Are You Ready?
Matthew 24:36-44
December is usually a month to get ready for the Christmas holiday. That is often true even for people who are not Christians, because the holiday season is a very big part of our culture. Preparation can involve shopping for presents, hanging decorations, and making plans for getting together with family and friends. It is a busy time of the year that can include joy, excitement, stress, and exhaustion.
In churches, the season of preparation for the Christmas celebration is known as Advent. The word advent means coming. The season of Advent is a time to prepare to celebrate the first coming of Jesus Christ as a baby in a manger, and to anticipate the Second Coming of Christ. The themes for preparing for both of these events are very similar. The word from Jesus in the reading from Matthew’s Gospel calls for our attention. Jesus says to be on guard, to be ready, because we don’t know when the Second Coming will happen. But it can help us to prepare for it when we know that getting ready to celebrate the first coming of Christ can also be a way to prepare and be ready for him to come again.
One of the themes for Advent preparation is worship. It involves acknowledging and believing that ultimately God is and always will be in control. It means that we know that we are not the ones who are in control and that there is a power greater than we are that is at work in all of creation. One of the great pieces of music that we may hear during Advent is Handel’s Messiah. We may hear the words “King of kings, and Lord of lords, and he shall reign forever and ever.” These words from the Messiah remind us that when all is said and done, that God will rule and reign over all things. If we believe this, then it makes sense that we also believe that God is deserving and worthy of our worship.
Our worship during the Advent season can be expressed in many ways. One may be in listening to Christmas music. Now I’ll admit that I like all Christmas music, including songs about Rudolph, chestnuts roasting, and Santa Clause. But the songs that really give a spiritual emphasis in December are the songs and hymns about the birth of Christ. Those are the ones that lead me and help me to worship. Another way that we may be led to worship can be through hearing and seeing the Christmas story about the birth of Jesus. There may be a picture on a Christmas card, a live manger scene, or a Christmas play that leads us to worship. Or there may be a TV program, such as the one about Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang, that leads us to worship when we hear the Christmas story. Another way that we may worship during Advent and Christmas can be in attending church services, or watching a service on television. The services may be especially powerful on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Any or all of these can be ways to worship and be ready for the celebration of the first coming of Christ and to be ready for the Second Coming as well.
A second theme for Advent preparation is learning. Folk wisdom tells us that we never get too old to learn something new. And when I think about learning, it is not so much about getting new information, as it is about having new experiences and learning from them. Our circumstances are always changing and we are different people this year than we were last year. There are new chapters in our lives, and new ways to express our faith. Our lives are always changing, sometimes in subtle ways, and at others in dramatic ways. Our faith is also something that is dynamic, flexible and challenging. With change, we learn and grow and hopefully, our faith grows as well.
December can be a time for us to reflect on our current life situations, experiences, successes, and failures. We can use all of those as opportunities to learn and grow. Our lives and faith can be expressed in the way we celebrate the holidays, including decorations, gifts, cards, and use of time. It will help us to remember that there is always something that we can learn from our experiences and that there is always room for us to grow. As we get ready for another Christmas and even for the Second Coming, hopefully we are learning and growing in our faith.
A third theme for Advent preparation is peace. At the birth of Jesus, the angels announced “Peace on earth and good will toward men.” The peace that Jesus brings includes peace in all areas of life. That includes peace within ourselves, in our relationships, and throughout the world. Granted, we do not experience complete peace in any of those areas, but the promise and the gift of peace are still very real. We can experience a measure of the complete peace that God promises us and look forward to the time when we will enjoy the full peace that God can give to us and the world. In the meantime, we can do our best to receive God’s gift of peace in our lives, and do our best to make peace with everyone around us.
I heard a counselor say that the holidays, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, are not the time to try to resolve conflicts when we get together with family members. It is best to simply do what we can to enjoy being together without attempting to address conflicts and pain. Even though the holidays are a time to celebrate the coming of the Prince of Peace, they can also be a time that is stressful and exhausting. On the other hand, it can also be a time to reach out to people who need our support. That includes those who need some encouragement, or just to know that somebody cares. It may also include concrete gifts for those in need, such as food and clothing. As we receive the gift of God’s peace and share it with others around us, it can help us to prepare to celebrate the first coming of Jesus Christ, and it can help us to be ready for His Second Coming.
As we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Savior, may we do our best to be ready to celebrate. The sights and sounds of December can remind us to worship God. We can also continue to learn and grow in faith as we look forward to Christmas. And we can embrace the gift of God’s peace, and do our best to share it with others. If we do these things, we can be ready to celebrate Christmas. And it will also help us to be ready for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
How to Be Thankful
How to Be Thankful
Luke 17:11-19
It’s not Thanksgiving yet, but the story referenced here is about one man who said “Thank you.” According to the story, there were ten lepers who encountered Jesus. All of them were cleansed of leprosy while walking away, but only one of them returned to Jesus to thank him. One out of ten- that is not a very good percentage. The story may serve as a reminder to us that people (including us) may not be very good at saying “Thank you.” That may include saying thanks both to each other, and to God. Given the thanksgiving theme of the story, we might want to try and answer the question “What does it mean to live a thankful life?”
We might notice that a thankful person has a positive attitude. That probably includes a hopeful outlook. There are a couple of phrases that express this attitude. Every dark cloud has a silver lining is one phrase. Another is when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. There is also the word Pollyanna, which means that someone has endless optimism, and finds something positive in everything. Of course, a positive attitude can be taken too far, so that one can lose touch with reality. But generally speaking, we can all use a dose of a positive outlook. It will help us to see things in a more positive light, and be thankful for what we have, rather than complaining about what we don’t have.
We can also say that a thankful person is humble. That means a person has an accurate view of themselves. They don’t think more highly of themselves than they ought, and they don’t think less of themselves than they should. A humble person realizes that they do not live isolation, but they are connected to other people. That connection involves giving and receiving in relationships. A humble person also realizes that the world does not owe them a living. No one deserves most of the blessings that they enjoy. They are a gift that is unearned, undeserved, and a reason to give thanks.
We might also note that a thankful person is flexible. It involves being able to live with changes. The changes may involve schedules or routines. A flexible person is adaptable, goes with the flow, and rolls with the punches. Flexibility can also mean that one can be spontaneous, and free to enjoy life’s surprises. It can also mean that one take time to celebrate, which goes hand in hand with being thankful.
A thankful person also has inner strength and courage. That means that someone doesn’t just follow the crowd, or the latest trends or fads to be able to fit in, or to be liked. A thankful person can be able to think for themselves, and doesn’t do something just because everybody else does.
Finally, a thankful person takes time to be thankful, and to worship God. It means that one realizes that God has blessed everyone in very many ways. It means realizing that God has the power to heal, cleanse, and give a fresh start. At one time or another, each of us has felt trapped by our circumstances, a job, family situations, health concerns, and successes and failures. And eventually, in one way or another, we manage to find our way out of difficult and uncomfortable circumstances. For that we can be thankful and give thanks to God.
How can we be thankful? We can keep a positive attitude, be humble and flexible. We can cultivate our inner strengths, and take time to give thanks to God for all the blessings that we enjoy. The words that Jesus said to the one leper who returned and said “Thank you.”, may be the same words that God has for us: “Get up and go. Your faith has made you well.” If we are thankful, it can make us whole.
How to
Luke 17:11-19
It’s not Thanksgiving yet, but the story referenced here is about one man who said “Thank you.” According to the story, there were ten lepers who encountered Jesus. All of them were cleansed of leprosy while walking away, but only one of them returned to Jesus to thank him. One out of ten- that is not a very good percentage. The story may serve as a reminder to us that people (including us) may not be very good at saying “Thank you.” That may include saying thanks both to each other, and to God. Given the thanksgiving theme of the story, we might want to try and answer the question “What does it mean to live a thankful life?”
We might notice that a thankful person has a positive attitude. That probably includes a hopeful outlook. There are a couple of phrases that express this attitude. Every dark cloud has a silver lining is one phrase. Another is when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. There is also the word Pollyanna, which means that someone has endless optimism, and finds something positive in everything. Of course, a positive attitude can be taken too far, so that one can lose touch with reality. But generally speaking, we can all use a dose of a positive outlook. It will help us to see things in a more positive light, and be thankful for what we have, rather than complaining about what we don’t have.
We can also say that a thankful person is humble. That means a person has an accurate view of themselves. They don’t think more highly of themselves than they ought, and they don’t think less of themselves than they should. A humble person realizes that they do not live isolation, but they are connected to other people. That connection involves giving and receiving in relationships. A humble person also realizes that the world does not owe them a living. No one deserves most of the blessings that they enjoy. They are a gift that is unearned, undeserved, and a reason to give thanks.
We might also note that a thankful person is flexible. It involves being able to live with changes. The changes may involve schedules or routines. A flexible person is adaptable, goes with the flow, and rolls with the punches. Flexibility can also mean that one can be spontaneous, and free to enjoy life’s surprises. It can also mean that one take time to celebrate, which goes hand in hand with being thankful.
A thankful person also has inner strength and courage. That means that someone doesn’t just follow the crowd, or the latest trends or fads to be able to fit in, or to be liked. A thankful person can be able to think for themselves, and doesn’t do something just because everybody else does.
Finally, a thankful person takes time to be thankful, and to worship God. It means that one realizes that God has blessed everyone in very many ways. It means realizing that God has the power to heal, cleanse, and give a fresh start. At one time or another, each of us has felt trapped by our circumstances, a job, family situations, health concerns, and successes and failures. And eventually, in one way or another, we manage to find our way out of difficult and uncomfortable circumstances. For that we can be thankful and give thanks to God.
How can we be thankful? We can keep a positive attitude, be humble and flexible. We can cultivate our inner strengths, and take time to give thanks to God for all the blessings that we enjoy. The words that Jesus said to the one leper who returned and said “Thank you.”, may be the same words that God has for us: “Get up and go. Your faith has made you well.” If we are thankful, it can make us whole.
How to
Saturday, October 2, 2010
A Spiritual Genealogy
A Spiritual Genealogy
2 Timothy 1:1-7
The Scripture reading reminds me that none of us comes to faith on our own. There are people who have influenced us and made a difference in our lives. Those people include parents, grandparents, spouses, children, extended family members, friends, teachers, pastors, and the list can go on and on. When we participate in church worship services, or other church activities, it is usually because of the influence of someone else. We may go because we have been invited, and, some people (I have children in mind) go because they are made to go.
It can be a helpful exercise to ask ourselves who our spiritual ancestors are. We can explore our own spiritual heritage, or our own spiritual genealogy. This is one of the themes of Paul’s letter to Timothy. In the letter, Paul mentions several links in his own and in Timothy’s spiritual heritage.
Paul writes of his own spiritual heritage when he writes, “I worship God with a clear conscience as my ancestors did.” He acknowledges his connection with those who have come before him and uses their faith and worship as a guide for his own worship. He also writes of Timothy’s spiritual heritage when he writes, “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice.” Paul reminds Timothy that he is not alone in his faith, but the faith was passed on to him through his grandmother and mother. Paul also writes of the spiritual connection between himself and Timothy. He writes, “To Timothy, my beloved, child…” Paul sees himself as Timothy’s spiritual father, even though they are not related by blood.
As we read about the spiritual genealogies of Paul and Timothy, we can take a moment and reflect upon those who are our spiritual forefathers. We may think about those who have influenced us the most in matters of faith and spirituality. If we can name them, then we can also give thanks to God for them. And as we remember and give thanks, we can also remember the example that others have given us when it comes to faith and spirituality. We can also draw strength and inspiration from their lives.
Our faith does not exist in isolation and it is not a do-it-yourself enterprise. Paul recognized this and he mentions several things that the spiritual life involves. Those things include prayer, as he writes to Timothy that Paul remembers Timothy constantly, day and night, in his prayers. It also includes encouragement as Paul encourages Timothy to rekindle the gift of God that he has received. And it also includes personal contact. Paul wrote at least two letters to Timothy, his “beloved child”.
In response to Paul’s second letter to Timothy, there are several things that we can do. We can give thanks to God for those people who have influenced and continue to influence our faith. We can also draw strength from the faithful examples that others give to us. And we can aim to live faithfully ourselves, so that others may be influenced by our faithful living. If we do that, there will be people who will give thanks for our lives and will draw strength and inspiration from the way that we live.
We should remember that none of us comes to faith by ourselves. It takes more than one person to build and maintain a spiritual life.
2 Timothy 1:1-7
The Scripture reading reminds me that none of us comes to faith on our own. There are people who have influenced us and made a difference in our lives. Those people include parents, grandparents, spouses, children, extended family members, friends, teachers, pastors, and the list can go on and on. When we participate in church worship services, or other church activities, it is usually because of the influence of someone else. We may go because we have been invited, and, some people (I have children in mind) go because they are made to go.
It can be a helpful exercise to ask ourselves who our spiritual ancestors are. We can explore our own spiritual heritage, or our own spiritual genealogy. This is one of the themes of Paul’s letter to Timothy. In the letter, Paul mentions several links in his own and in Timothy’s spiritual heritage.
Paul writes of his own spiritual heritage when he writes, “I worship God with a clear conscience as my ancestors did.” He acknowledges his connection with those who have come before him and uses their faith and worship as a guide for his own worship. He also writes of Timothy’s spiritual heritage when he writes, “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice.” Paul reminds Timothy that he is not alone in his faith, but the faith was passed on to him through his grandmother and mother. Paul also writes of the spiritual connection between himself and Timothy. He writes, “To Timothy, my beloved, child…” Paul sees himself as Timothy’s spiritual father, even though they are not related by blood.
As we read about the spiritual genealogies of Paul and Timothy, we can take a moment and reflect upon those who are our spiritual forefathers. We may think about those who have influenced us the most in matters of faith and spirituality. If we can name them, then we can also give thanks to God for them. And as we remember and give thanks, we can also remember the example that others have given us when it comes to faith and spirituality. We can also draw strength and inspiration from their lives.
Our faith does not exist in isolation and it is not a do-it-yourself enterprise. Paul recognized this and he mentions several things that the spiritual life involves. Those things include prayer, as he writes to Timothy that Paul remembers Timothy constantly, day and night, in his prayers. It also includes encouragement as Paul encourages Timothy to rekindle the gift of God that he has received. And it also includes personal contact. Paul wrote at least two letters to Timothy, his “beloved child”.
In response to Paul’s second letter to Timothy, there are several things that we can do. We can give thanks to God for those people who have influenced and continue to influence our faith. We can also draw strength from the faithful examples that others give to us. And we can aim to live faithfully ourselves, so that others may be influenced by our faithful living. If we do that, there will be people who will give thanks for our lives and will draw strength and inspiration from the way that we live.
We should remember that none of us comes to faith by ourselves. It takes more than one person to build and maintain a spiritual life.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
As Good As It Gets
As Good As It Gets
1 Timothy 6:6-19
The title of the sermon is the same as the title of a movie starring Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, and Greg Kinnear. In the movie, Nicholson plays the role of a character that has an obsessive-compulsive personality. When walking, he avoids stepping on the cracks in the sidewalk. When washing his hands, he always uses a brand new bar of soap. When he locks the door to his apartment from the inside, he always counts and clicks the lock the same number of times each time he locks the door. (Of course, we know that he only needs to click the lock one time to lock it.) He is a man who doesn’t like change of any kind. One day he has a bad day. He is upset, and he goes to his counselor without having an appointment. When the counselor refuses to see him, he turns to everyone in the office waiting room and says, “What if this is as good as it gets?” He is worried that his life may not get any better. If there is no hope that things will get better, then there appear to be two options. One option is discouragement and despair that things won’t ever get any better. Another option is acceptance and perhaps even contentment with the way things are. This may be a good question to ask ourselves: What if this is as good as it gets? Of course, we know that things may change, we have different chapters in our lives. Good things and bad things happen to us and to those that we love. But what if, generally speaking, this is as good as it gets?
The apostle Paul wrote at least two letters to Timothy. In the first letter, he wrote that there is great gain in godliness with contentment. The key word here seems to be contentment. There were some people that Paul knew who were not content with what they had – they wanted more. These people thought that more money would make their lives better and that they would be happier. Paul also writes that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. It is important to note that he did not say that money is the root of all evil, but that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.
In his first letter to Timothy, Paul writes to address the danger of people’s lives getting out of balance. Those who have become obsessed with getting rich have wandered from the Christian faith. They have caused themselves and others great pain. They thought that more money would solve their problems, and that if they just had enough (which meant more than they currently had), then they would be happy and content. But their search for contentment through riches has not gotten them what they wanted. They have more, but they are still not content. For Paul’s audience, the issue was the love of money. But that is not the only love that can threaten our faith.
Another focus that can threaten our faith is the love of relationships. We may want to be accepted and want to fit in so badly that we may compromise our values and miss out on the very happiness that we are seeking. We may want the approval of others and may want to be liked so much that we will do anything to get it. In the process, we may cause ourselves and other great pain. Everyone wants to be loved, but sometimes it is not worth the price that we have to pay to get the approval of others.
Another focus that can threaten our faith is the love of success. We can give ourselves so completely to being successful in one area of our lives, that we may fail in other areas of our lives. People can be so focused upon their work and career that they may sacrifice the quality of personal relationships. Success at work may mean that the family has to suffer. It can be a challenge to keep things balanced and in perspective. We may also view life as a constant competition – we feel we always need to win and that we will do whatever it takes to win, or to be successful. In the meantime, we may lose other things that we have neglected in our pursuit of success.
Another focus that can threaten our faith is the love of security. We may be afraid to make any changes, to take any risks, or to make any sacrifices, because we are afraid we might fail, or that something bad may happen to us. And so, we never change, we never take any risks, and in our pursuit of security we become very insecure. In trying to protect ourselves, we may miss out on much that we have to offer to others, and much that others have to offer to us.
We all want to be happy. But a better goal may be found in the words of Paul. Our aim could be to have godliness with contentment. That could mean that faith would give balance and perspective to our lives. And it could mean that we would learn to be content with what we have. It doesn’t mean that we don’t have goals and dreams. But it does mean that our faith keeps us from being consumed with money, relationships, success, or security. Faith can remind us to keep all of those things in balance in our lives.
This seems to be the basic message that Paul is trying to give to those who read his letter:
1) Fight the good fight of faith – wrestle and struggle with your desires and dreams, and with your wants and needs.
2) Look beyond today, tomorrow, and even next year, and see the bigger picture. Look far ahead and ask yourself what will really matter in the end.
3) Remember that God created all things and that Jesus gave us the example of a faithful life. Ultimately, the only thing that matters and that lasts is faith in God through Jesus Christ.
Remember the words of Paul: There is great gain in godliness with contentment. That is a good as it gets.
1 Timothy 6:6-19
The title of the sermon is the same as the title of a movie starring Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, and Greg Kinnear. In the movie, Nicholson plays the role of a character that has an obsessive-compulsive personality. When walking, he avoids stepping on the cracks in the sidewalk. When washing his hands, he always uses a brand new bar of soap. When he locks the door to his apartment from the inside, he always counts and clicks the lock the same number of times each time he locks the door. (Of course, we know that he only needs to click the lock one time to lock it.) He is a man who doesn’t like change of any kind. One day he has a bad day. He is upset, and he goes to his counselor without having an appointment. When the counselor refuses to see him, he turns to everyone in the office waiting room and says, “What if this is as good as it gets?” He is worried that his life may not get any better. If there is no hope that things will get better, then there appear to be two options. One option is discouragement and despair that things won’t ever get any better. Another option is acceptance and perhaps even contentment with the way things are. This may be a good question to ask ourselves: What if this is as good as it gets? Of course, we know that things may change, we have different chapters in our lives. Good things and bad things happen to us and to those that we love. But what if, generally speaking, this is as good as it gets?
The apostle Paul wrote at least two letters to Timothy. In the first letter, he wrote that there is great gain in godliness with contentment. The key word here seems to be contentment. There were some people that Paul knew who were not content with what they had – they wanted more. These people thought that more money would make their lives better and that they would be happier. Paul also writes that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. It is important to note that he did not say that money is the root of all evil, but that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.
In his first letter to Timothy, Paul writes to address the danger of people’s lives getting out of balance. Those who have become obsessed with getting rich have wandered from the Christian faith. They have caused themselves and others great pain. They thought that more money would solve their problems, and that if they just had enough (which meant more than they currently had), then they would be happy and content. But their search for contentment through riches has not gotten them what they wanted. They have more, but they are still not content. For Paul’s audience, the issue was the love of money. But that is not the only love that can threaten our faith.
Another focus that can threaten our faith is the love of relationships. We may want to be accepted and want to fit in so badly that we may compromise our values and miss out on the very happiness that we are seeking. We may want the approval of others and may want to be liked so much that we will do anything to get it. In the process, we may cause ourselves and other great pain. Everyone wants to be loved, but sometimes it is not worth the price that we have to pay to get the approval of others.
Another focus that can threaten our faith is the love of success. We can give ourselves so completely to being successful in one area of our lives, that we may fail in other areas of our lives. People can be so focused upon their work and career that they may sacrifice the quality of personal relationships. Success at work may mean that the family has to suffer. It can be a challenge to keep things balanced and in perspective. We may also view life as a constant competition – we feel we always need to win and that we will do whatever it takes to win, or to be successful. In the meantime, we may lose other things that we have neglected in our pursuit of success.
Another focus that can threaten our faith is the love of security. We may be afraid to make any changes, to take any risks, or to make any sacrifices, because we are afraid we might fail, or that something bad may happen to us. And so, we never change, we never take any risks, and in our pursuit of security we become very insecure. In trying to protect ourselves, we may miss out on much that we have to offer to others, and much that others have to offer to us.
We all want to be happy. But a better goal may be found in the words of Paul. Our aim could be to have godliness with contentment. That could mean that faith would give balance and perspective to our lives. And it could mean that we would learn to be content with what we have. It doesn’t mean that we don’t have goals and dreams. But it does mean that our faith keeps us from being consumed with money, relationships, success, or security. Faith can remind us to keep all of those things in balance in our lives.
This seems to be the basic message that Paul is trying to give to those who read his letter:
1) Fight the good fight of faith – wrestle and struggle with your desires and dreams, and with your wants and needs.
2) Look beyond today, tomorrow, and even next year, and see the bigger picture. Look far ahead and ask yourself what will really matter in the end.
3) Remember that God created all things and that Jesus gave us the example of a faithful life. Ultimately, the only thing that matters and that lasts is faith in God through Jesus Christ.
Remember the words of Paul: There is great gain in godliness with contentment. That is a good as it gets.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Are We Addicted to Money?
Are We Addicted to Money?
Luke 16:10-13
Some years ago I attended a church management seminar. A part of the seminar focused upon stress- what can cause it, and how to manage it. The seminar leader handed out Biodots during the seminar. These look like small plastic circles and they are smaller than the end of your finger. When placed on the skin the changing color indicates the level of stress that a person is experiencing. Blue indicates that a person is very relaxed, and green indicates that a person is somewhat relaxed. Brown indicates somewhat stressed, and black indicates a person is very stressed. When I was in the seminar the colors of my Biodot were brown and green. While I drove home from the seminar, the colors were green and blue. When I arrived home and started balancing my checkbook, the color was black. This told me that although I was not aware of it, balancing my checkbook was a very stressful and emotional experience for me.
In his book Financial Meltdown in the Mainline? , Loren Mead asks the question: “Are we addicted to money?” This is a good question for us to ask ourselves from time to time. And it is helpful to remember that the question is not just a financial one, but also has to do with our quality of life, and the quality of our spiritual lives. Mead writes that an addict is someone who focuses their attention, emotion, and commitment upon that to which they are addicted. He lists several signs of addiction to money.
One of the signs of addiction to money is discomfort with the wealth that we have. There can be several things that we do or don’t do that indicate that we are uncomfortable with our wealth. For example, we may be slow to admit that we are rich. If we live in the United States, we have more than 90% of all other people in the world. And yet, we are more comfortable believing that we are poor, or at least, that we don’t have enough. Other indicators that we are uncomfortable with what we have are that we resist making wills, or we are unable to establish or keep a budget. These are basic tasks that are related to our financial lives. If we are uncomfortable doing them, then it probably means that we are uncomfortable with how much or how little that we think we have.
Another sign of our addition to money is our anxiety about money. We worry about making it to the next paycheck, even though we have made it for the last 5, 10, or 20 years. We answer the question “How much is enough?” with “Just a little bit more.” We wonder how we can make more money, or get more money. We spend time and energy working longer hours at work. We worry about the checkbook, the credit cards, and the mortgage. Let’s face it, it is important for us to manage our resources wisely, but there is the danger of becoming consumed with worry about money. It can keep us from being fully alive and living with joy.
Another sign of our addiction to money is that we are never satisfied. We want more money for ourselves and we are envious of other people’s money. It may be difficult for us to appreciate the wealth and success of other people. We may think that if someone else is wealthy or successful, that it takes something about from us. Money can be a source of tension and conflict at home, at work, at church, and in the community. We may be worried that there will never be enough.
Are we addicted to money? The answer is yes, most of us probably struggle with the addiction. And, if we see it as a spiritual issue, then our best response is to repent, or turn around. Instead of depending upon money and wealth to give us meaning and joy, we can turn and depend upon God and one another for meaning and joy in our lives. Instead of spending more time and energy to make more money, we can invest time in being servants to our families and our neighbors. It means that life is more than how much we make, or how much we have. It means that life is found in our relationships with God and one another.
Once there was a cartoon on the editorial page of the local paper. It was a cartoon strip with several frames. One man was talking and this is what he said: ”When the stock market dropped, I had a moment of understanding. I realized that my values had become skewed. I had been measuring my life in terms of material gain. I saw that all of that could be swept away in an instant. What I was going to have to do was restructure my life to seek and appreciate things of a deeper, spiritual nature. But then, luckily, the stock market went back up!”
When things are going well, it is more difficult to pay attention to spiritual issues. But a financial crisis can lead to a spiritual crisis. We may need to be reminded to turn from our reliance upon our wealth and ourselves, to reliance upon God. We may need to be reminded that we are not in control. That doesn’t mean that we don’t plan, budget, and use our money wisely. But it does mean that we don’t invest too much emotion, attention, and commitment to money. If we have can do that, then the next time we balance our checkbooks, or pay our bills, it may be that the Biodot will be green (somewhat relaxed), or maybe even blue (completely relaxed).
Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters, for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” Who, or what are we serving?
Luke 16:10-13
Some years ago I attended a church management seminar. A part of the seminar focused upon stress- what can cause it, and how to manage it. The seminar leader handed out Biodots during the seminar. These look like small plastic circles and they are smaller than the end of your finger. When placed on the skin the changing color indicates the level of stress that a person is experiencing. Blue indicates that a person is very relaxed, and green indicates that a person is somewhat relaxed. Brown indicates somewhat stressed, and black indicates a person is very stressed. When I was in the seminar the colors of my Biodot were brown and green. While I drove home from the seminar, the colors were green and blue. When I arrived home and started balancing my checkbook, the color was black. This told me that although I was not aware of it, balancing my checkbook was a very stressful and emotional experience for me.
In his book Financial Meltdown in the Mainline? , Loren Mead asks the question: “Are we addicted to money?” This is a good question for us to ask ourselves from time to time. And it is helpful to remember that the question is not just a financial one, but also has to do with our quality of life, and the quality of our spiritual lives. Mead writes that an addict is someone who focuses their attention, emotion, and commitment upon that to which they are addicted. He lists several signs of addiction to money.
One of the signs of addiction to money is discomfort with the wealth that we have. There can be several things that we do or don’t do that indicate that we are uncomfortable with our wealth. For example, we may be slow to admit that we are rich. If we live in the United States, we have more than 90% of all other people in the world. And yet, we are more comfortable believing that we are poor, or at least, that we don’t have enough. Other indicators that we are uncomfortable with what we have are that we resist making wills, or we are unable to establish or keep a budget. These are basic tasks that are related to our financial lives. If we are uncomfortable doing them, then it probably means that we are uncomfortable with how much or how little that we think we have.
Another sign of our addition to money is our anxiety about money. We worry about making it to the next paycheck, even though we have made it for the last 5, 10, or 20 years. We answer the question “How much is enough?” with “Just a little bit more.” We wonder how we can make more money, or get more money. We spend time and energy working longer hours at work. We worry about the checkbook, the credit cards, and the mortgage. Let’s face it, it is important for us to manage our resources wisely, but there is the danger of becoming consumed with worry about money. It can keep us from being fully alive and living with joy.
Another sign of our addiction to money is that we are never satisfied. We want more money for ourselves and we are envious of other people’s money. It may be difficult for us to appreciate the wealth and success of other people. We may think that if someone else is wealthy or successful, that it takes something about from us. Money can be a source of tension and conflict at home, at work, at church, and in the community. We may be worried that there will never be enough.
Are we addicted to money? The answer is yes, most of us probably struggle with the addiction. And, if we see it as a spiritual issue, then our best response is to repent, or turn around. Instead of depending upon money and wealth to give us meaning and joy, we can turn and depend upon God and one another for meaning and joy in our lives. Instead of spending more time and energy to make more money, we can invest time in being servants to our families and our neighbors. It means that life is more than how much we make, or how much we have. It means that life is found in our relationships with God and one another.
Once there was a cartoon on the editorial page of the local paper. It was a cartoon strip with several frames. One man was talking and this is what he said: ”When the stock market dropped, I had a moment of understanding. I realized that my values had become skewed. I had been measuring my life in terms of material gain. I saw that all of that could be swept away in an instant. What I was going to have to do was restructure my life to seek and appreciate things of a deeper, spiritual nature. But then, luckily, the stock market went back up!”
When things are going well, it is more difficult to pay attention to spiritual issues. But a financial crisis can lead to a spiritual crisis. We may need to be reminded to turn from our reliance upon our wealth and ourselves, to reliance upon God. We may need to be reminded that we are not in control. That doesn’t mean that we don’t plan, budget, and use our money wisely. But it does mean that we don’t invest too much emotion, attention, and commitment to money. If we have can do that, then the next time we balance our checkbooks, or pay our bills, it may be that the Biodot will be green (somewhat relaxed), or maybe even blue (completely relaxed).
Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters, for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” Who, or what are we serving?
Lost and Found
Lost and Found
Luke 15:1-10
A few years ago I was at King’s Dominion in Virginia by the Log Flume ride. While I was standing there, I noticed a young couple. They caught my attention because they looked very worried and were looking around, walking in different directions, gesturing, and then began talking with a security guard. It became obvious that there was a serious problem. Within a few minutes I noticed the mother again and saw a little girl, 8 or 9 years old, clinging to her mom and sobbing. It was obvious that she was lost and had been found. Both she and her parents appeared to be relieved and happy. Something like that can be a parent’s worst nightmare, and it is something that a parent and a child don’t forget.
Jesus said that God is like a shepherd who searches for lost sheep, like a woman who searches for a lost coin, and like a parent who searches for a lost child. This is good news for us, because sometimes we get lost. Sometimes we get distracted, go in other directions, and wander away from God. There are life crises that may test our faith- a divorce, a lost job, or a death. We make mistakes, poor choices (the Bible calls those sins), and we are reminded that we have wandered away. We may just be too busy for God, and our lives out of balance. None of us is perfect and we all need to be found. Our faith needs to be renewed.
We live with tensions and contradictions. We wrestle with being self-centered and God-centered. We are both judgmental and gracious. There are times when we are at our best, with the best motives and good deeds. And at times we are short-sighted and fail to do the good that we could do. The good news is that God is always searching for us, and calling us to have faith. There is nothing that we may do that is so bad that will keep God from loving us and calling us.
Jesus told the stories of the lost sheep and the lost coin for those who are away from God. They are stories for those who need to be forgiven, for those who need a new start and a clean slate. They are also stories for those who need to forgive, who need to find a way to be gracious to those who have done them wrong. Sometimes we divide people into saints and sinners. That was true with the religious leaders in Jesus’ day. They thought they were better than most other people. They made the religious rules, and if anyone broke them, it meant that they were not holy. The religious leaders thought they were saints, but they were ungracious and judgmental.
One of the themes of the teachings of Jesus is that God is more gracious with us than we are with each other. God doesn’t hate sinners. He doesn’t discriminate, or write anybody off. There is hope for everyone. There is always a chance that each person with respond to God’s grace, God’s undeserved, unconditional love. That is the way that God sees people, and it is the way we can see them too.
God is like a shepherd, who searches for one lost sheep. God is like a woman who searches for a lost coin. God is like a parent, who searches for a lost child. God is a gracious and loving God. Like the words of a famous hymns say: “I once was lost, but now am found…”, those can be the words for each one of us. God is gracious and loving with all of us, and calls us to be gracious with one another. God doesn’t give up on anyone, and neither should we. God is always searching for those who are lost.
Luke 15:1-10
A few years ago I was at King’s Dominion in Virginia by the Log Flume ride. While I was standing there, I noticed a young couple. They caught my attention because they looked very worried and were looking around, walking in different directions, gesturing, and then began talking with a security guard. It became obvious that there was a serious problem. Within a few minutes I noticed the mother again and saw a little girl, 8 or 9 years old, clinging to her mom and sobbing. It was obvious that she was lost and had been found. Both she and her parents appeared to be relieved and happy. Something like that can be a parent’s worst nightmare, and it is something that a parent and a child don’t forget.
Jesus said that God is like a shepherd who searches for lost sheep, like a woman who searches for a lost coin, and like a parent who searches for a lost child. This is good news for us, because sometimes we get lost. Sometimes we get distracted, go in other directions, and wander away from God. There are life crises that may test our faith- a divorce, a lost job, or a death. We make mistakes, poor choices (the Bible calls those sins), and we are reminded that we have wandered away. We may just be too busy for God, and our lives out of balance. None of us is perfect and we all need to be found. Our faith needs to be renewed.
We live with tensions and contradictions. We wrestle with being self-centered and God-centered. We are both judgmental and gracious. There are times when we are at our best, with the best motives and good deeds. And at times we are short-sighted and fail to do the good that we could do. The good news is that God is always searching for us, and calling us to have faith. There is nothing that we may do that is so bad that will keep God from loving us and calling us.
Jesus told the stories of the lost sheep and the lost coin for those who are away from God. They are stories for those who need to be forgiven, for those who need a new start and a clean slate. They are also stories for those who need to forgive, who need to find a way to be gracious to those who have done them wrong. Sometimes we divide people into saints and sinners. That was true with the religious leaders in Jesus’ day. They thought they were better than most other people. They made the religious rules, and if anyone broke them, it meant that they were not holy. The religious leaders thought they were saints, but they were ungracious and judgmental.
One of the themes of the teachings of Jesus is that God is more gracious with us than we are with each other. God doesn’t hate sinners. He doesn’t discriminate, or write anybody off. There is hope for everyone. There is always a chance that each person with respond to God’s grace, God’s undeserved, unconditional love. That is the way that God sees people, and it is the way we can see them too.
God is like a shepherd, who searches for one lost sheep. God is like a woman who searches for a lost coin. God is like a parent, who searches for a lost child. God is a gracious and loving God. Like the words of a famous hymns say: “I once was lost, but now am found…”, those can be the words for each one of us. God is gracious and loving with all of us, and calls us to be gracious with one another. God doesn’t give up on anyone, and neither should we. God is always searching for those who are lost.
Friday, September 3, 2010
How to Be a Disciple
How to Be a Disciple
Luke 14:25-33
At the point of this reading in the Gospel of Luke, the Jesus movement is going great. People are being healed. A woman who was crippled for 18 years is healed. A man who was seriously ill with swollen legs (make your own diagnosis), is also healed. Jesus is also telling the good news that everyone is invited to God’s banquet. All are welcome – the poor, the homeless, the powerless, and the marginal in society. Large crowds are following Jesus. And why not? He is telling them and showing them what good things God can do for them.
But as Jesus sees the large crowds gathering, he begins to change the focus of his teaching. He talks about what it means to be one of his disciples. We can assume that he wants to have more than just 12 disciples. He chose those twelve and now he seems to be encouraging people to choose him and become his disciples. Of course, there are requirements for disciples. Not just anyone can be a disciple. Jesus gives a list of the qualifications.
1.Whoever does not hate their family, cannot be a disciple of Jesus.
What a shocking statement. I have always interpreted this statement and others, as hyperbole, that is, an exaggeration to get people’s attention and to make a point. Another interpretation is that “hate” was not as strong a word in the days of Jesus as it is today. The Contemporary English Version of the Bible interprets this passage by having Jesus say, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must love me more than their family.” This interpretation highlights the issue of priorities. What is most important? – God, family, country?
In the days of Jesus, becoming a disciple of Jesus usually meant alienation from family, tradition, and roots. That is not as true in the United States, but it is still true in other parts of the world. In fact, we like to think that Christianity and faith can strengthen families and family relationships. This is especially true when faith is a joint venture, a shared journey in a family.
2.Whoever does not take up their cross and follow Jesus, cannot be his disciple.
Jesus sees cross-taking and/or cross bearing as a voluntary decision. He calls people to be servants, and to make sacrifices for the Kingdom of God. He says that those who are his disciples will be givers, rather than takers. They will be outward focused, rather than being concerned only about themselves. Jesus was the model for cross-taking as he gave his life for the sake of all people by dying on a cross.
3.Whoever does not give away everything that they own, cannot be a disciple of Jesus.
Now here is a way to shrink the large crowds. If you start talking about money and possessions, people will turn you off, and go on to the next attraction, or back to their normal routines. This is another statement that we can interpret as hyperbole, or exaggeration. Another way of saying could be “Being a disciple of Jesus is more important than our possessions, and more important than our own comfort and prosperity. “ We probably have not given away everything that we own. We worry about having enough to pay the bills, or having enough for the future. But to be a disciple of Jesus means that we remember that everything we have is given to us by God, and is to be managed and used for God’s purposes, rather than our own.
We might note that there is a difference between being a follower of Jesus and being a disciple of Jesus. We can say that a follower is someone who doesn’t reflect, or commit seriously, or finish what they have started. Most of the people in the large crowds around Jesus were followers. They were looking for miracles and easy blessings. On the other hand, we can say that disciples are those who make deliberate, reflective decisions. They commit to an uncertain journey, and place their ultimate trust in Jesus. It is easier to be a follower, than to be a disciple. It is easier to receive blessings, than it is to make sacrifices. It is easier to attend church than it is to be a disciple.
To be a disciple means that nothing is more important than our devotion to Jesus Christ. No other relationships, including family relationships are more important. Our own comfort and fulfillment is not more important than being a disciple of Jesus. And our possessions, and our net worth are not more important than being disciples. If we are truly disciples, then all that we have and all that we are is committed to Jesus Christ.
To be a disciple means letting go of all that seeks to own us, so that we may go where God leads us, and do what God has for us to do.
Luke 14:25-33
At the point of this reading in the Gospel of Luke, the Jesus movement is going great. People are being healed. A woman who was crippled for 18 years is healed. A man who was seriously ill with swollen legs (make your own diagnosis), is also healed. Jesus is also telling the good news that everyone is invited to God’s banquet. All are welcome – the poor, the homeless, the powerless, and the marginal in society. Large crowds are following Jesus. And why not? He is telling them and showing them what good things God can do for them.
But as Jesus sees the large crowds gathering, he begins to change the focus of his teaching. He talks about what it means to be one of his disciples. We can assume that he wants to have more than just 12 disciples. He chose those twelve and now he seems to be encouraging people to choose him and become his disciples. Of course, there are requirements for disciples. Not just anyone can be a disciple. Jesus gives a list of the qualifications.
1.Whoever does not hate their family, cannot be a disciple of Jesus.
What a shocking statement. I have always interpreted this statement and others, as hyperbole, that is, an exaggeration to get people’s attention and to make a point. Another interpretation is that “hate” was not as strong a word in the days of Jesus as it is today. The Contemporary English Version of the Bible interprets this passage by having Jesus say, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must love me more than their family.” This interpretation highlights the issue of priorities. What is most important? – God, family, country?
In the days of Jesus, becoming a disciple of Jesus usually meant alienation from family, tradition, and roots. That is not as true in the United States, but it is still true in other parts of the world. In fact, we like to think that Christianity and faith can strengthen families and family relationships. This is especially true when faith is a joint venture, a shared journey in a family.
2.Whoever does not take up their cross and follow Jesus, cannot be his disciple.
Jesus sees cross-taking and/or cross bearing as a voluntary decision. He calls people to be servants, and to make sacrifices for the Kingdom of God. He says that those who are his disciples will be givers, rather than takers. They will be outward focused, rather than being concerned only about themselves. Jesus was the model for cross-taking as he gave his life for the sake of all people by dying on a cross.
3.Whoever does not give away everything that they own, cannot be a disciple of Jesus.
Now here is a way to shrink the large crowds. If you start talking about money and possessions, people will turn you off, and go on to the next attraction, or back to their normal routines. This is another statement that we can interpret as hyperbole, or exaggeration. Another way of saying could be “Being a disciple of Jesus is more important than our possessions, and more important than our own comfort and prosperity. “ We probably have not given away everything that we own. We worry about having enough to pay the bills, or having enough for the future. But to be a disciple of Jesus means that we remember that everything we have is given to us by God, and is to be managed and used for God’s purposes, rather than our own.
We might note that there is a difference between being a follower of Jesus and being a disciple of Jesus. We can say that a follower is someone who doesn’t reflect, or commit seriously, or finish what they have started. Most of the people in the large crowds around Jesus were followers. They were looking for miracles and easy blessings. On the other hand, we can say that disciples are those who make deliberate, reflective decisions. They commit to an uncertain journey, and place their ultimate trust in Jesus. It is easier to be a follower, than to be a disciple. It is easier to receive blessings, than it is to make sacrifices. It is easier to attend church than it is to be a disciple.
To be a disciple means that nothing is more important than our devotion to Jesus Christ. No other relationships, including family relationships are more important. Our own comfort and fulfillment is not more important than being a disciple of Jesus. And our possessions, and our net worth are not more important than being disciples. If we are truly disciples, then all that we have and all that we are is committed to Jesus Christ.
To be a disciple means letting go of all that seeks to own us, so that we may go where God leads us, and do what God has for us to do.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Dressed For Action
Dressed For Action
Luke 12:32-40
This Scripture passage reminds me of an episode from the old “Dick Van Dyke Show”. The show involved the sit-com adventures of Rob and Laure Petrie, played by Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore. The episode that I remember best is the one about the birth of their son Richie. In this episode they are expecting his arrival any minute. They are both nervous and waiting for a sign that they need to go to the hospital. It is bedtime and they are both lying in bed with the lights out. Then Laura makes a sound or says something that gives Rob the impression that is it time to go. His eyes pop open, he reaches behind his head for his hat, and in one swift move, he sits up, puts his hat on his head, and throws off the covers. It is then that we see that he is fully dressed, including sport coat, tie, and shoes. He steps out of the bed, grabs a suitcase, which has been strategically placed next to the bed, and is almost out the door before Laura can get his attention and tell him that it is not time to go yet. It is not time, but Rob is ready to go at a moment’s notice. He is dressed for action.
In the Scripture passage, Jesus tells his disciples to be dressed for action and to have their lamps lit. He says “You don’t know when the master of the house will return, so you need to always be ready.” Luke wrote this account when there were no high expectations that Jesus would return. He wrote about 40 years after the resurrection of Jesus, and about 10 years after the fall of Jerusalem. The times were fairly stable, much like the times in the world today. There is no threat of World War 3, nor is there a threat that there is a major world crisis on the horizon. The world is relatively quiet.
Jesus’ words today warn people to not be complacent, or to take too much for granted. He gives a wake-up call, or a reality check, to help people to remember what is ultimately important and what really matters. Sometimes we get a reality check in our personal lives. We, or someone we know, may get bad news from test results, or a tragedy may occur that touches our lives, or we may lose our jobs. Such events can cause us to ask ourselves what is really important.
A few years ago, Ben Stein wrote an article about his best friend, who was prominent English psychiatrist. His friend was 57 years old when he committed suicide in 2000. “The good doctor, probably as smart a man as I have known, was tormented by the stock market…There were other big factors in his suicide, but his perceived failures as an investor and speculator were an immense factor in putting him into a suicidal depression…We are not how much money we make. We are fathers, mothers, spouses, children, friends, lovers…Our money is a very small part of us. How much we made in the market is an even smaller part. Few obituaries talk about the investments the loved one made or how they did. No eulogist talks about whether the decedent got into Microsoft early or sold GE too soon.”
Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid, for your Father wants to give you the Kingdom. Sell what you have and give it to the poor. Make for yourselves purses that never wear out…Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” In other words Jesus was saying that we should make investments that last forever. If we measure our value by our net worth, and if our portfolios or bank accounts define who we are, then we miss out on the gift of the kingdom of God. We are not dressed for action, or ready for the Master to return.
Ben Cohen is the co-founder of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream. As a result of the sale of the business, he became a very wealthy man. He has used some of his wealth to found an investment fund that buys companies in low income neighborhoods, where he can increase wages and other employee benefits. The first company that the fund bought was Sun and Earth, a maker of cleaning products. Since the company was purchased, wages are up as much as 23%, and the employees of the company have company-sponsored health insurance for the first time.
We may not have the financial resources to buy companies that benefit employees, but we can be generous with what we have. We can look beyond ourselves and share what we have with others. As someone has said, “In order to be generous, we need to recognize our selfishness.” We need to get in touch with reality. It is easy to settle for the status quo when everything is going well.
Jesus’ words call us to evaluate our lives, and see if we are ready for the Master to return. We can ask ourselves two questions. 1. Where is your treasure, what is really important to you? Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” 2. Are you ready for the Master to return? If you knew that now was the time, would you be ready to put on your hat, jump out of bed, grab the suitcase, and be ready to go? As Jesus said, ”Blessed are those servants who are ready and awake when their master returns.”
Luke 12:32-40
This Scripture passage reminds me of an episode from the old “Dick Van Dyke Show”. The show involved the sit-com adventures of Rob and Laure Petrie, played by Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore. The episode that I remember best is the one about the birth of their son Richie. In this episode they are expecting his arrival any minute. They are both nervous and waiting for a sign that they need to go to the hospital. It is bedtime and they are both lying in bed with the lights out. Then Laura makes a sound or says something that gives Rob the impression that is it time to go. His eyes pop open, he reaches behind his head for his hat, and in one swift move, he sits up, puts his hat on his head, and throws off the covers. It is then that we see that he is fully dressed, including sport coat, tie, and shoes. He steps out of the bed, grabs a suitcase, which has been strategically placed next to the bed, and is almost out the door before Laura can get his attention and tell him that it is not time to go yet. It is not time, but Rob is ready to go at a moment’s notice. He is dressed for action.
In the Scripture passage, Jesus tells his disciples to be dressed for action and to have their lamps lit. He says “You don’t know when the master of the house will return, so you need to always be ready.” Luke wrote this account when there were no high expectations that Jesus would return. He wrote about 40 years after the resurrection of Jesus, and about 10 years after the fall of Jerusalem. The times were fairly stable, much like the times in the world today. There is no threat of World War 3, nor is there a threat that there is a major world crisis on the horizon. The world is relatively quiet.
Jesus’ words today warn people to not be complacent, or to take too much for granted. He gives a wake-up call, or a reality check, to help people to remember what is ultimately important and what really matters. Sometimes we get a reality check in our personal lives. We, or someone we know, may get bad news from test results, or a tragedy may occur that touches our lives, or we may lose our jobs. Such events can cause us to ask ourselves what is really important.
A few years ago, Ben Stein wrote an article about his best friend, who was prominent English psychiatrist. His friend was 57 years old when he committed suicide in 2000. “The good doctor, probably as smart a man as I have known, was tormented by the stock market…There were other big factors in his suicide, but his perceived failures as an investor and speculator were an immense factor in putting him into a suicidal depression…We are not how much money we make. We are fathers, mothers, spouses, children, friends, lovers…Our money is a very small part of us. How much we made in the market is an even smaller part. Few obituaries talk about the investments the loved one made or how they did. No eulogist talks about whether the decedent got into Microsoft early or sold GE too soon.”
Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid, for your Father wants to give you the Kingdom. Sell what you have and give it to the poor. Make for yourselves purses that never wear out…Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” In other words Jesus was saying that we should make investments that last forever. If we measure our value by our net worth, and if our portfolios or bank accounts define who we are, then we miss out on the gift of the kingdom of God. We are not dressed for action, or ready for the Master to return.
Ben Cohen is the co-founder of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream. As a result of the sale of the business, he became a very wealthy man. He has used some of his wealth to found an investment fund that buys companies in low income neighborhoods, where he can increase wages and other employee benefits. The first company that the fund bought was Sun and Earth, a maker of cleaning products. Since the company was purchased, wages are up as much as 23%, and the employees of the company have company-sponsored health insurance for the first time.
We may not have the financial resources to buy companies that benefit employees, but we can be generous with what we have. We can look beyond ourselves and share what we have with others. As someone has said, “In order to be generous, we need to recognize our selfishness.” We need to get in touch with reality. It is easy to settle for the status quo when everything is going well.
Jesus’ words call us to evaluate our lives, and see if we are ready for the Master to return. We can ask ourselves two questions. 1. Where is your treasure, what is really important to you? Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” 2. Are you ready for the Master to return? If you knew that now was the time, would you be ready to put on your hat, jump out of bed, grab the suitcase, and be ready to go? As Jesus said, ”Blessed are those servants who are ready and awake when their master returns.”
Saturday, August 7, 2010
You Can't Take It With You
You Can’t Take It With You
Luke 12:13-21
How much money would it take to make you happy? Let’s say you are on a TV game show and you have already won $2,000. But on the show they offer you a chance to win $10,000. The catch is that in order to try to win the $10,000, you no longer would keep the $2,000 that you have already won. Would you take the risk of ending up with nothing to try and win $10,000?
In his speeches and conversations with people, Jesus often talked about money and possessions. In fact, 16 of his 38 parables deal with money and possessions. 1 of 10 verses in the Gospels deals with money. In the entire Bible there are roughly 500 verses about prayer, approximately 500 verses about faith, and over 2,000 verses about money. These numbers show that Jesus talked often about money and that he knew that money was important to the people in his times, just as it is important to us in our times.
In Luke 12:13ff, a man comes to Jesus with a problem. The problem is with the division of the family estate. The problem and the response of Jesus to it, raise several issues regarding money and possessions. One issue is competition and conflicts between people, in this case two brothers, regarding what belongs to whom. A second issue is greed. Jesus gives a warning about it. The third issue is about wealth and poverty. Jesus says that it is possible to be materially wealthy and spiritually poor.
The first issue of conflict is raised by the man’s request of Jesus. “Tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me. “ He asks Jesus to be a judge and to tell his brother to give him his share of the family estate. It is all too common for family members to have disagreements and conflict over inheritance when a loved one dies. It can test the love and patience within a family. The conflicts are not always resolved with family relationships intact. We all have a sense of what is fair and just. You might say we have this noble sense of what is right. We might not think it is fair when someone buys a new house, a new car, a boat, or expensive clothes. And children seem to learn early to complain when someone else gets more than they do. They can learn early to say that it’s not fair.
But Jesus doesn’t attempt to resolve the family conflict in this story. He knows that family relationships can be a good place to learn that life is not fair. Families can give us the opportunities to learn what it means to be gracious and what it means to live together in harmony. Jesus also knows that sometimes there are no winners in family conflicts. So he doesn’t directly address the issue of family conflict, but draws attention to another issue.
The second issue raised in this story is the problem of greed. He gives a warning to this man and to everyone within the sound of his voice. Jesus says, ”Take care. Be on guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” In other words, Jesus says that a good life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot of money and things. He says that there is more to life than just accumulating possessions.
The issue of greed is an important one in our society. We can all acknowledge that we live in a consumer society. We like to buy things. We are rarely satisfied. We think about things that we “need”, when we usually have everything that we need. But there are many things that we want. Somewhere I read that people have realized that money can’t buy happiness, so now they are trying credit cards.
Leo Tolstoy wrote a story entitled “How Much Land Does a Man Need?”. In the story, a man has a chance to buy all the land he could walk around in a one day trip for a thousand rubles. (Let’s say that was $1000.) In the story, the man walked as far as he could, and then a little farther. As he rushed to return to his starting point at the end of the day, the man collapsed and died. As the story ends, Tolstoy answers the question of how much land a man needs: “Six feet from his head to his heal was all he needed.”
The third issue in this Scripture lesson is poverty. Jesus tells the story of a rich farmer who had a bumper crop one year. So the farmer decided to build bigger barns to store the surplus. It sounds like a good business idea, a good investment. But Jesus goes on to say that this man would die soon after building the barns and his wealth would belong to someone else. The problem the man had was that while it may have been a good business move to build bigger barns, it was a bad life idea. The problem was that the farmer was selfish and tried to protect himself by hoarding his crop. He was only concerned about himself.
Jesus often taught that in order to be spiritually rich, people should share what they have with others. He told one man to sell all that he had and give it to the poor. He told others to welcome strangers, the poor, the homeless, and to help those in need. He watched a widow put two coins in the temple treasury, and said that she was faithful because her giving involved risk and faith. The farmer in this story could be called a poor rich man. He was rich in terms of this world’s goods, but he was poor in faith.
Life and money are both gifts from God. In this story, the farmer lost both his life and his money. The message is that if we only find meaning and security in what we have, that is, in our possessions, we are foolish. People who are obsessed with money and possessions live lonely lives. But Jesus says that there is more to life that what we own, or how much money we have. Jesus says that the quality of our lives is measured by how much we give to others. If we are generous in sharing what we have, then we will be rich in faith. After all, we can’t take it with us.
Luke 12:13-21
How much money would it take to make you happy? Let’s say you are on a TV game show and you have already won $2,000. But on the show they offer you a chance to win $10,000. The catch is that in order to try to win the $10,000, you no longer would keep the $2,000 that you have already won. Would you take the risk of ending up with nothing to try and win $10,000?
In his speeches and conversations with people, Jesus often talked about money and possessions. In fact, 16 of his 38 parables deal with money and possessions. 1 of 10 verses in the Gospels deals with money. In the entire Bible there are roughly 500 verses about prayer, approximately 500 verses about faith, and over 2,000 verses about money. These numbers show that Jesus talked often about money and that he knew that money was important to the people in his times, just as it is important to us in our times.
In Luke 12:13ff, a man comes to Jesus with a problem. The problem is with the division of the family estate. The problem and the response of Jesus to it, raise several issues regarding money and possessions. One issue is competition and conflicts between people, in this case two brothers, regarding what belongs to whom. A second issue is greed. Jesus gives a warning about it. The third issue is about wealth and poverty. Jesus says that it is possible to be materially wealthy and spiritually poor.
The first issue of conflict is raised by the man’s request of Jesus. “Tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me. “ He asks Jesus to be a judge and to tell his brother to give him his share of the family estate. It is all too common for family members to have disagreements and conflict over inheritance when a loved one dies. It can test the love and patience within a family. The conflicts are not always resolved with family relationships intact. We all have a sense of what is fair and just. You might say we have this noble sense of what is right. We might not think it is fair when someone buys a new house, a new car, a boat, or expensive clothes. And children seem to learn early to complain when someone else gets more than they do. They can learn early to say that it’s not fair.
But Jesus doesn’t attempt to resolve the family conflict in this story. He knows that family relationships can be a good place to learn that life is not fair. Families can give us the opportunities to learn what it means to be gracious and what it means to live together in harmony. Jesus also knows that sometimes there are no winners in family conflicts. So he doesn’t directly address the issue of family conflict, but draws attention to another issue.
The second issue raised in this story is the problem of greed. He gives a warning to this man and to everyone within the sound of his voice. Jesus says, ”Take care. Be on guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” In other words, Jesus says that a good life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot of money and things. He says that there is more to life than just accumulating possessions.
The issue of greed is an important one in our society. We can all acknowledge that we live in a consumer society. We like to buy things. We are rarely satisfied. We think about things that we “need”, when we usually have everything that we need. But there are many things that we want. Somewhere I read that people have realized that money can’t buy happiness, so now they are trying credit cards.
Leo Tolstoy wrote a story entitled “How Much Land Does a Man Need?”. In the story, a man has a chance to buy all the land he could walk around in a one day trip for a thousand rubles. (Let’s say that was $1000.) In the story, the man walked as far as he could, and then a little farther. As he rushed to return to his starting point at the end of the day, the man collapsed and died. As the story ends, Tolstoy answers the question of how much land a man needs: “Six feet from his head to his heal was all he needed.”
The third issue in this Scripture lesson is poverty. Jesus tells the story of a rich farmer who had a bumper crop one year. So the farmer decided to build bigger barns to store the surplus. It sounds like a good business idea, a good investment. But Jesus goes on to say that this man would die soon after building the barns and his wealth would belong to someone else. The problem the man had was that while it may have been a good business move to build bigger barns, it was a bad life idea. The problem was that the farmer was selfish and tried to protect himself by hoarding his crop. He was only concerned about himself.
Jesus often taught that in order to be spiritually rich, people should share what they have with others. He told one man to sell all that he had and give it to the poor. He told others to welcome strangers, the poor, the homeless, and to help those in need. He watched a widow put two coins in the temple treasury, and said that she was faithful because her giving involved risk and faith. The farmer in this story could be called a poor rich man. He was rich in terms of this world’s goods, but he was poor in faith.
Life and money are both gifts from God. In this story, the farmer lost both his life and his money. The message is that if we only find meaning and security in what we have, that is, in our possessions, we are foolish. People who are obsessed with money and possessions live lonely lives. But Jesus says that there is more to life that what we own, or how much money we have. Jesus says that the quality of our lives is measured by how much we give to others. If we are generous in sharing what we have, then we will be rich in faith. After all, we can’t take it with us.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Teach Us To Pray
Teach Us to Pray
Luke 11:1-13
There are times when we all will admit that prayer is not easy. In fact, it can often be very difficult. We sometimes, perhaps often, struggle to find the right words to say. And there are times when we say a prayer, and nothing happens, and we give up. We may also wonder whether our prayers are answered. Even if we knew that the answer was “No”, it would help us sometimes. And through all of this, we may begin to wonder if God even cares about us.
One day the disciples of Jesus had a request for him. “Teach us to pray.” they asked. His answer came is several different ways. He taught them what to pray with a model prayer. He told them to keep on praying. He also gave them a great promise related to prayer. And he told them that God really does care about them and wanted to hear their prayers.
The model prayer that Jesus gives to his disciples is the Lord’s Prayer, the best-known prayer in human history. There are two versions of the Lord’s Prayer in the Bible; this one is in Luke’s Gospel and the second is in Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 6:9-13). The two versions are very similar, with Matthew’s version being a little longer than Luke’s version. Matthew’s version is the best known, and the one that is usually recited in public worship.
The Lord’s Prayer has two basic parts to it. The first part has to do with God’s will and the second part has to do with the needs of the ones who are saying the prayer. The prayer begins with references to God holiness (“Hallowed be your name.”-not Howard as referenced in a joke about God’s name), and then includes a prayer for God’s kingdom to come. (Matthew’s version adds the phrase “Your will be done on earth as in heaven.”) This is the part of the prayer that has to do with God’s will. The second part of the Lord’s Prayer then addresses the needs of the one who is praying. It includes prayers for daily bread, forgiveness, and deliverance from trials. The prayer begins with a reminder for the pray-er about who God is and then turns to the needs of the one who prays. The Lord’s Prayer provides a basic model for those who are looking for content for their prayers.
Jesus also tells his followers that they should be persistent in their prayers. He tells the story of a man who goes to his friend and asks for bread. The friend doesn’t want to give him bread, but Jesus says that he eventually does give him the bread because the man doesn’t give up. He keeps on asking. Jesus says no one should give up on prayer. We could say that we should be like the Energizer Bunny and just keep on praying. According to Jesus, persistent prayer will be rewarded.
There is also a great promise that is related to prayer. Jesus says it this way: “Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.” Of course, we all know that this is not a magical formula that gives us power to get anything that we want. Sometimes we may ask for the wrong things, and so we don’t get them. At other times, we may be impatient, because we don’t get what we want or need as fast as we would like. And there are times when the answers that we get to our prayers are not the answers that we wanted. In that case, we may remember a line from a song sung by Garth Brooks: “Some of God’s greatest gifts, are unanswered prayers.” In the midst of all of that, the promise is still there that if we ask, seek, and knock, that we will receive, find, and the door will be opened. When we remember that promise, it can help us to remember to pray.
Jesus ends this session on prayer by saying that God is like a loving parent. God wants what is best for us. God is always watching over us and wants to give us everything that we need. We don’t pray to a god who makes unreasonable demands, or one who is far away from us. But we pray to God who loves us, is near to us, and wants us to live happy and productive lives. God wants us to draw closer to Him and to each other. Prayer is one of those activities that helps us to love God and one another with all of our hearts. It makes us better people.
Those first disciples made the request for us. “Teach us to pray.” The answer begins with the model prayer, The Lord’s Prayer. But that is only the beginning. We are encouraged to be persistent in our prayers, and not give up. We are told to remember the promise that when we ask, we will receive. And through it all, we are challenged to remember that God loves us, watches over us, and wants the best for us, just like a loving parent wants the best for their children.
Luke 11:1-13
There are times when we all will admit that prayer is not easy. In fact, it can often be very difficult. We sometimes, perhaps often, struggle to find the right words to say. And there are times when we say a prayer, and nothing happens, and we give up. We may also wonder whether our prayers are answered. Even if we knew that the answer was “No”, it would help us sometimes. And through all of this, we may begin to wonder if God even cares about us.
One day the disciples of Jesus had a request for him. “Teach us to pray.” they asked. His answer came is several different ways. He taught them what to pray with a model prayer. He told them to keep on praying. He also gave them a great promise related to prayer. And he told them that God really does care about them and wanted to hear their prayers.
The model prayer that Jesus gives to his disciples is the Lord’s Prayer, the best-known prayer in human history. There are two versions of the Lord’s Prayer in the Bible; this one is in Luke’s Gospel and the second is in Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 6:9-13). The two versions are very similar, with Matthew’s version being a little longer than Luke’s version. Matthew’s version is the best known, and the one that is usually recited in public worship.
The Lord’s Prayer has two basic parts to it. The first part has to do with God’s will and the second part has to do with the needs of the ones who are saying the prayer. The prayer begins with references to God holiness (“Hallowed be your name.”-not Howard as referenced in a joke about God’s name), and then includes a prayer for God’s kingdom to come. (Matthew’s version adds the phrase “Your will be done on earth as in heaven.”) This is the part of the prayer that has to do with God’s will. The second part of the Lord’s Prayer then addresses the needs of the one who is praying. It includes prayers for daily bread, forgiveness, and deliverance from trials. The prayer begins with a reminder for the pray-er about who God is and then turns to the needs of the one who prays. The Lord’s Prayer provides a basic model for those who are looking for content for their prayers.
Jesus also tells his followers that they should be persistent in their prayers. He tells the story of a man who goes to his friend and asks for bread. The friend doesn’t want to give him bread, but Jesus says that he eventually does give him the bread because the man doesn’t give up. He keeps on asking. Jesus says no one should give up on prayer. We could say that we should be like the Energizer Bunny and just keep on praying. According to Jesus, persistent prayer will be rewarded.
There is also a great promise that is related to prayer. Jesus says it this way: “Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.” Of course, we all know that this is not a magical formula that gives us power to get anything that we want. Sometimes we may ask for the wrong things, and so we don’t get them. At other times, we may be impatient, because we don’t get what we want or need as fast as we would like. And there are times when the answers that we get to our prayers are not the answers that we wanted. In that case, we may remember a line from a song sung by Garth Brooks: “Some of God’s greatest gifts, are unanswered prayers.” In the midst of all of that, the promise is still there that if we ask, seek, and knock, that we will receive, find, and the door will be opened. When we remember that promise, it can help us to remember to pray.
Jesus ends this session on prayer by saying that God is like a loving parent. God wants what is best for us. God is always watching over us and wants to give us everything that we need. We don’t pray to a god who makes unreasonable demands, or one who is far away from us. But we pray to God who loves us, is near to us, and wants us to live happy and productive lives. God wants us to draw closer to Him and to each other. Prayer is one of those activities that helps us to love God and one another with all of our hearts. It makes us better people.
Those first disciples made the request for us. “Teach us to pray.” The answer begins with the model prayer, The Lord’s Prayer. But that is only the beginning. We are encouraged to be persistent in our prayers, and not give up. We are told to remember the promise that when we ask, we will receive. And through it all, we are challenged to remember that God loves us, watches over us, and wants the best for us, just like a loving parent wants the best for their children.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
A Martha World
A Martha World
Luke 10:38-42
This Scripture reading contains a story about two sisters, Martha and Mary. Martha was probably the older sister, the first-born. She was a take charge person and probably a natural leader. Today we would say that she was a Type A personality and task-oriented. If you wanted something done, Martha was the one to get to do it. Mary was probably the younger sister, and a follower. She was quiet, reflective, rather bookish, and shy. Mary would sit by herself for hours, and think, and dream. So here are the two sisters, one a worker, the other a dreamer; one is a leader, the other a follower.
Martha and Mary were friends of Jesus. And one day Martha invited Jesus to dinner. Martha did the inviting and made the arrangements, but of course, Mary thought it was a good idea. Jesus accepted the invitation, and came to their house for dinner.
When Jesus arrived at their home, the two sisters did what they tended to do. Martha was in the kitchen preparing dinner, and Mary was in the living room listening to Jesus. Now Martha was working extra hard to make this a special dinner, because Jesus was a special person. She was in the kitchen cooking fried chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, homemade rolls, and apple pie. (I have been a little creative with the menu.) Remember that there were no microwaves in those days, and no KFC. Everything is almost ready. The chicken is frying, the potatoes are boiling, the beans are cooking, and the rolls and the pie are almost ready to come out of the oven. Martha is on overload when she hears Mary laughing in the living room. And she can’t take any more. Martha bursts into the living room and says, ”Lord, doesn’t it bother you that I am having to do all the work, while Mary just sits there? Tell her to get in here and help me.” We have all heard of road rage. This was kitchen rage.
We can all identify with Martha’s frustration. Sometimes it feels like we are the only ones who are working, and no one else is doing anything to help us. But listen to what Jesus says to Martha: “Martha, Martha! “ He says her name twice – maybe to make sure he has her attention, or to try to calm her? “You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen what is best, and it will not be taken away from her.”
What was Jesus saying? Was he saying that Martha shouldn’t be preparing dinner? But Martha had invited him to dinner, and they certainly need to have food to eat. And wasn’t Jesus the one who had taught that people should help one another?
Jesus was saying that the problem with Martha was not that she worked, but that she worried too much. Preparing dinner for Jesus was the most important thing for Martha at the time, but Jesus was saying that dinner was not the most important thing. He said that listening to him was the most important thing, and that Mary had chosen to do that instead of prepare the dinner. Now we can all admit that there are times when preparing dinner is the most important thing, but this was not one of those times.
We live in a Martha world. If we are not careful, we can be worried and upset about things that aren’t really that important. The Martha world is one that measures our value by how much we can produce and how fast we can produce it. In the Martha world more is better, faster is essential, it won’t get done if we don’t do it, and shame on those people who don’t work as hard as we do. And in the Martha world, sitting and listening is a waste of time. There are too many other things that have to be done.
Jesus said that Martha was worried and upset about many things, but that only one thing really mattered. Martha worried about the dinner, and was upset that she had to do it all by herself, while Mary sat in the living room and listened to Jesus. But Mary had made the best choice. She had her priorities in order. She chose to spend the time with Jesus.
We don’t know how the story ends. Perhaps Martha realized that she was too concerned about the dinner preparation, and she may have calmed down and focused upon Jesus, rather than the food. That is a good reminder for us as well. If we are worried and concerned about many things, then maybe we need to spend some time in the living room, listening to Jesus.
Luke 10:38-42
This Scripture reading contains a story about two sisters, Martha and Mary. Martha was probably the older sister, the first-born. She was a take charge person and probably a natural leader. Today we would say that she was a Type A personality and task-oriented. If you wanted something done, Martha was the one to get to do it. Mary was probably the younger sister, and a follower. She was quiet, reflective, rather bookish, and shy. Mary would sit by herself for hours, and think, and dream. So here are the two sisters, one a worker, the other a dreamer; one is a leader, the other a follower.
Martha and Mary were friends of Jesus. And one day Martha invited Jesus to dinner. Martha did the inviting and made the arrangements, but of course, Mary thought it was a good idea. Jesus accepted the invitation, and came to their house for dinner.
When Jesus arrived at their home, the two sisters did what they tended to do. Martha was in the kitchen preparing dinner, and Mary was in the living room listening to Jesus. Now Martha was working extra hard to make this a special dinner, because Jesus was a special person. She was in the kitchen cooking fried chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, homemade rolls, and apple pie. (I have been a little creative with the menu.) Remember that there were no microwaves in those days, and no KFC. Everything is almost ready. The chicken is frying, the potatoes are boiling, the beans are cooking, and the rolls and the pie are almost ready to come out of the oven. Martha is on overload when she hears Mary laughing in the living room. And she can’t take any more. Martha bursts into the living room and says, ”Lord, doesn’t it bother you that I am having to do all the work, while Mary just sits there? Tell her to get in here and help me.” We have all heard of road rage. This was kitchen rage.
We can all identify with Martha’s frustration. Sometimes it feels like we are the only ones who are working, and no one else is doing anything to help us. But listen to what Jesus says to Martha: “Martha, Martha! “ He says her name twice – maybe to make sure he has her attention, or to try to calm her? “You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen what is best, and it will not be taken away from her.”
What was Jesus saying? Was he saying that Martha shouldn’t be preparing dinner? But Martha had invited him to dinner, and they certainly need to have food to eat. And wasn’t Jesus the one who had taught that people should help one another?
Jesus was saying that the problem with Martha was not that she worked, but that she worried too much. Preparing dinner for Jesus was the most important thing for Martha at the time, but Jesus was saying that dinner was not the most important thing. He said that listening to him was the most important thing, and that Mary had chosen to do that instead of prepare the dinner. Now we can all admit that there are times when preparing dinner is the most important thing, but this was not one of those times.
We live in a Martha world. If we are not careful, we can be worried and upset about things that aren’t really that important. The Martha world is one that measures our value by how much we can produce and how fast we can produce it. In the Martha world more is better, faster is essential, it won’t get done if we don’t do it, and shame on those people who don’t work as hard as we do. And in the Martha world, sitting and listening is a waste of time. There are too many other things that have to be done.
Jesus said that Martha was worried and upset about many things, but that only one thing really mattered. Martha worried about the dinner, and was upset that she had to do it all by herself, while Mary sat in the living room and listened to Jesus. But Mary had made the best choice. She had her priorities in order. She chose to spend the time with Jesus.
We don’t know how the story ends. Perhaps Martha realized that she was too concerned about the dinner preparation, and she may have calmed down and focused upon Jesus, rather than the food. That is a good reminder for us as well. If we are worried and concerned about many things, then maybe we need to spend some time in the living room, listening to Jesus.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Reasons to Help Others
Reasons to Help Others
Luke 10:25-37
This is a summary of the Scripture reading:
A man came to Jesus and asked, “What must I do to have eternal life?”
Jesus answered, “Love God and your neighbor.”
The man asked, “Who is my neighbor?”
Jesus answered by telling him the parable of the Good Samaritan.
Jesus then asked him, “Who was a neighbor to this man?”
The man answered, “The one who helped him.”
Jesus then said, “Go, and do the same.”
I have made a list of reasons why we should not help other people.
1.You can’t do what you want to do. There may not be enough time to do other things that you want to do. There may not be time to play on the computer, go to the movies, relax, or do a number of other things that you would like to do.
2.You may lose your freedom. It may mean that you are focused on the needs of others, rather than your own needs and wants.
3.You might get tired of helping. It takes time and energy, and sometimes money to help other people.
4.People may take advantage of you. Some people may complain that you are not helping them enough, or that you aren’t helping the right way.
5.You may not get anything in return. People may not even say “Thank you.” And they may not do anything to help you.
I have also made a list of reasons why we should help other people.
1.You will probably feel good because you did the right thing. There is satisfaction and peace in knowing that you have done something worthwhile. When we give we also receive.
2.There is joy in helping others. It may be an opportunity to meet and make new friends. It may be a chance to learn something, or to have a new experience.
3.Helping can express our compassion for others. It is a way to say that we care.
4.Helping can increase our compassion for others. It can stretch our “caring muscles”, and make us more understanding and compassionate.
5.Helping builds our character. We are better people when we act in caring ways.
6.Others benefit from our help. Other people feel loved and supported. Joy and compassion is passed on when we help other people.
7.Jesus told his followers to help others. He said that the two great commands are to love God and love your neighbor. He said that the Good Samaritan was a neighbor to the one that he helped on the road. And Jesus said, “Go and do the same.”
I don’t know about you, but I think the reasons that we should help others far outweigh and outnumber the reasons that we shouldn’t help others. We can all be looking for opportunities to be servants.
Luke 10:25-37
This is a summary of the Scripture reading:
A man came to Jesus and asked, “What must I do to have eternal life?”
Jesus answered, “Love God and your neighbor.”
The man asked, “Who is my neighbor?”
Jesus answered by telling him the parable of the Good Samaritan.
Jesus then asked him, “Who was a neighbor to this man?”
The man answered, “The one who helped him.”
Jesus then said, “Go, and do the same.”
I have made a list of reasons why we should not help other people.
1.You can’t do what you want to do. There may not be enough time to do other things that you want to do. There may not be time to play on the computer, go to the movies, relax, or do a number of other things that you would like to do.
2.You may lose your freedom. It may mean that you are focused on the needs of others, rather than your own needs and wants.
3.You might get tired of helping. It takes time and energy, and sometimes money to help other people.
4.People may take advantage of you. Some people may complain that you are not helping them enough, or that you aren’t helping the right way.
5.You may not get anything in return. People may not even say “Thank you.” And they may not do anything to help you.
I have also made a list of reasons why we should help other people.
1.You will probably feel good because you did the right thing. There is satisfaction and peace in knowing that you have done something worthwhile. When we give we also receive.
2.There is joy in helping others. It may be an opportunity to meet and make new friends. It may be a chance to learn something, or to have a new experience.
3.Helping can express our compassion for others. It is a way to say that we care.
4.Helping can increase our compassion for others. It can stretch our “caring muscles”, and make us more understanding and compassionate.
5.Helping builds our character. We are better people when we act in caring ways.
6.Others benefit from our help. Other people feel loved and supported. Joy and compassion is passed on when we help other people.
7.Jesus told his followers to help others. He said that the two great commands are to love God and love your neighbor. He said that the Good Samaritan was a neighbor to the one that he helped on the road. And Jesus said, “Go and do the same.”
I don’t know about you, but I think the reasons that we should help others far outweigh and outnumber the reasons that we shouldn’t help others. We can all be looking for opportunities to be servants.
A Good Neighbor
A Good Neighbor
Luke 10:25-37
The Scripture reading for this sermon is a familiar story. It is the story of the Good Samaritan. The story is so familiar that there is even a Good Samaritan law in our country. The law basically says that if anyone stops to help another person on the highway, then they cannot be liable for any harm that they may cause to the person that they have stopped to help. Of course, the law assumes that the helper does not intentionally harm the person that they have tried to help.
The story of the Good Samaritan is more than just a call to do good things and more than a call to just help people. The story was told by Jesus in response to two questions that are related. The first question is “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered this question with a question, “What is written in the law?” The man answered that one should love God and love one’s neighbor. Jesus told him that he had given the correct answer. The same man asked a second question, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus answered this question by telling the parable of the Good Samaritan.
There are a couple of main themes that the whole Scripture reading contain. One theme is that our attempts to earn our salvation are doomed. God’s salvation is not something that we earn – it is a gift. Salvation is like an inheritance that is offered to us to accept or reject. Who wouldn’t want to accept an inheritance? A second theme is an encouragement that we should aim high, not because of what we receive, but because it is what God wants us to do.
The story of the Good Samaritan contains two kinds of sins, and two kinds of sinners. One sin is the sin of violence. In the story a group of men attack a man on the road. They beat him and rob him, leaving him for dead. The second sin is the sin of neglect. Several people walk by and see the man lying on the side of the road and they walk by on the other side, failing to do anything to help this man.
The story also says that God may use people other than those who are official, or those that you would expect to help others. God may use most anyone to do good. The folks who fail to help are the religious leaders, a priest and a Levite. These are the people that you would expect to be helpful. The good news is that the Samaritan didn’t follow their bad example. It helps to make the point of the story when we remember that the Samaritan was not a religious leader, and that Samaritans were half-breeds, that is, they had a mixed Jewish and Gentile heritage. So God used a person from an minority to do His work, while those who were religious professionals failed to do God’s work.
Upon a review of the story of the Good Samaritan, we might also note that the important question to ask is not “Who is my neighbor?”, but a better question is “To whom am I to become a neighbor?”. The emphasis is not on the neighbor, but upon us. Are we willing to help others, whoever they may be, and be good neighbors? Will we help anyone in need, no matter who they are? That includes half-breeds, strangers, and even enemies.
A few years ago, when we lived in Crozet, Virginia, just outside of Charlottesville, there was a letter to the editor in the local paper. The Sproul family was traveling west on Interstate 64 when their van caught fire. They wrote in their letter: “The Crozet Volunteer Fire Department arrived to extinguish the blaze and make sure we were safe…That night, they chose to be good neighbors and we want them to know how much we appreciate their willingness to serve. We extend our thanks to the strangers on the mountain…It was a spirit of community that made us feel safe that night, and we are very grateful.”
One other point in the Good Samaritan story is that help and hope comes to the man in a costly demonstration of unexpected love. The Samaritan stopped and helped. He interrupted his travel and did the work of a good neighbor.
The thieves beat him and robbed him;
the Samaritan took care of him.
The thieves left him to die;
the Samaritan left him at an inn for continuing care.
The thieves abandoned him;
the Samaritan promised to return and to pay his expenses.
This is a story about a man who is a good example of a good neighbor. He showed mercy and compassion to a stranger in need. After telling the story, Jesus turned to the listeners and said, “Go, and do likewise.”
Luke 10:25-37
The Scripture reading for this sermon is a familiar story. It is the story of the Good Samaritan. The story is so familiar that there is even a Good Samaritan law in our country. The law basically says that if anyone stops to help another person on the highway, then they cannot be liable for any harm that they may cause to the person that they have stopped to help. Of course, the law assumes that the helper does not intentionally harm the person that they have tried to help.
The story of the Good Samaritan is more than just a call to do good things and more than a call to just help people. The story was told by Jesus in response to two questions that are related. The first question is “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered this question with a question, “What is written in the law?” The man answered that one should love God and love one’s neighbor. Jesus told him that he had given the correct answer. The same man asked a second question, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus answered this question by telling the parable of the Good Samaritan.
There are a couple of main themes that the whole Scripture reading contain. One theme is that our attempts to earn our salvation are doomed. God’s salvation is not something that we earn – it is a gift. Salvation is like an inheritance that is offered to us to accept or reject. Who wouldn’t want to accept an inheritance? A second theme is an encouragement that we should aim high, not because of what we receive, but because it is what God wants us to do.
The story of the Good Samaritan contains two kinds of sins, and two kinds of sinners. One sin is the sin of violence. In the story a group of men attack a man on the road. They beat him and rob him, leaving him for dead. The second sin is the sin of neglect. Several people walk by and see the man lying on the side of the road and they walk by on the other side, failing to do anything to help this man.
The story also says that God may use people other than those who are official, or those that you would expect to help others. God may use most anyone to do good. The folks who fail to help are the religious leaders, a priest and a Levite. These are the people that you would expect to be helpful. The good news is that the Samaritan didn’t follow their bad example. It helps to make the point of the story when we remember that the Samaritan was not a religious leader, and that Samaritans were half-breeds, that is, they had a mixed Jewish and Gentile heritage. So God used a person from an minority to do His work, while those who were religious professionals failed to do God’s work.
Upon a review of the story of the Good Samaritan, we might also note that the important question to ask is not “Who is my neighbor?”, but a better question is “To whom am I to become a neighbor?”. The emphasis is not on the neighbor, but upon us. Are we willing to help others, whoever they may be, and be good neighbors? Will we help anyone in need, no matter who they are? That includes half-breeds, strangers, and even enemies.
A few years ago, when we lived in Crozet, Virginia, just outside of Charlottesville, there was a letter to the editor in the local paper. The Sproul family was traveling west on Interstate 64 when their van caught fire. They wrote in their letter: “The Crozet Volunteer Fire Department arrived to extinguish the blaze and make sure we were safe…That night, they chose to be good neighbors and we want them to know how much we appreciate their willingness to serve. We extend our thanks to the strangers on the mountain…It was a spirit of community that made us feel safe that night, and we are very grateful.”
One other point in the Good Samaritan story is that help and hope comes to the man in a costly demonstration of unexpected love. The Samaritan stopped and helped. He interrupted his travel and did the work of a good neighbor.
The thieves beat him and robbed him;
the Samaritan took care of him.
The thieves left him to die;
the Samaritan left him at an inn for continuing care.
The thieves abandoned him;
the Samaritan promised to return and to pay his expenses.
This is a story about a man who is a good example of a good neighbor. He showed mercy and compassion to a stranger in need. After telling the story, Jesus turned to the listeners and said, “Go, and do likewise.”
Saturday, July 3, 2010
You Get What You Give
You Get What You Give
Galatians 6:7-18
There is a universal rule in the botanical world that says that if you plant a certain kind of seed, then the plant that you will eventually see is the kind of plant that is produced by that kind of seed. For example, if you plant grass seed in adequate growing conditions, then you will eventually see blades of grass growing where you have planted the seed. Likewise, if you plant vegetable seeds such as tomatoes, beans, and corn, eventually you will see those kinds of plants begin to sprout. It is a basic fact of life, that if you plant a certain kind of seed, that eventually you will see the kind of plant that is produced by that seed.
The Apostle Paul acknowledges this fact when he writes to the people in Galatia and says that each one of them will harvest what they plant, that they will reap what they sow. He says that they need to be careful that they are not fooled, or misled. And he applies this principle to the way they live their lives. He says that if they plant, or live, a self-centered life that they will harvest the produce of that kind of life. But that if they live a life that is pleasing to God, that they will produce a full life that will lead to eternal life.
The basic message is that we harvest what we plant, we reap what we sow, and, that we get what we give. The reason that Paul reminds his readers, and us, of this message is that it can be easy to get tired of doing the right things. It can be difficult to see the benefits of doing good, because it is not always easy to see the reward for doing good. And when we don’t see the benefits, we can begin to wonder whether it is worth our effort. We may be tempted to live only to please ourselves, rather than being the servants that God calls us to be. Paul reminds us that even though we may not see the results of our efforts right away, that a time will come when we will be rewarded for being faithful and doing the right thing.
The intent of the message is to encourage everyone to do good works. Sometimes it can be a challenge to do good. But if we remember to look forward for inspiration, and remember that God rewards those who are faithful, then we can focus ourselves on doing what is right and good. It can seem easier to live selfishly, always doing what we want, and ignoring the needs of others around us. But the result of living that way is a worthless and wasted life. On the other hand, if we live our lives in response to God’s love and grace, realizing that all of life is a wonderful gift from God, then we will always make an effort to do good. Then we can know that God is pleased with our effort, and our good works.
Paul encourages all of us to keep the faith. So, let’s not fail to do good, or get tired of doing the right thing. Because what we plant is what we harvest, and what we give is what we get.
Galatians 6:7-18
There is a universal rule in the botanical world that says that if you plant a certain kind of seed, then the plant that you will eventually see is the kind of plant that is produced by that kind of seed. For example, if you plant grass seed in adequate growing conditions, then you will eventually see blades of grass growing where you have planted the seed. Likewise, if you plant vegetable seeds such as tomatoes, beans, and corn, eventually you will see those kinds of plants begin to sprout. It is a basic fact of life, that if you plant a certain kind of seed, that eventually you will see the kind of plant that is produced by that seed.
The Apostle Paul acknowledges this fact when he writes to the people in Galatia and says that each one of them will harvest what they plant, that they will reap what they sow. He says that they need to be careful that they are not fooled, or misled. And he applies this principle to the way they live their lives. He says that if they plant, or live, a self-centered life that they will harvest the produce of that kind of life. But that if they live a life that is pleasing to God, that they will produce a full life that will lead to eternal life.
The basic message is that we harvest what we plant, we reap what we sow, and, that we get what we give. The reason that Paul reminds his readers, and us, of this message is that it can be easy to get tired of doing the right things. It can be difficult to see the benefits of doing good, because it is not always easy to see the reward for doing good. And when we don’t see the benefits, we can begin to wonder whether it is worth our effort. We may be tempted to live only to please ourselves, rather than being the servants that God calls us to be. Paul reminds us that even though we may not see the results of our efforts right away, that a time will come when we will be rewarded for being faithful and doing the right thing.
The intent of the message is to encourage everyone to do good works. Sometimes it can be a challenge to do good. But if we remember to look forward for inspiration, and remember that God rewards those who are faithful, then we can focus ourselves on doing what is right and good. It can seem easier to live selfishly, always doing what we want, and ignoring the needs of others around us. But the result of living that way is a worthless and wasted life. On the other hand, if we live our lives in response to God’s love and grace, realizing that all of life is a wonderful gift from God, then we will always make an effort to do good. Then we can know that God is pleased with our effort, and our good works.
Paul encourages all of us to keep the faith. So, let’s not fail to do good, or get tired of doing the right thing. Because what we plant is what we harvest, and what we give is what we get.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Faith Revealed
Faith Revealed
Galatians 3:23-29
I can remember it like it was yesterday. When I was a student in seminary many years ago, during one of my preaching classes, the instructor asked us a question. He asked us if we knew what the greatest problem in the church was. I didn’t have an answer, but he had my attention. He went on the say that the greatest problem in the church is works-righteousness.
At the time I had no idea what he meant when he said works-righteousness. But I eventually learned that work-righteousness is the belief that if people do the right things, that they will be saved. In effect, it means that salvation and God’s favor are earned by being a good person who does good things. Our good works will save us. The instructor told us that the belief in works-righteousness is the greatest problem in the church.
Works-righteousness has been a problem in the church from the very beginning. This was the problem that Paul addressed in his letter the people in the church in Galatia. They believed that keeping the laws in the Old Testament was at the heart of Christianity. If you kept the laws, then that meant that you were a good Christian. Paul writes to say that keeping the laws is not all there is to being a Christian, and in fact, it is not the most important theme of the Christian faith. He says that doing the right thing to get God’s approval is not what Jesus taught.
From the beginning of the church until today, people have been tempted to make Christianity a religion that is defined by what you don’t do if you are a Christian. When I was growing up, it seemed that often the message of the church was that a Christian was someone who didn’t smoke, drink, or chew. And there were times when the list included no movies, no rock music, no dancing, no card playing, and on and on. Christianity has at times been characterized by “Thou shalt not…”. The saved are those who don’t, while the damned are those who do. This emphasis on works-righteousness can keep people from hearing the good news of the Christian faith.
It is important to remember that the rules that God gave were intended to lead people to faith. In some respects, the law was given to convince people that they could not please God by their own effort, actions, or will power. The message was that people cannot earn God’s approval; it was a gift of God. The law of God provided directions and restrictions, and their purpose was to convince people that they could never live up to God’s high expectations. The message was that they could never keep all of the law by themselves. The purpose of the law was to turn people to God. That doesn’t mean that all the rules should be thrown out, but that we should allow them to turn us to God in faith.
Faith means that we realize our limitations. On our own, we cannot please God. In one respect, it can be a relief to realize that we cannot keep all the rules that God has given to us. Faith means that we realize our need for God’s help and surrendering to God. Faith means that we can’t earn God’s approval, but that we can receive it as a free gift. It means that we embrace God’s promise that we are His children.
The promise is that God will adopt us as His own children and that He then calls us to live faithfully. We all know that a parent doesn’t tell a child that if they do the right things, then they will be their parent. A parent usually loves their child without any conditions, sometimes in spite of a child’s behavior. That’s the essence of God’s relationship with us. God gives us the opportunity to be members of His family. God calls and claims us as His own children. Our response is faith in God as we embrace the gift of membership in God’s family.
As we realize that we are members in God’s family, we can also realize that it is a pretty big family with lots of people in it. Our connection with God through faith becomes the basis for our connection with one another. We are all God’s children and all members of the same family. In his letter, Paul wrote that our membership in God’s family is more important than anything else about us. It is more important that our race, gender, economic status, or anything else.
It can be quite an experience to realize that people that we have never met are our brothers and sisters in Christ. I have had this experience many times, but I have been especially aware of it on mission trips to Mexico, Bolivia, and Appalachia. In those places I have met people who are members of the same family that I am – the family of God.
It is faith in Jesus Christ that makes us all one. It is not keeping a set of rules, or living a certain way, although faith should motivate us to do our best to please God and to love each other. But it is faith that breaks down the barriers between us and reminds us that we are all members of the same family.
We don’t always do exactly what God wants us to do. There are times when our actions break God’s heart. But there are other times when God is very pleased with us. That is what it is like to be imperfect people in God’s family. The best part of it all is that when we are at our best and even when we are at our worst, God still loves us and claims us as His own children. And God doesn’t love us because we have earned it. God’s love is a free gift that never ends.
Galatians 3:23-29
I can remember it like it was yesterday. When I was a student in seminary many years ago, during one of my preaching classes, the instructor asked us a question. He asked us if we knew what the greatest problem in the church was. I didn’t have an answer, but he had my attention. He went on the say that the greatest problem in the church is works-righteousness.
At the time I had no idea what he meant when he said works-righteousness. But I eventually learned that work-righteousness is the belief that if people do the right things, that they will be saved. In effect, it means that salvation and God’s favor are earned by being a good person who does good things. Our good works will save us. The instructor told us that the belief in works-righteousness is the greatest problem in the church.
Works-righteousness has been a problem in the church from the very beginning. This was the problem that Paul addressed in his letter the people in the church in Galatia. They believed that keeping the laws in the Old Testament was at the heart of Christianity. If you kept the laws, then that meant that you were a good Christian. Paul writes to say that keeping the laws is not all there is to being a Christian, and in fact, it is not the most important theme of the Christian faith. He says that doing the right thing to get God’s approval is not what Jesus taught.
From the beginning of the church until today, people have been tempted to make Christianity a religion that is defined by what you don’t do if you are a Christian. When I was growing up, it seemed that often the message of the church was that a Christian was someone who didn’t smoke, drink, or chew. And there were times when the list included no movies, no rock music, no dancing, no card playing, and on and on. Christianity has at times been characterized by “Thou shalt not…”. The saved are those who don’t, while the damned are those who do. This emphasis on works-righteousness can keep people from hearing the good news of the Christian faith.
It is important to remember that the rules that God gave were intended to lead people to faith. In some respects, the law was given to convince people that they could not please God by their own effort, actions, or will power. The message was that people cannot earn God’s approval; it was a gift of God. The law of God provided directions and restrictions, and their purpose was to convince people that they could never live up to God’s high expectations. The message was that they could never keep all of the law by themselves. The purpose of the law was to turn people to God. That doesn’t mean that all the rules should be thrown out, but that we should allow them to turn us to God in faith.
Faith means that we realize our limitations. On our own, we cannot please God. In one respect, it can be a relief to realize that we cannot keep all the rules that God has given to us. Faith means that we realize our need for God’s help and surrendering to God. Faith means that we can’t earn God’s approval, but that we can receive it as a free gift. It means that we embrace God’s promise that we are His children.
The promise is that God will adopt us as His own children and that He then calls us to live faithfully. We all know that a parent doesn’t tell a child that if they do the right things, then they will be their parent. A parent usually loves their child without any conditions, sometimes in spite of a child’s behavior. That’s the essence of God’s relationship with us. God gives us the opportunity to be members of His family. God calls and claims us as His own children. Our response is faith in God as we embrace the gift of membership in God’s family.
As we realize that we are members in God’s family, we can also realize that it is a pretty big family with lots of people in it. Our connection with God through faith becomes the basis for our connection with one another. We are all God’s children and all members of the same family. In his letter, Paul wrote that our membership in God’s family is more important than anything else about us. It is more important that our race, gender, economic status, or anything else.
It can be quite an experience to realize that people that we have never met are our brothers and sisters in Christ. I have had this experience many times, but I have been especially aware of it on mission trips to Mexico, Bolivia, and Appalachia. In those places I have met people who are members of the same family that I am – the family of God.
It is faith in Jesus Christ that makes us all one. It is not keeping a set of rules, or living a certain way, although faith should motivate us to do our best to please God and to love each other. But it is faith that breaks down the barriers between us and reminds us that we are all members of the same family.
We don’t always do exactly what God wants us to do. There are times when our actions break God’s heart. But there are other times when God is very pleased with us. That is what it is like to be imperfect people in God’s family. The best part of it all is that when we are at our best and even when we are at our worst, God still loves us and claims us as His own children. And God doesn’t love us because we have earned it. God’s love is a free gift that never ends.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Father's Day
The Secret Ingredient of Fatherhood
A number of years ago there was on article in the local newspaper on Father’s Day entitled:”The Secret Ingredient of Fatherhood: Giving Approval”. I must have been impressed with the title, and not the article, because I saved a clip of only the title and used it as the title for my Father’s Day sermon the following year. The title suggests that there is an ingredient to being a father that most people don’t think about. According to the article, that ingredient is giving approval.
We all like to know that other people approve of us. We like to hear compliments and be told what good people we are. And approval means even more if it comes from a family member, because they usually know us better than anyone else. That is especially true when parents give their approval, and maybe especially when fathers give their approval. It is natural for children to want to please their parents, and for children to know that their parents support them and love them unconditionally. When a child, including a grown child, has the approval of their parents, it can make a world of difference.
One of the keys to giving approval is to realize that no one is perfect. It is part of being human to be imperfect. The best parents realize that they are not perfect and, they also acknowledge that their children are not perfect. It can also help to have a good sense of humor.
A few years back, one of the bestselling books was Fatherhood by Bill Cosby. Cosby is a successful comedian because he combines two important elements: truth and humor. Here is a sample from his book: “Poets have said the reason we have children is to give ourselves immortality; and I must admit I did ask God to give me a son because I wanted someone to carry on the family name. Well, God did just that, and I now confess that there have been times when I’ve told my son not to reveal who he is. “You make up a name,” I’ve said. “Just don’t tell anybody who you are.”
It helps to have a good sense of humor. There have been times when children have embarrassed their parents. And there have also been times when parents have embarrassed their children. Sometimes the best we can do is grin and bear it.
Another key to giving approval is forgiveness. It isn’t always easy to do, but the best parents are those who are able to forgive their children. The list is endless of the things that children may do. It may run from keeping the parents up half the night, to being lazy and doing almost nothing. It may include children acting their age, or acting younger than their age. It is almost impossible for a parent to express approval if they are not able to forgive. It doesn’t mean that a parent approves of poor behavior, but it does mean that when a child does something wrong, painful, or dumb, that a parent can eventually let it go.
It is part of parenting to identify a child’s mistakes, to correct them, and even to punish them. But it is not good to continually remind a child of everything that they have done wrong, or to expect them to pay for it indefinitely. That doesn’t mean that there may not be natural consequences for their behavior, but it does mean that a parent doesn’t hold it over a child forever. Forgiveness means letting go and is an important part of giving approval.
Another key to giving approval is affirming the gifts and strengths of someone, especially a child. We usually call this positive reinforcement. We all know that compliments will get better results than criticism, but sometimes we need to be reminded. On the other hand, there can be too few expectations and too few requirements for the behavior for children. They usually feel more secure if there are certain boundaries, although they may often test those boundaries.
Every parent knows that this parenting thing is not easy. There seems to be a different challenge every day. It can be difficult knowing when to say yes and when to say no. It can be a difficult choice in different situations when a parent has to choose whether to be strict, or to be lenient. After all, parents are not perfect, and neither are children. It can be a healthy thing to admit our strengths and weaknesses, and our successes and our failures. That is true for both parents and children.
One thing that can be said about family life is that it is never dull. There is always something going on. Someone has said that if you get two people together you will have conflict. And the best definition for conflict that I know is two ideas in the same place at the same time. Conflict is not necessarily a bad thing. It can be very constructive and productive when handled wisely. It can be handled creatively in relationships where there is mutual love and support. That is what makes the difference between good relationships and poor ones- mutual love and support.
Here is a reminder to give thanks to God for families and especially for fathers. And also a reminder for fathers to do the best that they can for their children, giving them approval whenever they can. It is one of the secret ingredients of fatherhood.
I once saw a list of the top ten things that you won’t hear a father say. I trimmed the list to five things and here they are:
The Top Five Things You Won’t Hear A Father Say:
1. No really honey, you sit this one out. I really want to change that diaper.
2. Can you turn up the music? It really calms my nerves.
3. Go ahead, take my car – here’s $50 for gas.
4. As a matter of fact, let’s both go get nose rings!
5. Here, you take the remote.
A number of years ago there was on article in the local newspaper on Father’s Day entitled:”The Secret Ingredient of Fatherhood: Giving Approval”. I must have been impressed with the title, and not the article, because I saved a clip of only the title and used it as the title for my Father’s Day sermon the following year. The title suggests that there is an ingredient to being a father that most people don’t think about. According to the article, that ingredient is giving approval.
We all like to know that other people approve of us. We like to hear compliments and be told what good people we are. And approval means even more if it comes from a family member, because they usually know us better than anyone else. That is especially true when parents give their approval, and maybe especially when fathers give their approval. It is natural for children to want to please their parents, and for children to know that their parents support them and love them unconditionally. When a child, including a grown child, has the approval of their parents, it can make a world of difference.
One of the keys to giving approval is to realize that no one is perfect. It is part of being human to be imperfect. The best parents realize that they are not perfect and, they also acknowledge that their children are not perfect. It can also help to have a good sense of humor.
A few years back, one of the bestselling books was Fatherhood by Bill Cosby. Cosby is a successful comedian because he combines two important elements: truth and humor. Here is a sample from his book: “Poets have said the reason we have children is to give ourselves immortality; and I must admit I did ask God to give me a son because I wanted someone to carry on the family name. Well, God did just that, and I now confess that there have been times when I’ve told my son not to reveal who he is. “You make up a name,” I’ve said. “Just don’t tell anybody who you are.”
It helps to have a good sense of humor. There have been times when children have embarrassed their parents. And there have also been times when parents have embarrassed their children. Sometimes the best we can do is grin and bear it.
Another key to giving approval is forgiveness. It isn’t always easy to do, but the best parents are those who are able to forgive their children. The list is endless of the things that children may do. It may run from keeping the parents up half the night, to being lazy and doing almost nothing. It may include children acting their age, or acting younger than their age. It is almost impossible for a parent to express approval if they are not able to forgive. It doesn’t mean that a parent approves of poor behavior, but it does mean that when a child does something wrong, painful, or dumb, that a parent can eventually let it go.
It is part of parenting to identify a child’s mistakes, to correct them, and even to punish them. But it is not good to continually remind a child of everything that they have done wrong, or to expect them to pay for it indefinitely. That doesn’t mean that there may not be natural consequences for their behavior, but it does mean that a parent doesn’t hold it over a child forever. Forgiveness means letting go and is an important part of giving approval.
Another key to giving approval is affirming the gifts and strengths of someone, especially a child. We usually call this positive reinforcement. We all know that compliments will get better results than criticism, but sometimes we need to be reminded. On the other hand, there can be too few expectations and too few requirements for the behavior for children. They usually feel more secure if there are certain boundaries, although they may often test those boundaries.
Every parent knows that this parenting thing is not easy. There seems to be a different challenge every day. It can be difficult knowing when to say yes and when to say no. It can be a difficult choice in different situations when a parent has to choose whether to be strict, or to be lenient. After all, parents are not perfect, and neither are children. It can be a healthy thing to admit our strengths and weaknesses, and our successes and our failures. That is true for both parents and children.
One thing that can be said about family life is that it is never dull. There is always something going on. Someone has said that if you get two people together you will have conflict. And the best definition for conflict that I know is two ideas in the same place at the same time. Conflict is not necessarily a bad thing. It can be very constructive and productive when handled wisely. It can be handled creatively in relationships where there is mutual love and support. That is what makes the difference between good relationships and poor ones- mutual love and support.
Here is a reminder to give thanks to God for families and especially for fathers. And also a reminder for fathers to do the best that they can for their children, giving them approval whenever they can. It is one of the secret ingredients of fatherhood.
I once saw a list of the top ten things that you won’t hear a father say. I trimmed the list to five things and here they are:
The Top Five Things You Won’t Hear A Father Say:
1. No really honey, you sit this one out. I really want to change that diaper.
2. Can you turn up the music? It really calms my nerves.
3. Go ahead, take my car – here’s $50 for gas.
4. As a matter of fact, let’s both go get nose rings!
5. Here, you take the remote.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Devotion
Devotion
Luke 7:36-39
When former president Ronald Regan died in June of 2004, there was a state funeral in the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. There were several images that were a part of the larger experience. One was the picture of 4 former presidents and the current president standing together as the coffin was moved out of the National Cathedral. Another image was that of the rider-less horse in the funeral procession.
But the image that made the biggest impression on me was one of Nancy Regan on the day before the funeral service. As she stood by the flag-draped coffin in the Capitol Rotunda, she was brushing her hand over the flag on the coffin. At first I thought she was smoothing out the wrinkles in the flag. I remembered what someone had said about Ronald and Nancy Regan: “He worried about nothing, she worried about everything.” But then she continued to stroke the flag and was talking toward the coffin. She was talking to Ronald. I then realized that this was an act of her love and devotion for her husband. It was no secret that Ronald and Nancy Regan were close. Some people said she worshipped him.
The story in Luke 7 calls our attention to another woman and another story about devotion. While Jesus is in a house, a woman uses expensive oil as she pours the oil on his feet and with tears, wipes his feet with her hair. Her actions express her gratitude and deep devotion. She is grateful because she is a sinner. We don’t know what her history is, or what she has done, but we can assume that she needs God’s grace. She has heard about God’s forgiveness, and responds with love and devotion. Her actions say: “Thank you.”
The story reminds us that our actions are an expression of our priorities and our devotion. The use of our time, our energy, and our resources, tell us what we think is really important. We must admit, that there are some things that just have to be done, but what we do with our “free” time, or extra time can tell us about our interests and commitments. In the story in Luke 7, the woman uses her time and energy, and expensive perfume to express her devotion to Jesus. The question for us is how we will use all that we have and are. What does how we live tell us and others about our priorities and our passions?
The good news of this story is that God is gracious and loving. In our own ways, each one of us has fallen short of God’s intentions for us. God wants us to live full and overflowing lives, but we have come up short of God’s grand plan for us. Jesus spoke the words of grace to the woman. “Go in peace. Your faith has saved you.” She expressed her faith through her act of devotion. She also received the forgiveness of God and was able to make a clean start.
God has great plans for each one of us. It all begins with a gracious and loving God who calls us to do our best. And when we fall short, God offers us the gift of forgiveness, and a new chance to start again with a clean slate and aim to do our best. That’s the way it works when we have faith in a gracious and loving God who calls us to love Him with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. It is about being devoted to God, because He is devoted to us.
Luke 7:36-39
When former president Ronald Regan died in June of 2004, there was a state funeral in the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. There were several images that were a part of the larger experience. One was the picture of 4 former presidents and the current president standing together as the coffin was moved out of the National Cathedral. Another image was that of the rider-less horse in the funeral procession.
But the image that made the biggest impression on me was one of Nancy Regan on the day before the funeral service. As she stood by the flag-draped coffin in the Capitol Rotunda, she was brushing her hand over the flag on the coffin. At first I thought she was smoothing out the wrinkles in the flag. I remembered what someone had said about Ronald and Nancy Regan: “He worried about nothing, she worried about everything.” But then she continued to stroke the flag and was talking toward the coffin. She was talking to Ronald. I then realized that this was an act of her love and devotion for her husband. It was no secret that Ronald and Nancy Regan were close. Some people said she worshipped him.
The story in Luke 7 calls our attention to another woman and another story about devotion. While Jesus is in a house, a woman uses expensive oil as she pours the oil on his feet and with tears, wipes his feet with her hair. Her actions express her gratitude and deep devotion. She is grateful because she is a sinner. We don’t know what her history is, or what she has done, but we can assume that she needs God’s grace. She has heard about God’s forgiveness, and responds with love and devotion. Her actions say: “Thank you.”
The story reminds us that our actions are an expression of our priorities and our devotion. The use of our time, our energy, and our resources, tell us what we think is really important. We must admit, that there are some things that just have to be done, but what we do with our “free” time, or extra time can tell us about our interests and commitments. In the story in Luke 7, the woman uses her time and energy, and expensive perfume to express her devotion to Jesus. The question for us is how we will use all that we have and are. What does how we live tell us and others about our priorities and our passions?
The good news of this story is that God is gracious and loving. In our own ways, each one of us has fallen short of God’s intentions for us. God wants us to live full and overflowing lives, but we have come up short of God’s grand plan for us. Jesus spoke the words of grace to the woman. “Go in peace. Your faith has saved you.” She expressed her faith through her act of devotion. She also received the forgiveness of God and was able to make a clean start.
God has great plans for each one of us. It all begins with a gracious and loving God who calls us to do our best. And when we fall short, God offers us the gift of forgiveness, and a new chance to start again with a clean slate and aim to do our best. That’s the way it works when we have faith in a gracious and loving God who calls us to love Him with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. It is about being devoted to God, because He is devoted to us.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
The God Who Acts
1 Kings 17:17-24
Many of us are interested in learning about people. We like to know what other people do, what they own and wear, where they go, and how they live. Like the ad for a tabloid used to say, ”Inquiring minds want to know.”
The story in 1 Kings 17 is about a widow, her son, and the prophet Elijah. It is an interesting story. Part of the story is found in the reading for today. The basic plot of this part of the story is that the widow’s son is ill and Elijah heals him. In the earlier part of the story, God use Elijah to provide an unending source of meal and oil for this widow and her son. Those are the two things that happen in the story, but there are several questions about this widow that are left unanswered.
We might like to know more about this woman. For example, how old was she and her son? Was she a teenager, twenty-something, or maybe thirty-something? The story says that Elijah took the son from her and took him upstairs, so the son was young enough, or at least small enough, to be held and carried by both his mother and Elijah. We don’t know how old either the mother or the son was, but chances are, they were relatively young.
Another unanswered question is why didn’t someone help this poor woman? Where was her family? Where was her deceased husband’s family? We can only speculate on an answer. Perhaps they lived too far away. Maybe they were also poor. Or, there may have been a rift in one or both families. We don’t know. We do know that they lived in a male-oriented society and women who were alone were usually on their own.
Another question is why couldn’t this woman support herself? Did she have a garden? Did she try to get a job? Was she in poor health, unskilled, or lazy? We don’t know. We do know that there was no welfare, daycare, or social security in those days. And women did not have the opportunities to work that women do today.
The bottom line is that we don’t know why this woman was in the shape she was in. But then, that is not a question that Elijah asks, or that he tries to answer. These are the facts that we do know from this story: 1) the woman and her son were in need, and 2) God, through Elijah, met the needs of both her and her son.
The first and most obvious need of this woman was that she needed food for herself and her son. “I have only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a cruse; and now I am gathering a couple of sticks, that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” These are the words of a desperate woman who has lost hope. And then Elijah makes an unusual request. He says that if she will make a cake for him, that the meal would never run out and that the oil would never be used up. The story doesn’t tell us why, but the widow responds to Elijah’s request. She makes a cake for him, and what Elijah had promised happens. The meal and the oil never run out. They always have food.
The second need of this woman is that she needs help for her son. He was so ill that he was barely breathing. We don’t know exactly what is wrong with the boy. But it appears that he became ill suddenly and that his mother seemed to think that Elijah may somehow be responsible for her son’s problem. We do know that he was ill and needed help. And the story tells us that Elijah took the boy in his arms, prayed for him, and the boy was healed.
There are two lottery stories that I heard about a few years ago at the same time I was reading this story about the widow and her son. During the same week there were two families that won state lotteries. One was in New York. A Vietnamese family had relocated to the United States and was being sponsored by a United Methodist Church. They were barely getting by when they won millions in the New York state lottery. The other family was in Roanoke County, Virginia. The family was active in the Church of God of Prophecy. Apparently the church needed a new organ, and the lady of the house bought two lottery tickets and said that if she won she would give the winnings to the church. One of her tickets was a winner, and she gave the $20,000 that she had won to the Organ Fund of the church. Sometimes the best we can say is that God works in mysterious ways. In these two lottery stories, the needs of a family and a church were met in very unusual ways.
The main message of this story of the widow and her son is that God knows what we need and is able and willing to provide exactly what we need. We are also reminded that often God uses other people, like Elijah, to help us. We are never alone, but God is always watching over us. And God may also use us, as He used Elijah, to help other people.
Sometimes we can get caught up in questions and attempts to find answers that don’t really matter. Our questions may be a way that we try to gain control of a situation. We want to be able to explain everything and, often, the more we know, the more secure we feel. But life isn’t always that way. There are many things that we will never fully know or understand, and many things that are beyond our control. The best we can do is to have faith in God, who is at work in all of the events of life, both good and bad.
In his letter to the church in Rome, the Apostle Paul writes these words, “God causes everything to work together for good for those that love God.” I have to remind myself that Paul didn’t write that everything that happens to us is good, but that God uses everything for good. We can obviously see the good that happens when Elijah visits the widow and her son. But at other times, the good is not so obvious. Again the best we can do is to have faith that God is working everything for good.
Many of us are interested in learning about people. We like to know what other people do, what they own and wear, where they go, and how they live. Like the ad for a tabloid used to say, ”Inquiring minds want to know.”
The story in 1 Kings 17 is about a widow, her son, and the prophet Elijah. It is an interesting story. Part of the story is found in the reading for today. The basic plot of this part of the story is that the widow’s son is ill and Elijah heals him. In the earlier part of the story, God use Elijah to provide an unending source of meal and oil for this widow and her son. Those are the two things that happen in the story, but there are several questions about this widow that are left unanswered.
We might like to know more about this woman. For example, how old was she and her son? Was she a teenager, twenty-something, or maybe thirty-something? The story says that Elijah took the son from her and took him upstairs, so the son was young enough, or at least small enough, to be held and carried by both his mother and Elijah. We don’t know how old either the mother or the son was, but chances are, they were relatively young.
Another unanswered question is why didn’t someone help this poor woman? Where was her family? Where was her deceased husband’s family? We can only speculate on an answer. Perhaps they lived too far away. Maybe they were also poor. Or, there may have been a rift in one or both families. We don’t know. We do know that they lived in a male-oriented society and women who were alone were usually on their own.
Another question is why couldn’t this woman support herself? Did she have a garden? Did she try to get a job? Was she in poor health, unskilled, or lazy? We don’t know. We do know that there was no welfare, daycare, or social security in those days. And women did not have the opportunities to work that women do today.
The bottom line is that we don’t know why this woman was in the shape she was in. But then, that is not a question that Elijah asks, or that he tries to answer. These are the facts that we do know from this story: 1) the woman and her son were in need, and 2) God, through Elijah, met the needs of both her and her son.
The first and most obvious need of this woman was that she needed food for herself and her son. “I have only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a cruse; and now I am gathering a couple of sticks, that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” These are the words of a desperate woman who has lost hope. And then Elijah makes an unusual request. He says that if she will make a cake for him, that the meal would never run out and that the oil would never be used up. The story doesn’t tell us why, but the widow responds to Elijah’s request. She makes a cake for him, and what Elijah had promised happens. The meal and the oil never run out. They always have food.
The second need of this woman is that she needs help for her son. He was so ill that he was barely breathing. We don’t know exactly what is wrong with the boy. But it appears that he became ill suddenly and that his mother seemed to think that Elijah may somehow be responsible for her son’s problem. We do know that he was ill and needed help. And the story tells us that Elijah took the boy in his arms, prayed for him, and the boy was healed.
There are two lottery stories that I heard about a few years ago at the same time I was reading this story about the widow and her son. During the same week there were two families that won state lotteries. One was in New York. A Vietnamese family had relocated to the United States and was being sponsored by a United Methodist Church. They were barely getting by when they won millions in the New York state lottery. The other family was in Roanoke County, Virginia. The family was active in the Church of God of Prophecy. Apparently the church needed a new organ, and the lady of the house bought two lottery tickets and said that if she won she would give the winnings to the church. One of her tickets was a winner, and she gave the $20,000 that she had won to the Organ Fund of the church. Sometimes the best we can say is that God works in mysterious ways. In these two lottery stories, the needs of a family and a church were met in very unusual ways.
The main message of this story of the widow and her son is that God knows what we need and is able and willing to provide exactly what we need. We are also reminded that often God uses other people, like Elijah, to help us. We are never alone, but God is always watching over us. And God may also use us, as He used Elijah, to help other people.
Sometimes we can get caught up in questions and attempts to find answers that don’t really matter. Our questions may be a way that we try to gain control of a situation. We want to be able to explain everything and, often, the more we know, the more secure we feel. But life isn’t always that way. There are many things that we will never fully know or understand, and many things that are beyond our control. The best we can do is to have faith in God, who is at work in all of the events of life, both good and bad.
In his letter to the church in Rome, the Apostle Paul writes these words, “God causes everything to work together for good for those that love God.” I have to remind myself that Paul didn’t write that everything that happens to us is good, but that God uses everything for good. We can obviously see the good that happens when Elijah visits the widow and her son. But at other times, the good is not so obvious. Again the best we can do is to have faith that God is working everything for good.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Trinity Sunday
The Wide Open Spaces of God’s Grace
Romans 5:1-5
Have you ever felt like the world was closing in on you? Have you ever felt like there was too much pressure on you, and you wanted to run and hide? That can happen sometimes. We feel like we are trapped and have few, if any, options.
That was the way many of the people in the church in Rome felt when the Apostle Paul was writing this letter to them. They had to make sacrifices because of their faith. They were discouraged and felt like their problems were overwhelming. So Paul writes to them about the freedom and hope that come with God’s grace. He wrote to encourage the people in the church in Rome. His words can also encourage us.
One of the main themes of the whole Bible is that God is the one who acts first. Paul writes that God has thrown open the doors to us. God put His love on the line and offered His Son for us when there was nothing that we could do for God. Even before God sent Jesus to the world, God was acting and calling people to turn to Him. God chose people like Abraham, Moses, and David to try to get people’s attention. From the very beginning of time, and throughout all of human history, God has been the one who acted first.
Whatever we do is a reaction of faith or unfaith to the acts of God. Just as God has thrown open the doors to us and calls us to turn to Him, so our best response is to open the door to our lives so that God can be in us. Whenever God calls us, our best response is to say, “Here I am, Lord.” We always have an option, a choice: to ignore God’s actions, or to embrace them.
When we respond in faith to God, then we can have peace with God. There is a sense in which each of us has some unfinished business with God. From the beginning of our lives, we have an ebb and flow of faith. We might think of it as a tug of war with God. There are times that we are faithful and we draw near to God. There are other times that we an unfaithful and turn away from God. We like the benefits that God can give us, but we also like to do things our way. Faith means realizing that we are not in control of our own lives. Faith means opening ourselves to the possibilities that God has for us – some that we would choose for ourselves, and others that we would not. Unless we respond in faith to God, then we cannot experience all the good things that God has for us.
When we respond in faith to God, it gives us a new perspective on our situations. Faith can help us to see things from a different perspective. It can help us to see the wide open spaces of God’s grace. Paul wrote these words to the people in the church in Rome: “We gladly suffer, because we know that suffering produces patience, patience produces character, and character produces hope that does not disappoint us.” In other words, God calls us to see our problems through eyes of faith, so that our problems become opportunities for us to grow in character and faith. Faith allows us to focus on how we can grow through our problems, rather than just seeing our problems as situations that only cause us pain. Problems can have a positive effect upon us. They can lead to patience, character, and hope.
The good news in all of this is that God is always with us and keeps on giving. God’s Spirit is always near to give us more than we need. God’s well never runs dry and God never gives up on us. There is always more than enough of God’s grace. As we turn our hearts toward God, we can see and experience the wide open spaces of God’s grace.
Romans 5:1-5
Have you ever felt like the world was closing in on you? Have you ever felt like there was too much pressure on you, and you wanted to run and hide? That can happen sometimes. We feel like we are trapped and have few, if any, options.
That was the way many of the people in the church in Rome felt when the Apostle Paul was writing this letter to them. They had to make sacrifices because of their faith. They were discouraged and felt like their problems were overwhelming. So Paul writes to them about the freedom and hope that come with God’s grace. He wrote to encourage the people in the church in Rome. His words can also encourage us.
One of the main themes of the whole Bible is that God is the one who acts first. Paul writes that God has thrown open the doors to us. God put His love on the line and offered His Son for us when there was nothing that we could do for God. Even before God sent Jesus to the world, God was acting and calling people to turn to Him. God chose people like Abraham, Moses, and David to try to get people’s attention. From the very beginning of time, and throughout all of human history, God has been the one who acted first.
Whatever we do is a reaction of faith or unfaith to the acts of God. Just as God has thrown open the doors to us and calls us to turn to Him, so our best response is to open the door to our lives so that God can be in us. Whenever God calls us, our best response is to say, “Here I am, Lord.” We always have an option, a choice: to ignore God’s actions, or to embrace them.
When we respond in faith to God, then we can have peace with God. There is a sense in which each of us has some unfinished business with God. From the beginning of our lives, we have an ebb and flow of faith. We might think of it as a tug of war with God. There are times that we are faithful and we draw near to God. There are other times that we an unfaithful and turn away from God. We like the benefits that God can give us, but we also like to do things our way. Faith means realizing that we are not in control of our own lives. Faith means opening ourselves to the possibilities that God has for us – some that we would choose for ourselves, and others that we would not. Unless we respond in faith to God, then we cannot experience all the good things that God has for us.
When we respond in faith to God, it gives us a new perspective on our situations. Faith can help us to see things from a different perspective. It can help us to see the wide open spaces of God’s grace. Paul wrote these words to the people in the church in Rome: “We gladly suffer, because we know that suffering produces patience, patience produces character, and character produces hope that does not disappoint us.” In other words, God calls us to see our problems through eyes of faith, so that our problems become opportunities for us to grow in character and faith. Faith allows us to focus on how we can grow through our problems, rather than just seeing our problems as situations that only cause us pain. Problems can have a positive effect upon us. They can lead to patience, character, and hope.
The good news in all of this is that God is always with us and keeps on giving. God’s Spirit is always near to give us more than we need. God’s well never runs dry and God never gives up on us. There is always more than enough of God’s grace. As we turn our hearts toward God, we can see and experience the wide open spaces of God’s grace.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Pentecost Sunday
What Does God’s Spirit Do?
Acts 2:1-21
Studies of modern culture tell us that there is an increased interest in spiritual things. People appear to be looking beyond what they experience with their five senses to see a reality that cannot be proven or measured, but can only be experienced.
In the Christian tradition we believe that God is Spirit and that God is active in our lives and in our world. This emphasis upon God’s Spirit is brought to the forefront on the day of Pentecost, the seventh Sunday after Easter Sunday. The story of Pentecost is about the coming of God’s Spirit after the ascension of Jesus. The Spirit comes to the disciples as they wait in Jerusalem and they are empowered to continue the work that Jesus had begun.
Pentecost is also known as the birthday of the church because it marks the beginning of the work of those who had followed Jesus, including not only the eleven disciples (minus Judas), but a total of 120 people who were there on the first Day of Pentecost.
A good question to ask about God’s Spirit is:”How do we know that God’s Spirit is at work?”
Jesus said that God’s Spirit is like the wind. We cannot see the wind, but we can see the effects of the wind. Likewise with the Spirit, we cannot see God’s Spirit, but we can see the effects of the Spirit. So then, we might ask, ”What are the effects of the Spirit that we can see?” Or, another way to ask that question is ,”What does God’s Spirit do?” We can answer the question with a few answers from the story of the first Day of Pentecost.
The Spirit confirms or verifies that God is present and powerful. The unusual sights and sounds of the first Pentecost, rightly interpreted, declare that God is doing something unusual. Those who had gathered that day heard the sound of the rushing wind, saw the flaming tongues of fire, and hear the message of God in many different languages. It was a very dramatic scene, one that got everyone’s attention.
My experience is that the Spirit works today in more subtle, quiet ways. I have never heard or seen such dramatic sights and sounds. Rather than a rushing wind, the Spirit seems to move in a gentle breeze. Rather than flaming tongues of fire, the Spirit seems to work in a spark, or a flicker. And while the message of God is spoken regularly in different languages, it doesn’t happen all in one place.
God’s Spirit is at work among us in quiet and often unseen ways. The Spirit whispers to us in a still small voice. God is with us and God is powerful. If we will listen and watch closely, we will hear and see that God’s Spirit is among us and is pointing us toward God.
The Spirit equips or empowers people to witness to their faith. The change is the disciples after the day of Pentecost is amazing. God does a makeover. Before Pentecost, they were afraid, unsure of themselves, and secluded. After Pentecost, they are bold, confident, and outgoing. The only explanation is that God’s Spirit has made the difference.
The same Spirit that made this radical change in the disciples is at work among us. It is the Spirit that will equip us and empower us to live faithfully as followers of Jesus. While we may say, “No, I can’t.”, God’s Spirit says “Yes, you can.” It is the work of the Spirit to enable us to do what we think we cannot do. The Spirit empowers us to do what we cannot and will not do apart from the grace and power of God.
The Spirit makes real and visible the unity of the God’s people. There were people from many different countries who spoke many different languages in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. God’s Spirit acted in such a way that everyone was able to hear the works of God in their own language.
Notice that the Spirit did not give one language, but worked so that everyone could hear in their own language. The work of the Spirit is not to make us all alike, so that we look, act, and talk the same, but the Spirit meets us where we are and accents our own uniqueness. Unity does not mean that we are all the same, but it means that we have a common purpose, mission, and source of life and power. We shouldn’t expect everyone to follow a certain mold or pattern, but to be who they are by the grace of God.
The Spirit unites people in purpose and in power, while helping people to appreciate one another’s individual gifts and characteristics.
In short, this is what God’s Spirit does. It does not leave us in a vacuum, but affirms that God is with us. The Spirit does not make us weak and dependent, but makes us powerful and positive. The Spirit does not divide us, but unites us in purpose and in power. The Spirit gives us power to live lives that are signs of God’s presence and to be examples of the wholeness that God desires for all people.
When we pray, “Lord, make me a better person.”, we are praying for God to send His Spirit to us. Come, Holy Spirit, fill us with God’s power, that we might live as signs of God’s presence and salvation.
Acts 2:1-21
Studies of modern culture tell us that there is an increased interest in spiritual things. People appear to be looking beyond what they experience with their five senses to see a reality that cannot be proven or measured, but can only be experienced.
In the Christian tradition we believe that God is Spirit and that God is active in our lives and in our world. This emphasis upon God’s Spirit is brought to the forefront on the day of Pentecost, the seventh Sunday after Easter Sunday. The story of Pentecost is about the coming of God’s Spirit after the ascension of Jesus. The Spirit comes to the disciples as they wait in Jerusalem and they are empowered to continue the work that Jesus had begun.
Pentecost is also known as the birthday of the church because it marks the beginning of the work of those who had followed Jesus, including not only the eleven disciples (minus Judas), but a total of 120 people who were there on the first Day of Pentecost.
A good question to ask about God’s Spirit is:”How do we know that God’s Spirit is at work?”
Jesus said that God’s Spirit is like the wind. We cannot see the wind, but we can see the effects of the wind. Likewise with the Spirit, we cannot see God’s Spirit, but we can see the effects of the Spirit. So then, we might ask, ”What are the effects of the Spirit that we can see?” Or, another way to ask that question is ,”What does God’s Spirit do?” We can answer the question with a few answers from the story of the first Day of Pentecost.
The Spirit confirms or verifies that God is present and powerful. The unusual sights and sounds of the first Pentecost, rightly interpreted, declare that God is doing something unusual. Those who had gathered that day heard the sound of the rushing wind, saw the flaming tongues of fire, and hear the message of God in many different languages. It was a very dramatic scene, one that got everyone’s attention.
My experience is that the Spirit works today in more subtle, quiet ways. I have never heard or seen such dramatic sights and sounds. Rather than a rushing wind, the Spirit seems to move in a gentle breeze. Rather than flaming tongues of fire, the Spirit seems to work in a spark, or a flicker. And while the message of God is spoken regularly in different languages, it doesn’t happen all in one place.
God’s Spirit is at work among us in quiet and often unseen ways. The Spirit whispers to us in a still small voice. God is with us and God is powerful. If we will listen and watch closely, we will hear and see that God’s Spirit is among us and is pointing us toward God.
The Spirit equips or empowers people to witness to their faith. The change is the disciples after the day of Pentecost is amazing. God does a makeover. Before Pentecost, they were afraid, unsure of themselves, and secluded. After Pentecost, they are bold, confident, and outgoing. The only explanation is that God’s Spirit has made the difference.
The same Spirit that made this radical change in the disciples is at work among us. It is the Spirit that will equip us and empower us to live faithfully as followers of Jesus. While we may say, “No, I can’t.”, God’s Spirit says “Yes, you can.” It is the work of the Spirit to enable us to do what we think we cannot do. The Spirit empowers us to do what we cannot and will not do apart from the grace and power of God.
The Spirit makes real and visible the unity of the God’s people. There were people from many different countries who spoke many different languages in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. God’s Spirit acted in such a way that everyone was able to hear the works of God in their own language.
Notice that the Spirit did not give one language, but worked so that everyone could hear in their own language. The work of the Spirit is not to make us all alike, so that we look, act, and talk the same, but the Spirit meets us where we are and accents our own uniqueness. Unity does not mean that we are all the same, but it means that we have a common purpose, mission, and source of life and power. We shouldn’t expect everyone to follow a certain mold or pattern, but to be who they are by the grace of God.
The Spirit unites people in purpose and in power, while helping people to appreciate one another’s individual gifts and characteristics.
In short, this is what God’s Spirit does. It does not leave us in a vacuum, but affirms that God is with us. The Spirit does not make us weak and dependent, but makes us powerful and positive. The Spirit does not divide us, but unites us in purpose and in power. The Spirit gives us power to live lives that are signs of God’s presence and to be examples of the wholeness that God desires for all people.
When we pray, “Lord, make me a better person.”, we are praying for God to send His Spirit to us. Come, Holy Spirit, fill us with God’s power, that we might live as signs of God’s presence and salvation.
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