Christmas Program

This week we had our Annual Christmas Program at Oxford and it was a HUGE success! McDonough's services were canceled, because your pastor is a huge wimp and apparently needs four-wheel drive, but their Christmas Program has been re-scheduled for January 4th, so be there or be square!

I'm pleased to say that despite the weather (it still wasn't great at 11:00 am) many people showed up for church in Oxford, and they were treated to the traditional Christmas story complete with Jesus, Mary and Joseph, wisemen, shepherds, angels, and a whole host of others. If you missed Oxford's program, don't fret, you can get pictures from Rich Howard, and you can go to McDonough's on the 4th of January, it also promises to be educational and a good time had by all!

On another note, our Advent Facial Hair (or other hair) seemed to be a huge success! I noticed many gentlemen in both congregations who grew some form of facial hair, and also noticed that each week a new person or two had begun to grow some facial hair. This hopefully was fun for those of you that participated and a minor curiosity to those who did not. The main goal was twofold, first to remind us all that we are in the midst of a special season (Advent) where we are to remember Christ's birth and anticipate his 2nd coming. The second goal (which those of you who participated found worked almost immediately) was to spur conversation with people who you would normally not talk to about church. Many gentlemen reported being asked questions about their facial hair and thus having an opportunity to talk to friends, co-workers, family, etc. about Advent, Jesus, God, Church, etc. I too had a conversation with my grandfather about our Advent Beards, and he was so intrigued by it that he decided he too would grow a beard. The conversation was Saturday, so he only has a few days before Christmas! But the point is, I was given an easy opportunity to talk to another person about my faith, without being pushy or intrusive.

Grace & Peace and Merry Christmas,
Pastor John

Sermon Sampler (December 14th) - Heavenly Worship

This week's text came from Revelation 4 and spoke of heavenly worship. But before we dove into the text, I mentioned that the book of Revelation is a particular type of literature (like poetry) called Apocalyptic. This type of literature (Apocalyptic) has certain rules that it follows, including using numbers, animals, and various other things to symbolically represent something else. This simply means that not everything in the book of Revelation is what it appears to be.

I mentioned that many people get excited when they find this fact out, and begin to ask questions about everything they read in the text. Some popular ones from chapter four include the 24 elders and the four living creatures. Just in case you're curious, many scholars will interpret the 24 elders as being representative of the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 Apostles, therefore being symbolic for the entirety of the people of God (although the below post offers another interpretation of their meaning). The four living creatures, are said to have eyes all over them, both inside and out! For many people this is difficult to imagine (just think of a giant eyeball monster!), but the truth is much easier to grasp. Just as your mother or grandmother used to tell you she had eyes in the back of her head, and you didn't literally believe she did, so we are to understand that these four creatures are not covered in eyes, but rather see everything.

Continuing this thought process, that many things in Revelation are not necessarily what they appear, I set about trying to "unlock" the heavenly worship described in chapter four. What is described is that the four creatures utter a phrase day and night without ceasing and whenever they do, the 24 elders (representative of all people of God) respond with a phrase of their own, praising God. I must confess that one of my fears in life is getting to heaven and finding out that all we do is praise God all of the time. Imagine church 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! This notion of heaven is what I was hoping to dispell in this week's sermon. But I ran into a few problems along the way.

First I couldn't for the life of me figure a way around the understanding that chapter four basically is showing worship in heaven and that it basically amounts to praising God all day and all night forever! Second I got quite sick this week. It started with a sore throat, quickly added a fever, then a sore ear and before I was done both eyes were bothering me as well. When I went to the doctor I was informed that I was running a fever of 103, I had a sinus infection, I had an ear infection, and that I had pink eye in both eyes. I was given medicine and told to go home. I spent Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and the better part of Wednesday basically in bed miserable. I was freezing cold (due to the fever) most of the time, but enjoyed brief moments where the tables would be turned and I would awake covered in sweat. I also got to experience the joys of being openly ridiculed by the few people who happened to catch me out during the week. Both at Wal-Mart and at the Post Office I was informed that I looked "terrible" and needed to get some rest.

If this wasn't bad enough, as I began to finally get back to a more normal state, our 2 year old daughter, Hannah began to show many of the same symptoms. She had a fever that we could not seem to bring down, and was complaining of a sore throat and ear. She also had trouble trying to sleep at night, with the fever and the difficulty breathing that comes along with a sinus/ear infection. On Thursday night I lay in bed listening to my little girl snort, gurgle, and struggle to breathe while she tossed and turned in bed next to me. Every time she touched her arm to mine, I was instantly reminded that she had an incredibly high fever that wouldn't go away with medicine, baths, or drinks. I lay there and found myself pleading with God, bargaining and trying to make a deal. I proposed that if God would make her better (or just take away her fever) I would gladly take on her symptoms. It was at that moment, while I was asking God to make me sick (after I had just begun to get better) so my child could be well, that I unlocked Revelation 4!

I realized that as a parent I wanted my little girl to get better, and that I was willing to endure anything myself in order to make that a reality for her. I also realized that as our Perfect Parent, God too wanted us to be well, and was willing to go to any length to ensure our wellness, including dying on a cross for our sins and for our salvation. We remember Jesus' coming as Christmas and his death and resurrection as Easter, but for me both moments were instantly transformed into a parent lying beside a sick child, willing to take away that child's sickness and suffer it himself.

It is in light of this reality that I present Revelation 4, the picture of Heavenly Worship, to you. It is a portrait of children signing praise to their loving Parent upon fully realizing what that Parent has done for them! Heavenly Worship, rightly understood is about God, whereas earthly worship (and all earthly life) is often too much about us. I invite you to take a moment to think about and realize what God has done for you. How has God taken your sin and sickness so that you might be well? Now take a moment and give thanks to God your loving Parent for what he has done for you!

Grace & Peace,
Pastor John

December 7th Sermon Capsule - Live Holy or Repent: Part 2

The final three churches, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea, formed the foundation for our discussion this week. We began with Philadelphia, a small, poor city, recently destroyed by earthquakes, moved on to Sardis, a church whose reputation is greater than its reality and finished with Laodicea, the big, rich city whose lukewarm tendencies made God sick.

Philadelphia was a city that had not only recently been destroyed by a massive earthquake, but was still troubled by earthquakes to the extent that most people did not live within the city out of fear. Philadelphia was little and poor. Despite this God gives the church in Philadelphia praise for being faithful. Philadelphia is each and every one of us, when we think we have no power, when we think we are unimportant, when we think it doesn't matter if we do right or wrong, and yet we still do the right thing.

Sardis was a church with a great reputation for being alive, but they are warned that their reality is the exact opposite. I told a story about myself when I was in 6th grade. At that time I was asked to be in an advanced math class. I had a reputation among my peers for being very good at math. Unfortunately the reality was not so. In the class, we would receive our tests back in the order that we performed on them, the best in the class gettings theirs back first. I always got my tests back last. Except for one time, when my name was called first! Unfortunately, the teacher had reversed the order this week, and so again mine was the lowest score in the class. I even moved down to the regular math class, later that year, when it was clear I was not succeeding in the advanced class. My reputation was still good with my fellow classmates (those who weren't in the advanced class) and many still believed me to be good at math. I suggested that I was just "too cool" for that advanced math class, but when we received our first test back, and again mine was one of the lowest grades, I began to realize that I could not merely believe the hype, and live in the unreality that I was effortlessly good at math. I needed to take the advice God gave to the church in Sardis and remember what I received and heard; obey it and repent. Sardis is all of us when we buy into the false reputation that others give us (good or bad) and stop living in the reality of who we really are (forgiven children of the living God).

Laodicea was a rich and powerful city. One that was also destroyed by the same earthquake that destroyed Philadelphia. When the Roman government came to offer assistance in rebuilding the city, the Laodiceans rejected the help, boasting that their city was rich enough to rebuild on its own. Laodicea was also a city that attempted to have hot water brought into the city from hot springs via aqueduct. Unfortunately by the time the water reached the city, it was no longer hot, and not quite cold, but rather a tepid lukewarm. It is almost certainly this particular misshap that is being used to chastize the church in Laodicea when they are said to be lukewarm. This lukewarmness is also referencing an aspect of their spiritual lives. It could either mean that they are not passionate enough for God, or that they are guilty of worshipping other gods (hedging their bets if you will). I choose to believe the latter, and therefore see them as the "Thanksgiving Dinner" church. Think of it this way, on Thanksgiving we have so many wonderful foods, and when many of us sit down to eat it, we MUST have a little of everything. A little stuffing, a little mashed potatoes, a little squash, a little gravy, a few rolls, a little bit of the cranberry sauce, a little bit of the coleslaw, etc, etc, etc. When you get done you no longer have a little of anything, but a whole plate full of food, its only then that you realize you forgot to get a little bit of the turkey. By the time the Thanksgiving meal is over, many of us are stuffed and overstuffed! But wait, we haven't had desert yet, you must have a little apple pie, and a little pumpkin pie, and don't forget a little strawberry rubarb pie. If we aren't careful our tendency to have a little bit of everything will make us sick, and send us running to the nearest bathroom! I believe this is exactly what's going on in Laodicea. The people are worshipping this god on Monday, and this one on Wednesday, and another on Thursday, and yet another on Saturday, and their attempts to please everyone have only served to make the one true God sick to his stomach and threaten to vomit them out! Laodicea is us when we try to do too much, when we try to hedge our bets, please everyone, and in the end forget who's really important (God).

With the conclusion of the 7 letters to the 7 churches, we have been given glimpses of 7 real churches that existed nearly 2,000 years ago, and their struggles living in a world that's not always the most friendly to Christians and Christianity. At the same time we've been given glimpses into our own lives and our own struggles living in a world that still isn't always the most friendly to Christians and Christianity. The one piece of advice given throughout is to REPENT. Simply put, when we find ourselves in the midst of doing wrong, we are called to stop what we're doing, and say we're sorry (or repent).

Grace & Peace,
Pastor John

November 30th Sermon Capsule - Live Holy or Repent (Part 1)

We have now entered the season of Advent, a time of preparation and aniticipation, where we remember Christ's birth, anticipate his imminent return and prepare ourselves for something amazing to happen. In our series on Revelation, we began the messages given to the seven churches, with the second chapter of Revelation. The letters to the seven churches are words of encouragement, as well as instruction to each individual church. Some people read the letters as symbolic of different time periods throughout the history of Christianity as a whole, while others see each message as representative of different types of people, but I suggested that these letters can be understood to be different states that we all experience throughout our lives.

First we dealt with the words to the church in Smyrna, where the people were encouraged to continue in the way they were living, even in the face of persecution and death. This church was not told to change anything, but rather to stay the course. I said that this is like each one of us when we are not actively engaged in sin. When we are living holy lives. When this is the case for us (even if it only lasts mere minutes) the advice given here, is to keep up the good work!

Second we dealt with the churches of Pergamum and Thyatira. These two churches, we dealt with together, because they were being instructed about the same basic problem. In Pergamum the problem was with negative influences from without, while in Thyatira it was negative influences from within. The following story seemed to apply to both situations:

While still in high school, I had the privilege of attending Annual Conference at the University of Scranton in Scranton, PA. The final night of the conference, some friends and I decided to sneak out of our dorm late at night and see what kind of mischief we could get into. To make a long story short, we found a bench not chained down and decided to move it. In the midst of moving the bench, we were caught by a campus security guard, who instructed us to "stop right there." Naturally, I ran away. An ensuing chase followed in which the Scranton city police were involved, and several police and security vehicles. Once finally apprehended, I was threatened with jail but ultimately allowed to go back to my dorm (with some direction from the police, since I was completely lost). The whole story is very funny now, but at the time it was quite frightening.

Throughout, I was continually faced with negative influences from my friends as well as from myself. It started when we were told to "stop" and someone yelled "cops! run!" and continued everytime I found myself running without direction, knowing I was in the wrong, and yet hearing a voice within my head telling me to "keep running." That night I was my own worst enemy, and my friends certainly didn't help much. The same can be said for the churches of Pergamum and Thyatira. They were both being led astray by people whose advice and leadership were taking the churches away from God. It is for this reason that they were both instructed to repent. As an aside, to repent simply means to say your sorry and to stop doing that which you are sorry for. The same advice holds true in our own lives. When we find ourselves following bad influences and walking away from God, we merely need to repent (say we're sorry, and stop following those bad influences). God longs to forgive us when we make mistakes. God wants to be in relationship with us and have us following his lead.

The final church we dealt with was the church of Ephesus, who had lost their passion. The Ephesian Christians had resisted the teaching of false teachers, had avoided all those negative and misleading influences, but had somehow lost their passion along the way. The people in the Ephesian church were merely going through the motions. I have another story that seems to fit here:

In highschool I wrestled. My senior year I had to lose a good deal of weight (20 lbs) in order to wrestle at a weight class that I could be competitive. I ended up losing this weight in one week. That week happened to be the week of Thanksgiving. Needless to say, it wasn't the best week of my life. It was hard for me to keep the weight off, and I began to find myself hating wrestling, wishing I could just quite the team. I would go to practice, and I would compete, but my heart wasn't really in it. It seemed that somewhere along the line, wrestling had become all about winning (and therefore wrestling nearly 30 pounds below my normal weight). I went to my father and spoke with him about wanting to quit the team. After telling me about commitment and what it means to be a man of my word, he asked me why I wanted to quit. I told him my story about not enjoying it anymore, and he asked me if I ever enjoyed it. I told him "yes" and then he encouraged me to try and remember why I enjoyed it before, and to recapture that joy that I had lost.

God's advice to the church in Ephesus is the same as my father's advice to me. God points out that they no longer have passion for their faith, and then instructs them to remember their first love and repent. Again we have repentance (saying your sorry and stopping what your sorry for), but first the people are called to remember what it was that made them so passionate before. Again this instruction is not just for Christians nearly 2,000 years ago, but also for you and I. If we find ourselves losing our passion, just going through the motions, we too are encouraged to remember what it was that gave us that passion originally and to recapture it.

In all of the above churches, we should all be able to see ourselves at different times in our lives. Sometimes we are doing well, and so then we are called to keep on keepin on. Sometimes we are following bad influences, and so then we are called to repent, to turn back to God. Sometimes we find ourselves having lost our passion, merely going through the motions, and so then we are called to remember why we were passionate in the first place and to repent of our poor attitude. Next Sunday we'll continue looking at the final 3 churches and further learn how we can prepare during this season of Advent.

Grace & Peace,
Pastor John

Advent Beards

This one's for the gentlemen:

Many churches, during the season of Advent (four weeks before Christmas), do special things like light Advent wreaths, sing songs, put up banners, etc. While our congregations will be doing many of these things, we are also going to be growing "Advent Beards"!

This idea comes from hockey players growing playoff beards. The idea goes like this: when a pro hockey team reaches the playoffs, most/all of the members of the team grow beards as long as they are in the playoffs. It serves as a way to unite the players on the team, and also to be a constant reminder that they are part of something special.

For our churches this will hopefully give the men something fun (and easy) to do, as well as serve as a constant reminder to everyone that we are part of something special! Advent is a season when we look back and remember Christ's birth, as well as look ahead and anticipate his eventual return. Both events are extraordinary, and by growing "Advent Beards" we are merely giving ourselves one more way to participate in the extraordinary season of Advent.

So I'm calling all men to grow some facial hair. It can be a moustache, sideburns, a goatee, a soul patch, a fu manchu, or a full beard. If you already have a full beard, shave it off (like I did) and regrow it during these four weeks of Advent. The point is to grow some facial hair as a reminder of something special happening! So grow, grow, grow!


Grace & Peace,
Pastor John

November 16th Sermon Capsule - Female Clergy

So this week's sermon began with the following passages from Corinthians and Timothy. Needless to say, several women were shooting daggers at me, and a few even laughed! From here I introduced this passage from the Gospel of John. Next we divided ourselves up, declaring our views on women as clergy or even leaders within the church.

I said that all people can basically be put into four groups, as far as their views on female clergy:
1) Those who believe it is wrong
2) Those who don't think female clergy are as "good" as male clergy
3) Those who believe it's right, but aren't really sure why
4) Those who know it's right and can tell you why
In both congregations, the movement of people was overwhelmingly to the pro-female clergy side of the sanctuary. At this point I commented that it's only natural in a United Methodist Church for this to be the case, and that if we were in a church from another denomination, or even in a different part of the country our views might be drastically different.

At this point I began to tell my story, which has seen me move from one view on women clergy to another, to the point where I've held each one of the four views at some point in my short 26 years. Beginning in my youth, in the church where I grew up, I had my first experience with a woman pastor. She was smart, funny, kind, and a great preacher. I even remember some of her sermons, including one that used a text from Galatians, that points out that in Christ we are all equal. Her story included divisions in reading levels that she experienced as a young girl in school, the sad fact that she was in the lowest level, and the reality that that experience stuck with her even into adulthood. Her application of the Galatians passage was to point out that such divisions should not exist in the church and do not exist within the Body of Christ! At this point in my life I was firmly in the group that believed women should be pastors, but is not quite able to explain why.

The next step along the journey for me, included another female pastor, who wasn't very funny, and wasn't very nice, and didn't preach exceptionally well. I tried to tell myself that there was more to being a pastor, but when I approached her about help with a sermon I was working on for youth Sunday, I left the interaction less than satisfied. I had asked her for help in locating the above passage from Galatians, that speaks about unity in Christ, but her reply was that she didn't "do the Bible." I was shocked and appalled that a pastor not only didn't know even remotely where to send me in the Bible to find what I was looking for, but that she didn't even want to bother trying to help me find it. At this point in time I found myself agreeing with those who say women don't make as good of pastors as men.

I graduated highschool and attended college. The college I went to would be considered a conservative Christian college. It was there that I was first introduced to the passages from 1 Corinthians and 1 Timothy that I reference above. The reasoning was that if I took the Bible seriously, that I could not ignore such clear and plain passages, and therefore had to acknowledge that women should not be clergy or even leaders in the church. The logic seemed solid, and the passages seemed clear, saying things like "...women should remain silent in the churches." and "I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent." It was because of such things that I now found myself believing that it was clearly wrong for women to be clergy.

While in college I began serving churches as their pastor. Upon my graduation, I planned to attend seminary in Washington, D.C. This meant that the churches I was serving would need to find a new pastor. There was obvious concern on the part of the congregations, as they were happy with me as their pastor, and were anxious about who they might be getting to replace me. Just before I left for seminary, I and the churches found out they were getting a woman pastor, but to further complicate things for me, that woman was my mother! I was understandably distressed and conflicted. As I stayed in touch with the people, I learned that according to them she was doing well, but wasn't as "great" as I was! Then they would tell me about this family, or that family, and when I would ask who that was, they would always reply with "they've been coming since you're mom's been here." I quickly began to realize that she wasn't as "great" as I was, she was greater! Now I didn't know what to think, because I thought I was sure that it wasn't right for women to be pastors, but in my short life I had two solid examples of very effective female clergy.

It wasn't too long after that, that I graduated seminary and again was on my way to another state to serve different churches, and as before I was going to be leaving a congregation that didn't want me to leave and that was apprehensive about who would be replacing me. This time I learned before I left that they would be getting a female pastor. In this particular United Methodist congregation, the divide between those who thought women could be pastors and those who didn't, was much different. The majority at the very least had serious concerns about women clergy. It was around this time that I read some work done by a woman named Phoebe Palmer. She was a 19th century Methodist who believed very strongly that women should be allowed to be leaders, preachers, and teachers, in a time when it was not accepted. Palmer's argument sprung from two key biblical passages. First from the following passage in Acts, where the Holy Spirit is given to men and women alike, and second from the above passage from John's Gospel where Jesus sends Mary Magdalene to inform the others that he had risen. Phoebe Palmer's reasoning went like this: If Jesus can send a woman to be the first evangelist (bringer of the good news of Christ's resurrection) and the Holy Spirit can be given to men and women alike for the purpose of giving birth to the church, then certainly women can be allowed to preach and teach in churches. Upon reading Palmer's writing on the subject, I was now convinced that women should be allowed to preach, teach, and lead churches, and I could explain why.

The whole point of this week's sermon is not necessarily to convince anyone of one viewpoint, but rather to encourage everyone to give serious thought to this issue, and come to a conclussion of your own. The only thing I ask is that you have reasons for your beliefs beyond "because I feel that way" or "because I think it's right." Such reasons are no reasons at all.

Grace & Peace,
Pastor John

My sermon this week, also included a good deal of work on the passages from 1 Corinthians and 1 Timothy, where I basically show that both can (and I argue should) be read to be understood as for a particular people of a particular church in a particular time, and therefore not having universal authority for all people in all churches of all times. If you would like to see this work please feel free to ask me and I'd be more than happy to give it to you. I will not be including it here though.

November 9th Sermon Capsule - Is This Where you Want to be?

This past Sunday was Laity Sunday in Oxford. Many people took part in leading the service (at least 20) and the service was excellent! I do have to apologize to everyone who sat around me though, because I have a tendency to talk in church! I know, it's scandalous, but I guess that's why they put me up front all by myself regularly.

While Oxford celebrated Laity Sunday, McDonough had already been there and done that, so they got to hear the following sermon:

Our scripture was from Matthew and was the story of the 10 bridesmaids (5 wise and 5 foolish). While this story was about bridesmaids waiting up for the bridegroom (read groom), with 5 not having enough oil (the foolish ones) and 5 having enough oil (the wise ones), we also talked about another story, the ant and the grasshopper.

The ant and the grasshopper is a story about an ant that works all through the summer and fall to store up enough food for the winter, while a grasshopper plays all summer and fall and has no food stored up. When winter comes, the ant reaps the reward of his hard work, while the grasshopper is left starving. The moral of the story is to be prepared. The moral of the 10 bridesmaids is also one of preparation, but the context of the two stories changes the application slightly. The ant and the grasshopper comes out of the context of an agrarian society that relies on good harvests for survival during the winter months. The context of the 10 bridesmaids can be found in the passages immediately before and after the story.

As you can see by reading the passages from Matthew before and after this week's passage, the context deals with Jesus' second coming and how his followers (us) are supposed to live in his absence. Now the preparation that the story speaks of is more than having money saved in a bank, or food stores in a barn, but a preparation of our total lives. We had some discussion of what this preparation might look like, and some good suggestions were studying scripture, prayer, loving one's neighbor, fellowship with other Christians and regular church attendance. I suggested that all of these activities ultimately have one purpose, namely to live in an ever growing relationship with God.

In our passage from Matthew, the 5 foolish bridesmaids returned, after purchasing more oil and attempted to gain admittance to the wedding banquet, but the bridegroom denied knowing them. I suggested that to truly be prepared means to have a relationship with God and therefore cannot be summed up in any one action (or even several actions) and like a relationship can never be completed, but must continually be maintained and allowed to grow. For this reason our preparation is never complete.

This is where our sermon title comes into play. I mentioned a movie that I had seen ("Joe Dirt"), which although not really appropriate for church (or "good church folks"), does have some relevance to this discussion. The title character is constantly picked on, beat up, and put down by other characters throughout the movie, and several times he states to them, "is this where you want to be when Jesus comes back?" The phrase is a fitting reminder and appropriate question for us to ask ourselves. So while you're working at living in relationship with God, and while you're continually endeavoring to live a life prepared for Christ's return, a helpful question to ask yourself is "is this where I want to be? Is this what I want to be doing when Jesus comes back?"

The answer will inevitably be "no" more often than not, but in that question you will be given direction to respond to that "no" with a change in your activities, your attitudes, and your lifestyle.

Grace & Peace,
Pastor John

October 26th Sermon Capsule - Handing off the Baton

Our scripture passage this week came from Deuteronomy and told the story of Moses' death. The passage shared that Moses was allowed to glimpse the promised land, but was also told that he would not lead the people into the land. In the middle of telling about Moses' death, the passage mentions that Joshua "was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him." This small portion of the passage was central to our message this week.

I shared that in highschool I ran track. It was in fact my favorite sport (and my best), largely because it was coed! This was not why you might think, but rather because with girls on the team, profanities were never used to describe me, and I never heard "down and give me 50." Track was mostly an individual sport, except for the three relays. The 4 x 100 relay I always found to be too short. I would get the baton, and in a few steps be handing it off, and before I knew it the race was over. The 4 x 400 relay was, in my opinion, the perfect relay. It helped that our 4 x 400 team was always very good.

I ran the first leg of the race, and so I got to lead things off and give my team a lead or at least keep us in the race. To be honest, my favorite part about the relay though was not running my part of it, but rather the time when the other three guys on the team were running their parts of the race. I enjoyed the opportunity to cheer on my teammates. By the time the fourth guy on the team was running his race, the other three of us would be running around the infield of the track cheering him on and encouraging him to run faster. It was always exciting and thrilling, and regardless of the outcome we all knew that each one of us played a crucial role in the overall success of the team. No one guy could do it all by himself.

Once our coaches tried to have our 4 x 400 team run the longest of the relays, the 4 x 800. Things started out good for us, but as we got around the 600 meter mark, each one of us began to fade and slow down considerably. It turned out we didn't have the stamina to run 800 meters and still be competitive.

The church is very similar, to our 4 x 400 relay team. Each generation has a leg of the race to run. Just like in our 4 x 400 relay, each generation is asked to run with the baton for a distance, and then to hand it off to the next. This is something that often times is not done well in churches though. Too often a generation within the church thinks that they can (or that they need to) run 800 meters instead, only to realize around the 600 meter mark that they don't have the stamina to finish the race.

One such example of this can be found in a church where one man ran everything. He was the Administrative Council chair, the Trustee chair, the PPR chair, the altar steward, and about 100 other jobs. The problem came when he died unexpectedly and hadn't taken the time to show anyone how to do the various jobs he filled in the church. A small example of this came from his caring for the altar every week. He made sure the candles were filled with enough fluid that they would burn throughout the service, but what he didn't tell anyone was that the candles could be filled too much and then they would smoke throughout the service. This was a problem that plagued the church for years after his death. All because he didn't think he needed to hand off the baton.

In the church each generation needs to hand off the baton to those following while they still have enough energy and enthusiasm to properly instruct and encourage those who are running their leg of the race. Likewise the generations that follow need to be there willing and ready to take that baton and receive that instruction and encouragement from those who have gone before.

Since giving this message on Sunday, I've had several people tell me that this is a message that both of congregations need to hear. Some even gave me names of specific individuals! I want to be clear that I think both of our congregations do a great job of this (both the older and younger generations). I also want to be clear that I never give a sermon with specific individuals in mind and so if you felt that I was talking specifically to you, that most likely was the work of the Holy Spirit, not some foolish attempt of mine to get a point accross. Finally, although we as a whole are doing well at this, we must always remember that the church is only one generation from extinction at any time, and therefore we must remain vigilant and diligent in running the race and handing off the baton.

Grace & Peace,
Pastor John

October 19th Sermon Capsule - Golden Calves

This Sunday was Laity Sunday, but in Oxford I was given a raincheck, meaning that I preached and led the service and the second Sunday of November will be when Oxford observes Laity Sunday. Our message came from the passage in Exodus where the people ask Aaron to make a golden calf for them that they might worship it as their god. This occurs while Moses is up on the mountain being given the Law from God. Needless to say, when God finds out, the people are in a bit of trouble, and would be in more if not for Moses interceeding and pleading on their behalf.

Often times the focus in this passage is on the golden calf that the people had made, but I suggested that it was not so much about the object as it was about the people's attitude toward the object. In other words, it wasn't that a calf made of gold was necessarily a bad thing, it was the fact that the people said it was their god and began to worship it. The passage is fundamentally one about idolatry (worshipping something other than God). At its core, idolatry is putting anything before God. This could be something bad, something neutral, or even something good.

I then suggested several things that can become idols in our lives:
*Food - For some people eating is primary in their lives, and while food is essential for life, for some it takes an unhealthy place in their lives, and begins to control them.
*Drink - For many certain types of drink can control their thoughts and actions. Beverages containing alcohol can completely consume some people's entire lives, but even drinks like coffee have great power over some. For example, if you are a coffee drinker, try going without your daily cup or two of coffee and see how you feel.
*TV - Some people find themselves unable to miss a particular television show. They will re-arrange everything else in their lives in order to watch that program. This can get to the point where it controls their lives, and if for some reason they miss that show, it can even "ruin" their day.
*Drugs - Many, if not all people who begin down the path of drug use, eventually find themselves addicted. Once addiction sets in, it is very difficult to break and persons have been known to do terrible things in order to continue to feed their addiction.
*Gambling - Gambling pervades our culture. It is in common vernacular ("wanna make a bet"), it is connected with other forms of entertainment (sports, etc), and it is largely viewed as an "OK" thing. But for some, gambling can take control of their lives, leaving the person willing to sell anything in order to continue to gamble, always believing that the next bet will be the "one".

Up to this point my list centers around addiction and things people commonly become addicted to. Many of you reading this may be feeling pretty good about yourselves thinking that you obviously don't have any "golden calves" in your life. But wait there's more:
*Money - There is nothing intrinsically wrong with money. It is what we use to purchase goods and services that we need or desire. Nothing wrong with that, but for many people, money becomes an end in itself. It becomes their goal, to get money and lots of it. They lose sight of the reality that money is only as valuable as the goods and services that it brings you, and ultimately in the joy that you derive from those goods and services. For some money controls their every action and what they don't realize is that the more money a person has, the more control that money will have over their lives.
*People - Many people have no problem with any of the above. Instead their golden calves are the people around them. Their friends and family become idols for them. Remember idolatry is putting anything before God. Also remember that there was nothing wrong with a calf made of gold, it was the people's attitude toward that calf that made it idolatrous for them. The same is true for the people in our lives. Many people feel they are doing "OK" and even doing good, when their entire life revolves around other people. I often hear parents who talk about how their lives are literally run by their children's schedules. In our society this is lifted up as a good thing, as being responsible and involved. The only problem with such thinking is that if your life is revolving around a child, friend, spouse, or anyone else, then it is not revolving around God. Anything that you put before God in your life is idolatrous. (This is not to say that parents should neglect their children, spouses should neglect one another, or that families should not spend time together. God does not want that either. But God does want to be first in your life, and anything less is idolatry).

Now I'm sure that almost everyone can relate with one or more of these "golden calves", but I've got one more that I'm pretty sure will touch each and every one of you:
*Yourself - For many of us, number one in our lives is ourselves. Heck, we say it all the time ("I've gotta look out for number one."). Most all of us are like the egocentric three year old that thinks the world revolves around us, except as adults we've learned to not come right out and say it. Look at the way we talk, even in church for example: "This is my church", "It's my faith", "My God", or "I need some me time". I could go on and on with such phrases that betray our selfishness and self-centerdness, but something tells me that if we are being honest with ourselves we know this and can see it right away.

So you're right we don't literally bow down and worship golden calves anymore, but we certainly do still have problems with idolatry in our lives, and have more than enough "golden calves" to deal with.

Grace & Peace,
Pastor John

October 12th Sermon Capsule - I've got a Problem

Our sermon this week took a look at Jesus' first miracle recorded in John's gospel, commonly known as the wedding at Cana. We also focussed in on a passage in Philippians specifically the following phrase: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

The Philippians passage encourages us to bring everything to God in prayer. I immediately drew a connection between this passage and the time of reflection and sharing we've been practicing within worship the past 4 weeks. I pointed out that many of us (myself included) have at times experienced difficulty in recalling any occasion that God has been at work in our lives through. I then suggested that this difficulty may be because we are not asking God to be in our lives.

I shared about my mother who seems much better and bringing all things before God than most. She will even bring requests for better parking spots before the Lord. I know that many of us feel like God is too busy, or our requests too trivial to bother God, but the passage in Philippians is clear, we are to "present our requests to God". Not just our big problems, or our really important requests, but all requests!

This first half of this past week's message illustrates the need to bring all things before God in prayer. The second half takes its inspiration from Jesus' first miracle. In the story the text mentions that Jesus' mother, Jesus and all of his disciples had been invited to a wedding. We are then told that the wine ran out and Mary came to Jesus and said "They have no wine". Many of us read this as a statement of fact on Mary's part. It's interesting though, because with any written statement, often the meaning of the words can be shifted if only read with a different tone. For example, Mary could be saying this in a whiny voice and be complaining or even lamenting that they are out of wine. Mary could be saying these four words in a frightened tone and thus fearing the reality of a wedding without wine (a sober reception! Who's ever heard of such a thing). Finally Mary could be saying these words with a scolding tone and therefore accusing Jesus and his friends of in some way contributing to the wine shortage. It is this final example which I ran with. I suggested that the presence of Jesus and his 12 friends (all of whom almost certainly were not on the guest list) put a substantial strain on the wine supply. Therefore Mary was either a) suggesting that they stop drinking all the wine up, or b) that they pool their money together and go procure some more wine.

However you read this statement from Mary, it's important to note that she only states the problem. Mary does not give possible solutions to the problem. Often when we pray, we will lift up a problem or dilemma, and then offer the way in which God can fix things. For example, a relative is ill, but instead of lifting up that illness our prayers almost always include several solutions like healing, comfort, decreased pain, etc. Or another example could look like the teen who wants a new car and therefore prays to win the lottery. Such prayers not only bring a problem/request before God, but they also tell God that we've got it all figured out and if God will only do what we say, everything will be alright. Such prayers are very narrow and limiting, they leave out the possibility that God might be able to solve the problem in a way not previously thought of. With the example of the wine shortage, Jesus neither stopped drinking, nor did he go out and buy more wine. Instead he chose to turn water into wine (really good wine according to the passage) and provide plenty of wine for everyone. There certainly wasn't anyone in the room who had seen that as a possible solution!

The same is true for you and I. While we are asked to bring all things to God in prayer, we should be careful not to be too limited in how we pray. We are better served to do what Mary did, and state the problem, but leave the solution up to God. In the end who knows better, you a mortal, finite, created being or God the immortal, infinite, all-knowing, Creator?

So pray to God about all things, big and small, but always be sure to leave space for your amazing God to amaze you with the answer!

Grace & Peace,
Pastor John

October 5th Sermon Capsule - Over You!

This weeks scriptures included portions of the Ten Commandments found in Exodus and Paul's assertion that life in Christ is not about the laws and rules but about relationship found in Philippians. Our sermon endeavored to explain how the Apostle Paul could make such an assertion (as he does in the Philippians text) and yet expect Christians to live righteous and moral lives.


This question still exists for contemporary Christians: "If it's not about rules and regulations, laws and rules, but about knowing Jesus, then why are we still expected to live a certain way (ie striving toward sinlessness/perfection)?" In order to answer this question I'll tell you about a friend of mine.

His name is Fred Brown. Alfred Eberle Brown to be exact. Fred was my roommate in college (all four years of my undergraduate studies). When I first met Fred, it would be an understatement to say I was unimpressed. He was short, pudgy, big nerdy looking glasses, and wasn't into anything I seemed to be interested in. He was a music major, and so he spent long hours practicing his guitar and studying long since dead musicians. Fred also had several strange sayings. One of his favorites was "Over You!" He would utter this mysterious phrase on many and varying occasions. Later I would discover that the genesis of this phrase came from basketball (no, Fred was not a fan) when one player will dunk over another, hence "Over you!" I on the other hand had been a three sport athlete in highschool and thought of myself as being a "cool dude". I wasn't sure what I wanted to major in, but it was going to be something cool (and now I'm a pastor, clearly the coolest of all professions...God has a sense of humor). Most importantly I never said anything weird!

That first year of rooming with Fred was ok, and we got to know and understand one another better as the year went on. We had a pretty good system worked out, and although we spent much of our time doing our own things, the roommate situation worked. It worked so well as a matter of fact, that we decided to room together the next year. During that second year we spent even more time together, and began to watch some of the same shows and listen to some of the same music (including some of those long since dead musicians). When it came time to figure out housing for our third year of college, Fred and I again decided to room together in a townhouse with some mutual friends. By our fourth year, Fred and I rented an apartment together off campus. What had started as a forced housing situation turned into a lifelong friendship, but more importantly for me, our friendship began to change who I was.

It was somewhere around year two of rooming with Fred that I found myself uttering that mysterious phrase "Over You!" I would proclaim it while out with friends who didn't know Fred, and who clearly were as mystified by the meaning of the statement as I was. Yet I found myself shouting "Over You" in all sorts of situations and on all sorts of occasions. I began to notice other kinds of changes as well, like taste in music, television, and even attire.

What happened during my time with Fred in college is a very common human experience. The more time we spend with a person, the more we will tend to become like that person. This is exactly what is supposed to happen to Christians. This is the reason why the Apostle Paul can throw out all the rules and still expect us to live as if we were following those rules. As Christians we are called to be in relationship with the very real, very much alive person of Jesus Christ. The more we are in relationship with Jesus, the more like him we will become. But unlike my old college roommate, Jesus was perfect. That means the more we are around Jesus, the closer to perfection (without sin) we will grow.

There's one other neat thing about all of this. Not only are we called to be in relationship with Jesus, but we are called to be in relationship with one another. This means that as we spend more time with Christ, we will become more like Christ, and as we spend more time with other people, we will share that Christlikeness with them as well.

So if you find yourself saying "Over You!" you can thank Alfred Eberle Brown as well as me, but if you find yourself living like Jesus then you can thank your relationship with the living Christ as well as every other Christian you've ever encountered.

Grace & Peace,
Pastor John

September 28th Sermon Capsule - Which One are You?

This Sunday we looked at the parable in Matthew 21:23-32. This was a parable talking about two sons. Both were asked to work in their father's vineyard. One replied "no" but later did the work, the other said "yes" but in fact did not work. In Matthew's passage Jesus asks those listening (the chief priests and elders) which son actually did his father's will. They replied that it was the son who initially said "no" but went ahead and did the work anyway.

I shared that as a young man, I always assumed Jesus was thinking about my own family, specifically my younger sister and me. In the summers our parents would leave us home alone with chores to do. Often the scene would play out with them asking my sister to do something, and her saying an emphatic "no". They would next come to me, give me a list of jobs to do, and then also entrust me with the responsibility of making sure my sister's jobs were completed as well. I would reply with a polite "yes". Inevitably the reality of the day would unfold much differently, with my sister not only doing her own work, but also mine. My parent's would come home pleased, and then be informed that the roles had been reversed, and that she was the responsible helpful one, while I was the lazy, insubordinate one.

It was at this point that I finished the passage from Matthew, and gave Jesus' application of the passage. Jesus finished his conversation with the chief priests and elders by pointing out that the prostitutes and tax collectors would enter the kingdom of God before them, because of their faithful reply to John's call for repentance. This parable was not really about my sister and I, nor was it really about children working for their parents, but in fact it is about our response to God's call in our lives. I suggested that this passage breaks down all of humanity into two types of people, those who talk the talk, and those who walk the walk. The chief priests and elders, who say the right things, and look the right way talk the talk, but Jesus states that the tax collectors and prostitutes, who don't seem to fit the part, actually walk the walk.

This reminded me of two friends I have. One's name is Ben. He's British, he's handsome, and he cleans up nice. Ben also smokes, drinks, lies, swears, can be mean, and worst of all, he gambles! I took Ben with me to church one Sunday, and he fit in perfectly! He was polite, said nice things, sang in tune, and even volunteered to read the Hebrew Bible Lesson. Everyone commented on what a nice young man Ben was. Upon leaving the service, once in my car, Ben remarked "fooled them." For Ben it was a game, merely an act. The person those people in church saw, was not really who he was. He talked the talk, with exceeding proficiency, but when it came time to walk the walk, he didn't even bother to try.

My other friend, Doug, is quite different from Ben. Doug's American (so no fancy accent), he has long scruffy looking hair, and doesn't really clean up nice. Doug's one of "those" people. You know the type. He's one of those people you see, and tell other people "we don't assosciate with 'those' people." If you don't think you do this, come to me and we'll talk, and I'll show you how you do (we all do it). Having said all this, Doug goes on mission trips yearly, raising all his own money, providing his own supplies, and then paying to have them transported. Doug sincerely lives his faith, reads his Bible, prays for his friends and enemies, and genuinely loves God. So I brought Doug with me to church. He didn't really fit in so well. He wore old jeans, a t-shirt with holes in it, and his hair looked as if he hadn't washed it in several days. His singing was rather poor and rather loud, and I think he might have nodded off during the sermon (or at least that's what I think it means when a person's head droops slightly and they begin to snore). People were not so impressed with Doug, and they didn't seem to want to see him come back any time soon. Doug is a perfect example of a person who can't really talk the talk, but who sure walks the walk!

It was at this point that I asked everyone which one they were. Which one are you? Are you the one who talks a good game, but can't really back it up? Are you the one who never seems to fit in, but is able to walk the walk? As I offer up these two options, I will suggest a third. We can be people who talk the talk, and walk the walk. Our "Sunday best" can also be our everyday regular. That is to say, that instead of thinking of Sunday as the time we act, dress, think our best and then things go back to normal the rest of the week, we can have the way we act and think on Sunday, be the way we act and think every day. There should be no difference between the you on Sunday and the you on Friday and Saturday. And that doesn't mean that the Sunday you should show up drunk, cursing, gambling, or rude, instead it means the you on every other day should be kind, polite, humble, and sober.

So I'll ask again (with the third option open), which one are you? Which one should you be?

Grace & Peace,
Pastor John

September 14th Sermon Capsule - Forgiveness

In Matthew 18:21-35, Jesus tells a parable about forgiveness. In the story a slave who owed his master an outrageously large amount of money is forgiven his debt. Within moments of being forgiven, that same slave shows no mercy in calling in a debt for a ridiculously small amount of money. Upon hearing about this hypocrisy, the king calls the first slave back in, and promptly punishes him. At the conclusion of telling this story, Jesus says that the king is God, and the slaves are us. He warns that if we do not sincerely forgive one another that we will not be forgiven by God.

I began with this story and remarked that the king in the story, must have said "are you kidding me!?!?" to the first slave. Here this king just forgave a debt that could never be paid off, and the slave turns around and shows no forgiveness to his fellow brother. I find myself thinking the same thing, when my oldest daughter Emily (3 years old) will come to me apologizing for tearing half the pages out of my favorite book, and then once receiving forgiveness, turns around and pushes her sister, Hannah (18 months) down for playing with a toy she never even plays with.

I then pointed out that this phrase, "are you kidding me!?!?" must be exactly what God says every time we fail to forgive each other! God is that king. God has forgiven us all a debt we could never pay, the debt of sin. God sent his only son, Jesus Christ, that we might reap the rewards of that which we do not deserve (ie life everlasting). For us to accept God's forgiveness and then not grant forgiveness to others is literally a joke! It is the pot calling the kettle black!

In an attempt not to be too hard on everyone, including myself, I did acknowledge that some people make it very hard to forgive them. You know the ones who do terrible things to you or your loved ones, and then proclaim that YOU are the one in the wrong! The person who pokes, and picks, and wrongs you as if that is what they are employed to do. The person who doesn't ask for your forgiveness, and if you told them you forgave them, would be angry that you thought they needed your forgiveness.

I lived next door to a person like that, growing up. This person always seemed to think that he was better than me and my family. Our homes had a stone path between them, that lead from his house to ours. As a young child I remember walking on the path to visit his elderly mother (who owned the house). Within weeks of her death, an eight foot wall was erected right through that stone path. This neighbor used to clean his pool and then throw the junk he cleaned out over that wall into my yard. He would neatly rake his yard after mowing and deposit all the leaves and grass clippings into our yard. He and his family seemed to think that our yard was their garbage can! This man owned a classic Corvette, and one day threated to kill the family cat if he caught it near his car again. He made this threat to my 4 year old sister!

So I shared that I knew such a person, and was quite familiar with those who are harder to forgive. Then I pointed out something that was shared with me. Such a person does not deserve our anger, but rather our pity. A person like that is not a mean terrible human being, they are a sad, little (inside) person. Someone who seems to live only to make your life miserable is really someone who's life is so empty, and so sad that they have nothing better to do. Having said all this, I still acknowledged that forgiveness is not always easy. Therefore we spent the next few moments focussing on the person(s) in our lives that we need to forgive the most and asked God to help us begin to forgive them.

I would encourage you to stop what you are doing right now, and pray to God. Ask the Lord to help you in coming to forgive that man or woman who seems so unforgiveable to you. You might find that in attempting to bless another you yourself are the one who is blessed.

Grace & Peace,
Pastor John

August 31st Sermon Capsule - Canonization of Scripture

Our final sermon in our "Summer of All Request Sermons" was all about the Bible and how we got the final product we now have. This final requested sermon was not only educational, but it gave those in attendance the opportunity to participate in mock biblical text selection!

To begin with, the word "Canon" is not the big gun that shoots out cannon balls, but rather it refers to a religious community's sacred texts. In the case of Christianity we call it The Bible, and Sunday's sermon described how those texts were chosen both formally and informally. Another point of interest, that we only spent a short period of time on is what we commonly call the "Old Testament" or Hebrew Bible. The reason we spent only a short time is because the Hebrew Bible was already mostly established by the Jewish community, and because there is only so much time in alloted to any given sermon. I did discuss the fact that like the New Testament, the Hebrew Bible was written over a long period of time, and then gradually portions of it were accepted by the larger community as being authoritative. Unlike other books, the Hebrew Bible, and New Testament were not written all in one sitting, nor where the books within each section compiled all at one time.

We began our discussion of how the New Testament came to be what it currently is, with a very rough timeline hitting some of the highlights of the canonization process, beginning with Jesus birth sometime around 6 B.C.E. and ending with the ecumenical councils of Hippo and Carthage in 393, 397, and 419 respectively. In between we had rough dates for Paul's epistles (50-60 C.E.) and the four canonical Gospels (70-100 C.E.). The real important point on the timeline was 144 C.E. where a man named Marcion started his own church in Rome, and also officially set what he claimed to be an authoritative Christian set of scriptures. Marcion's "bible" included most of the Gospel of Luke, and Paul's epistles, but nothing else. He claimed that the other texts, including the Hebrew Bible (which had been the primary scriptures for the first generation or two of Christians) were too focussed on the material/physical world which were evil. Therefore he rejected any scriptures that mentioned the physical world, or the God of Creation.

In response to Marcion's radical understanding of Christianity, the rest of Christianity began to more precisely set its own canon. The process first began unofficially in local churches, where Paul's epistles, one or two Gospels, and other epistles from prominent Christian leaders were read in worship alongside the Hebrew Bible. Finally the process took on a more official tone at the Council of Hippo in 393 C.E. and at the two Councils of Carthage in 397 C.E. and 419 C.E.

This marked the end of the history lesson part of this week's sermon. Now we turned our timelines over where there were three hypothetical lists of Scripture. The congregation engaged in narrowing these lists of hypothetical scriptures from 6 to only 3. This activity was to illustrate the criteria used by early Christians to determine what texts became canonical (or got into the Bible) and which ones did not.

The Criteria we used were as follows:
1. Authorship - writings with apostolic authorship were more readily accepted
2. Content - writings that agreed with other established sources and orthodox (right) Christian practice were more readily accepted.
3. Location - writings to major cities, and/or stable locations were more likely to be preserved and therefore were more likely to be considered for inclusion

Once we completed the three examples, I encouraged everyone to remember that The Bible as we now have it, was written over a great period of time, and was not compiled until even later in the history of Christianity. I also pointed out that The Bible is the text that we as Christians claim to live our lives by, but sadly many of us have a very limited knowledge of even the most fundamental portions of The Bible. I pointed out that the best way to solve this problem is for each of us to spend more time reading our Bibles, and more time in conversation about what we've read.

Grace & Peace,
Pastor John

August 24th Seromon Capsule - Suicide

We touched on a sensitive issue this past Sunday. One that has touched many lives, and has hit both our communities in the distant and not so distant past. Our topic was the unfortunate reality of suicide and the United Methodist Church's stance on it.

I began with two passages from scripture that helped to inform our discussion. The first passage epitomizes how the Bible tends to deal with suicide and it was the account of Judas' suicide after betraying Jesus. In scripture the list of suicides is short, and every time the person who commits suicide is in no way judged or punished for having committed suicide. The second passage I lifted up came from Romans 8:38-39 and illustrated that nothing could separate us from the love of God in Christ.

I then turned to the United Methodist Book of Discipline and read the passage from it that discussed the issue of suicide (paragraph 161 N if you want to look it up). I pointed out that the passage emphasized the tragedy of the loss, but affirmed that we still are called not only to love those who attempt suicide, but also to love the families, friends, and loved ones of those who succeed in committing suicide. At this point I began to speak of the stigma that surrounds suicide and the reality that in our society when something makes us uncomfortable we just don't talk about it. I then stated that that is the last thing we want to be doing. As a community of faith we exist in part to support one another, and to help others to benefit from our collective wisdom. If we do not talk about, teach about, share about what we know about things like suicide then we will all be doomed to be ingnorant and missinformed about the subject.

To illustrate this point, I went through several commonly held beliefs about suicide, namely women commit suicide at a higher rate, teens are at highest risk of suicide, suicide rates are highest in the winter when the weather is bad, when a person is in the depths of depression they are at the highest risk of committing suicide, etc. All of these commonly held beliefs are wrong! Men commit suicide more than women (although women attempt suicide more than men), 65 and above is the highest group at risk of suicide (almost twice as much as teens), springtime has the highest suicide rate, it is when the person is "getting better" that they are more likely to commit suicide. Such examples and many many more lead us to collectively perpetuate ignorance and wrong beliefs about such topics, and yet we shy away from talking about them publicly. Many have since told me they've never heard a sermon about the topic of suicide. Hopefully our discussion on the topic Sunday will not be the last one held within our churches.

Finally I asked how many had been taught, or even believed that a person who commits suicide will go to hell. The results were split, but most had at least heard of the belief. I first pointed to scriptures non-judgmental stance on the issue. I reasoned that a person could not get the belief that suicide would send you to hell from the Bible. It's just not there. Then I gave the historical reason for why this teaching came to be. It began in the 5th century with Augustine, who in an attempt to curb the number of voluntary martyrs (people who volunteered themselves to be killed for their faith) declared that suicide would cause a person to go to hell, and therefore going to those persecuting Christians knowing that would put your life at risk would cause a person to go to hell. Finally I pointed to the passage in Romans and asserted that nothing, not even death at our own hands, can separate us from the love of God.

I would like to conclude with sharing that it is perfectly normal for most if not all people to have casual thoughts about suicide. If you find yourself thinking more seriously about suicide, please go to someone and talk with them. If you can't find anyone who you think has the time to talk, I do, and I'm always free to talk with anyone (you need not be a church member), feel free to call me, e-mail me, or show up at my door (although I'd prefer if you show up that it be a decent hour) ;).

Grace & Peace,
Pastor John

August 17th Sermon Capsule - UM Polity & Practice

Oxford spent this past Sunday at Lake Ludlow planning for the future and the role that the Methodists in Oxford hope to fill in that future. McDonough still had worship and therefore a sermon, so if you missed worship at McDonough or if you missed the planning at Lake Ludlow, this is your opportunity to briefly be caught up on the sermon you missed.

We talked about the way the United Methodist Church is governed and also it's policy on closing churches. First I mentioned that just like our Country which has various levels of government (national, state, county, town, village, etc.) so the United Methodist Church has several levels as well (global, jurisdictional, conference, district, local church). So in the United Methodist Church the highest level is global, represented by General Conference, which occurs every four years (we use the word quadrennium). The next highest level, is Jurisdictional, and in our case represents the northeastern portion of the United States, and unsuprisingly is called the Northeast Jurisdiction. The next level is the conference level, and in our case we are the Wyoming conference (Wyoming because of the Wyoming river valley, which runs through our conference and at one time was an important geographical reference). Next we have the District level, and we are the Oneonta District. Finally there is the local church level, and for us that looks like the Oxford UMC and the McDonough UMC.

All of this was just to give everyone some sense of how the United Methodist Church was set up and to hopefully show people that no one person has all the authority/power in the church. The United Methodist Church is a church of the people and it's most important decisions are made at Conferences (General, Jusidictional, Annual, and Church/Charge). If you have further questions about the above information, I would love to better explain it to you, but quite frankly for most people, just like U.S. government, it can be rather tedious.

From here we went to the Book of Discipline (the written guidelines, rules, and laws for the United Methodist Church). I read from paragraphs 201 and 202 which define the local church and give the function of the local church respectively. I pointed out that primary in the definition of the local church is "the maintenance of worship, the edification of believers, and the redemption of the world." Or more simply, holding worship services, teaching members, and offering (both in word and deed) the good news of the gospel to those we encounter. Notice no mention of a necessary number of persons, or a specific minimum budget that must be maintained. The paragraph on the function of the church followed a similar line of thought.

I also pointed to passages of scripture that described churches as meeting in homes (ie small) and pointing out that only two or three must gather in order for the presence of the Lord to be in that place.

All of this was in response to a question about the ability of the United Methodist Church to close small local churches. My answer, given the information above, was that "yes" there is provision for the United Methodist Church to close local churches (not only small, but also large ones) if those churches are no longer functioning as churches (as defined by paragraphs 201 & 202 in the Book of Discipline). Having said this, as long as a congregation/church continues to function appropriately, by holding worship, edifying believers/members and offering the gospel (in word and deed) to the surrounding community, there would be no reason for the larger church to close them.

Rest easy brothers and sisters. The congregations of Oxford and McDonough are doing proud their longstanding traditions of living out their faith in Christ before their neighbors and both congregations are following positive paths that will lead them to greater and more faithful manifestations of being the people of God, each and every day!

Grace & Peace,
Pastor John

August 10th Sermon Capsule - Evolution vs. Creation

This week, we continued our summer theme of tackling tough and controversial issues/questions posed by the good folks of the Oxford and McDonough United Methodist Churches. We tackled the debate surrounding Evolution vs. Creation.

I began by asking everyone to identify their own personal views on this issue, by asking them to stand on one side of the sanctuary or the other depending on whether they leaned more toward Evolution or more toward Creation. I also allowed people to stand in the middle if they were unwilling to share their views, or if they sincerely felt they held a middle of the road opinion. In both congregations the majority favored Creation, with roughly the same number of people standing in the middle and leaning more toward Evolution.

I then asked the two groups where they got their respective views from. The Creation side, largely pointed to the Bible and more specifically the first chapter or two of Genesis. For the Evolution side, their opinions where largely formed and informed by science and physical evidence.

At this point I suggested that the Bible is not a science book, a math book, or a history book. To help illustrate this assertion I used the example of Galileo Galilei, the 16th-17th century astronomer who spent the final years of his life under house arrest. Galileo suggested that the solar system is heliocentric (with the sun at the center), as opposed to the popular belief of his time that the solar system was geocentric (earth at the center). For this belief, which turned out to be correct, Galileo was declared a heretic and kept under house arrest by order of the Inquisition. The Church pointed to biblical passages that suggested (at least if read literally) that the earth is unmovable, and that the sun revolves around the earth. Unfortunately for Galileo the Church took passages from scripture out of context and used them to describe things that the passages themselves were not intending to comment on.

With this example I pointed out that the Bible is less concerned with giving an explanation that literally explains how things happen, and more concerned with getting a point across. That point, I suggested is the faith story of God's chosen people and God's interaction with those people.

With this in mind I turned to the first chapter of the Gospel of John, where the author echoes the Creation account from Genesis, but instead of focussing on how it happened, he points to why Creation occured. It was at this point that I suggested that the entire Creation vs. Evolution debate is asking the wrong question. Such debate and study asks "how" (How did we get here? How were we made?) when we really should be asking "why" or "what" (Why are we here? What are we here to do?). I also asserted that often times this discussion/debate only degrades into personal attacks, attempts to portray the other side in a polarizing and negative way, and essentially grown-up name calling.

I briefly attempted to answer the "why" and "what" questions by suggesting that we are here because we have a Creator who loves us and wants us to know we are loved, and that we are then supposed to share that love with others who have yet to discover it. Our purpose in life is to know God and tell others what we know. That's it!

I concluded by affirming people who hold both stances, as well as those who stand in the middle, emphasizing that to spend any more time on the issue would be to waste time that could be better spent fulfilling our purpose in this world, as God's chosen people.

I hope your week is going well and that you're able to take some time to come to better know your loving Creator.

Grace & Peace,
Pastor John

August 3rd Sermon Capsule - Does God Change?

This week we discussed whether or not God changes, and the implications that has for the Church and individual Christians.

I began with two seemingly contradictory passages that talked about God changing. One, from Hosea 11:1-9 points to God's mind changing and showing mercy/grace toward the people of Israel. The other, from Numbers 23:19 has God's mind not changing because God is God and therefore doesn't do that kind of thing. I further pointed out passages in Genesis and Exodus that both report God's mind changing, or at the very least God's plans being modified. I pointed out that often we take for granted that God does not change, because God is perfect, and to change would be to become less than perfect. I also hoped to illustrate that this line of thinking is not entirely in line with who scripture presents God to be. To wrap up the question of God changing I suggested that God may or may not change (we could debate it endlessly) but what is certain is that as humans we change and misinterpret/missunderstand all of the time.

This brought me to talking about the changes that have occured in the Church over the past 2,000 years. We in no way covered these changes comprehensively, but I essentially took the stance that the changes that have occurred were in no way fundamental to Christianity, but were rather minor details. I asserted that if a church or several churches were to change fundamentally, this would cause a break from Christianity and thus we would not have a problem.

I suggested that this was not really the concern being voiced in the question that inspired this week's message, but rather that the question was concerned with how individual Christian's can know if changes in the Church are fundamental or merely minor. Here we turned to 2 Peter 2:1-3. This passage is dealing with the issue of false teachers and those who lead well-meaning Christians astray. I asked how we could avoid this problem, and then answered by knowing God. I then suggested that the best way to do this is by knowing The Bible, the writings given us for the express purpose of coming to know God and God's will more fully. I lamented that unfortunately it has been my experience that in any given church (especially the United Methodist Church) 70-95 percent of the people have little to no knowledge of the Bible and therefore could be lead to believe nearly anything about God and God's will.

I concluded by emphasizing that it is up to each individual to come to know God and to read and study his or her Bible. If you merely take another person's word for who God is and what God wants, then what you'll be coming to know is who that person thinks God is and what that person thinks God wants. Basically I want the people of Oxford & McDonough United Methodist Churches (really all Christians) to take their faith seriously. To actually make it their own. Invest time in your relationship with God. Read the Bible and learn for yourself who God is and what God wants from you.

Playing Catch-Up

Unless you've been away or hiding in your home the past few weeks you realize that our Churches and surrounding communities have been quite busy. Just in case you need to be caught up, or in case you'd like to briefly re-live the past few weeks, here we go:

Several people in the Oxford congregation organized, baked, and ran a pie sale to occur the same day as Oxford's Bicentennial Celebration. The sale was a huge success, the Bicentennial was even better. The celebration included a parade (with half the population of Oxford in it), various festivities, and an incredible fireworks display.

That was all Saturday, July 26th. On Sunday, July 27th our two congregations gathered together for a Homecoming Service that included an incredible slideshow of pictures covering roughly the past 100-125 years. I'll give you the link to our winkflash page that has pictures from the service and the BBQ afterward. The service included former pastors Ken Barnes and Bob Allen, as well as Oneonta District Superintendent Jan Marsi. We also had performances from our adult choir and two different children's choirs (one the little ones, one the older ones). Hopefully we can count on some repeat performance from the children's and youth choirs.

Finally the Oxford congregation had their annual Brook's Barbeque Chicken sale. Many helped make it possible, and we sold over 350 chicken halves that day! Hopefully those who were there had a good time, and hopefully not too many people were frightened by the giant chicken!

VBS 2008

Last week the children of Oxford & McDonough got to attend VBS at McDonough United Methodist Church. Our theme was Beach Party, and we had loads of fun singing, dancing, doing arts and crafts, and learning about God! Below are some pictures from the week:

Vacation Bible School definitely was a good time this year! Our closing program, on Friday night, allowed the kids to sing, dance, and show off what they learned in front of a crowd that filled the McDonough UMC sanctuary.

But I think everyone's favorite part of the week was when it was time to eat!

July 20th Sermon Capsule - What is Faith?

This week we tackled the topic of Faith. More specifically the question "What is Faith?" I decided to defer to several of you to help me answer this question and we got words like trust, confidence, belief, etc. It seemed that we had a pretty solid handle on synonymous words for faith, but when I asked if I could see individual's faith we hit a snag. Every person that I asked the question "Can I see your faith?" responded with blank stares and puzzled looks. This is where our sermon began in earnest.

Being 21st century, enlightened Americans, who also fancy ourselves as Christians, we tend to think of faith as merely an intellectual assent, a sort of mental excercise that once gone through is over and done with. Many of us tend to think of faith in these terms:
Yes, I believe in Jesus Christ,
Yes, I've asked him to be my savior,
Therefore, I have faith.
End of story.
Unfortuantely for us, this is not quite how the Bible understands faith. Our story of the blind beggar, (Bartimaeus), shows that faith is more than thinking, believing, trusting, or having confidence in, but that faith is also about action. Bartimaeus' faith was shown by his insistance to be known by Jesus and to in fact act Jesus for healing. In response to this bold and radical action in faith, Christ tells Bartimaeus that it was his "faith" that made him well!

This action of faith is what James talks about when he discusses faith without works being dead. The notion of a faith that drives the faithful to action is also what the Apostle Paul refers to when he speaks of the "faith" of the church in Rome and the proclaimation of it occuring throughout the world! Such a faith, characterized by action, would mark the people of God out, and truly make our faith known.

In Vacation Bible School last week, I conducted an experiment with the children, that involved water and rubbing alcohol. When several drops of water were placed onto a plate (the water had green food coloring added), we were left with a puddle. If another drop of water (or more) was added, the puddle just grew larger. When even one drop of rubbing alcohol was added, something amazing happened! The drops of water shot out away from the rubbing alcohol and we were left with a ring of water around where the rubbing alcohol was dropped. The moral of the story was that if we strive to be like everyone else around us, we will succeed and blend in, indiscernable from the rest of the world. If we strive to be like Christ, and live out our faith, we will stand out in a way that cannot be ignored!

My prayer for all of us, myself included, is that we act more like that drop of rubbing alcohol than that puddle of water. My hope is that people will not need to ask us to see our faith, because truly we will be living it each and every day, in a way that causes us to stand out as the people of Christ, Christians!

Things that Keep Us Up - DEATH

This week, for our weekly discussion (yes, that's right, "discussion" please feel free to post comments and make this an interactive thing) I would like to talk about death. I can think of no other topic that has kept me up more often in my short life, and therefore can think of no more appropriate topic for us to discuss in this space.

For many of us, death is something we try to avoid thinking about as much as possible. When we do find ourselves thinking about the subject, it's often at night, when we are in bed, when everything seems so bleak and hopeless. I can think of several such times for myself where I've actually cried myself to sleep thinking about death in general and my own death specifically. If this sounds familiar, then today's topic is for you, if not then save yourself a few minutes, stop reading and do something really important.

It seems to me that the problem many of us find when thinking about death, is that we know so little about death. As humans, we fear the unknown. It turns out, no living person knows much about death, and when you die, you can't really come back and tell folks about it! The Bible also offers little help on the subject. Sure the Bible mentions death a good deal, but it really doesn't tell us a whole lot about death, other than that it's good to be considered one of God's own when you die. Such a lack of knowledge has many of us straining to learn anything we can about death and the unkown. Such efforts lead many to reading books written by those who've died and come back, or even visiting/listening to fortune tellers, astrologers, mystics and others who claim to be able to communicate with the dead.

I recently read an e-mail, sent to me by Sue Marchetti (from McDonough), that got me thinking more about this. The point of the e-mail was that we should focus less on what we don't know, and more on what we DO know about death. It seems when thinking in this way that the Bible has much to say, most importantly things like the following passage from John14:1-7. Basically this passage, and others like it, proclaims that Jesus, our Lord and Savior, will be there when we die and in fact has already prepared a place for us. Such a reality begs the question what else really matters!?!?

I realize for many of us, we will still find ourselves dwelling on the uncertainty of death, and the fear that all of this might just be wishful thinking. Having said this, we can only control what we can control, and we can only know what we can know, the rest we have to leave up to God...that's what faith is for.

July 6th Sermon Capsule - Theodicy

So yesterday we dealt with the question of Theodicy. I discussed that many people refer to this as "why do bad things happen to good people" but then stated that more rightly it should be "why do bad things happen at all". Essentially Theodicy is just a fancy church word for people's attempt to understand how an all good and all powerful God, could allow evil or bad to exist in the world at all.

Whether people realize it or not, they struggle with this question throughout their lives, and most often during funerals. I told a story about a young girl (Kelly) who was only 1 week away from her high school graduation. Kelly was planning on attending college to be a marine biologist because she loved dolphins. Kelly had scheduled for her first semester of classes, spoken with her roommate to be, several times, and even filled out all that terrible financial aid paperwork. Everything was set for her to take that next step toward becoming a marine biologist. One day, Kelly was driving her four year old sister to pre-school when her car was involved in a terrible accident. Kelly was killed instantly and sister was seriously injured and air-lifted to the hospital. While in the hospital that night, with a broken and battered four year old, and two parents trying to cope with the reality that their oldest daughter was dead, I was asked this question "How could God let this happen?" This is what comes to my mind everytime the subject of Theodicy comes up. This is the question of Theodicy.

There are several potential solutions to this problem, but we will cover a few of the most common ones. Below is the list of potential solutions I covered and brief descriptions of how they solve the problem of an all Good and all Powerful God allowing evil/bad to exist:

1) There is no God - this solution solves the Theodicy problem, quite effectively. If there is no God, then there is no problem with evil or bad things existing in the world. The world is what it is, and only the strong will survive.
2) God is not all Good - in this solution, we just assume that there is a God, but that God is not necessarily good all the time. Therefore any bad or evil we experience is the result of a malicious or at least indifferent God.
3) God is not all Powerful - here God is good, but merely unable to guarantee that world will always be good. God is powerless in most instances to keep bad/evil out of the world.
*These three solutions were basically dismissed on Sunday, since I assumed that as a gathering of Christians we would at least be able to agree that there is a God, that God is all Good, and that God is all Powerful.

4) Humanity's definition of Good and Bad is wrong - basically this solution reasons that if we are mistaken about good and bad, then everything we call bad could really be good from God's infinite and all-knowing perspective.

5) All part of God's plan (Calvinism) - some things that happen may be bad, but ultimately they work toward God's perfect and good plan, so therefore it's ok. This solution gets very close to an "ends justify the means" mentality.
6) God as Divine Watchmaker (Deism) - this view was held by many of our founding fathers. It states that God created the world/universe with certain rules or laws, and set it up so that everything would run itself. Therefore if you break one of those rules/laws (ie, gravity) don't expect God to jump in, break the rules, and save you.
*If you find yourself attracted to one of these two solutions (5 or 6), then you won't be the happiest with a church like the United Methodist, since these two stand as examples of different understandings of God that are more accurately associated with other churches/denominations. Solution (5) might appeal more to a Presbyterian, while solution (6) might appeal more to a Unitarian Universalist.

7) Free Will - God created humanity with the freedom to choose to love God, or to choose things other than God. In the story of the Fall (Genesis 3) we find the result of this free will leading to sin and the introduction of evil/bad into the world. This solution states that all evil/bad in the world is a result of free will and humanity's sinful/fallen nature. In the Fall account in Genesis 3, it is stated that not only are humans affected by this fall, but even the Creation itself will be affected. Therefore even natural dissasters could be considered a result of the Fall and humanities free will.

8) No Answer/Solution - This final solution is no solution at all, and is by far the most unpopular. In Job 38, God answers Job's complaints basically by telling Job that he does not need to know why bad things happen. Sometimes when tragedy strikes, we seek for answers, but none can be found. We cry out to God and God seems silent.

When Kelly's parents asked me why Kelly died in that terrible car accident, why their other daughter was bruised and broken, swollen beyond recognition in the hospital bed next to us, I gave them the best and most honest answer I could..."I don't know". Sometimes we spend so much time looking for the right answer, trying to say the right thing, when the right answer is that there is no answer. Sometimes we don't know, we can't know, and we may never know.