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My heart beats for love. I want to be different. I want to be who I am called to be. WORTHY and LOVED!

Sunday, July 29, 2012

The Church is Welcoming - Acts 10:44-48


Wall. Fences. Signs. Ropes. There are many boundaries in our world. So many so that we probably don’t even pay attention to them all the time. We’ve become comfortable with boundaries because they make us feel protected, at the cost of keeping others away. But as I was working at mini-camp Sunday - Tuesday this week at Wellsboro, I had to wonder what the expense was of not recognizing our boundaries. For those of you who have ever attended summer camp, part of the beauty of the experience is the familiarity. You get to be reacquainted with old friends. You follow the same schedule each day and have things that you look forward to. You sing the same songs, mostly see the same leaders. The list goes on and on. Summer camp is steeped in tradition. But what does that tradition look like to new comers? As a new comer myself, one of two new leaders at the camp, I often felt confused and intimidated. I didn’t understand the traditions or know the words to the songs. I didn’t have the deep friendship the other staff had. It was very isolating. I can only imagine that it would be more so for the campers, who were called “newbies”. The entire experience got me thinking about whether the church is just as intimidating for new people.
The passage in Acts today presents a picture of a group of believers that went beyond just not being intimidating to being radically welcoming. This comes at the tail end of the story of Cornelius, which was back near the beginning of our series. As a refresher, Cornelius was a Roman centurion, the gentile among gentiles. And up to this point in his ministry, Peter had not been ministering to gentiles. He actually considered them to be unclean, because they were not of his people, the chosen people, the Jews. But God sent a message to Peter in a radical dream, telling him that all that God deemed to be clean, Peter could not call unclean. Immediately after the dream, Peter is sent to the house of Cornelius, where he declares that all are welcome in the kingdom of God. As Peter continued to preach to the house of Cornlus, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they began to have the gifts of the Holy Spirit poured out upon them, including the noticeable speaking in tongues. They praised God. Then Peter asked a question similar to what the Ethiopian eunuch asked Phillip last week, “Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And they were all baptized that day. 
The Holy Spirit interrupted Peter’s elegant words about the welcoming and inclusive nature of God to make the words a reality. It was an unmistakable sign that gentiles matter to God and that they are part of the kingdom. And with this interruption the church had a new mission. Up to this point the disciples were really only preaching to people like them. If you remember back in Acts 2, the Pentecost story, the thousand upon thousands of people that heard the message Peter had for them that day were gathered in Jerusalem, the Jewish center, and were Jews from around the world. Now the mission and message is global, not just for a particular group of people, but for the world. 
This will not be the only time the church will need to revamp its mission at the direction of the Holy Spirit. Later Paul will go before the other disciples and declare that believers do not need to follow Jewish customs or be circumcised in order to follow and love Christ. But beginning in this passage, the Holy Spirit beautifully sweeps through knocking down walls that had been in place, in the hearts and fellowship of the disciples, in order to make the church a gathering where all people are welcome. In fact, their welcome was so inclusive, that Peter did something that he would have never done prior to this event, he stayed with the family of Cornelius for several days, living life with them and accepting their welcoming of him.
Sometimes boundaries in the form of traditions are good - they remind us who we are as they shape us. But we cannot let our boundaries keep us from following the Holy Spirit. For once again, in this passage like others we have studied, the Holy Spirit is the chief character of the story with a firm message - God can draw together people even who are separated by clear boundaries, because they are united in Christ Jesus. Scholar Jeffery Peterson-Davis points out that what the Holy Spirit is really doing in this story is changing the perspective in the early church of who is in and who is out, and moving the boundaries of the “inner circle” keep widening to the point where the boundary is no longer even legitimate. 
The Holy Spirit gives us the power and vision to see the world differently and make the church be a truly welcoming place. Yes, the church needs to be a place where tradition can be passed on from one generation to another and where new believers can be mentored in the faith. But we equally need to be a place where the Holy Spirit blows through us and transforms us. Bishop Robert Schnase expound upon this idea of the welcoming church in his book Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations.He reminds readers that when the church is truly welcoming, it is not expressed in a pufunctorary greeting at the church door or even offering a hand, but genuine love and care for those who are not yet part of the faith. It is inviting, welcoming, receiving, and caring for the stranger so they can find a spiritual home. And often that means that we will need to change our believer, thoughts, or attitudes, just like Peter had to, in order to accommodate the needs and talents of those who are new among us.
Oh how Cornelius must have felt when Peter accepted his invitation to come to his home that day. He would have known that Jewish custom forbid Peter from crossing the threshold of his door, because he was considered unclean, but Peter came anyway, with words of grace and peace. He not only came, but he stayed. Peter truly lived into Jesus’s words in Matthew when he said, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me. And just as you did for the least of these who are all members of my family, you did it to me.” If we took this call as seriously as Peter did, if we opened ourselves up to the movement of the Holy Spirit amongst us, how would we change? How are we intentionally focusing on those outside of the community of faith and how are we radically welcoming those who are courageous enough to cross the threshold of our doors? 
A few years ago Christian recording artists Casting Crowns put out a song called “We are the Body” and it caught on fast. The song tells the stories of those who did not feel welcome in church - the traveler. A young girl who is mocked. And in the refrain the question is posed, “If we are the body, why aren’t his arms reaching? Why aren’t his hands healing? Why aren’t his words teaching? And if we are the body, why aren’t his feet going? Why is his love not showing them there is a way?” Its a wonderful song, but it needs to move from being a catchy sentiment, to a reality amongst us. How are we welcoming people as Christ would welcome them? Are we open to God using us to draw people into relationship with Jesus Christ? Or is that not what we exist for?
Bishop Schnase claims that “the greatest contribution we can make to the Boyd of Christ is inviting someone else or helping a newcomer to feel genuinely welcome so that she or he receive what we have received.” The church is a beautiful place where when people feel welcomed they can know that they are a child of God of supreme value and know that they matter. It is a place where people can know that they are not alone. A place where true peace can be shared. Above all it is a place where God’s grace and love are experienced. What boundaries do we have that keep people from feeling welcomed? Keep people from experiencing this absolutely uncontainable thing?
Brothers and sisters, if Peter would not have been open to the prompting of the Holy Spirit that day - if he would have insisted on doing things his way - he would have missed his opportunity to be part of re-envisioning the mission of the church. Let’s not miss our opportunity to transform the world by being truly a welcoming place. Not a friendly place. Not a place where everyone knows everyone else. A welcoming place. A place where we are intentional about being inclusive of all people - not alienating people like they did at camp with pet names or a lack of attention to inviting all into the traditions and side stories. A place where people can feel safe and included and respected. If we are the body, then we must, must, must be willing to be welcoming, as Jesus was welcoming. For we are the body of Christ.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Acts 8 - The Church is Evangelistic


Evangelism is a word that sometimes scares people. For some it conjures up memories of misguided attempts to covert people. For others it reminds them of evangelistic phrases they heard as a child that were meant to scare people into a relationship with Jesus Christ. Others think that they are unworthy of sharing their faith or don’t have a story to tell at all. But at the end of the day, no matter what our feelings about evangelism, disciples of Christ are called to share their faith with others.
For the last two Tuesday mornings, a group of us have been gathering in the Annex of the Roseville church to talk about just what evangelism is ... And what it is not. The first week we learned that evangelism is about relationships that the Holy Spirit lead us into, just as the Spirit lead Phillip to the eunuch that day. Every step of the journey, Phillip was instructed in a divine way about where to be - as the angel of the Lord commanded him to go, and what to speak as he proclaimed the good news of Jesus Christ. The spirit even decided when Phillip’s moment of ministry was over, whisking him away to Azotus. In all that he did that fateful day, Phillip was obedient to the leading of the Spirit. When the angel told him where to go, he went immediately. When Phillip saw the chariot the eunuch was riding in, he ran to it. He had the words of wisdom to ask the eunuch if he understood the scripture passage in Isaiah that he found him reading. It is safe to say that the chief character in this evangelistic moment was in fact the Holy Spirit, not Phillip.
Have you ever felt a prompting from the Holy Spirit? Perhaps you got up one morning and felt that you were to do something a bit different then you had scheduled. Or you had a nudge inside of you to say something difficult to a friend or have a conversation with someone you normally don’t talk to. I don’t think Phillip woke up one day and just immediately knew to be obedient to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. I think he probably learned to trust and respond to these promptings day by day. But we will never learn to respond in such faithful obedience if we do not begin to trust the Spirit. We need to learn to listen to those internal nudging to see if they are our own thoughts or the voice of God. We need to leap into action when the Spirit is giving us opportunities to share ourselves in relationship.
Not everything the Spirit will lead us to do or say will look like Phillip’s experience. More often then not, the opportunity to share our faith will come in the context of a deep, long relationship, not a situation that we are whisked into. But an opportunity is an opportunity, no matter what it looks like, and when they come, we need to trust the Spirit for the words to say and the courage to show our faith.
And let us note the words that Phillip did have to share with the eunuch. They were not ones of condemnation for being a eunuch, even though Jews often looked down on these particular types of servants. They were not chastising because he did not understand the scripture passage. Nor were they ones of flattery or praise because of his high position as a servant to the queen. No, Phillip simply shared what it means to have faith in Jesus Christ. And that simple sharing of faith, without frills, is what lead the eunuch to ask to be baptized that day. 
Phillip in his sharing about Jesus Christ during his encounter with the eunuch was also attentive to the questions and needs that he specifically had. When Phillip first saw and heard him reading from the passage in Isaiah he asked him if he understood it, to which the servant replied, how can I understand unless someone guides me? Up to this point, the eunuch had probably received mixed messages from the Jewish people he encountered about his worth as a child of God. He would have surely heard people quote Deut 23:1 at him, claiming that since he was sexually mutilated, since he had been castered to prepare him for his service to royalty, that he would not be admitted to the assembly of God. Yet, here he was reading a passage that claimed that eunuchs that kept the Sabbath and worshiped God would be welcomed into the kingdom. 
We probably have all had experiences like the eunuch’s where two pieces of scriptures contradict each other or we simply do not understand what it is trying to say. We need people to guide us in order to know what is true. The eunuch needed someone to teach him about God who had felt the embrace of God, so he could be lead into that same embrace. He needed Phillip to guide him.
So he invited Phillip to sit beside him as they continued to read from the book of Isaiah. When he got to parts that he did not understand, he would ask questions of Phillip, such as about whom the prophet is talking about when he describes the one being lead before the slaughter. The eunuch, according to scholar Tom Long, is probably asking, “Is what is being described only about Isaiah and his situation or is it about me as well? Is this a word from God for someone else in a different time, or is this God’s word for me, today?” This gave Phillip an opportunity to share about how the passage applied to Jesus Christ and how Jesus understood all that the eunuch had suffered in his life, and brings hope and redemption.
After hearing the good news, the eunuch saw a body of water and asked Phillip his final question, what prevents me from being baptized, to which Phillip replied through his actions, nothing. There were several things that could have prevented the servant from being baptized. Others may not have accepted him because he was from Ethiopia, or because he was a eunuch. Others may have rejected him because he served the queen. But Phillip lead again by the Holy Spirit, answered “Absolutely nothing” and he was baptized right on the spot, and the eunuch was restored by God’s grace. 
Phillip may not have had such a profound and life changing moment with the eunuch if he refused to listen to his questions, didn’t act on the guidance of the Holy Spirit, or let his own judgments of the man get in the way. 
I remember my first year of college while at the University of Pittsburg, there was a gentleman who came and stood outside of the main academic building for one week with a six foot sign proclaiming that all girls who attended this university were going to Hell. In all of the times I saw him that week, not one person wanted to approach him. Later when I was discussing his presence with the small group I lead, girl after girl said the same thing - his tactic scared them, because his voice was so loud he would never hear what they had to say. Perhaps this is what blocks evangelistic moments the most, or makes evangelism scary at times. We are worried about becoming the loud voiced man who said all the wrong things and wouldn’t listen to the stories and questions that others had. But Phillip shows us a different way of evangelism - one that responds to the promptings of the Holy Spirit alone and responds in grace to the moments that arise and answers the questions that others have to ask. In the class on evangelism we are learning that sometimes this is a long process, and other times we are given moments. But for certain, we are all called to share our faith by the Holy Spirit. It is not just some people’s job - its all of our responsibility. Sometimes when we are obedient to the spirit, we will find ourselves in odd places. All we need to do is respond to the spirit and see what the good news can do. 

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Being Lonely

  Last night, as I sat watching a movie and working on a cross stitch, I was struck by how lonely I was. And it wasn't just lonely in that moment, for it was something I have been feeling for quite some time. And it wasn't lonely from being alone in that particular moment, because I'm an introvert and don't mind being alone.
   No it was the overwhelming sense of loss over how I used to spend my time. If this would have been a Friday evening in high school I would have been with my best friends watching a movie and sharing DQ Dilly Bars. If it would have been in college I would have watched a movie with my two favorite girls, who were like my sisters, after sharing a home cooked meal. If it would have been a Friday in seminary, I would have cooked a meal with or for my friends. Yet, this Friday, and many Fridays since going into ministry full time I was alone.
   And that saddened me because there wasn't a choice to not be alone. I have no friends in the area. Which let me be clear is not to say that I don't have friends. I do. They just are (at the closest) over 2 hours away. Some of my congregation members keep insisting that they are my friends, but I don't feel that is true. While I do believe in the wisdom of intergenerational friendships, what I really need is someone around my age who I can be completely myself around, and alas that is not a congregation member. Looking back on some of my favorite Friday night memories with friends, these are not things I could see myself doing with a congregation member, which just leaves me feeling that friendship is more of a power move (as in I'm friends with the pastor or I know something about the pastor you don't or I got to spend time with the pastor) then an authentic relationship.
    As much as some people say they understand, I'm not sure you can unless you are in a profession that limits yours contact with people. Or a profession that has expected social ramifications. Or makes it so you can't go out on Saturday evenings. Or choose where you live so you can be closer to the people you want to spend time with. Or you have people telling you that you can't go to meetings out of town, let alone social events, because you need to be here "just incase".
   Don't get me wrong, I love my job. But loving your job and knowing that you are living into your call does not mean that you have to be lonely or that you have to have only the relationships that others tell you to have. I just don't know how to change it all.

What I Learned in Seminary

  Its not uncommon for clergy to talk about what seminary didn't teach them, or how they felt unprepared in many ways to enter into full time ministry. But I want to talk about what seminary did teach me, and why it matters.
   I learned many important things about myself, people, God, and ministry during my three years at Drew working on my Mdiv. But this week I have been reflecting on one lesson in particular, in light on Jurd. conferences and the election of new bishops - power and privilege matter.
   In the age of technology, attendance at such large conferences is not only for those who are physically there, but those who are at home live streaming and tweeting. Two tweets from someone in my own conference following along really got me thinking. One was about how there was too much twitter chatter about the masculine language in hymns and how we need to focus on things that matter. The other was that there was too much focus on diversity in voting for bishops and not enough on spirituality. My immediate reaction to both tweets was that he only thought so because of his own place and status in society.
   If Drew taught me anything it is this: if we do not critically think about who has the power in society and our churches and why they have that power then we will be caught in a circle that cannot be broken. But if we truly believe that God calls us to be a people of shared power and living that is marked by the kin(g)dom of heaven, then we are called to alter who has the power. Its because of this reason that we did sing gender inclusive hymns and why I truly believe that our language for God matters. In a society where white, males are still linked with the image and power of God, we need to be intentional about our language so that people do not limit themselves in their experience of God. When we make God into someone like us, instead of a being who cannot be contained in words or symbols or ideas, we are in trouble. And when we insist on exclusively using male language for God we are telling people what their experience of God should be and automatically marginalize those who have a different experience of God.
   Recently I was explaining to another clergy who doesn't really buy into the idea of inclusive language, that I do not believe that it is my job to change all of the language for God from masculine to feminine, though I do have colleagues who do that. I simply don't use pronouns period, which honestly, my congregation may not even realize that I'm doing, but it leaves space for them to have their experience of God instead of me dictating what it should be.
   Further, as I work on my ordination paperwork, inclusive language is asked for time and time again. If we are demanding it in our academics and in our critical paperwork, then why aren't we living it our in our large assemblies in order to have it be modeled for the local congregations? Because it does matter. To say it doesn't is either to imply that everyone should have the same image of God, which isn't Biblical, or say that what we think of God and what we say about God doesn't matter, which isn't what we believe in our faith.
    Secondly, diversity in elections does matter. In fact its critical. Here is the problem we face with the election of episcopal leadership - we are programed from an early age to vote with what we are familiar with. In this country, that means voting for white, males. While we may not say it out loud, there is an overwhelming belief deep within our society that white males can lead better then any other group. This is why Obama's election as president was so critical in 2008, it created space for a new paradigm for the look of leadership. But that new paradigm is far from a reality. We need to be intentional about thinking about diversity in our leadership, because God calls all sorts of people to be leaders, not just white, males. And we need leadership that reflects our vision or the church.
    Now should this be done at a disregard for spiritual leadership? Absolutely not. But I trust and believe that if someone's name has made it to the floor of Jurd. Conference, it has been because they are seen as a spiritual leader. I'm also not convinced that years as a pastor in a local church really matter either, though I realize this is a matter for debate. These are our spiritual leaders in our conferences and that is why their names come before us as possible episcopal leaders. If we agree that it is a level playing field in this regard, then we absolutely need to consider diversity, or we will be caught in the cycle of some of our sister conferences of only electing white leaders or only electing male leaders. We need to be intentional to break the cycle.

Monday, July 9, 2012

The Church is Communal - Acts 4; 32-35


It has been a few weeks, but we are going to return today to our summer sermon series focusing on what the book of Acts has to teach us about being the church today, over 2000 years later. Its hard to believe that only four verses have so much to communicate to us. In only four verses Luke, the author of Acts, critiques the society in which he lived, lifted up how the resurrection of Jesus effected the early church, and spoke of the church’s vision and mission. 
These four simple verses are one of my favorite scripture passages. However, that does not make them easier to preach from. For studying this particular passage of scripture requires a lot from us. It requires us to set aside our cynicism that tells us that these verses describe an ideal, not a reality. They requires us to put away our rose colored glasses that tell us that everything is better in the past. They require us to be fully present to the teachings of Luke as we look for the movement of the Holy Spirit to capture us anew today. 
In these verses Luke is trying to communicate two things about the early church - they had unity in the midst of diversity and they were marked by generosity in the midst of poverty. If you notice today’s sermon title sums these two traits up into one word - communal. The church is communal. But what does that really look like in light of Luke’s teaching?
What are some of the words or images that come to you mind with the word ‘unified’? Luke describes it as being of one heart and soul. One of the pitfalls with the word unity is that we use it in contrast to diversity. In other words, if you are unified, you cannot be diverse. But I don’t think that is what Luke is trying to tell us about this group of believers. For surely amongst they five-thousand of them, they were diverse in their ages, ethnic backgrounds, genders, theological points of view, and ideologies. Luke is not trying to tell us that everyone in the early church looked the same, acted the same, or even believed the same things. What I believe that he is trying to communicate is that they found common ground on the “big things” - they believed and preached in Jesus’ resurrection and the transformation that brought to their lives. They put community above self. They loved all with the love of Christ Jesus. They things were central to their communal and personal identity as Christians. Lest we think that even agreeing on such foundational beliefs comes easily, scholar George Bryan Wirth reminds us that such authentic and deep unity can only come as a gift of the Holy Spirit. Are we asking for that same gift today? Are we asking for unity that lets us not sweat the small stuff so we can focus on the mission of the church in the world? Or do we simply just try to transport ourselves back to a time when we thought we were united, instead of praying that it comes today. The Lord calls on us to confess the times when we have let things that are not about the saving and transformational work of Jesus Christ become our focus and repent of them, and seek to be renewed in the unity of the Holy Spirit that Luke wants to capture in this scripture passage.
As astonishing as Luke’s description of Christian unity, perhaps even more difficult for us to comprehend is the idea of generosity in the midst of poverty. There are a slew of reasons why people choose not to give money to the work of the church. Some of them include, “I’m not really that well off”, “I have all I can do just to make ends meet”, and “I work hard so I deserve what I make.” (Willimon, 54). But Luke’s description of the early church flies in the face of all of this. Luke is describing a community who faced horrible economic circumstances. The majority of the people were in poverty, with large sums of what they made going towards Roman taxes imposed on them. Yet, in the midst of these economic difficulties, Luke tells of a community that claimed no private ownership of possessions, but held everything in common, and that there was not a needy person among them. 
This message may seem foreign to us today, because we live in such a materialistic society that tells us that each and every person need to own everything in order to be considered secure and successful. Yet, even in my life time I have caught glimpses of the life-giving freedom communities that choose to share can bring. One such instance was while I was in seminary. I lived in a large apartment building with other single graduate students. It was not uncommon to hear a nock on your door during the day asking to borrow a vacuum cleaner, pot, or spices. As graduate students we simply could not afford to own everything so we shared whatever we had with anyone who asked. But there was another group at my seminary who took this idea of sharing and community one step forward. Each year between five and eight individuals chose to live together, intentionally sharing all they had material in what they called the intentional community. They ate their meals together, worshiped together, and simply did life together. But I want to stress the word that stood out the most to me about how they described themselves, intentional. We need to be intentional about choosing to be part of the type of community that Luke describes - a community that puts doing life together above what we have been taught about the necessity of material goods and possessions. There are communities across the United States that are starting to live into this reality. Neighbors are finding that not everyone needs to own a deep freezer, washing machine and dryer, or lawn mower. So one neighbor has one appliance and another neighbor has a different one, and before you know it they are doing life together in a profound way and getting to know each other in a deep, new way. 
But sharing of material goods is not the only thing that Luke had to say about the economics of the early Christian community. He also said that no one was in need. In a world where the chasm between the rich and the poor is widening every day, it is hard to imagine a world that is free of poverty. Yet it happened. Amongst these five-thousand people, the Holy Spirit created a picture of what God hopes to be a reality for all people - a world that is not in need. They were not the only community to do so. Early Church historian, Justin Maryter described his own community where, in his words, “we who once coveted most greedily the wealth and fortune of others, now place in common the goods we possess, diving them with all the needy.” (Willimon, 53). And a community of scholars known for finding and studying the Dead Sea Scrolls. When they started working with the community they gave their possessions in trust to it, and when they became a full member they signed their material possessions away for good.
This idea of eliminating poverty and sharing with the community was part of the covenant God made with the people of Israel as they were preparing to enter the promised land. God instructed them in Jubilee - the concept that every seven years the land would lay fallow and there would be a remission of debt. Then every fiftieth year there would be a celebration when everyone would have their original property restored and slavery would be abolished. These years were to be reminders that it was the desire of God’s heart, “there will be no needy person among you, because the Lord is sure to bless you in the land that the Lord you God is giving you.” Only these years of Jubilee were never quite celebrated. The people of Israel never quite got it. But the early church did. They were practicing Jubilee amongst themselves, only they took it even further - not only would there be forgiveness of debts, but they would not keep their own property to themselves, they would share all they had. 
There is a story of a Christian Community in Philadelphia called the Simple Way. A few years ago they received 20,000$ in donations. They decided to use the money to celebrate the year of Jubilee of Wall Street. They broke the money down in 100$ bills and wrote the word “love” on each of them. At 8:20 in the morning, one of the community members blew a horn marking the beginning of the year of Jubilee and the rest of the community, scattered around Wall Street, began to throw money into the crowds. And  a funny thing happened. Those who were touched by this act, began giving away what they had to. People started sharing winter clothes and food. There truly was a moment of Jubilee even in the place marked the most by materialism. Community emerged out of a place of isolation. 
Once again, are we repenting for how we have hoarded money in the past or have not given it towards the mission and work of the church or the poor in our community? Do we confess our fears around money and material things? Are we fervently praying for the Holy Spirit to make the commonality in this passage a reality amongst us here, today?
Why was the early church marked by unity in the midst of diversity and generosity in the midst of poverty? For the same reason we should be marked by those traits today - because they were, and we are, a covenant people. The Holy Spirit lead them to live in such a distinct way as a response to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which should transform even our very way of living together. What does the resurrection mean to us today, here in this community? How has it transformed us and how is it leading us to live every day, on the ground, in practice? Are we simply a place where people leave satisfied or are we a place where people leave transformed, called into a new and distinct way of living? Are we slaves to material possessions or are we slaves to Jesus Christ? For God is calling us to a new thing, marked by abundance and unity, if only we will listen for the movement of the Holy Spirit amongst us. Amen. 

Saturday, July 7, 2012

MuMullen Wedding - 1 Cor 13


We have gathered together this summer afternoon to bear witness to the joining together of two lives, as Brandon and Katie entwine their hearts in marriage. By standing before this cloud of witnesses today, Katie and Brandon are making a statement about their love for each other and how God will be central to their marriage.
The word love is often used, but not fully understood. We say that we love things that we merely like. We hear lyrics and see movies about expressions of love, that are not love at all. True love, does not cease during the difficult times or become abandoned in the heat of an argument. True love, the love that the apostle Paul describes in today’s epistle is kind, patient, never jealous, boastful, rude, or proud. It rejoices in the truth. It is self-giving. This love supports, is loyal, bears hope, and embodies trust. True love, this love, never fails. 
Brandon and Katie, I see such love, true love embodied in you as you stand before this congregation today and prepare to take a solemn vow to love and cherish each other until death separates you. A vow that show one of most firm and noticeable aspects of true love, commitment - a commitment to last a lifetime. 
Perhaps you’ve heard it said that marriage is a 50-50 endeavor, a mutual sharing. While I can understand what this statement is trying to say, I think Paul is trying to remind us of something different in today’s scripture passage. Marriage is a 100% commitment to your spouse, the one you are about to give yourself to today. Giving without expectation, given out of respect, giving as a sacrifice. 
Katie and Brandon, my hope and prayer for you today is that give, as a sacrifice and sign of your commitment to one another, true love. May Paul’s words become inscribed on your hearts and direct your steps together from this point forward. Be patient with one another, showing kindness in your words and actions. Do not put your self above your partner seeking your own way out of foolish pride. Instead, share your lives together out of mutual respect. Do not let arrogance or rudeness be evident in how you speak to one another or the choices you make. Claim truth in your life together and rejoice in the joy it brings to you. Do not keep a record of wrongs that either you or your spouse commits during the course of your life. Support and encourage one another. Be loyal to one another, especially during the difficult times. Bear the light of hope for one another. 
As your love matures and grows it will continue to transform you, bringing you closer together. For this true love that the apostle speaks of, will never fail you, but remember that it does take a sacrificial commitment and lots of work. But if trust God, above all, and make God the center of your marriage, your love can last forever. 
Today Brandon and Katie make a lasting vow before all of you who have gathered here to love and support them. May the words they say now be true forever and ever. Amen. 

Sunday, July 1, 2012

The Fourth of July

   For those of you who know me well, you know that I struggle with celebrating patriotic holidays. As a pastor who is trying to lead people along the path of discipleship and allegiance to God, it is difficult for me to justify saying the Pledge of Allegiance to a country and government that do not model Christian ideals. As someone committed to the diversity of the body of Christ, it is hard to sing songs about being the best nation and how God blesses America. And as a pacifist it is difficult for me to support songs that speak of God's wrath and vengeance. Hence the irony of being appointed to a church that not only is uber patriotic, but actually has complete worship services with patriotic themes. I'm finding more and more that I have to separate who I am in some areas of my life from what I say in the pulpit or live out through my public persona, and that makes me feel uncomfortable.
   I wrote the following in an email to a friend recently, "Today I was struck by the thought of how hard it is to be yourself as a minister. Ideally this shouldn't be true. But when your views differ drastically from your congregations you often (or at least I often) end up keeping my mouth shut instead of living into who I am and what I'm passionate about...How do you honor your congregation and yourself at the same time? Is it possible?" 

Reflection on Gal 5:13-15, 22-26 for 4th of July


You have been given liberty. You have been given freedom. Only this freedom is not for you - its for you to serve others. A difficult idea to wrestle with - you have been given a gift, but its not for you. I remember when I was really little my parents would give me money to buy a birthday gift for each of my brothers. The money was not mine to keep, not even the change. But it was money given to me to hold in order to pick out what I thought was the perfect gift. And there was such joy in that. Joy in being entrusted with that money. Joy with picking out the gift, wrapping it up, hiding it in my closet until the time had come. And such boundless joy in giving the gift. 
That is what our freedom is like. Being given a gift to use for other people. Perhaps no people understand that better then the men and women who serve our country. Those who understand that their life isn’t really their’s to hold on to, rather their’s to use for the protection and service of others. Those who stand among us today who have truly exemplified what it has meant to love your neighbor as yourself and those who have watched others whom they deeply loved lay down their life for others.
For only in giving can we truly receive. Only in using our freedom to bring to life to other people can we grow in the fruits of the Spirit talked about in this passage of scripture - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. In talking about this passage in a Bible Study a few months ago, we realized that these are the characteristics that we want, because they best exemplify Christ. They show what it means to lay our lives aside for other people, because they are the marks of God using us. And we can all have them. The fruits of the Holy Spirit, each and every one of them, are avaliable to all of us who have gathered here today, if only we will start to use our liberty, our freedom, to live a life of service for others.
Yet, that is contrary to our belief system that it is about our individual selves getting ahead. Or doing what is best for us. Or even thinking that we have earned the freedom that we have been given. Brothers and sisters, I stand before you today to remind you that you have not and cannot earn God’s grace, love, and favor. It is a gift freely given to you, by Christ giving himself in the greatest act of service on the cross.
The question is not really if we are going to serve others, it is how are we going to serve others. How are we going to work towards someone else’s best interest. What decisions can we make each and every day to use our life as a gift, freely received and freely given? How can we grow into the fruits of the spirit and become the people, day by day, that God wants us to be? Tough questions without easy answers. Answers that only come after prayer and thought. My hope today is that we celebrate this day the freedom that our country has, that we begin to contemplate our own freedom and how God calls us to put that gift into action.