workshops and frivolity.
The reason that I'm still hanging with these cool people could be summed up by the 21 year old. I've been doing this for 6 years now, and its such a God-high to see these folks get their own "ah-ha" moments. The 21 year-old used to be in my youth group. He's a fantastic young man, and he's still searching (as are we all) but that's the point. He hasn't given up looking for God or what God is calling him to do. If by attending events like this and camp and other Christian activities these young people continue to seek, then the time spent is all worth it.
Now -- ask me how I feel about sleeping on church gym floors and leaving for the airport at 5:45 a.m.
It's all part of the calling -- part of continually seeking God!
The reason that I'm still hanging with these cool people could be summed up by the 21 year old. I've been doing this for 6 years now, and its such a God-high to see these folks get their own "ah-ha" moments. The 21 year-old used to be in my youth group. He's a fantastic young man, and he's still searching (as are we all) but that's the point. He hasn't given up looking for God or what God is calling him to do. If by attending events like this and camp and other Christian activities these young people continue to seek, then the time spent is all worth it.
Now -- ask me how I feel about sleeping on church gym floors and leaving for the airport at 5:45 a.m.
It's all part of the calling -- part of continually seeking God!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Sowing seed
Matthew 13:1-9; 18-23
I don't know how many of you are gardners. My grandmother was a prolific flower grower, and my father had a huge vegetable garden when I was a child. But me - well, I've got a few bulbs planted but that's about the extent of it. Sometimes I'll get flowering annuals and put them out. I can't remember the last time I planted a seed to grow anything though.
Jesus tells the story about a sower who scatters the seed and then watches what happens. My first question is this -- why wasn't he more careful? Would it have taken that much more time to be sure that the seed all went into the good soil? But that's not the story. Some of the seed falls where it has no chance to bloom, some in shallow soil so that it blooms then quickly dies, some of it grows ok but is choked out by weeds, and the last is the good stuff that stays good.
In the church I think we are most likely to fall into the middle two categories. We get excited about God but then burn out quickly, or we get excited about God but forget God when the cares of life take away our attention. We're always striving to be the constantly faithful ones, but all too rarely do we acheive it.
As we get ready to explore this week's scripture, I wonder what we'll learn about getting our spiritual nutritional needs met.
I don't know how many of you are gardners. My grandmother was a prolific flower grower, and my father had a huge vegetable garden when I was a child. But me - well, I've got a few bulbs planted but that's about the extent of it. Sometimes I'll get flowering annuals and put them out. I can't remember the last time I planted a seed to grow anything though.
Jesus tells the story about a sower who scatters the seed and then watches what happens. My first question is this -- why wasn't he more careful? Would it have taken that much more time to be sure that the seed all went into the good soil? But that's not the story. Some of the seed falls where it has no chance to bloom, some in shallow soil so that it blooms then quickly dies, some of it grows ok but is choked out by weeds, and the last is the good stuff that stays good.
In the church I think we are most likely to fall into the middle two categories. We get excited about God but then burn out quickly, or we get excited about God but forget God when the cares of life take away our attention. We're always striving to be the constantly faithful ones, but all too rarely do we acheive it.
As we get ready to explore this week's scripture, I wonder what we'll learn about getting our spiritual nutritional needs met.
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