Sermons

Hello Everybody!

Since I have been preaching for more than 30 years, I believe I have reached the place where “when I speak, people listen.” At least when I get in a pulpit or when I face a congregation with a prayer book in my hand, I actually command silence (well, almost).

I’ve done a lot of other public speaking, such as keynote addresses, retreats, and even some theological conversations with various people. It can be heady sometimes, but I am still constantly amazed that people really are listening to me and figure it has to be God doing that for sure!

Since publishing my memoir, Lady Father, I have felt a strong call from God to continue “speaking” to his church and so I have gathered some of my sermons together for your enlightenment.

My journey into priesthood and since has been a journey with God; in fact, I have learned this: unless we recognize God’s presence in our lives, we end up doing our own thing and not very well. We also miss the incredible things God does when we let him have free rein. My 2nd piece of written wisdom is an eBook called God IS in the Journey tracing the beginnings of my journey with God, its ups and downs, all leading to my call to the priesthood. Just click on the link above.

When I first added this page for sermons, I felt somewhat like a “show-off,” you know those folks who are forever bragging about their achievements. Many people who do that have good reason to brag – there ARE a lot of intelligent, talented, and creative people in this world. My congregation told me that I have a reason to brag about my sermons – they liked them! So I decided to share them – not to show off my preaching talent – although I have to admit it is awesome – but to increase the audience for my ongoing effort to fulfill my ordination vows. More than 33 years ago, I promised to  “minister the Word of God and the sacraments of the New Covenant, that the reconciling love of Christ may be known and received.”

There was no caveat – nothing that said, “until you retire,” so I kept on preaching every week to  an audience made up of some of the finest churchgoers in the world. It was small and it occurred to me that now that I have fully retired, I have the ability through this blog to minister the Word of God to way more people than those who sat in our beautiful old church on Sunday mornings. So I am beginning with current sermons on this page; maybe in the future I will try to put together an archive of some of my favorites from past years. Hope you’ll check here every week to be ministered to by the word of God according to Rev. Susan.  I was taught in seminary that “Sermonettes make Christianettes” so I tend to preach long. Enjoy!!

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MARY’S WAY OF THE CROSS

Before I get into sermons, I’d like to offer this Way of the Cross with a twist. It’s from the perspective of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. It makes a wonderful experience of prayer as each moment of Christ’s journey to the cross is described from the heart of a loving Mother who will soon watch her son die. It is a full 14 stations and some of them can be left out without affecting the overall effect. Feel free to download and use this as you will with God’s and my blessing.

Way of the Cross – 2014

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MEMORIAL SERVICE – MARK H. – April 18, 2010

As some of you know and as I’m sure the rest of you can tell, I’m not from around here.  Actually, I’m not from New York at all.  I was born and raised in southeastern Virginia, lived for a time in Atlanta, GA, the Gulf Coast of MS, Jackson, MS, and Sewanee Tennessee. So I guess you could call me a good old southern girl. I’ve been in NY for almost 19 years and I have to admit that I still yearn for the sound of a gentle and gentile southern accent.  Just the sound of it takes me home to good memories of loved ones and good times.  So I love books by southern authors – one of my favorites is Lewis Grizzard who wrote such masterpieces as “Don’t Lean Over in the Garden, ‘Cause Those Taters Got Eyes.”  Another is Fannie Flagg who has just written a delightful new book called “Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven.”  Now I don’t just like to read books by southern authors, I like to listen to them and this book was particular fun because it was read by the author herself.  Hearing her talk about the people of Elmwood Springs, MO – people like Elner Shimfissel and Jim the radio guy – was such fun but what I really liked was her description of heaven as experienced by Elner, who died after falling off a ladder while picking figs and fighting with a nest full of hornets. He met up with his sister and many other people he had known in life, which is my fondest desire for the afterlife but my very favorite was Fannie Flagg’s description of the husband and wife team, who both claimed to be God – together like a team – who not only knew everything that Elner had ever done but assured her that all of that was in the past and that they even think about it anymore.

What a great picture of what God has promised those of us who believe that Jesus is our Savior and that he was the one who wiped away all that stuff. When I had finished the book, I thought for a moment, “Gee, I can’t wait to get to heaven.” Of course, that’s not totally true. For the most part we humans aren’t really all that anxious to make the final trip – we have children to watch grow up and grandchildren to help raise – we have things we’ve never done that we’ve promised to do before our last day – like the Bucket List from another great movie. That was a list containing all the things that the leading character wanted to do before he “kicked the bucket.” We all have those things on a list somewhere but many of us will not complete our Bucket List. We’ll either just not get around to everything or we’ll run out of time.

Mark ran out of time. I didn’t have the privilege of knowing him, but I’m willing to bet that he had a Bucket List just like I do – most probably filled with stuff like mine is – sit in the front pew of the church as the honored “grandparent” at my grandchildren’s weddings – ride in a hot-air balloon – see the Great Wall of China and take an Alaskan cruise. Everybody has things like that they want to do before leaving this earth and they’re probably all different, but there is one thing that we all want – and that is to go to heaven. Very few people want to think that when the end comes, it’s truly that – the end. Most of us want to know that when our earthly life is over, there is more – and the “more” we want has to do with security, being safe from the evil one and it has to do with being right with God. But if we’re honest, we all want to be with our loved ones again in a place where there is no pain, no sickness, and no death.

This story about John Todd, a nineteenth-century clergyman, illustrates what I’m saying. When John was six years old, both his parents died. A kind-hearted aunt raised him until he left home to study for the ministry. Later, this aunt became seriously ill, and in distress she wrote Todd a letter with these questions: Would death mean the end of everything, or could she hope for something beyond? John wrote her back: “It is now thirty-five years since I, as a boy of six, was left quite alone in the world. You sent me word you would give me a home and be a kind mother to me. I have never forgotten the day I made the long journey to your house. I can still recall my disappointment when, instead of coming for me yourself, you sent your servant, Caesar, to fetch me.

“I remember my tears and anxiety as, perched high on your horse and clinging tightly to Caesar, I rode off to my new home. Night fell before we finished the journey, and I became lonely and afraid. ‘Do you think she’ll go to bed before we get there?’ I asked Caesar. ‘Oh no!’ he said reassuringly, ‘She’ll stay up for you. When we get out o’ these here woods, you’ll see her candle shinin’ in the window.’

“Presently we did ride out into the clearing, and there, sure enough, was your candle. I remember you were waiting at the door, that you put your arms close about me–a tired and bewildered little boy. You had a fire burning on the hearth, a hot supper waiting on the stove. After supper you took me to my new room, heard me say my prayers, and then sat beside me till I fell asleep.

“Someday soon God will send for you, to take you to a new home.  Don’t fear the summons, the strange journey, or the messenger of death. God can be trusted to do as much for you as you were kind enough to do for me so many years ago. At the end of the road you will find love and a welcome waiting, and you will be safe in God’s care.”

Today, we do mourn the loss of Mark, a devoted son and a beloved brother.  But this mourning is for ourselves and the pain of loss. As strange as it sounds, we also rejoice today because John Todd’s journey has become Mark’s reality. At the end of his road, he found love and a welcome waiting in heaven for he is now safe in God’s care.

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A Tribute to Margaret Perry – April 7, 2013

On April 7, 2013, the congregation of Jermain UMC paid tribute to a great lady – Margaret Howard Perry. A member of Jermain for more than 87 years, she is now approaching the 100-year milestone. To be absolutely sure that she, her family, and community know how much she is loved and appreciated, we decided to celebrate her amazing life and ministry before it would be considered a memorial. Margaret is a kind and loving person who has always put God and church above the things of the world. She is wise and humble, a model for all Christians and the people of Jermain UMC and the White Creek community. Margaret, we salute you!!

The service began with this Call to Worship

We come to God this morning with grateful hearts for his precious gift of aging, which we see so beautifully in our dear sister Margaret Howard Perry. With grace and dignity she has shown us all a strong faith full of wisdom, and the godly example of a lifetime of love and hospitality. Margaret, this morning we honor you with this special day of Thanksgiving and celebration for 98 years of life devoted to God, Jermain Church, family, friends, the community of White Creek, and a faith in God that has supported you and been witness to those around you for almost a century. We love you and we hope you will enjoy your favorite hymns and a message that not only conveys our love for you, but also God’s love and blessing for you and all those who live such a long and faithful life.

Read on to enjoy my sermon…

Many of you know that my grandmother lived with us from the time I was nine years old until long after I had finished college, got married, and moved away from home. I think that I have also mentioned that she was difficult, set in her ways, and very critical. Her sister, whom we called “Auntie,” was totally opposite – sweet, gentle, kind, and never said a negative word that I ever heard, except to tell her sister to “Be nice!” How many times I wished that Auntie was my grandmother – she was the ideal – what everyone hopes their grandmother will be like AND the kind of grandmother I decided many years ago that I would be.

The first time I spoke with Margaret Perry, more than 6 years ago, I thought, “Wow, she sounds just like Auntie.” Then I met her in person and it was like my dear sweet Auntie had returned. I have to admit that, through the years, I had let my negative experience with my grandmother affect my feelings about live-in grandparents and even the way I felt about the elderly in general. She had been my only grandparent, as her husband died when I was a year old and my father’s parents died when he was 3 years old and I felt slighted. Most of my friends had 3 or 4 – at least 2 – grandparents and I knew I had missed out on something special.

Over the years, I have had a change in heart for 2 reasons:

1. I have met and grown to know and love many very special elderly folks , and

2. I have become an elderly folk myself.

Now I know that not all old folks are set-in-their-ways-crotchedy-and critical. Many more are like Auntie – sweet-loving-caring – and like Margaret. Besides, even though I always knew that we should honor our mothers and fathers, I soon discovered that Scripture also tells us that older persons should mentor younger ones and that younger ones should honor and respect older adults. There are several verses in Proverbs that remind us that the older adults, especially those with graying hair, are wise and knowledgeable from living long lives and that it is prudent for the younger ones to listen to them and learn from them.

Yet today, our society seems to push aside older adults, viewing them as useless, feeble, and unable to care for themselves or make decisions for themselves. They are no longer the “beautiful” people that advertisements say they must be. They are thought to be depriving younger people of medical care and so we hide older adults away in nursing homes and adult facilities so we don’t have to think about them.

Scriptures show us a whole different society. The Bible is full of examples of people who lived full and active lives and who continued to serve God well into their later years in life. Many of the most renowned characters in the Bible were well into their elder years, and God was still calling them out for ministry. Abraham and Sarah began their family in their older years. Moses was in his 80’s, and his brother Aaron older than he when God called them to take the Israelite nation into the Promise Land. Naomi was a widow and older woman when she decided to go back to her former homeland and saw a grandchild born who would be part of the ancestry of Jesus. Paul was well into his older years when he became a missionary and traveled extensively, starting new churches. Simeon and Anna, in their elder years, were faithful to watch for the birth of the Messiah and were blessed to live long enough to see Christ. Fishermen started second careers. Timothy’s grandmother was an influence upon his ministry.

Remember, Jesus promised us abundant life — not one necessarily free from aches and pains, but one that can be rewarding and full of joy, and for many years to come. And many of us here in this room are living long and abundant lives but we also keep saying, “what we need is more young people.” And that’s OK, because I think that’s the natural order of things. We’re all getting older and can’t do as much as we used to, but I have another thought about that. A friend told me once that he had been to a new church. “We sampled it,” he said. “We sat kind of in the back, and it was fine but we didn’t go back. There were just too many gray heads in there.” I said to him, “You know, those gray heads are a good thing. They’re veteran leaders. They know where they’re going. They know how to get there, and I’ve found that I want to go with them – I want to be wise like them – like Margaret.” I like being a “gray head” – I like knowing the words without using the book. I like knowing all the hymns; in fact, I thought I knew most all of the old traditional Christian hymns until I met up with Marilyn and Margaret and Maurice – I have learned so many of these dear old hymns and each time we sing them, I can see the light of recognition and joy on the faces of our “gray heads” as they slip into them like old, comfortable blue jeans. Remember when your mother would buy you the darkest blue, stiffest jeans in the world, and then she wanted you to wear them without washing them first. They were miserable – scratchy and hard until you had broken them in, and then they felt just like those hymns – nice and comfortable.

So there are some good things about being older, even though being old has become a rather nebulous measurement. In the United States being older is kind of a function of the Social Security system. You now become eligible for Social Security when you are 66; of course it was 65 until I started to get close. It’s kind of an imaginary line that’s been moved throughout the years and they’re eventually going to move it up to 67. But, while our financial old age is measured by that movable milestone, we have moved it even further. I remember when 70 was really old; in fact, in many industries, 72 was considered the mandatory retirement age but my father was still going strong, fixing taxes and keeping books until he was 79. More and more we hear about 100-year birthday celebrations and tributes like this one for an almost-centenarian. I didn’t ever think I wanted to live to be 97.7 years old until I met Margaret but if I can do the last segment of my life as she has, I will be happy to live as long as she has, to love as much as she has, to watch as many of her offspring be born, grow up, and bring more life into the world as she has, and to look around the room and see that not only am I the oldest person in the room, I am a far sight healthier than most of them. Watching Margaret deal graciously with her fading eyesight, weakening lungs, and the other challenges presented by a body that has withstood almost a century of this world, I feel blessed to know and minister to her. One of the longest sentences I have ever heard from Margaret was uttered on the day I became your Pastor. She said, with characteristic sincerity, humor, and honesty, “If there’s anything we don’t like, you’ll be the first to know about it.” Even though a woman of few words, her gentle wisdom has informed and inspired me, her consistent presence at Bible Study, Church services, and any other activity of this congregation has impressed me, and her smiling face has warmed my heart almost every week in the past 6 years. The only time we miss here here on Sundays is when she’s off gallivanting around the country – So when her spot in that pew is empty, it is a big hole in my Sunday.

Today is mostly about Margaret but I would not be doing my job if I didn’t point out that our Scripture for today was carefully chosen to remind Margaret and all of us of some essential truths about God and aging:

• God spoke through the prophet Isaiah and assured the people of Israel that “even when you turn gray, I will carry you.” No matter how old we get, God will continue to love and support us.

• The Letter to the Hebrews reminds us that from Abraham, “and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.” God used some of the most elderly in Israel to carry out his plan of salvation and many of the most faithful of our age are well past middle age.

• The story of Zacchaeus, the vertically-challenged tax collector, illustrates that Jesus does not base acceptance on physical stature. God loves and accepts us no matter what we look like, what we’ve done, or who we are; he only cares that we want to meet him enough to move past all that – even to climb a tree to get to him. Zacchaeus also reminded me of Margaret.

There are many more encouraging words in Scripture for Margaret and all who find themselves on the high side of the aging process. You have each received a devotional aid to keep as you move through the remaining years of your lives. On one side is a daily devotional that I imagine Margaret might do every day – you can just insert your own words. On the other side, you may notice that the background picture I found entitled “God Smiles” and it seemed to me a perfect backdrop for God’s words of love for his aging creatures. Will you join me in the responsive reading that I hope will bring you peace and maybe even a smile, this and every day:

Leader: Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you (Exodus 20:12).
People: We pray that the long years will be good years.
Leader: The glory of youths is their strength, but the beauty of the aged is their gray hair (Proverbs 20:29).
People: Give us strength and experience.
Leader: Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life (Proverbs 16:31).
People: Day by day, we strive to be more holy.
Leader: Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old. (Proverbs 23:22).
People: We who are parents teach and nurture in love.
Leader: So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to all the generations to come (Psalm 71:18).
People: Help us to always tell the story of Jesus and his love.
Leader: In old age they (cedars) still produce fruit; they are always green and full of sap (Psalm 92:14).
People: Let the world look past the wrinkles and see the soul. Give us the grace to let our souls be worth seeing.

I invited Margaret to join me at the front of the church as the worship ended with this Prayer of Thanksgiving and Blessing for Margaret Howard Perry.

Margaret, we thank you for sharing your life with us, for your veteran leadership in our church, your hospitable home where all are welcome, your wisdom which you have shared with everyone,  your love, and your faith in God, the church, and yourself, all of which you have shared so freely. Your life is an example to the rest of us and we are proud to be walking alongside you in this journey. Your life is a witness to God, an example to me, to all of us, and to the world. I personally thank you, as everyone here does, for letting me walk with you. I hope that my journey will be as honorable as yours and someday, I hope to be walking where you are, waiting for the pearly gates to open and welcome me home, where we will all finally be together again.  Let us pray.

God in heaven, we give you thanks for Margaret,  for her sweet disposition, her strong faith and leadership in Jermain Church, her hospitality, love and care for family, her good humor, generosity, and wisdom. Thank you for giving her to us for all these years and for those still to come. Bless her, dear Father, with  an even longer life, good health, more and more grand-offspring, and a strong faith that will sustain her throughout what is yet to come. Give her much love – your own and ours, that she will feel loved for the rest of her days and then some. Fill her with the peace that comes from knowing that the death and resurrection of your Son, Jesus, has won the final victory over death and assured her of a room in your heavenly mansion. In his name, we pray. Amen.

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A Service of LESSONS AND CAROLS

This is a Service of Lesson and Carols for the fourth Sunday of Advent. It isn’t your traditional Lessons and Carols since we did not rehearse the history of God’s creation from Adam to Jesus. Each member was given a small booklet entitled “My Christmas To-Do List” and the Service consisted of Scripture and Carols along with suggestions as how to use the booklet to “Keep the Christ in Christmas.” You can download the booklet to use during the week by clicking HERE. Keep it to refer to as you come back every day.

ADVENT 4

DECEMBER 18, 2011

BIDDING PRAYER:

Beloved in Christ, this Christmas season it is our duty and delight to prepare ourselves to hear again the message of the angels, to go in heart and mind to Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, to see Mary, God’s chosen, her faithful husband Joseph, and the Baby Jesus lying in a manger with only the hay to cushion his head and cloths to keep him warm.

Let us pray.

Father in heaven, open our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit that, as the Scriptures are read, our Christmas carols are sung, and your Word proclaimed, we may hear with joy what you say to us and that you will bless these words with your divine grace that they may bless us with their power and their truth. As we gaze on this familiar and holy scene, let us not forget that it is this tiny baby boy who is the “reason for the season.” Remind us every day that what we celebrate is this incredible gift of God for all people – the gift of his Son, who will live in love, die for love, and be raised by love for the salvation of the world. Let us not get lost in the shopping and baking, in the wrapping and decorating, in the fun and pleasure that we find in our earthly celebrations of the Christmas season. Every morning bring our hearts back to that one moment in time when your love for us became so huge that it burst forth in the person of Jesus. As we go about our daily routines and our Christmas preparations, fill our hearts with thankfulness and praise for your gift so that they may overflow with love and pour it out on the people around us. As we end each day, bless us with your peace so that our bodies and our spirits will awaken anew to the joy of the season. Amen.

Let us begin our worship this morning with the haunting words and music of the Prophet Isaiah, “O come, O come Emmanuel.”  (UMH #211 “O come, O come Emmanuel”)

It’s hard to hear this hymn every Advent and not think of what is coming in just a few short weeks. Today, we are only one week away from the day we celebrate Emmanuel, God with us. As we enter this week before Christmas, I am offering to you an opportunity to really enjoy Christmas by focusing on the “reason for the season.”

Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul to the Romans: (13:11-14).

“Make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can’t afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don’t loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!”

Although the apostle Paul wrote this passage long ago, it perfectly describes our modern challenge for the days leading up to Christmas. Day-to-day obligations increase as Christmas gets closer and people think about the entertaining, shopping, decorating, and all the necessary chores that are necessary to have a perfect Christmas. But, as Paul said, the best is yet to come; deliverance is near! Dawn is about to break! God is interceding in human affairs to provide something life-giving, real, and lasting. Far from the temporary satisfaction we get from acquiring things, God’s incredible love is actually dwelling among us. We are receiving a gift beyond anything conceived by humanity and way more valuable than anything marketed on store shelves.

If we truly want a life-giving Christmas, drawing closer to God will have to take priority over any material desire on this year’s wish list. So, during this last week in Advent, our focus will have to be on living into the eternal hope we have as believers in Jesus, carrying that hope for others, knowing that no matter what we go through, we are never alone. With this hope as our focus, as we approach Christmas Day, God will break through our circumstances and shed his light on them. The focus of all the activities of the week can put one’s Christmas list in perspective as we concentrate on seeking God first.

Let us remain seated as we sing a familiar hymn to help us remember the one who is expected – the one who came to set God’s people free – the one on whom we will focus our thoughts and activities this week. (UMH #196 “Come, thou long-expected Jesus”)

“My Christmas To-Do List”- Sunday

As we leave church today, we will all have this booklet to help us think about the long-expected Messiah – the one who came to earth as one of us – and what that means in our lives. When you get home today I hope you will take some time to begin this journey with me. It’s simple. It’s called “My Christmas To-Do List.” There are no rules to this exercise – I encourage you to use this as it will be most helpful to you. There is only one thing – it’s what I call a “must-doable.” That is whatever you write in your booklet, it must be doable. It’s great to wish for peace on earth but make sure that you include something that is doable for you. It’s nice to want to feed all the hungry in Washington County but, unless you plan on throwing a huge dinner at the hall, keep it doable.

So the first thing to do is to – what else do we do at Christmas? Make a list. But this is not a list of things you want Santa to bring or things you want your family to buy for you. This first list, which you will make today, is entitled, “Things I will talk with God about today.” This will become your prayer list for the rest of the day and tomorrow. Think about your family members – is anyone hurting this year? Has there been a loss in your family? List those who are living through their first Christmas without their loved one, those who lost a job, anyone who has suffered a devastating loss. Keep them in your heart for the rest of the day and pray for them before you sleep.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 19th

 Now, listen to more words from the Prophet Isaiah (9:2, 6-7.)

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.”

 As you consider looking past your many Christmas chores to the people around you, let the words of this hymn move you to open your heart to the one who made Christmas the biggest birthday part in the universe. (UMH #213 “Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates”)

“My Christmas To-Do List” – Monday

Your list for Monday again has nothing to do with the “things” of Christmas. It has to do with the people around you – maybe some of those on Sunday’s list. The people you put on this list are the people around you who are alone, maybe in a nursing home. Add anyone you know who is having a tough time or anyone you want to re-connect with this week. Maybe you know someone who could use an encouraging word or a sweet Christmas card. Even if you have decided to not send out hundreds of dollars worth of cards this year, think of those who really need such an expression of love and care. Work your way through this list and every time you check off a name, say a little prayer for that person and give thanks that God has given you the love and compassion to reach out to those you love.

As you can tell, this is not your everyday, run-of-the-mill preparation for the Christmas season. Our focus is definitely not on the traditional activities of this time of the year. Sunday and Monday are all about hope – how the birth of Jesus brings hope to the world and how we can find hope and help others find hope by sharing the story of Christ’s birth with things as simple as a Christmas card, a phone call, or a visit accompanied by some Christmas cookies you made with your kids who were wanting to spend some time with you.

We’ve all heard the words of the next reading many times – some of it we may even know by heart. It’s tempting to zone out during such familiar words but I ask you this morning to focus on the words of the Gospel of Luke as he tells the story of the birth of Jesus.

(Luke 2:1-14)

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. 

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

 Let’s sing these words now – again a familiar hymn that we need to really sing, really listen to, and take into our hearts this year.  (UMH #230 “O little town of Bethlehem”)

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 20th

“My Christmas To-Do List” – Tuesday

Your list for Tuesday should be simple but essential in your quest to focus on the reason for the season. To do that, create a double list. On the left side, name three things that you do every year – things that maybe have not focused on the “reason for the season” in the past. On the right side, write what you will do differently this week, substituting things that bring renewed hope and faith, rather than depleting energy and bank accounts. For example, instead of spending all day Saturday shopping for the perfect gifts, you might spend Saturday morning having coffee with someone you’ve missed seeing lately. Or, you might get together your kids and their friends who talk about nothing but what they want for Christmas and take them to the Health Center or the Danforth and sing Christmas carols to the residents.

You can also list things you can do differently that will make the Christ Child the center of your Christmas celebrations. Maybe you need a creche set, or to clean up the ancient and well-used one in the attic, and how about using it for a centerpiece instead of installing it high on the mantelpiece where only Santa will be able to see it. You could make an arrangement of all the Christmas cards you receive which show the baby Jesus, the holy family, or any of the words, hope, peace, love, and joy. Look around your home and your life and find those places where you can place the baby Jesus front and center for all to see. Focus on the peace that Jesus can bring to your life and to your world and make that the center of your decorations.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21st

Peace is something we all crave and it’s something Jesus spoke of often. In the Advent season, the first we hear about this peace is from John the Baptist announced that the Christ child was coming of age. (Luke 3:15-18)

“I’m baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. The real action comes next: The main character in this drama—compared to him I’m a mere stagehand—will ignite the kingdom life within you, a fire within you, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He’s going to clean house—make a clean sweep of your lives. He’ll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he’ll put out with the trash to be burned.”

This is the peace that exists within the kingdom life, but the good news of Christmas is that we don’t have to wait for that life as if it were a distant dream. We can put into practice the way of peace in our lives and even in the world. When we do that by focusing on the Prince of Peace, we will find peace with God, peace with others, and peace in our actions – from home to community, and far beyond. This peace is not necessarily a lack of conflict or trouble or even those bad things that always seem to be happening to good people, but it is a deep, abiding sense that we know our purpose and that by God’s grace we will live into God’s dreams for us.

“My Christmas To-Do List” – Wednesday

On Wednesday, your list will be all about the possibilities for God’s peace to inhabit and infuse the world. It’s easy to seek material things to try and find some peace in our lives, and we tend to do that for the majority of the year. The truth is when we seek Christ, we actually find it without those things. So one would think that we would at least look for peace at this time of the year in the right places. Instead, we become unsettled over all the things we have to do, the things we cannot afford to do, and even the things that we love to do. Somehow, it seems that all of this becomes the “have tos” of the season, making us feel that our lives are out of control. The recession may be affecting your ability to “do” everything you want to do, to buy all the right gifts. There may be a sense of restlessness in your heart. Peace may feel far away. John’s words beckon us to put things in perspective. He reminds us that the kingdom life exists when we keep the main thing the main thing. It seems natural around Christmas that Jesus would be the main thing, yet so often we lose that focus as we prepare for the holidays.

So, your list for Wednesday is: How can I keep Jesus the main “thing” in Christmas? Before you start your list, try this technique. Imagine you are a stagehand for Jesus. Your only role is to set things up for Jesus to be seen, heard, and experienced. What will you do? How will you focus the spotlight? How will you elevate Jesus? What kind of mood will you create so Jesus is best received? If we were to live as Jesus’ stagehands, how would we build a “set” for peace? How would we live our lives as part of that “set”?

This is basically what we do in worship. We set the stage for Christ to be honored. But, we don’t have to leave that here in the church. We can extend this mentality into our daily lives because the more we focus on Jesus, the more peace we will find. Include in your list ways of reordering your life with a focus on preparing for your celebration of Christmas that will bring peace to you and those around you.

One of my favorite Christmas carols totally exudes peace whenever we sing or hear it. It’s maybe the most familiar hymn in the Christian church. Let’s sing these immortal words together and let their peace seep into your heart. (UMH #239 “Silent Night”)

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22nd

“My Christmas To-Do List” – Thursday

As the week wears on, most people find an even greater need and craving for peace – just a walk through the mall will send you running for a peaceful refuge. So on Thursday, think about areas in your life and in your community that need peace. This is another double list – on the left, identify your needs for peace. On the right, list things you can do to promote peace. List the places in the world needing peace, even those too far away for you to make a difference because there is no place too far away for God to bring peace. This will be your prayer list for the day – places where destruction and violence exist, the dark places where pain and suffering seem to overwhelm and destroy – places where no one knows the good news of God’s gift of the Christ Child. Pray for these and the people who live there; ask God to fill them with his peace.

The story of the birth of Jesus continues now: (Luke 2:15-20)

“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”

 As we reach the end of this story, it’s obvious that the focus is not on things; it is on the child – the baby Jesus – the Son of God. Let’s sing about this child. (UMH #219 “What child is this?”)

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23rd

 Now it’s Friday and here is what you will add to your list: How have you been keeping Christ the main character in your life this week? How has focusing on Jesus brought you some peace in this hectic season? Here are some possibilities for you to practice peace in your own world: Where you hear gossip, offer a good word. Where people experience brokenness, do what you can to heal. Where sickness and death prevail, offer a moment of life’s joy. If you have tumultuous relationships in your own life, do what you can to bring about peace. Pray for your enemies that they may be blessed and find peace by trusting that God knows their deepest needs as well as yours.

Above all, to find and pass this peace along, it is necessary to listen to others. To find peace, people need to feel heard and to know they are not alone in their suffering. Those who are so deep in their pain that peace eludes them need peace more than ever. You can bring that peace by infusing into your conversations the reality of God’s grace in your life. Remind them that the reason for the season is that the hope and peace of Christ assures the world that no matter the situation, peace can prevail. In his birth, his life, and his death Jesus taught us that we need to work hard to try to treat others as we would want to be treated – we know that as the golden rule. And if we all practice that, peace is attainable.

This brings us to the part of our worship that we know and love – passing the peace. Many times it becomes a meet-and-greet experience. As we greet each other this morning, remember that peace is a physical representation of God’s grace that goes way beyond our human understanding. Even as we speak the words “Peace be with you” we may be thinking about what we need to buy at the grocery store on the way home or we may be wanting to wish a friend a good day or find out how someone is feeling. The reality about this moment in our worship is this: God’s peace comes through the love God has placed in our hearts so while the words “Peace be with you” are an intentional wish for God to fill that person with peace, even a simple “Good morning,” can bring peace to one who may not have had a good morning today or any other days for a long time. It’s not the exact words that count – it’s the love in our hearts that fill our words with peace.

Pastor: And now the peace of the Lord be always with you.

People: And also with you.

Pastor: Let us greet one another in the name of the Lord.

We are pausing to take time, as we do every Sunday morning, to offer our own gifts to God from the blessings God pours out on us every day of our lives. We sing praises to God as we offer up to God these gifts to be used to spread God’s peace all around us, not just in the week before Christmas, but every day of every week of every year of every life. Let’s sing another favorite Christmas carol that speaks of God’s love and peace given to the world in Jesus. (UMH #238 – “Angels we have heard on high”) 

Christmas Doxology (MAJN #6)

CHRISTMAS EVE, December 24, 2011

 Again, listen to the Prophet Isaiah: (35:1-10).

“Wilderness and desert will sing joyously, the badlands will celebrate and flower—Like the crocus in spring, bursting into blossom, a symphony of song and color. Mountain glories of Lebanon—a gift. Awesome Carmel, stunning Sharon—gifts. God’s resplendent glory, fully on display. God awesome, God majestic. Energize the limp hands, strengthen the rubbery knees. Tell fearful souls, “Courage! Take heart! God is here, right here, on his way to put things right And redress all wrongs. He’s on his way! He’ll save you!”

Blind eyes will be opened, deaf ears unstopped, Lame men and women will leap like deer, the voiceless break into song. Springs of water will burst out in the wilderness, streams flow in the desert. Hot sands will become a cool oasis, thirsty ground a splashing fountain. Even lowly jackals will have water to drink, and barren grasslands flourish richly. There will be a highway called the Holy Road. No one rude or rebellious is permitted on this road. It’s for God’s people exclusively— impossible to get lost on this road. Not even fools can get lost on it. No lions on this road, no dangerous wild animals.  Nothing and no one dangerous or threatening. Only the redeemed will walk on it.

The people God has ransomed will come back on this road. They’ll sing as they make their way home to Zion, unfading halos of joy encircling their heads, Welcomed home with gifts of joy and gladness as all sorrows and sighs scurry into the night.”

Many times, we find ourselves looking for joy in all the wrong places. Forced expectations of joy at this time of year often highlight what is wrong or missing in people’s lives. If people see a stark contrast between their lives and what is presented as a cultural norm, they can feel isolated and depressed. Joy that comes from God can restore a sense of wholeness and community to anyone feeling alone. But get ready — for joy is not a surface-level happy – it is deeply seated in one’s character. Joy may not always manifest itself in smiles and laughter, but rather in a quiet grace and assurance. Joy might be described as knowing something better exists, and holding onto the hope that that which is better is also possible.

Isaiah was focusing on contrast – that in opposition to brokenness, wrongs, sorrows and sighs, God will prevail, and one day all shall be well. We all face many issues in today’s world. We have looked at many of these issues and we have laid out how we can touch those issues in the coming week – through prayer, making contact and connections, and by sharing God’s love in random acts of Christmas love.

“My Christmas To-Do List” – Christmas Eve

Saturday is Christmas Eve and it is a day to focus on the things that bring joy to our lives. In your list today, include the places where God’s presence is evident – in the soup kitchens, food pantries, Christmas donations, and parties for the needy. Include places where you find peace and joy. One obvious example is our worship. What are the things that bring you joy as we sing and pray together; what are the words that speak to you of joy; where do you find joy in God’s house? This is also a double list – on the other side, make a list of those people who crave this joy you have found, people who need to hear and sing about this joy, those who may not come here looking for that joy unless you invite them.

As you look at your list, pray for those you want to invite and if you find yourself hesitating, think again about how you define joy and how much joy you experience in our worship. Think again about those people in your life who need this joy and don’t forget – joy is doubled when you share it with others. Repeat this often; even post it on your refrigerator for the week and then leave it up all year: “Receiving is fun; the real joy comes from giving.”

Remember the words of the herald angels in the sky over Bethlehem: “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” Let’s sing about these angels and their message of joy. (#240 “Hark, the herald angels sing”)

The last piece of this celebration is your own Christmas Sermon telling the Good News of the birth of Jesus, the Son of God.

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JONAH, LIKE YOU’VE NEVER HEARD!

This may be the most amazing Bible Story I’ve ever seen/heard/experienced!
I’m including it here for you!

The story of Jonah from Corinth Baptist Church on Vimeo.

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VETERANS’ DAY – November 11, 2012

As a seminary student, I discovered some disturbing things about my beloved Episcopal Church of which I had been a member all of my life. Thankfully, the other thing I learned was that not all of them mattered much to those in the pews. Some were really important things that did matter to everyone like the whole issue of the ordination of women and why we should never sing “Just as I am,” especially at the end of the service. Near the top of the list was what I soon learned was a rule that took me totally by surprise. I knew about the whole issue of the separation of church and state as the 1980’s was bringing about a new concern about things like prayer in the schools and the use of government property for nativity scenes or anything that even looked religious. But that concern was coming from the government as more and more non-religious and anti-religious groups were complaining about what they saw as an encroaching role of the church in the secular world. Up to then, I was not aware that this whole issue was working in the opposite direction as well.

In the church where I was raised, we had 2 huge flags always standing at attention on either side of the Altar – the flag of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the USA and “old Glory.” Our acolytes had always carried both flags in procession; I can remember how impressive they were as they approached the chancel steps and did a very solemn criss-cross in front of the Altar to deposit their flags in their holders. In fact, I’ll bet that more than 90% of the churches in those days gave the American flag the same place of honor in their sanctuaries, so it just seemed natural to me to see our country’s flag in church. Now I was discovering that not only was this a huge issue, but that the National Church was becoming more and more adamant about  the role of the secular world of governments and businesses in the life of the church. Even though they mandated that flags were not appropriate in a house of worship, many congregations still displayed American flags in their sanctuaries while others chose to display the flag in social halls or to take the flag down altogether in church buildings. I suppose there is merit to both positions: on the one hand, the church is part of the real world, including the world of government, politics, and foreign policy; on the other hand, as their reasoning went, God’s love embraces the earth, rather than focusing on any nation’s cause or victory. Their evidence of this was a quote by Abraham Lincoln who once said in a time of war: we need to pray that we are on God’s side, rather than that God is on our side!” The point was that God’s care embraces the whole earth, including our nation’s “enemies.”

Well, in my mind, that explanation, which many use to exclude national flags from churches, is the very reason why I think that their presence is perfectly acceptable and even natural. The presence of this flag makes the blatant statement that this church IS on God’s side and to exclude our flag makes an equally blatant statement that this church considers itself separate from the state; in other words, this would put us squarely on the side of those that want to exclude church from every other part of our society. Our belief that Jesus was fully human and so a part of the secular world as we are means that we must take the affairs of state seriously, as Jesus did. And so, it is not only acceptable to raise our flag in this church and to talk about and honor our veterans, it is necessary. How can we claim to be a church for the whole world if we exclude one part of it from our worship?

And so, today, as Veterans’ Day falls on our day of worship, it is natural that we pause to recognize this day in the life of our country. First, a little history: Originally known as Armistice Day, it was instituted in gratitude for our victory in World War I. President Woodrow Wilson said, “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.”

While such words can be seen as platitudes, they remind us that “peace” and “justice” should be top goals of all national policies. They also remind us, in a time of growing individualism and me-first politics and economics, that national health depends on sacrifice — not just in times of war, but in our civic responsibility, human rights, and even tax paying. And so we pray every week in our worship, for our country, the wisdom of its leaders, the courage and safety of its armed forces, and the responsible citizenship of all Americans. On Veterans Day, we get specific and proclaim our gratitude to those whose service in the military has secured our freedoms through the years. Whether or not we approve of our nation’s foreign policy, it is vital that we support the everyday people — mostly working class, often minorities — who fight our nation’s wars. We need to say “thank you.” But our thanksgiving should also lead to action, both in support of the well-being of veterans, especially those who have been injured or traumatized by war, and in our own commitment to the common good.

It is easy, as the prophets and Jesus both noted, to speak of sacrifice, without making the commitment to sacrifice for the well-being of our neighbors. When Veterans Day is understood in the spirit of the biblical tradition, it reminds us that there is no such thing as rugged individualism or absolute property rights; everything is a gift from God to be used for the well-being of others as well as our own kin. Sacrifice is not just the responsibility of veterans; it is required of all who would follow the way of Jesus. And so, in the spirit of Wilson’s proclamation, justice and peace should guide our national and personal decision-making. Accordingly, remembrance of the sacrifices made by veterans challenges us to ask: Do our actions promote the overall well-being of our nation’s peoples and this good earth? Do we focus on our own welfare to the exclusion of our neighbor? What are we willing to sacrifice so that others may live abundantly? These are questions that Jesus asked the Pharisees of his day and nothing has changed even though the structures of our church and our governments have. I believe God still expects us to work and pray for peace in his world.

So it is highly appropriate that we stop on Veterans Day to be grateful and to ask God to inspire us to generosity and commitment to the well-being of our nation, most especially its most vulnerable citizens and veterans who have suffered the ravages of war. It is in this act, that our reliance on God will take us beyond nationalism or self-interest to the affirmation of our role as God’s partners in healing the earth. Let me illustrate with this story told by one veteran about another veteran and called simply:

The Old Gentleman

“As I came out of the supermarket that sunny day, pushing my cart of groceries towards my car, I saw an old man with the hood of his car up and a lady sitting inside the car with the door open. The old man was looking at the engine. I put my groceries away in my car and continued to watch the old gentleman from about twenty-five feet away. I saw a young man in his early twenties with a grocery bag in his arm, walking towards the old man.

The old gentleman saw him coming too, and took a few steps towards him. I saw the old gentleman point to his open hood and say something. The young man put his grocery bag into what looked like a brand new Cadillac Escalade and then turned back and I heard him yell at the old gentleman saying, “You shouldn’t even be allowed to drive a car at your age.” And then with a wave of his hand, he got into his car and peeled rubber out of the parking lot. I saw the old gentleman pull out his handkerchief and mop his brow as he went back to his car and again looked at the engine. He then went to his wife and spoke with her and appeared to tell her it would be okay. I had seen enough and I walked over to the old man. He saw me coming and stood straight and as I got near him. I said, “Looks like you’re having a problem.” He smiled sheepishly and quietly nodded his head. I looked under the hood myself and knew that whatever the problem was, it was beyond me.  Looking around, I saw a gas station up the road and told the old gentleman that I would be right back. I drove to the station and went inside and saw three attendants working on cars.

I approached one of them and related the problem the old man had with his car and offered to pay them if they could follow me back down and help him. The old man had pushed the heavy car under the shade of a tree and appeared to be comforting his wife. When he saw us, he straightened up and thanked me for my help. As the mechanics diagnosed the problem (an overheated engine), I spoke with the old gentleman. When I shook hands with him earlier, he had noticed my Marine Corps ring and now he commented about it telling me that he had been a Marine, too. I nodded and asked the usual question: “What outfit did you serve with?”

 He told me that he had served with the First Marine Division at Tarawa, Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Guadalcanal. He had hit all the big ones and retired from the Corps after the war was over. As we talked, we heard the car engine come to life and saw the mechanics lower the hood. They came over to us as the old man reached for his wallet, but I stopped him and said that I would just put the call on my AAA account. He still reached for the wallet and handed me a card that I assumed had his name and address on it. I stuck it in my pocket. We shook hands all around again and I said my goodbyes to his wife.

 I then told the two mechanics that I would follow them back to the station. Once at the station, I told them that I had interrupted their own jobs to come along with me and help the old man. I said I wanted to pay for their help, but they refused to charge me. One of 
them pulled out a card from his pocket that looked exactly like the card the old man had given to me. Both of the men told me then, that they were Marine Corps Reservists. Once again, we shook hands all around. As I was leaving, one of them told me I should look at the card the old man had given to me. I said I would and drove off. For some reason, I had gone about two blocks when I pulled over and took the card out of my pocket and looked at it for a long, long time. The name of the old gentleman was on the card in gold leaf and under his name, it said … “Congressional Medal of Honor Society.” 

I sat there motionless, looking at the card and reading it over and over. I looked up from the card and smiled to no one but myself and marveled that on this day, four Marines had all come together because one of us needed help. He was an old man, all right, but it felt good 
to have stood next to greatness and courage and it was an honor to have been in his presence.
”

So back to our history: Armistice Day became Veterans’ Day by an act of Congress in 1954, changing its purpose and scope. President Eisenhower called on the nation to remember the sacrifices of those who fought in all our nation’s wars, to celebrate the contributions of all veterans of military service, and to rededicate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace. It is Eisenhower’s call that remains the three-fold purpose of Veterans’ Day: remembering those who fought and died, celebrating all veterans, and promoting an enduring peace.

I never served in the military, but thousands of men and women before me did and to each of them, I am forever grateful. Because of them and their willingness to lay their lives on the line for freedom, I stand here today and you sit here before God, totally free to believe what we want to and to say whatever is in our hearts and minds. I am also grateful to the military community for instilling in us the reverence for the ultimate sacrifice made by members of each of our armed forces. If you have ever watched a state funeral or the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, you know what I mean. The military has a way of honoring its members, especially its dead, that I think our society has begun to lose. If you have ever attended a funeral in a military cemetery, this is what you would have experienced. Arriving at the gate where there is a military guard you would have been greeted with at least two uniformed guards. When they were told that you were there for a service for a veteran or a veteran’s spouse, they would come out of the little kiosk, snap to attention and salute all the cars that drive by.

Driving into the cemetery, you would notice that anyone you passed would stop what they were doing and either give a military salute or remove their hats or put their hands over their hearts. Workers preparing for funerals or doing general maintenance would pause as you drove by, standing in reverent silence until you had passed. There would be a hush throughout the grounds as everyone paid their private respects and honored the grief of those who were burying their loss. I remember as a child, whenever a funeral passed by on the street, every car would pull over and stop and many drivers and passengers would even get out of their cars and stand, hats off, heads bowed, while the entire procession passed. As a pastor, I have always been very moved by those acts of reverence but, I am sad to say, during my 25 years of riding in funeral processions, I have seen an appalling decline in this sharing of the sadness of the grieving. I have seen drivers break into the funeral procession, one almost hitting the hearse, and I have seen their impatience and complete lack of anything bordering on reverence for the dead or the grieving loved ones. I have passed by many people who do not even look up, much less acknowledge the passing of a fellow human being. I have conducted funerals amid the noise of digging graves, cutting grass, and even loud and raucous laughter from some unfeeling visitors to the cemetery. I have even witnessed rude and degrading behavior from one group of workers standing by and waiting while a military widow was presented with the flag from her husband’s coffin. I shot them a look that would wither a fig tree and followed it up with a well-placed complaint to the management, but the damage was done. The moment was spoiled and the pain of that irreverence will always taint that women’s memories of her husband and his sacrifice for the freedom that allows even that kind of expression from Americans.

I believe that this new generation has lost something vital to our well-being both as a nation and as God’s children called to love each other. So many have forgotten how to say “thank you” and have even managed to either deny the need for or lose the ability to show the proper respect. But not our military. They continue to give us the timeless example of how to show our gratitude to our veterans. When kids in my parents’ generation were graduating high school, they were thinking about fighting Hitler and Naziism. When kids in my grandparents’ generation were graduating high school, they were thinking about joining the Allies in Europe.  When I graduated high school, I was thinking about going to a party at Virginia Beach.

I sometimes wish that I had done more to serve my country and I always wish that I could say thank you to all who. They put everything on the line so that I could worship, speak, read, raise a family, pursue happiness, work for justice, and grow old in safety. Over the years, I have discovered that the best way to do this is by remembering what they have done, by giving thanks to God for their patriotism, their selflessness, and their courage in the face of evil and death, and by continuing to echo the plea of God and his people: “Let there be peace on earth, let this be the moment now. Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.

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PENTECOST – May 27, 2012 (Memorial Day)

Good morning and Merry Christmas!!

I wanted to start by saying Merry Christmas because it’s kind of been a theme for me this year to keep the main thing the main thing. Christmas is not a holiday – it is a holy day. It’s actually one of the holiest days of our Church year and should be the holiest day of the year for the entire world. But alas, not everybody is on that bandwagon. In fact, even in the Christian world, there have been people – serious people – who have tried to get rid of Christmas. Now, I’m not just talking about the Scrooges – you know those people – the Bah Humbugs of the world. Listen to this little gem from Church history. The Puritans were what history calls “Super Christians” and that’s not a complimentary title. They were just what their name suggested – Pure – i – tans. Their main focus was on making sure that the rules were kept so that no paganism or un-Christian beliefs and behaviors could creep in and pollute their Puritan mindset.

At one point, the Puritans decided that the world was ruining Christmas with all the pagan rituals. They especially objected to the fact that the holiday usually came on a weekday, therefore distracting people, they thought, from the Lord’s Day of Sunday. But they did more than annually complain about it as we do. They took action and got rid of Christmas altogether. Yep! You heard right. In Puritan settlements across 17th century America a law was passed outlawing the celebration of Christmas. The market place was ordered to stay open for business as though it was no special occasion and all violators were prosecuted. It was against the law to make plum pudding on December 25th. The celebration was not referred to as Yuletide but as fooltide.

Today we also want to reform Christmas and clean it up. We want to get rid of the pagan commercialism and the anti-Christmas movement that wants to move it from a holy day to a holiday. We think that the best way is to go back to the good old days when all the stores were closed on Christmas – when people who were traveling on Christmas Day got their gas and their last presents on Christmas Eve, at the latest, and when they took off the next day, parking lots were empty, stores were dark, and the world was basically focused on one thing – the Baby Jesus. Or was it? I grew up in those good old days when we stayed home on Christmas morning and opened presents and if we didn’t have enough butter for the coffee cake, we borrowed it from across the street or we had scrambled eggs. I grew up when we spent the afternoon visiting friends – most of our relatives lived in far away places and we only got together at Christmas once in a blue moon so we went from house to house – my Dad’s god-daughter’s family, my Mother’s best friends, and anybody who was having a hard time that year.

We certainly didn’t have such a commercial Christmas as the world does now, but we didn’t sit around and talk about Jesus either. We did what Jesus commanded – we loved each other – but we had fun and we rode in cars and we even went to parties on Christmas Eve before Church – all things that the Puritans would have outlawed. So, we need to be careful when we talk about getting rid of any part or parcel of the Christmas experience. The Puritans thought if they got rid of it all together, then they would be saved from such sinful ways as spending $40 billion annually on presents. Well, I’m one of the all-time critics of Christmas commercialism but can you think of a better way of spending all that money than on gifts of love? And so what if all the lights and tinsel does create a fairy tale setting that soon disappears as does the so called Christmas spirit. At least it lets us know, if only for a brief time, what life can be like if we only try.

So I want to let the message ring out this Christmas that we can never destroy this holy day. We may want to take it back from its present almost-pagan holiday status, but if we lose some of the time-honored traditions of the season like gift-giving and visiting friends and decorating our world in honor of the one we celebrate, then we are literally throwing out the baby with the bath water. It has occurred to me for the first time, when I was complaining the day after Halloween that the stores were already starting to put out Christmas stuff, that this is not a bad thing. I know, we rant and rave every year that the stores are trying to milk Christmas for a little longer but think about this. The longer the decorations are up and the advertising is blaring about Christmas, the more opportunity there is for people to hear that one word that can bring peace to this world – Christmas.

So, instead of bad-mouthing Target and Wal-Mart and the malls for their “way-too-early” Christmas season, maybe we should get on the bandwagon. Instead of laboring along in the season after Pentecost during the gorgeous days of Fall, waiting for the dreary days of early winter to start talking about the coming Christ child, we should be telling the world – look who’s coming – get ready for this – we should be singing every week, Come and worship, come let us adore him, and Joy to the World. We should be plastering this verse on football stadiums instead of John 3:16 – “Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be for all generations. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a savior who is Christ the Lord.” As I wrote these words yesterday, I couldn’t help but shake my head at my own failure to grasp this for so many years.

When I went to Israel back in 1994, I bought a gorgeous olive wood nativity set in Bethlehem. It was mega-expensive and it cost almost as much to ship it home as it did to purchase it. But you weren’t allowed to bring things like that out of the country – you had to ship them – hmmm – wonder who made out on that ruling?? Anyway, our trip was in late January so it was almost March before I received my precious package from Bethlehem. I couldn’t wait to get it open and then I realized – it’s March – I have to wait until December to put this out. I was so disappointed but I dusted it off, stored it away and the week before Christmas that year I finally got to place my precious creche out for the world to see. That was the year that I discovered that the hymn Joy to the World is NOT a Christmas hymn. It isn’t even anywhere near the Christmas section in the Episcopal hymnal – it was written by English hymn writer Isaac Watts, and was based on Psalm 98 which we read this morning. Watts wrote the words of “Joy to the World” as a two-part hymn glorifying Christ’s triumphant return at the end of the age, rather than a Christmas song celebrating his first coming as a babe born in a stable. It is the second half of Watts’ lyrics that we sing today.

In January, when I put away all my Christmas decorations, I started to pack up my nativity scene and then I thought, “Wait a minute! Jesus didn’t just come for Christmas – he came for the whole year! I don’t have to put this away – the message is still the same today as it was on December 25th and as it will be on July 4th.” So, I left it out and it’s been in plain view in my home ever since. Since Jesus never rests or sleeps, I figure my celebration, or at least my recognition, of his birth shouldn’t either.

Now, all that being said, I want to look at that gift that is firmly ensconced on a table in my living room as not only something to be thought about, talked about, sung about, and celebrated every day but it is also something that is so miraculous, so unheard of, so incomprehensible, that it is, as the Apostle Paul called it, indescribable. He said this in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians where he was writing about human gifts. The church in Corinth was taking up offerings to give to the poor Christians in Jerusalem. Paul commended them for their eagerness to help, & reminds them that those who sow sparingly will also reap sparingly, but that those who sow generously will reap generously. Then he shifts his attention from human gifts to God’s gift of sending Jesus to earth for us. And he cannot find words to describe that so he simply says, “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift.”

Indescribable is one of those plain words that have taken on a deeper meaning through history. Remember when the Peter Paul Candy Company came out with the Mounds’ candy bar, which is by the way, the finest clump of sugar on the market – there is just nothing better than their combination of sweet dark chocolate and creamy coconut. Sorry, I get carried away. If you’re old enough, you may remember that the original slogan of the Mounds candy bar was, “What a bar of candy for 5 cents!” This was in the 1920’s and Mounds and Almond Joy both enjoyed a long reign as the king of nickel candy bars. Then, after the war, when all candy prices had to be raised due to the out-of-control prices of the raw materials needed to make candy, the 5 cents slogan had to be changed, because it now cost 10 cents. So they began using the phrase “Indescribably Delicious.”

There are many things we find indescribable in this life – one of them is “how does our luggage get lost on a simple flight from Albany to Raleigh NC?” This happened to us when my Dad died and none of us could figure out what happened. Here’s what I think happens – it doesn’t really matter what time of the year it is but it can be especially bad at Christmas when the airport has turned a tacky red and green with loudspeakers blaring elevator renditions of cherished Christmas carols. At this time of the year, if you go back into the holding area where all the luggage was separated into piles, you will see hanging mistletoe. Not real mistletoe, but very cheap plastic with red paint on some of the rounder parts and green paint on some of the flatter and “pointier” parts, that could be taken for mistletoe only in a very Picasso sort of way. One traveler, looking for some errant luggage, saw it and with a considerable degree of irritation and nowhere else to vent it, he said to the lady attendant, “Even if I were not married, I would not want to kiss you under such a ghastly mockery of mistletoe.”

She said, “Ma’am, look more closely at where the mistletoe is.” “Ok, I see that it’s above the luggage scale, which makes that the place you’d have to step forward for a kiss.” She smirked and said, “That’s not why it’s there.” “Ok, I give up. Why is it there?” “It’s there so you can kiss your luggage goodbye.” Finally an indescribable event has been unmasked.

So, let me ask you, “Have you ever received an indescribably delicious gift?” I thought about that for a while. What kind of gift would it have to be to be called “indescribable?” Would it be a gift that you open & look at & say, “This is just beautiful” or “This is something that I’ve wanted all my life – what is it?” Or maybe it is a gift that carries a lot of emotional feelings with it. It was given to you by someone very special, & it was a complete surprise when it was given. You’ll treasure it always because of the memories. Would that make it an indescribable gift? Or maybe it would be a gift that you cared so little about that you wouldn’t even bother to find words to try to describe it.

Some years ago, on “Good Morning, America,” Joan Lunden featured some gift ideas that might be called indescribable. They were extraordinary gifts that some of you might want to include on your Christmas gift list. One of them was a Jaguar automobile, the Jaguar 220. If you care to order one of these, go to your Jaguar dealer & put down your $80,000 deposit. Then when the automobile is delivered, you will be expected to pay the balance of $507,000. Joan Lunden also mentioned a $300,000 gold & silver toilet seat inlaid with precious stones. Of course, there were cheaper gifts for those who have everything: an $18,000 Frisbee, a $10,000 yoyo, a $12,000 mousetrap, & even a $27,000 pair of sunglasses. And for the proud grandparent who is wondering what to buy the new grandbaby, how about a $28,000 pacifier?

Such gifts stagger our imagination, don’t they? But they are not indescribable. Even though we may not be able to find words to describe what it would feel like to own them, I assure you the manufacturers can and have spent lots of money describing them in TV & newspaper ads. They have advertising companies that have no trouble finding words to describe them in such appealing ways as to entice you into believing that you simply can’t live the rest of your life without them. You see, every human gift is describable by someone.

But this is the time of the year when we do our best to depict the wonderfulness of God’s gift of Jesus to us. Musicians have composed some of their greatest music on this theme: Handel’s “Messiah,” Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio,” & the beautiful hymns, “Silent Night,” “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” & my favorite, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” Some of the greatest music our ears will ever hear was written about God’s indescribable gift. Poets & painters & sculptors have taken up the tools of their trade for more than 20 centuries to try and pay tribute to Jesus, the gift of God’s love. But Paul seemed to think this was impossible to do.” Why does Paul call Jesus “indescribable?” I think that there are at least four reasons.

First of all, I believe that Paul calls Jesus “indescribable” because of his nature. How do you describe Jesus? What words would you choose? How can do you describe a baby born of a virgin? How could you describe God in our flesh, walking upon our earth? Isaiah said he would be called Emmanuel, “God with us.” A good try but how does one describe God, much less God in the presence of mere humans? How do we describe that which is spirit when all we have ever known is that which is either physical or material? How do we describe God who has all knowledge when all we have is limited knowledge? How do we describe God who is all powerful? How do we describe the eternal? How do we describe the indescribable?

Well, Paul says that we can’t. Words aren’t adequate. But many of the wisest men in the world have tried to describe Jesus. Listen to the words published by the Council of Chalcedon in 451 A.D. The greatest theological minds of the time came together & tried to describe Jesus. Here is their description: “Perfect in Godhead & also perfect in manhood. Truly man of a reasonable, rational soul & body. Co-substantial, co-essential with the Father according to the manhood. In all things like unto us but without sin. Begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead. And in these latter times for us & for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, the mother of God. According to the manhood – one & the same Christ, Son, Lord, only begotten to be acknowledged in two natures. Inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably & the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved.”
Did you understand that? Neither did I. That’s a human’s attempt to describe the indescribable. Even when we bring together our greatest human minds & our most extensive vocabularies, we cannot adequately describe Jesus.

Secondly, I think Paul called Jesus indescribable because of his purpose in coming to earth. The angels announced to the shepherds, “Unto you is born this day in the City of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord.” This is what we celebrate at Christmas. We celebrate the fact that Jesus came into our world to save us. God saw that mankind needed saving because he saw our rampant inhumanity to our own kind and he saw that it wasn’t changing by our efforts. Just look at our world today. The hopes of world peace brought about by the break-up of the Soviet Union have been shattered by civil wars that have since broken out all over Europe. We may have peace treaties between the great powers, but these treaties will never ensure peace because the nature of humanity has not changed.

Even 2000 years ago, when God looked at our world he knew that our greatest need was not and never would be for more wealth, or better schools, not even for a better welfare system. Our greatest need was, and still is, for a Savior. But a Savior can only offer the world the opportunity of peace and salvation. The truth is that there will never be peace on earth until humanity has been lifted out of sin, until hearts have been changed, and our way of thinking has been changed, because the Savior has come into our lives. Our greatest need is not to be saved from the very flames of hell but from ourselves and our sin which, without God’s intervention, will lead us there.

How do you describe that? How do you put into words what God accomplished when he sent his only begotten Son into the world? We try with the immortal words of John 3:16 but basically, God’s gift is indescribable because of his godly nature, because of his godly purpose in coming to earth, and thirdly, because of the grace by which Jesus is given.

Let’s think for a minute about the gifts we give at Christmas. We’d all like to think that we give gifts because of the love we have for the other person and I believe that is true for most of us but that human part does slip in there at times like when Aunt Bessie suddenly decides to give iPods to your children and suddenly, Aunt Bessie is added to your Christmas gift list. That is what makes our gifts so human and it is the flip side of that that makes God’s gift so special. God does not owe us anything. Indeed, we are in constant rebellion against him & his will for our lives and if we get right down to it, we owe God everything. With that in mind, the Apostle Paul said something remarkable in the 5th chapter of Romans. He said, “While we were yet in our sin, while we were yet the enemies of God, Christ died on the cross for us.” So there it is. God gives us a gift, not because he feels obligated to give to us but because his love is so overwhelming, he can do nothing else but give. And so, God’s gift to us is a gift of grace – it is an indescribable gift of an indescribable grace. We call it unconditional and free, but in our human understanding those words are indescribable as well. So when we stop here at this Altar this morning and see the Christ child in his manger, we must remember that he is a gift of grace – a free gift of a love that is so deep and so endless that it is as indescribable as the gift itself. And so, it seems that Paul was right – there are no words adequate enough to describe God’s grace towards us in Jesus.

Part of that may also have to do with the sheer magnitude of the whole idea of the God of the universe giving us a gift of – himself? First, can you imagine what went through God’s mind when he looked at our confused world nearly 2,000 years ago; when he saw Roman soldiers marching in the streets; when he saw people looking for peace & meaning & depth in life and he wanted so urgently to communicate his love. Can you imagine God saying, “But how? How shall I communicate my love? If I appear in person,” he must have thought, “If I stand before the people in all my glory, they’ll be frightened, they’ll be scared away. They will never feel that they can come to me & talk with me. They’ll be much like Moses who stood on the mountain & took off his shoes because he was on holy ground.”

“If I speak, if they hear the thunder of my voice, they may never grasp the words of my love. If I send down legions of angels perhaps they will not know how to respond. Maybe they will never be able to experience my love. How can I possibly make them know something so indescribable?” And then God said, “I know. I will send a baby. Babies don’t frighten people. Babies are so tender & soft & helpless. Maybe they will hold the baby in their arms. Maybe they will touch the soft skin. Maybe they will hear the gentle sighs. Maybe they will experience my love if I send a baby.”

So in the fullness of time God sent his only begotten Son, as a baby and to the world it was still indescribable! But the good news is that God does not require that we can describe him. No one has ever had to be able to describe God to be loved by him, or to accept him. We only have to believe that God loved us enough to send a savior that would warm our hearts and change our souls with his love and then we must accept his indescribable gift.

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PENTECOST 12 – September 4, 2011

This sermon is being preached today in answer to a question from a parishioner: Where did the practice of clasping one’s hands in front to pray come from? Why isn’t this taught in the church now? (The picture is Albrecht Dürer’s famous painting “The Apostle’s Hands” which is found all over the internet. This is one of the many images I found.) .

Please look at the picture on the front of your bulletin. It is the most often reproduced and widely known work of the German artist Albrecht Dürer. It’s entitled the “Hands of the Apostle,” but generally it’s known throughout the world as “The Praying Hands.” The picture is actually a preliminary sketch for an altarpiece Durer painted; unfortunately the entire piece was destroyed by fire in 1729. Thankfully, the preliminary sketches that Dürer had prepared for the final painting of The Apostle’s Hands survived. The painting has a rather amazing story that has grown up around it – many historians say it is a legend but those who love the painting tend to discount those who say that the story isn’t true. Whether it is or not, it’s a great story with a great message. Here it is. Durer grew up near Nuremburg, Germany in the late 15th century, the third oldest son of a couple with eighteen children. In order merely to keep food on the table, the father, a goldsmith by profession, worked almost eighteen hours a day at his trade and any other paying chore he could find in the neighborhood.

Despite their poverty, two of his sons had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art but they knew full well that their father would never be financially able to send either of them to study at the Academy.After many long discussions at night in their crowded bed, the two boys finally worked out a pact. They would toss a coin. The loser would go down into the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his brother while he attended the academy. In four years, when the brother who won the toss completed his studies, he would support the other brother at the academy, either with sales of his artwork or, if necessary, also by laboring in the mines. When they were old enough, they tossed a coin on a Sunday morning after church. Albrecht Dürer won the toss and went off to Nuremberg. His brother Albert went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four years, financed his brother, whose work at the academy was far better than those of most of his professors, and by the time he graduated, he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his commissioned works of art.

When the already successful young artist returned to his village, the Durer family held a festive dinner on their lawn to celebrate Albrecht’s triumphant homecoming. After a long and memorable meal, Albrecht rose from his honored position at the head of the table to drink a toast to his beloved brother Albert. My brother now it is your turn. Now you can go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream, and I will take care of you.”Instead of smiling, Albert was sitting with his head down, tears running down his cheeks. He stood up, holding his hands close to his right cheek, and said softly, “No, brother. I cannot go to Nuremberg. It is too late for me. The bones in every finger have been smashed at least once, and the arthritis in my right hand is so bad that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast, much less make delicate lines on parchment or canvas with a pen or a brush. No, brother … for me it is too late.”

More than 450 years have passed. By now, Albrecht Dürer’s hundreds of masterful portraits, pen and silver-point sketches, watercolors, charcoals, woodcuts, and copper engravings hang in every great museum in the world, but the odds are that you, like most people, are familiar with just this one. As the legend continues, to pay homage to Albert for all that he had sacrificed, Albrecht Dürer painstakingly drew his brother’s abused hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward. He called his powerful drawing simply “Hands,” but the entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and renamed his tribute of love “The Praying Hands.”

Our question this morning is from Donna who says she was taught as a child to pray with her hands clasped in front of her. She wants to know where that custom originated and why it’s not taught like it was in her day. So I went looking for information about hands, particularly clasped hands and prayer and was surprised at what I found. First I was surprised that I found anything, but the first information I came across was the story of the Praying Hands. Then I found a whole conversation that very well could have included Donna. Here are some of the comments I read in answer to the question: What happens when we pray or meditate with clasped or folded hands? I find that I am able to focus more on God and concentrate better when I pray using the praying hands gesture. It’s as if folding or clasping or drawing my hands together sends a signal to my mind to calm down. It is much the same when I kneel to pray. I see it as a time when I am in God’s presence so I do it to show my reverence to my Creator.

One woman remembered, “When I was a child I was told that we could whisper our deepest thoughts into our empty hands and they would follow to where our fingers were pointed – straight up to heaven.” Another said, “My understanding is that this began as a symbolic gesture of warriors and knights to show restraint of the sword hand.” And another, “I have no real clue, but here’s a guess. As with much prayer practice I think it comes from the monastic life, when religious were taught custody of the eyes, the hand, and the tongue as discipline and as means of resisting temptation. This is why we tell school children to fold their hands on the desk – to avoid making mischief, making noise, disturbing others etc. That’s why altar servers are usually trained to clasp their hands at their waist when they are not actually doing anything. I think this is for the same reason. When we pay attention and deliberately hold the hands still, they cannot get into mischief.”

One woman said, “I try to keep my hands folded when I pray at Mass, since this is what I was taught when young and in Catholic school years ago. But, it seems as if not many Catholics in the pew do much of anything with their hands, even when the priest says “Let us pray” and demonstrates the folded hands position to everyone before opening his own hands to lead the prayer to God.” She continued, “Catholic signs, symbols, and gestures are important to me. I love directing my prayer to God along with everyone else. “ One of my favorites is this honest comment, “I always taught my own children to keep their hands folded at Mass, but I must admit my motive was two-fold — to keep their attention focused on God and to keep their hands OFF one another. “ Then there was this interesting take on the subject, “I find that when I’m focusing on my hands and my prayer posture, I am spending less time actually focused on prayer. Sometimes when I’m actively praying, I realize – Oops! I didn’t have my hands folded.” So, I wouldn’t worry about it. I can pray while driving, even with my eyes open, or when lying down in my bed on my back, just as good as sitting straight up with hands together pointed up.

Many people fold their hands to pray to keep their hands from distracting their minds from the things of God. I fidget when I pray, and I know that if my hands were not folded or holding another’s hands, I would be moving them. That may not be distractive to me, but it might distract someone sitting next to me.” Most of what I found was from Christians, Roman Catholics to be specific but, Nathan Ausubel, in his “Book of Jewish Knowledge” said, “It has also been commonly assumed that folding the hands in prayer is exclusively a Christian custom. This is not the historical fact at all. As early 500 years before Christ, when Jews prayed, they folded their hands, and they observed this custom for several centuries after it had been adopted by Christians.” So, it may be that Jesus, being a Jew, also prayed with clasped hands. We’ve all seen pictures or images of him in the Garden of Gethsemane kneeling in front of a rock with his hands clasped in desperate prayer. We don’t know that he actually did this, but given the fact that it was a common practice for Jews when they prayed, it is highly probable.

One thing we do know about the ancient Jews, they didn’t do anything without good reason and for a purpose. If you read through the Old Testament, you can see the significance of the hands. People weren’t just given an object; it was put into their hands. Armies didn’t just defeat each other; the enemy was delivered into the hands of the victorious. One of the most significant signs of the importance of hands is the law of ritual cleanliness by which everyone was required to wash their hands after just about any activity and certainly before touching anything considered holy. I think this is because hands are important. Hands are used to do everything; to work, prepare food, eat, but most importantly, hands are used in service to others. Jesus used his hands to heal, help, instruct, comfort, and bless. Ultimately, his hands were nailed to the cross for our sins. And so we, as Christians, follow the ancient Jewish practice and fold our hands to pray – mostly out of respect for God but also out of respect for the sacrifice made by his son.

So, for us the hands clasped or folded together before the heart as we pray is a symbol of obedience, submission, sincerity and repentance. This is meaningful for many people, but for many others, the ancient practice of raising one’s hands toward heaven and God while praying has become just as meaningful. Again, if you read through the Bible, you will see many instances of the people, like King David, spreading their hands before God and raising their hands to heaven as they pray.

So I think the clasped hands have survived all these years because there is something inherently holy about the posture and for most, it’s more comfortable. Sometimes, we can learn about these human things from other religions. The Hindus and Buddhists draw their palms together at the heart as a sign of veneration and respect but it is also a form of greeting. This is known as the “anjali mudra” which means offering (anjali) and seal (mudra). The people of India when doing this would say the word “Namaste” which is some kind of a sacred hello that means “I bow to the divinity within you from the divinity within me.” How beautiful is that – and doesn’t it illustrate just how sacred our hands can be? I discovered one more historical fact. During feudal times, the custom of placing one’s joined hands into the hands of one’s ruling lord was a sign of fidelity, loyalty, and trust. So, when we fold our hands in prayer, we are symbolically pledging to God our fidelity and loyalty while also placing our hands in his for safekeeping.

I also found a video that offered this: A great spiritual master once asked his students, “Tell me how you pray.” And they all did this. And he nodded and asked, “Why? Why do you pray like that? Why don’t you pray like this (hands on top and bottom of head) or like this (hands on sides of head)? Why do you pray like this (hands in front)?” People said, that’s the way I learned to pray – he said, “Look, there’s a science to things. Everything we do, whether we remember why or not, everything we do has a science behind it. And it’s true with how we pray. Our body has a polarity – a left side and a right side – when you put them together – (bring hands together) – positive and negative come together and you get neutral. This is the principle behind the yoga position to calm the body. But this guy goes further. He told his students to put their hands together right here – try it – bring your hands together and put them here. There is a node on your breastbone which is the reflex point for the vagus nerve, the only nerve that goes up the front of the body – it goes to the glands in your brain. So when you put your hands there and rest your knuckles on that point, it sends messages that create a resonance in your brain which then moves into a more meditative state. That’s why people pray this way – because it actually makes them feel prayerful and because, as it is centered over the heart, they find that their prayer comes from the heart and, no matter what religion we practice, we all know that the only prayer that works is the prayer that comes from the heart.

So there is a technology behind this that we don’t even think about. Most likely, the Jews didn’t know all that either – they just knew that it worked. Of course, the bottom line about how we pray really doesn’t have as much to do with us as it does with God because the real truth is that God doesn’t care how we pray — just that we pray. He doesn’t care if we are standing, sitting, lying down, or kneeling. The method we use and the posture we have is not important to God. The most important thing we can do every day is to pray — talk to God, tell Him our troubles, and share our gratitude. If clasping your hands in front of you helps you to pray – then do it. If raising your hands to heaven helps you to pray – then do that. If sitting on your hands while you pray is helpful – well, you can start something new.

What matters in prayer is not how we do it – it’s not even what words we use – all God wants from us is our attention – he wants to hear our joys, our pains, our needs, our wants, even our questions – God only wants what is on our minds – how we get it to God is only important if it helps us to do it. I remember when I was in seminary, one of our professors suggested that we meditate by staring at a lit candle. He said, “Just look at the candle and shut everything else out – just focus on the candle.” Well, I discovered that focus is good, but every time I looked at the candle flame, it made my eyes water and when the flame jumped, it distracted me. So, while many of my classmates loved it and said it was a great way to focus for prayer, it wasn’t for me. 

It wasn’t long after that that my knees became so painful from arthritis that I couldn’t kneel without being distracted by the pain. So, I stopped kneeling except for the confession and for communion. But, 2 knee replacements later, I stopped kneeling altogether. It was weird for a while, especially since I was raised in the Episcopal Church where we stood to sing, sat to listen, and knelt to pray. But this was when I learned that prayer is a very personal enterprise – what we say, how we say it, what we do with our hands, our feet, our eyes, even how we sit or kneel or lay down or walk in circles – all of those are only personal habits that help us concentrate, focus, and pay attention to God as we pray.

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PENTECOST 10 – August 21, 2011

{This Sermon was preached as a tribute to a dear friend of Jermain UMC – Ted Weselak, who was the beloved husband of Rosalyn Perry Weselak. Ted died on July 3, 2011 and is sorely missed by all his family and friends.}

Two men attended seminary together. They were best friends, studying together, helping each other financially when one or the other got in a pinch. They were the true kind of friends – they stuck by each other through thick and thin. When they graduated from seminary both coincidentally received a church call within the same state: Louisiana. Bob got a church in the northern part of the state and Bill got a church in southern Louisiana. Life was great. Every Wednesday they would meet somewhere in the middle of the state where they would fish, hunt for gators, or just go shooting. They did this for many years and as they were nearing retirement, Pastor Bill said to Pastor Bob, “I can’t think of anyone else I would like to do my funeral but you.” Pastor Bob said to Pastor Bill, “I feel the same way, I can’t think of anyone better than you to do my funeral.” So they agreed that whoever should go first, the other would do the funeral.

It came to pass that Pastor Bob passed away first and so Pastor Bill came up to do the funeral. Upon his arrival, he was met by one of the church ladies, Evelyn. Evelyn needed desperately to meet with Pastor Bill. It seems Evelyn was at Pastor Bob’s bedside and his dying wish, in his last gasping breaths, was to have a final song sung at the end of the graveside committal – Jingle Bells. Pastor Bill was understandably skeptical. “Jungle Bells?– that’s crazy, Bob would have never said that and I’m not singing Jingle Bells at a graveside committal.” But after some thought, Bill decided he had to sing Jingle Bells at the graveside committal, for it was after all, as crazy as it sounded, it was Bob’s dying request.

The day of the funeral came and the church was packed, the funeral service went well; so well that everyone came to the graveside committal, which also went very well. Pastor Bill ended by saying, “Now, let’s all join in together and sing the song that was Pastor Bob’s dying request:  Jingle Bells.” He began to sing, “Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way….” No one else joined in except Evelyn, the church lady. At the wake, Pastor Bill sat alone with his buffet lunch. Most people were keeping their distance, wondering what had come over him to sing “Jingle Bells” at a funeral. Finally, Evelyn, the church lady sat down beside him. “That was such a nice funeral, Pastor…but you know, now that I think of it, I think Pastor Bob may have said, ‘please sing the song, ‘The Bell Tolls for Thee.’”

I’m not sure what song Ted would have wanted us to sing for him today but Rosie wrote this about her husband, Ted, a week after his death. “I think the following scripture best describes how I feel about Ted’s life. It’s in the Gospel of John, chapter 12, verse 24: The truth is, a kernel of wheat must be planted in the soil. Unless it dies, it will be alone, a single seed. But its death will produce many new kernels…A plentiful harvest of new lives.” Of course, he was speaking of the necessity of his own impending death, but it is also a basic truth of God’s creation – there is a time to be born and a time to die and we all must do both. So, I think Ted would like this new song I’ve learned lately – it’s called Hymn of Promise (see the words at the end) and I’d like to sing it for Ted and for you.

Hymn of Promise

And so, God’s promise to us is that there is never an end because in every ending, in every finale, in every death, there is a beginning, a new verse, a new life. Ted’s real name was Thaddeus – a very appropriate name for him because it means Lover of God and he was surely that. But he not only loved God, he trusted God. Even in his darkest hour, Ted trusted God. Even in the midst of what is surely everybody’s worse nightmare Ted hung on the promise that Jesus made to his disciples and to us.  Listen again to the words of Jesus. “I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you. I go before you to prepare a place for you.” Ted clung to this promise and to the words of Psalm 27 – “Wait patiently for the Lord, be brave and courageous, yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” Rosie says that there were times during his illness that Ted never knew what was around the corner and that this was very difficult for him. He managed to get through those times with God’s grace & mercy & this scripture.

Trust – it’s a tough thing to trust. It’s hard enough to trust the people around us and we can see them and when they sometimes let us down, we can find out why and figure out if we’re going to be able to trust them again. But it’s really hard to trust someone we cannot see, cannot touch, and don’t really know for sure how the promises will be carried out. It’s especially hard when the promises seem to be just a bunch of words – when we don’t know what’s coming next and don’t know where this someone is.

Does anyone remember the old game show, “Who Do You Trust?” Of course, the grammar is all wrong – it should be “Whom Do You Trust?” but Hollywood couldn’t be bothered with a silly little thing like correct grammar. Anyway, it was Johnny Carson’s first and only foray into daytime game show hosting and it was where he and Ed McMahon hooked up for their long-term run as host and sidekick. The program featured 3 couples or later on in its history, 3 pairs of not necessarily married men and women. There were 3 rounds and in each round, the male half of the pair was asked a question and he had to first decide whether to answer the question or to trust his partner to answer it.

So, who or whom do you trust? It could be a family member, a close friend, a teacher. It could be the government – but probably not these days – the military (we do trust them to protect us and our country’s freedom) but have you ever thought about the people we trust indirectly? For instance, think about a bridge or a tunnel – they are all designed by engineers who have gone to school for years to learn how to build bridges and tunnels so that they are safe and so they last a long, long time. Every time I go through the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, I think about those people – I wonder what grades they got in whatever subject they took to learn how to keep the bridge part from falling down or the tunnel part from springing a leak or just floating out to sea.

Most of us have flown in planes. Does anybody know how those things stay up in the air? I don’t – but I climb on board and sit back with my audiobook while the pilot and co-pilot get a huge aircraft which weighs tons to get off the ground, to climb through the clouds to some 30,000 feet, stay up there for hours, and finally come back down at a reasonable rate of speed, and land with a little bit of a jolt but with all its bolts and screws still in their proper places. Of course, we all know that all of those things that I have just mentioned have failed at one time or another.

We have all felt the disastrous results of failed trust within our families and by our friends. Confidences are shattered, tears are shed, feelings are hurt, trust is damaged and bitterness often grows. We have witnessed the devastating results of national security failures. Planes got hijacked and used like missiles, thousands of innocent lives were lost, our nation was shaken and stunned, and our insecurity and fear grew. In times like this, who do we trust? Quite frankly, God wants us to trust him. Listen again to what Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled; trust in God, trust also in me.” So, he was encouraging his disciples to focus – to focus on him and on his Father in heaven. Jesus knew how much we needed him and how hard it is for us humans to keep our eyes on the one who can keep us safe, even as we are sinking.

Remember Peter? He wanted so badly to walk on the water with Jesus – he just knew that if he believed hard enough, he could follow Jesus onto the Sea of Galilee. But what happened? He lost his focus. He was doing fine until he took his eyes off of Jesus and looked at the turbulent waves swirling at his feet and threatening to pull him under. The same is true of us today. God can get us through the most impossible situations but we must keep our focus on him – we must continue to trust him even when it seems impossible for him to save us. This trust can only be found in our unswerving belief that the God of Heaven will indeed work on our behalf to accomplish His perfect will for our lives.  

Do you ever feel like God is not working very hard? Sometimes I even feel like he’s not in the room – not even on the same planet and that is how Jesus knew the disciples were going to feel after his death. So he was telling them to trust even when they did not understand because God was still at work We too must stand firm in our trust in God, even as it seems like we’re sinking way too fast for anyone to save us – even God. That’s hard but it’s not only those circumstances that make it hard for us to trust God. It’s just against our human nature to believe in and trust that which we cannot see and do not understand – and you know why? Because then we would have to admit that we are not in control of our lives and we are just arrogant enough to think that we can do a better job than God.

Well, I am suggesting this morning that if we are willing to cross a bridge when we don’t know the engineer who designed it or whether or not he passed bridge design, then we should have no problem trusting in God. If we are willing to get on an airplane when we don’t have a clue how it gets off the ground, much less stays in the air, then we should have no problem trusting in God. Of course, the human race is not going to suddenly start trusting God for everything just because I say so. We are not made to trust blindly. We are made to ask questions and to check and re-check the safety harness, to lock our doors at night, and to ask to see the ID of a person at our front door in the middle of the night who’s claiming to be a police officer. We are made this way for a reason – not so we wouldn’t be able to trust when it’s OK and right to trust but so we can protect ourselves from those in our world who don’t care about us and our well-being. Like the song goes, “trust in God, but lock your door,” because there are those who would defy even God’s protection and do us grievous harm.

The truth is that life is sometimes beyond us. Disasters strike and tragedies happen in our lives. Innocent people get killed by evil or careless people, good people get cancer even after a life of a good diet and clean living. Life can indeed be hard. Life can be uncertain. Life is beyond our control and in times like this, life is beyond our understanding. We are left with raw emotions and tough questions. Answers are beyond us as we grapple with the question of why. In times like these, who do you trust?

Well, here’s another truth – nothing and I mean nothing that we go through in life is beyond God. We can and we must rely on God in every situation in life. When things just don’t make any sense in human terms; we have to trust in the only power in the universe that not only can make sense out of our dilemmas, but can even bring us help to deal with it all. In fact, the more senseless life becomes the greater our need to trust in God. And when it seems like there’s no hope and there’s no help forthcoming from anywhere, even God, that’s when we must trust even more. Why? Because God wants our full and complete trust. God wants us to trust him with all of our heart. We must hold nothing back and surrender to him all that we are, all that we have, all that we may become because without the presence and guidance of God we will go nowhere. We will just sit in the middle of whatever difficulty has befallen us and let it defeat us. If we do not place our trust in God, there is no access to his power, his mercy, or his love. When trials arise and we go through difficulty; it is then that we must place our trust in God for without trust in God there is no comfort, no peace, no strength and no relief.

So, God has made a promise that he will never forsake those who seek him. The promise that God made so long ago is still valid today because God has never broken a promise yet. He is true and faithful to His people. This gift is a treasure – a love so complete and so unconditional that we can trust the God who created love. This treasure is God’s free gift to us – the gifts of grace and peace from the God who brings comfort, security, protection, and his unfailing presence in our lives. Like all of us who know and love God, Ted had this treasure in his life and in his death. Unlike those who still rant and rave at the unfairness of life and the inattention of God when things just don’t seem to be under any kind of control, much less God’s, Ted knew that this gift of trust was what God had given to him to see him through his illness, his suffering, and his death. Ted knew that the cycle of life which includes birth, life, and death was in God’s hands and that, without death, there could be no new life – no eternity with God – no salvation and no room in heaven with his name on the door.

The real truth is that we will all face the same uncertainties and fears that Ted faced – they will just bear different names and faces. Some of us will face much more suffering or some will not suffer at all – be we will all surely come to that moment when there is no one else to trust but God. No matter how much our families and friends love us, God is the only one who can ultimately meet us wherever we are and bring us to wherever he is. There is no other power in heaven or on earth that can give us what we need at that moment. Ted knew and Ted had the wisdom to know that the only thing he could do was “Wait patiently for the Lord, be brave and courageous, yes, wait patiently for the Lord.”

HYMN OF PROMISE

In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed, an apple tree;
In cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter there’s a spring that waits to be,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

There’s a song in every silence, seeking word and melody;
There’s a dawn in every darkness, bringing hope to you and me.
From the past will come the future; what it holds, a mystery,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

In our end is our beginning; in our time, infinity;
In our doubt there is believing; in our life, eternity,
In our death, a resurrection; at the last, a victory,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

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THE HOLY TRINITY – A “User Friendly” God – June 19, 2011

Today is Trinity Sunday. I remember as a child sitting in church and looking up at the hymn board with all the numbers on it and the name of the Sunday across the top. Some of the time, there were familiar words up there, like Christmas and Easter, and occasionally there were something that looked like gibberish, like Septuagesima, which I still do not know what it is. But for almost half the year, there was one word up there – Trinity. I must admit I didn’t know what that meant any more than I knew what Septuagesima meant, but I loved it because it was easier to pronounce and it gave me some kind of weird security to look up there for so many weeks and see the same word – the 10th Sunday after Trinity, the 20th Sunday after Trinity – all summer and almost until Christmas.Most people will admit to not knowing any more than I did about the Trinity and what it means.

There are even clergy like me who are more than willing to put this right up there on the list of “God things” – things God knows and we don’t but we can’t wait to ask him about when we get to heaven. But I do try – I actually love this Sunday in the year – the only one on which we celebrate a belief of the church and not an event. One reason I love is it is the hymns are great! I’ve been singing that first hymn we sang for so many years, I believe I could sing the whole thing without looking at the book. It’s in my blood, and regardless of whether I totally comprehend what it’s saying about God, it’s comforting to me because it is somehow fitting that a totally incomprehensible mystery is the very foundation of our faith, which is an even bigger mystery to many people who, regardless of how much they don’t completely understand, still continue to believe it and celebrate it every week.

We are not alone in our misunderstandings – even giants of our faith, like Augustine puzzled over the doctrine of the Trinity. Keep in mind that he was a Bishop in the Church of God and a masterful theologian. He had written books about God and still the idea of the Trinity just wouldn’t fit into his orderly view of God and the universe. He was walking along the beach one day when he observed a young boy with a bucket, running back and forth to pour water into a little hole in the sand. Augustine asked, “What are you doing?” The boy replied, “I’m trying to put the ocean into this hole.” At that moment, the great theologian realized that he had been trying to put an infinite God into his finite mind.

This is why we have a difficult time comprehending the Trinity – because Trinity is a God thing. You’ve heard me speak of those before. A God thing is something that God knows and we can’t know because we aren’t God. We can know about a God thing and we can learn things about a God thing, but we cannot KNOW a God thing completely. There is even the great possibility that we only think we know some things but when we join God in heaven and ask the burning questions, we will find out that we were totally off base.

That being said, it is still vital that we try to comprehend the God things. We have to do our best to know God as intimately as we can because it is only in that relationship that we can truly feel the love and the strength and the comfort that God brings. If we hold God at bay because we can’t grasp all the intricacies of God, we will totally miss out on the presence of God in our lives.

So, let’s try once again to make some sense out of the Holy Trinity. There are many today, from the people in the pew to Bishops, who do not accept the doctrine of the trinity, some for the simplest of reasons: “The bible doesn’t use the word trinity.” That’s true, the word trinity is not mentioned anywhere in Holy Scripture. There are many others who reject it just because it is so profoundly difficult to understand. Whatever the reason, it’s still a rejection of the worst kind, because it is in essence a rejection of the deity of Christ and of God’s ability to use him to bring us salvation.

Then there are those who do accept the doctrine of the Trinity but who take it upon themselves to come up with their own take on what it really means. One of these popular beliefs actually divides the work of God between the three Persons, giving a specific job to each: creation to the Father, redemption to the Son, and regeneration to the Holy Spirit. This is partly true but not wholly so, because as the true God who drilled it into the heads of his children that he was one God, it is completely ludicrous to think that God would then divide himself up so that one Person would be working while another is inactive. In the Scriptures we always find the three Persons as we call them for lack of a better word, shown to act in harmonious unity in all the mighty works that are wrought throughout the universe. In order to even begin thinking about what this doctrine means, we have to first look closely at the word itself. Trinity has its origin in the Latin and Greek languages and is actually made of two word forms:

• Tri which means three; and
• Unity, which means oneness.

So the best way to completely define the word trinity is “Three in unity” or “Three in one.” For centuries this term has been used to describe the nature of the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. There are many Christians who really don’t see the big deal about the trinity. They think it’s something they can either take or leave – that it’s not essential to our relationship with God. But listen to this anonymous quote by one wise pastor. He said, “If you try to understand the doctrine of the trinity, you may lose your mind, and if you deny it you will lose your soul.” If he’s right, and I think he is, ignoring the doctrine of the Trinity and writing it off as fluff is perilous to our belief system. Besides, where does it say that we are only supposed to believe the things that God made very clear – things like loving our neighbor and not killing or stealing? Just because there is no specific word “Trinity”  in the pages of the Bible doesn’t mean that God didn’t mean it. I don’t believe that God said specifically anywhere in Scripture that we must keep breathing to stay alive, but there’s no doubt that it’s true – it’s the way God made our bodies. Nowhere does God specifically say that if we don’t drink enough water, we will die, but it is certainly true. Without sufficient water, we will die just as surely as I’m standing here.  Again, God made us that way, but he didn’t leave us those specific instructions.

Trinity is something like that. It isn’t a word that is used specifically but its meaning is expressed by analogy in several key places. In the Old Testament, the triune God is described from the opening words of the creation story – God created the world, the Spirit moved upon the waters, and in most of this story, the name used for God by the Hebrews was Elohiym. This was a plural noun that is best defined as Divine Ones – in our 1st reading, we read, “And God said, Let US make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness.” Pretty clear that those folks thought of God, not as 3 Gods, but as one God with 3 images. Let’s look at the New Testament. The first words of the Gospel of John make it very clear:  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.”

The “Word” was the one we know as Jesus and so John was telling us that the plurality of God has eternally existed from before the creation of time. So I wonder why people reject this concept. There are many explanations of the doctrine of the Trinity that actually make some sense. Here’s one: “The members of the Trinity work together in complete unity, totally dependent and yet totally interdependent of each other. God the Father is the sovereign ruler of the entire universe, everything operates to fulfill his eternal plan. God the Son takes this plan out of eternity and brings it into real time, administering the various aspects of the plan. God the Holy Spirit makes this eternal plan, the will of God, real to humanity. Of course, Jesus was clear about the Trinity, even though he didn’t use that word either. In our reading this morning, at his Ascension, he said: “Go therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Paul used this formula freely – we heard it in our Epistle reading today:  “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen. ”Peter got into the act as well. He said, “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.”

All three aspects of the Godhead are clearly seen in these three passages of scripture. There was no one word used to describe this but this wasn’t because it wasn’t true – it was because they didn’t have a word to describe it. But clearly, to the major rocks of the early church, it is true AND they seemed to understand that not one aspect is more important than the other. They are all equal; they are each distinctive; and all are unified into one God.

That brings up one more thing: nowhere did anyone say that this meant that there were 3 Gods. There was one God; God made it clear in the 10 commandments and Jesus reaffirmed it: “The first of all the commandments is, ‘Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:” See, the key to the truth of the Trinity is the fact that Jesus and his Father were one – not the same exact person but that they were both divine – they were both of the essence of God. Jesus used the same name for himself that God used when he told Moses to tell the Egyptians that I AM sent you. God used the words I AM as a name for himself and in the 8th Chapter of John, Jesus told the disciples, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM.” All through the New Testament Jesus is spoken of quite clearly as being equal and united to the Father but Jesus also knows who his father is and is definitely submissive to him. This can get confusing and so we need to be clear about the biggest, hugest question: “Is Jesus really God?” As I said, this is a God thing, so I can’t be absolutely certain, but I do know what it would mean if Jesus WASN’T God: If Jesus wasn’t God in the flesh then

• Jesus’ death on the cross didn’t atone for sin
• The penalty of sin is still on us awaiting judgment
• Mankind is doomed to hell

and we know that because the scripture rightly states, that “no one besides God can forgive sin.”

So we have God, the initiating and very active member of the Trinity who made everything and did it with lots of noise. He spoke to his people through a booming voice, in whirlwinds, and with fire and brimstone at times. Jesus was also part of the creating and he became a part of the creation like we did. He spoke too but with gentleness and love, except when he saw God being abused like with the moneychangers in the Temple.

Now we come to the silent member of the Trinity – the Holy Spirit. We’ve talked a lot about the Spirit of God in recent weeks and Scripture talks a lot about it too. From the first page of Genesis to the last verses of the Book of Revelation, God is revealed to us as Spirit – not just an ethereal ghostly presence, but God himself. There are many who call the Holy Spirit a spiritual force and it certainly is that but Scripture also reveals the Holy Spirit as a divine being with a personality. Peter spoke of tempting the Holy Spirit; Paul said that it was possible to grieve the Holy Spirit of God; this third person of the Holy Trinity was way more than what I used to think of when I heard the minister proclaim blessings in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost.

So, this is what we know of the Holy Trinity. Of all the deep things of God, this is the most mysterious and the most elusive. For many Christians and non-Christians, this is unacceptable; they need more than that – they need to understand it. But not only is it not necessary to fully understand the things of God in order to be a believer; I believe that God keeps us from that knowledge so that we will accept by faith those things we cannot explain or understand. A wise theologian once said, “The Trinity is a mystery, which my faith embraces as revealed in the Word, but my reason cannot fathom.” I don’t think that’s because human reason is deficient; I believe it is because God doesn’t want us fathoming him. God doesn’t want us knowing him by reason or by proof. God wants us to know him through our faith. God wants us to know him through his presence in the world and through the deep yearnings of our hearts to believe that this world we live in is not “all there is.”

So, do we HAVE to believe in the Holy Trinity? Well, I suppose we don’t really HAVE to believe anything. But to accept God as our creator, to accept Jesus as our Savior, and to accept the Holy Spirit as the presence of God in us and in the world around us, then we do HAVE to believe something and the something about God that Scripture confirms as truth is that God is one God – God is three persons united in one divine being – a God who made us, saved us, and blesses us continually. This is what we must believe and we can only believe it through our faith.

Let me leave you with this: It’s a testimony by a man who says that as a young boy he could never seem to get to the dinner table on time. He always seemed to find something better to do just when his mother called him and so he was consistently late for dinner. One particular day, after his parents had talked seriously to him about how rude it was to keep people waiting and had warned him to be on time or there would be consequences, he arrived even later than ever. He said, “I found my parents already seated at the table, about to start eating. Quickly I slipped into his place, hoping they wouldn’t notice but then I noticed what was set before me–a slice of bread and a glass of water. I sat staring at my plate in silence, feeling guilty but also crushed at this punishment. Suddenly I saw my father’s hand reach over, pick up my plate and remove it from in front of me. Then my dad put his own full plate in front of me, smiling warmly as he made the exchange. All my life I’ve known what God was like by what my father did that night.” This may be the only way we can ever know God the Father, or God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit but it’s enough.  [Preached in Jermain UMC on June 19, 2011]

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PENTECOST – “GETTING” THE HOLY SPIRIT – June 12, 2011

Today is the Day of Pentecost. It is also called the Birthday of the Church, the Holy Spirit Day, and for us here at Jermain, it is the 2nd Sunday of what I’m calling my “Answer Sermons.” If you remember, I invited all of you to ask those questions you’ve had for years about the Bible, about God, about anything you don’t know or don’t understand or don’t like or do like or whatever you just want to know that has to do with God, the Church, our Faith, or the Bible. Before we get into today’s question, let’s quickly look at the Day of Pentecost. It is 50 days after Easter in the Christian calendar – 10 days after the Ascension, but before we started marking Christian feast days, Pentecost was a Jewish feast day.

So the people gathered in the upper room were Jews and, even though they were in hiding, they were still celebrating the feast day of their church. They were also waiting. They had seen Jesus after his resurrection and as of this moment, everything Jesus had told them had come true. They had been told, “Wait in the city until you receive power from on high.” So, whether they really understood what that meant, they knew something was coming. And it did – on this day the Holy Spirit of God was poured out on those faithful followers of Jesus and so it was on this day that the new Church based on the new Covenant was born in a blaze of glory. Later, a new promise was made – the Promise of Pentecost – this time by Peter who was now discovering what Jesus had meant when he changed Simon’s name to Peter, a Greek name which meant “rock,” and declared “on this rock I will build my church.” This promise was clear and it echoed every promise Jesus had ever made to them. He said, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

This brings me to my promise to answer your questions in this summer’s sermons. The question this week is directly related to our celebration of Pentecost and it came out of our Bible Study of the Book of Acts. We have been learning all about the early Church and about the Holy Spirit and last week, Jim asked this question – HOW do we “get” the Holy Spirit. Another way to say that is to be “filled with the Holy Spirit.” First, let’s define the words so we’re all talking the same language. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God – it is what makes God God – it is the essence of God, also what we call the 3rd person of the Holy Trinity. It brooded over the water at creation, it spoke to the prophets and gave them messages from God to be given to the world, it caused the Son of God to become the fully divine and fully human son of Mary, it descended upon Jesus as he was baptized with water, and it was poured out by God on his new church. Without the Holy Spirit, God would only be an idea – a good one – but only a thought with no other reality except in our minds.

Next, “get the Holy Spirit” refers to what John the Baptist told the world before he baptized Jesus. Denying that he, John, was the promised Messiah, he said, “but one is coming who will baptize you with fire.” It’s what Peter meant when he said, “Repent and be baptized and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Well, what that means is that we are ALL not only baptized with water. We are all also baptized with the Holy Spirit; in other words, we are all filled with the Spirit of God. So, all baptized Christians can rightfully claim to be filled with the Holy Spirit. However, what happened in that upper room was more than just an indwelling. The Holy Spirit descended on them with the express purpose of changing their lives by filling them with God’s power to spread the good news that the Messiah had come into the world. So, the term “filled with the Holy Spirit” usually has to do with a time period during which a person becomes aware of this presence. It can be a moment or it can be a lifetime but it is rarely unnoticed.

It has been said that the average Christian and the average Christian church are all bogged down somewhere between Calvary and Pentecost – between being forgiven and being empowered. Here’s a good way to get this straight in our minds:  Bethlehem means God With Us. Calvary means God For Us. But Pentecost means God In Us. Most of us average Christians are like the Ephesian believers who, when asked by Paul, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” replied that they didn’t even know that there WAS a Holy Spirit. Many Christians do not understand the role of the Holy Spirit and so they have not appropriated the power of the Holy Spirit in their own personal lives. To be fair, through the years we’ve seen so much abuse and misuse of spiritual gifts and God’s power that many of us in the mainline denominations have become wary of this experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit.

We have seen so many excesses and extremes that we tend to discount and even reject those who say “I have been filled with the Holy Spirit” and then proceed to act like they have instead been touched by some kind of insanity or even a spirit that isn’t holy at all. Folks who openly claim the “baptism with the Holy Spirit” are usually thought of as Pentecostals, but there are also some who are what we can call “Pentecost Substitutes.” Lacking the real power and fire from God these folks try to produce their own fireworks. These Pentecostal substitutes are what give the Holy Spirit a bad name. They are the ones who make us cringe when we hear someone say, “I’ve been baptized with the Holy Spirit.” They are the ones who make it seem like this outpouring of God’s Spirit is a special blessing for a special few when in reality it is for all of God’s children who believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died for our sins. In some kind of natural rejection of this exclusive “club” mentality, many Christians just tell themselves that the gift of the Holy Spirit was only for the Apostles, just to get the Church started, or, just for the Early Church, to help them win pagans and heathens to Christ. Well, guess what, there are more lost people, pagans, and heathens in the world today than there ever was. We need the power of God today as much as ever!!!

The promise of the Holy Spirit is for every child of God in every age of the Church’s history. Peter said that the promise of Pentecost is to all who were hearing his voice, and to their children, the next generation, to all that are afar off – that didn’t just mean by miles but by ages, even unto the 21st Century – to you and to me. If we think this isn’t for us, it isn’t because God has not provided it for each of us. Rather, it is because we have not recognized what God has provided for us and we have not grabbed hold of it or let it grab hold of us. So, I like to think of this experience of being “filled with the Spirit” as a moment or a time period during which we become aware of or grab hold of the gift we have been given or when we draw on the power that has been living within us from Baptism.

So, how do we do that is Jim’s question. First of all, if we have the Holy Spirit living in us, we have already “gotten” the Holy Spirit and so we do not need any other type of power, and we do not need to ask God to give us his Spirit again and again. Recharging is good but we have everything we need for insight, comfort, power, courage, and wisdom. But being “filled with the Holy Spirit” is different from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that takes place at our Baptism. In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, this is how he describes it, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” What we have here are 2 commands. The 1st is a negative and the 2nd a positive. The 1st command we are given tells us NOT to give ourselves over to something that takes over control of how we act, speak, and function like the effects that alcohol can have on a person. Many people who drink too much cease to function “normally” and so someone who is shy, suddenly becomes outgoing. A person who generally has good sense, is suddenly acting in ways that put them in physical danger. What has happened is that the person no longer is in control of their actions. The alcohol has taken over. Now the reference here is specific towards getting drunk, but I like to think of this command as applying to anything that would cause us to act against our normal behavior – anything that causes us to do and say things we normally would not.

The second command Paul gives us is a positive one – to “be filled with the Spirit.” The Greek words he used for “be filled” are “en pleroo” (en play-ro’-o). The word “en” means position in place and time – basically, it means right here, where you are at this moment. Pleroo, means to “cram, make full, fulfill, perfect, complete.” In essence, it means to be completely filled right where you are at this moment. This is not a suggestion and it is not a casual statement. It is a command! And it is a command that is given to all of us, not to just this person or that person, or the people in the early church. Paul’s greeting in the beginning of his letter is directed to “the saints” – period. That means all of us as well as those living in the days of the early church.

Also, notice that the command “be filled” is in the passive voice. That means that this is not something we can do to ourselves. I’ve thought and thought about how I can explain this to you and decided that the best way is through personal experience. I have been baptized with the Holy Spirit. It’s true, I “got” the Holy Spirit. Let me describe for you how it happened. I was out of seminary, working as the Chaplain at a girls’ home in Virginia and working hard at whatever the powers that be had decided was in the way of my ordination. I had come to the point where I could acknowledge that there WAS something in the way or, more accurately, something missing. I had learned that God was there for me, that he would never leave me, and I had become convinced that God would make all things work to his glory. I knew intellectually that I had the power of God’s Spirit within me but I just didn’t seem to have all the pistons firing. I didn’t have all the gears engaged. I prayed to God for guidance and help but somehow, I knew something wasn’t quite right – I couldn’t seem to connect in a deep way with the Spirit that I knew lived in me.

So, I had been longing for this experience I had heard many of my friends speak about. They were NOT like the out-of-control drunks Paul had described. They just exuded the presence of the Spirit in what Paul called “the gift of the Spirt,” which manifested itself in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. In short, I wanted the Holy Spirit to grab hold – I wanted to grab hold but, like Jim, I didn’t know how. Here’s what happened on the first day of the new year, 1984. I had gone to a New Year’s Eve party in Colonial Heights with some of my friends from the church Scott and I attended before going to seminary. After the party, we went back to their home, had a little eggnog, re-visited the party and some of my seminary experiences and retired for the night. At 5 minutes to 8 in the morning I sat straight up in bed – wide  awake and feeling the covers because I knew they had to be wet. I had had a dream that was so vivid I really thought it had happened. When my dream began, I was in a stairwell which looked like it belonged in a prison – you know, concrete steps and walls, and large metal pipe railings. There were people standing above me who would not let me get to the door out of the stairs and I was very anxious because I knew there were people who needed my help and they were preventing me from getting to them.

Suddenly the scene shifted to a bathroom where there was a bathtub with the curtain open and the shower running. I was standing beside the tub, fully clothed, and talking to God, who seemed to be in the shower. I called him Grundy and I was telling him that I didn’t want to get in the shower because I had my clothes on. I continued to argue with God who continued to invite me to get in the shower. Finally, I stupidly said, “Well, I’m not getting in there with my clothes on and as long as I’m out here and you’re in there, you can’t get me wet.” Instantly, the shower head turned right toward me I was instantly drenched. I woke up, as I said, certain that I and the bed were soaked.

Once I realized that this was way more than a dream, I began to look closely at what was going on and what I learned was that being “baptized with the Holy Spirit” or being “filled with the Spirit” was not something that I did – it was something that God did and it was not something that God did to make me DO certain things. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit does not force us to act or to DO, it is an empowerment to BE. When Jesus was ascending into heaven, he told the Apostles that they were witnesses to what had happened. The Holy Spirit was given to them 10 days later NOT to make them go out and witness but to make them BE witnesses.

When we allow the Holy Spirit to wake us up and become aware of the very presence of God in us, we find that we have the power to BE kind, to BE loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, and gentle. The other important thing I learned is that we cannot MAKE this happen. We must wait. The power of the Holy Spirit is a promise from God for every single one of us but we cannot manufacture it or make it do anything on our timetable. We can, however, wait actively – we can pray and actually seek the Holy Spirit in ourselves and in the world around us.

The disciples waited by joining together in prayer with the other followers of Jesus – Mary the mother of Jesus, the other women, and with his brothers. That’s what they were doing when the Holy Spirit came down. I knew there was something missing or that there was something I was missing and so I did pray that God would show me. In essence, what I was doing was seeking the Holy Spirit. I had re-learned what being baptized in the Holy Spirit really meant and I wanted it. I wanted the peace I had heard about and the excitement of being touched by this Holy Spirit I knew was inside of me but I had never really met. I couldn’t really express that in words at the time but I did know that it was of God and not of me.

A preacher once told about a scene he witnessed in a fast-food restaurant between a boy and his mother. The boy was pouting and gazing at the menu printed above the counter and it was obvious that they had been at this for some time because there was a long line behind them. “Well, what do you want?” the young frustrated mother impatiently asked her little boy. “We’ve been standing here for five minutes and I’ve told you everything on the menu. What do you want?” He winced and for the first time seemed embarrassed by the growing bunch of people waiting behind them. “Mommy? I know that I DON’T want a ‘cheesyburg and fwies.’ I know I don’t want a ‘shicken sandwich.’ And, I know I don’t want something with ‘fishes’ in it. I can tell you what I don’t want and I know I want something, Mommy. I just can’t tell you what!”

It was obvious that the boy was hungry – he really wanted something to eat – but he was anxious too because those hunger signals just didn’t seem to be connecting with what he was hearing. He knew all those things his mother had named were good but his brain seemed to be telling him that what his stomach wanted wasn’t on that list. He knew he wanted something specific but it was a feeling that he just couldn’t seem to put into the right words. Finally, after a few more tense moments at the front of the line, the frazzled mother told the clerk, “Just give him a hamburger with everything on it.” She paid the clerk and dragged her little guy along behind, cup in hand, over to the drinks dispenser. The little boy took one last, yearning look at the menus above the counter and shrugged. He still knew there was something he wanted but he just couldn’t put his finger on it.

I had a feeling that I just couldn’t seem to put into words – it was a longing for something that I couldn’t pinpoint exactly. That’s the way it is with the “God stuff.” We know what we don’t want – we don’t want the emptiness of not knowing God but we don’t want some kind of overwhelming force that makes us be something we’re not. We know that we want more than the world has to offer and more than we can manage on our own. We want to be filled with that special “something” that we just can’t quite put our finger on but we know we want it really bad. It’s a love, as Martin Luther put it, “caught up high above all things in the invisible God who surpasses all feelings and understandings.” It is a hard thing to put into words but one thing we do know it’s a longing that can’t be filled by any old “shicken sandich.”

What happened to me was that the Holy Spirit had been seeking me all along too – pushing me to be open to the power in me – AND to let go of my agenda for ordination. By becoming so acutely aware of God’s presence and control over my life, I was finally able to allow the Holy Spirit to actively influence me to finally BE what God had called me to be and when those same powers that be saw the evidence of my new spirit, they also knew that I now had what was necessary to fulfill my calling to be a priest.

Jim, I hope I have answered your question but let me offer you one last image of being filled with the Holy Spirit. These glasses of water represent us – they are both alike. This Alka-Seltzer represents the Holy Spirit. (Glasses of water on pulpit – 2 Alka-Seltzers – unwrap one and drop it in the first glass – put the other, with the wrapper on, into the 2nd glass.) Both glasses have the Alka-Seltzer, just as all Christians have the Holy Spirit. But notice how you can have the Holy Spirit and not his power. You can drink the 2nd one and only be filled with plain water. When we drink the 1st one, we can feel the presence and power of the Holy Spirit within us because it has been unwrapped, unleashed in us.

So, here is the good news for us this morning. The gift of the Father to all of us is the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Can you fathom this? The God of the universe, who holds all things together by the word of his power, who fills all things and is bigger than the universe; bigger than time, literally lives in you and calls you his dwelling place. This is not because God has nowhere to go – it is because each of us is a magnificent creation whom God loves so much that he has given us the high and wonderful privilege to house his Holy Spirit. We only have to welcome this full-time resident, give him his own key and full run of the house. The Holy Spirit is already within your walls, so being filled with the Spirit is an inside job. If we insist on only allowing the Spirit to paint the outside – to only spruce up the yard, we will never get to know the person and the power that God has given to dwell in us and to make us alive in him.

[Preached in Jermain UMC – June 12, 2011]

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CHRISTMAS – “THE WORD BECAME FLESH” – December 25, 2010

I wonder what Christmas means to a mother who has lost her husband, who must take care of 3 or 4 children, working every day, never quite getting everything done, never quite making ends meet. I wonder what Christmas means to her. I wonder what Christmas means to the little man in Zimbabwe, 80 years old, living in a hut, who knows nothing of shopping malls or Christmas trees. I wonder what Christmas means to him. I wonder what Christmas means to missionaries who are half a world away from families & friends, who are sacrificing so much to take the precious gospel message to those who have never heard it. I wonder what Christmas means to them.

We have two dear ones in hospitals, one recuperating from a broken hip and one who is deathly ill.  I wonder what Christmas means to them. There’s no doubt that Christmas means different things to different people. To merchants it is the busiest time of the year. Stores stay open longer & hire extra people to accommodate all the shoppers. It means more profit, hopefully enough profit to see them through lean times ahead. For some employees it means a Christmas bonus, a little more money in their pockets to do things that they want to do. For many teen-agers & adults it is a time of fun & parties. For children it is a time of impatience, with time seeming to pass so slowly, as they wait for Christmas morning.

But sometimes I get the feeling that we are like the folks who decided to throw a party to honor a very special friend. They sent out invitations, decorated the hall, & had the food catered. All the people came together at the designated time, but to their surprise, the guest of honor was not there. Finally, they made the embarrassing discovery that no one had even invited the guest of honor. I wonder if that happens at Christmas time? Do we go through all the decorating, & buying presents, & preparing elaborate meals, but somehow forget whose birthday it really is? One family tried to overcome that by putting an extra place at their Christmas table for Jesus, & calling Christmas dinner, “His birthday party.” It seems to have worked. When one of their daughters was asked if she got everything she wanted for Christmas, she answered by saying, “No, but then it’s not my birthday.”

It isn’t our birthday, is it? It’s the Lord’s birthday & it’s a time to remember His birth & what it is supposed to mean to us. If we look closely at the story of the first Christmas, we get a glimpse of the real meaning of Christmas. Let’s look at who it was that God chose to hear the first announcement of the birth of his son – it wasn’t King Herod – it wasn’t the Pharisees at the Temple – it wasn’t even the mayor of Bethlehem. It was a bunch of scraggly, smelly shepherds. We hear a lot about shepherds in the Bible – we even hear Jesus being called a shepherd – so it’s difficult to grasp just how unacceptable shepherds were in those days. They were actually at the complete opposite end of the social strata from King Herod & the Pharisees and all the other influential people of the day. They lived in the fields with animals. They weren’t respected. They had no power or prestige. Yet, God’s angel came to them & said, “Unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ, the Lord.” Unto shepherds a Savior was born.

Now, that still may not sound like much but with that one simple announcement God made known some very important truths. First, he let the shepherds know that they weren’t at the bottom of God’s important people list and what that says to us is, “No matter how insignificant you may think you are, God knows you, and you are important to Him.” This happened throughout scripture – so many times we read of God honoring & using people & things that the world often overlooks or ignores and Paul told us why in his first letter to the Corinthians: “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose weak things of the world to shame the strong.” So, when God decided to select a mother for his Son, he went past the fashion salons & beauty parlors. He went past the furs & diamonds & gold, & went to an insignificant village called Nazareth. He found a peasant girl. She was simple – she did not dress in designer clothes. She did not have a sophisticated education. But she was pure, & God selected her to be the mother of His only begotten Son.

So when the Christ came, he was not born in Mt. Sinai Hospital in Jerusalem, surrounded by gynecologists, nurses & assistants. But rather, he was born in a stable. He was wrapped in swaddling clothes & laid in a plain old feed trough. Now the world looks down its nose & says, “That’s foolishness.” But Paul says, “The foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, & the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” So, when God made his announcement, it was delivered to lowly shepherds.

It is like Jesus would later say in the Sermon on the Mount, “If God cares about sparrows & lilies, then how much more does he care about you?” If God cares about shepherds, He cares about you! We all need to hear that, don’t we? Children 12 & 13 years old need to hear that in orphanages when they see younger children being adopted & realize that they probably never will be chosen. They need to hear that. Mothers of children without a husband to help need to hear that. Lost souls on skid row who drink away their fears need to hear that. People who are lonely need to hear that. Husbands who have lost their wives in death need to hear that. Church people who feel useless & empty need to hear that. We all need to hear that.

All of us have known feelings of rejection. All of us have known feelings of being left out. Then, Christmas comes. The light shines, & God says, “No! You’re wrong. I made the announcement to shepherds & I make it to you. Unto you a Savior is born.” So here’s the second thing this passage teaches us – it is not just that you matter to God. It is that your very life matters – not only you, but your life counts with God. How many nights do you think those shepherds must have sat around the campfire & wondered if life was really worthwhile or not. “What difference does it make if we watch the sheep or not?” Have you ever asked that question? Have you ever wondered, “What difference does it make if I get up every morning or not? Do you ever feel as if your life is an endless cycle of things that just really don’t mean much? Do you ever wonder if life is worth living at all?”

We’ve all been there but sometimes we forget that the answer to that question is yes. When God came & made his announcement to a bunch of grungy shepherds, he was also saying to his children throughout the centuries, “Your life is worthwhile. Your life is my gift to you. Therefore you must live every golden moment of it, because your life does matter to me.” You see, every life matters. It’s impossible to live, even for a few moments on this earth, & not influence somebody in one way or another. We are always influencing someone, either for good or for bad. Do you remember Bubba Smith? He was a professional football player. After he retired from playing football, Bubba Smith started making beer commercials. He was the guy who tore the top off of beer cans, & engaged in the argument about whether it is less filling or tastes great. Remember him? Well, listen to what he learned about his life.

In a magazine article, Bubba Smith said that he never, ever drank beer. Drinking any kind of alcoholic beverage just wasn’t a part of his life. But he still advertised it & he felt good about his job. It was an easy job. It was an enjoyable job, & it paid a good salary. Until one day when he went back to Michigan State, his alma mater, as the Grand Marshal of the Homecoming Parade. As he was riding in the limousine at the head of the parade, he heard the throngs of people on both sides of the parade route shouting. And what were they shouting? “Hail to Michigan State?” No! One side was shouting, “Tastes great!” & the other side was shouting, “Less filling!” Bubba Smith suddenly realized that he & the beer commercials that he made had had a tremendous impact on the students at Michigan State. But the message that they had gotten was that “It is all right to drink light beer.”

Later, Bubba was in Ft. Lauderdale during Spring Break, & he saw drunken college kids up & down the beaches, shouting “Tastes great! Less filling!” And when it came time to renew his contract, he refused to sign because he said that he didn’t want his life to count for something like that. He said that there was a still, small voice in his mind that kept saying, “Stop, Bubba. Stop.” You see, everybody’s life counts for something with other people and with God.

Some years ago, a cartoon appeared in newspapers all across the country. It pictured two farmers in Kentucky, standing in a field as snow fell softly. One turned to the other & asked, “Anything exciting happen today?” “Nah, nothing exciting,” said the other farmer. “Oh, there was a baby born over at Tom Lincoln’s, but that’s nothing – nothing exciting ever happens around here.” But that baby born in the home of Tom Lincoln one day became the President of the United States. He changed the course of history & liberated the slaves. One life can make a difference!

I wonder if there were people in Bethlehem on that night so long ago, asking, “Anything exciting happen today?” Maybe they were told, “No, nothing much. Oh, I hear some woman gave birth to a baby in a stable, but nothing exciting ever happens around here.” Except that a baby was born, a baby that changed the world. Life counts. Life matters. Your life & mine. Lives of shepherds & lives of kings, all are important to God. The other thing that we learn from this simple announcement to a bunch of simple shepherds is that our faith matters, too. Regardless of their social standing, shepherds were men of faith. They probably had more faith than some of the scribes & Pharisees who went to the synagogue every day. They believed in a Messiah. All of God’s chosen people believed in a Messiah but when things got especially hard, during times of poverty & enslavement & exile, people like the shepherds would think about the Messiah & God’s promise that one day the Messiah would come. They prayed over & over again, “Let the Messiah come. Let Him come today!” They prayed that prayer for hundreds of years, & they must have wondered, “Is our faith worth anything? Does God hear our prayers? Does God keep His promises? Will the Messiah ever come?” There must have been many who quit praying, & quit having faith. But when the announcement came to shepherds, God was saying, “Your faith matters, & it is not in vain. I am a God who hears & who keeps His promises. Now the Messiah has come, & I have kept my promise.”

Well, how about us? Sometimes we become weary. There may be times when we wonder if it is worthwhile going to church. There are times when we wonder if it is worth sacrificing for God or if it’s worth even believing in God. There have been times when I have wondered if it is worth it to be a preacher. When it seemed no one was listening I thought that maybe I ought to do something else. Why bother with all this if no one is paying attention? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve prayed, “Lord, why don’t you come today? Why don’t you come & take us all home, and put us out of our misery & pain & hardships?” And even though we are people of faith, we wonder if God hears those prayers – we wonder why God doesn’t do something – why he doesn’t make people believe.

These are natural doubts and questions – when life doesn’t seem to matter much, it’s hard to keep back the “Why don’t you’s” and “Where are you’s?”. But the story we have read today – the story we all hold so dear we can repeat it word for word – this story tells us that not only does my life or your life or your life matter – not only do the lives of simple people like the lowly shepherds on a hill outside Bethlehem matter, but God loved them and God loves us so much that he came to earth as a tiny baby, grew up to be a healer, a teacher, and ultimately a savior. And this great story that began on that long ago night in a shepherd’s field also brings a promise. A promise that one day God will come again – he will come for all of us – shepherds and kings, wise men and peasants, innkeepers and fortune 500 CEO’s. He will come for all of His people and he’ll make us understand that he loves us all – from the lowliest to the richest. No matter who we are or where we live or what we do or where we go, God will dry every tear & take away every pain. There will be no more death, no more good-byes – there will only be love. And at that moment, if anyone asks God, “Was he worth it? Was she worth it?” God will say, “remember the night I gave the shepherds the biggest news in the universe and everyone wondered why because they weren’t really worth much?” “Well, that news was and is worth more than all the words spoken by all the people since creation and I entrusted it to those who mattered most to me – they are the ones who need me the most.”

Well, that puts us up there at the top of God’s list doesn’t it? I don’t know about you but I surely need God so I know that I must matter to God – I also know that all of this happened because I matter to God and you matter to God and all of creation matters to God. So, now that you know all that – what does Christmas mean to you? Is it just presents and decorations and parties and family celebrations? Is it a birthday party for someone we forget to invite or is it what God intended it to be for all those who mattered to him?  The greatest story ever told of the greatest moment in the universe when God decided that each and every person in this world was worth saving and so God – the Word – became flesh and dwelt among us – full of grace and truth.

Photo: “Merry Christmas to Us” – nuttakit Photo: Farmers – http://us.fotolia.com/id/10006224 and http://us.fotolia.com/id/10006228

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Budding Authors Facebook Group

This group is for people who like to write, who make a living writing, write just for fun, have published a book or books, want desperately to publish a book, or have published one and need to figure out how to sell it.

That last one would be me. I wrote my memoir in 2011 and it has been languishing in the publisher’s waiting for people to buy it. Unfortunately, I am not the sharpest marketing knife in the drawer so I am starting this group looking for like authors who would like to help each other out with tips, etc. and with sharing lists or posting others’ books on their own page or website. For instance, I have a website where I would start a column for Budding Authors and list your book and where to buy it.

If you are interested, please reply. As far as group guidelines are concerned, all the normal non-abusive, verbally haranguing, rude comments, etc. etc. are banned and will result in removal from the group. We are all responsible adults and everyone is expected to act as such. If not, your posts will be removed.

Hope to hear from all you Budding Authors soon.

Rev. Susan Bowman

July 6, 2019

Glenmont, NY

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Susan Bowman, is an ordained Episcopal Priest, a Grandmother, and a Professional Writer.  She was ordained as an Episcopal priest in 1986 and has a story to tell that will speak to all women who are functioning in a traditionally male role.  She has written a book about her experiences of discrimination within the church’s ordination process and in the parishes she served.  Sign up for her newsletter and important emails.  Fill out the form below to enter contact information securely.