Sermon Sampler (February 22nd) - Live in the Moment

Jesus, James, John, and Peter head up a mountain alone. While on top of the mountain, something amazing happens, but as usual Peter misses the point and says something foolish...or did he?

Our scripture lesson, came from Mark 9:2-9 and is the story of the transfiguration (big word for change), where Jesus began to glow, Moses and Elijah appeared, and a voice from heaven identified Jesus as God's son. The "foolish" thing that Peter said, was suggesting that maybe they stay up on the mountain and that he build shelters for Jesus, Moses and Elijah. Usually sermons flow in the direction of pointing out that just like Peter, we as Christians cannot stay on the mountain forever, but instead need to go back down into the world and share what we have received.

I gave this passage quite a bit of thought this year, and decided that although the usual message encouraging people to get out into the world and spread the good news (through word and deed) is important, that possibly a different message is necessary for 21st century Christians. Many of us will acknowledge that we live busy lives, and so instead of ridiculing Peter, I suggested that we need to be more like him. We could learn from his example, and be willing to stay up on the mountain for a moment longer. Many of us, actually never reach the top of the mountain, but instead get within sight of the top and decide we have to run down and tell everyone about it. The result is that when we begin to tell people about Jesus, we have very little to say.

Perhaps a story from my recent family vacation will be helpful:
We spent some time in Ithaca, and did several things that were new to my daughters. We had Thai food, we went to the Science Center, we used a GPS, and the big treat was to be ice skating. Days before we built it up by telling the girls "in two days we'll be going ice skating" and then "in one day we'll be going ice skating" and finally "today we're going ice skating!" Emily (our 3 year old) was especially excited. When we arrived at the skating rink and walked inside, she asked "are we ice skating now?" Then when we got our skates she asked "are we ice skating now?" She was so eager, but we kept telling her "not yet...soon we'll be ice skating." Just before getting on the ice, we all sat down on a bench, and Emily remarked "ice skating was fun! Let's go home so I can tell all my friends!" We couldn't help but laugh, and had to assure her that we had yet to ice skate, and that it would be even better than walking to the edge of the rink.

This little story demonstrates quite well how many Christians act toward their faith. Many of us are so excited to experience Jesus, to have a mountain top experience, but just before we get a real glimpse of Christ, we turn and run home so we can tell everyone. Or worse we turn and run home because he have a cake in the oven, or a deadline to meet, or kids to pick up from soccer practice, or any one of the 8 million tasks we seemingly undertake all at once.

It was funny to hear my 3 year old wanting to go and tell her friends about ice skating before she even got on the ice, it's just as funny to hear Christians wanting to tell others about their faith before they ever take the time to meet Jesus. We are entering into the season of Lent. It's a time to prepare yourself, and strengthen your relationship with God. Therefore I'm suggesting that everyone give up 10 minutes of sleep. Either go to bed 10 minutes later, or get up 10 minutes earlier, but spend that time in prayer or studying your bible. Take a cue from Peter, be willing to linger just a moment longer on top of that mountain.

Grace & Peace,
Pastor John

Washington, D.C. - Young Clergy Leadership Forum

Last week (February 8th-11th) I attended a Young Clergy Seminar in Washington, D.C. The seminar was put on by the General Board of Church and Society (essentially the social justice branch of the United Methodist Church). I was able to spend 3 days with 45 other young clergy (ages 35 and below) from all around the United States (with one representative from Angola). The days were very full, with people from all different constituencies speaking with us about various issues they held near and dear, and the nights were filled with interesting opportunities to sample some of the D.C. culture (ie restaurants, monuments, etc).

Below you can see a picture of the group in front of the Capital Building. Where we spent most of our time was in the United Methodist Building, which is directly across the street from the Capital! If you look close you can see me, I'm in the center wearing the white (actually it's a light pink) shirt. I stick out because I'm the only one not wearing a coat!

Sermon Sampler (February 15th) - Happy Valentine's Day?

Getting caught up in the Valentine's Day spirit (or maybe not) I decided we would look at the topic of LOVE this week. We began our discussion with the creation of the first man and woman, Genesis 2:8-15. The story basically goes like this, God makes man, man is alone, God makes animals, man is still alone, God makes woman, man meets woman, man and woman live happily ever after! We had some discussion about this, and aside from a few optimists (majority of whom were men sitting next to their wives), we decided that's not quite how things work out.

I suggested that despite the fact that this "happily ever after" is not very realistic, on Valentine's Day we all live as though it should be the norm. It seems that on Valentine's Day, love is summed up with flowers, chocolates, jewerly, poetry and floating on the clouds. We are not allowed to even think about disagreeing with our "true love" during this day, let alone actually have a disagreement. The image of Valentine's Day, and the reality are, in most cases, two completely different things.

I shared one of my experiences on Valentine's Day, where I purchased flowers (carnations), jewelry (silver), and chocolates (cherry filled) for a girlfriend. I also wrote her an original poem, expressing my feelings for her (Roses are red, Violets are blue, bees like honey, and I like you). Upon receiving my gifts, my girlfriend mentioned that she hated carnations, preferred gold jewelry, could not stand cherry filled chocolates, and wasn't too fond of my poem. Needless to say the relationship did not stand the test of time.

The experience I shared is more in line with the typical Valentine's Day experience than not though. The reasons for this I call the 3 E's, namely Expectations, Emphasis, and Everywhere. We place huge (and often unrealistic) Expectations on one another on days like Valentine's Day. We put an incredible amount of Emphasis on this single day (basically attempting to capture a year's worth of "love" in one day). And finally, Valentine's Day is Everywhere! It's advertised on the radio, on the television, in the stores, and even in the church newsletter. For those who dread the day (largely single people) it is impossible to avoid!

Although the 3 E's explain why Valentine's Day (and other such holidays) tend to be more depressing and disappointing than uplifting and happy, the real reason why Valentine's Day often turns sour, is because of the image of LOVE that it projects. On Valentine's Day, love is somehow supposed to be shown through romantic acts and gifts like flowers, jewelry, chocolates, etc. Also for many, this is the one time a year that love is emphasized, and so the day has to make up for a year's worth of indifference. Finally on Valentine's Day, we have this unrealistic expectation that somehow with love, everything will be perfect.

In John 15:12-17 Jesus paints a different picture of love. Jesus begins by "commanding" his disciples to love! For many people, love is something that controls us, not something we can control. Movies, books, and television have taught us that we cannot choose who we love! And yet Jesus commands us to love. He goes on to explain that love is a relationship, like that between friends, and that the greatest display of love is not a dozen roses, but to give your life for those you love. Jesus stands as a model for this love. He willingly chose to die for each and every person who ever lived or who ever will live. He points out in this passage that he chose us, we did not choose him. God loves you, he chose you, and he died for you.

Does this mean that Jesus is suggesting we all go off and die on behalf of someone we love? Is that the only way we can truly show our love? NO! Giving up your life does not only need to look like dying, but it can also look like making sacrifices, giving up things you enjoy to do things with those you love that they enjoy. Now love is transformed from being chocolates and poetry to a real relationship with loved ones. Love is watching the soap opera with your wife, the big game with your husband, or Dora with your child. Love is showing interest in those whom you love and the things they enjoy, often at the expense of those things you enjoy.

You have been commanded to love. You have been called to be in relationship with others, giving of yourself. How will you love others this week? Will it be something you do so you can say you did it, or will it be more? "This is my commandment, that you love one another..."

Grace & Peace,
Pastor John

Sermon Sampler (February 1st) - God's Call Transforms

I once new a man named Bob. Bob was one of the kindest, most caring and easiest going men I've ever met. Bob was also the biggest cry baby I've ever met...by a mile. Bob would cry while singing up front in church, he would cry when telling people his story, he would cry during the sermon, he would cry during hymns, Bob cried everywhere and seemingly over everything! As a child I couldn't quite understand why Bob cried so often and so easily so I asked my father about this. It turned out that Bob wasn't always so kind, nor was he always caring and easy going. One similarity remained though, Bob was still very willing to let his emotions show, except back then, the only ones he showed were anger and rage. I learned that Bob hadn't always been so nice, and that when he was a young man, he was just as likely to get into a fight with a man as he was to say "hello". I was shocked to hear this, about the man I had come to know as so kind and gentle, and so I asked my father what had changed Bob so drastically. The response was that he heard God's called and was transformed.

So far, we've talked about hearing and discerning God's call, as well as obeying God's call. This week I'll be talking about how God's call can change and even transform a person. Our scripture passage comes from the call of Matthew, a man who was a tax collector (a sinner) and who was transformed and became one of the twelve. This passage is only one of many stories in scripture and Christian history where a person begins as less than righteous and once called by God is transformed into someone much different. As observers from the outside we see these stories as miraculous and often foreign to our own experience. While God certainly does change lives in such drastic ways, often the transformation that many of us experience follows a different, more gradual and even subtle path.

I mentioned above that I asked my father about Bob and his transformation, and the response he gave me was similar to some of the miraculous and instantaneous changes that we read about in scripture and the history books. Later on in life, I had the opportunity to hear Bob tell the story of his transformation, and it was a little different:

Bob told of his father-in-law to be coming to Bob and telling Bob to stay away from his daughter. The father-in-law to be mentioned that Bob drank too much, faught too much, and was not nearly good enough for his daughter. Bob recalled that he told his future father-in-law where he could shove it, and promptly married his daughter anyway! But a funny thing happened. No longer was Bob living a life only for himself, now with a wife, it was him and her. It didn't change much, but some things began to shift. Next, Bob's wife gave birth to their first child, and now it was him, her, and baby. Again not alot changed, but some things did. Later, Bob's son began to learn to speak, and Bob realized he had to watch his language around little Bobby, or else he would repeat daddy's foul words. Again not a huge amount of change, but small changes here and there. Several such events took place over the years, and then finally, Bob came to know Jesus as his Savior. Bob explained that he had been being transformed all along, that God had been calling him and changing his life little by little until Bob was finally ready to hear God's call for what it was and fully accept it.

In Bob's story, there was transformation, and it was in response to hearing and obeying God's call in his life, but the change began long before Bob realized he was being called. This is often the case in our lives. God calls us in ways that we don't even recognize as God's call. We are transformed a little bit at a time until one day we wake up and realize that we are far from the person we used to be. Often it is only once we've learned to hear and discern God's call, as well as obey it, that we are able to look back on our lives and see all the places and ways that God has been calling and transforming us.

I like to think that the transformation that is taking place in our lives is something like that which occurs in a caterpillar as it becomes a butterfly. Caterpillars are often seen as little fuzzy worms with legs. They aren't all that pretty, and don't seem to be very special. Yet that caterpillar is on a journey that will culminate in becoming a beautiful winged creature called a butterfly. I like to think that we too are like caterpillars, not always much to look at, and often times it seems we aren't destined for greater things. But, as Christians, through the call of God in our lives, we know that we are called to become more in this life and even more in the next. So my question for you is are you living your life as merely a worm with legs, or as someone destined to become far more?

Grace & Peace,
Pastor John