Sermon Sampler (April 26th) - Trust Issues

So I have a fishing story for you today, but it's not about the fish that I caught or the big one that got away. Instead my story is about the virtues of waders that don't leak, and the benefits of fishing with a partner and of course about trusting God.

So my father and I were fishing (wading) in the Susquehanna river, and having a grand old time, when I realized that one of my legs was getting wet (obviously I had a leak in one leg of my waders). Being 13 and a tough guy, I didn't want to say anything, so I kept the minor inconvenience to myself. It wasn't but a few minutes later that I realized my other leg also was getting wet! Not wanting to complain, or ruin the good times, I kept these revelations to myself. Shortly thereafter my father wanted to cross the river at a spot where the water was about waist deep. As we started across, I noticed that the current was stronger (or at least having a greater effect on me) than I had anticipated. By the time I reached the middle of the river I was barely able to stand up, and was forced to call out for help.

Just as my dad reached me, and grabbed hold of my arm, I lost my footing and my legs went out from underneath me! I began to struggle to get my feet under me again. My father insisted that I stop struggling and let my legs float up, so that he could more easily pull me to the shore. This advice seemed like sheer lunacy to me, and I protested that I needed to get on my feet in order to save myself. My father continued to instruct me not to worry about getting my footing and instead relax so he could more easily pull me. Finally (largely because he was my father) I relented and stopped struggling. To my amazement, once I stopped struggling, it was only a matter of moments before we were both safely on the shore and the crisis was over.

Our scripture lesson, found in Acts 4:32-5:11 presents a similar story. The story is primarily a telling of how things were progressing within the early Christian church (namely people sharing possessions for the greater good) and one particularly dramatic event. That event recounts the sale of their property by a couple within the community (Ananias and Sapphira) and their attempt to secretly withold some of the proceeds from the sale. Both of them are individually confronted about this intentional deception and the results are quite dramatic. The problem, as it was presented in the text was not their witholding of money, but rather their attempt to deceive the other believers and ultimately God. I would suggest that the root of this deception and the whole event can be found in a lack of trust on the part of the couple. They were unwilling, or unable to trust that God would provide for them, and so they tried to hold back some money.

While in today's United Methodist Church we have no fear of misrepresenting how much money we place in the offering plate each week (since no one announces how much they give), one would think we're safe from falling into the same mistake. Unfortunately the fundamental problem of not trusting God, still remains.

Trust is all about relationship. The reason I finally stopped struggling in the middle of that river, and allowed my dad to pull me to safety was because he was my dad and I trusted him. We had a relationship that over time had allowed me to trust him, even when I couldn't see the wisdom or logic in his advice. The same is true with our relationships with God. Of course the sad reality for many of us, is that we have very poor (or non-existant) relationships with God. Our goal is to be children of God (truly there is no more trusting relationship, ideally, than the parent-child relationship). Instead of children, though, many of us are merely acquaintances with God, or casual friends with God. For many of us the notion of trusting God with anything, let alone our money, is a scary concept.

This lack of trust, is seen quite clearly and profoundly in our giving. Although God does not ask for us to give everything we have, it is clear that we are expected to give 10% of what we have to God ( Leviticus 27:30, Malachi 3:8-12). Unfortunately in the United Methodist Church we as a whole average closer to 2%! This is a clear indicator of a profoundly poor relationship with God that leads to an equally profound lack of trust in God.

Often when I speak with those who tithe and those who do not, I find that the non-tithers give me a laundry list of reasons (many very legitimate) why they cannot give 10% to God. There also is an attitude among non-tithers that those who do tithe, do so, because they can "afford" to. When I have similar conversations with those who do tithe, they too have a laundry list of reasons (many very legitimate) why they shouldn't be able to give 10% to God. The difference is they feel that they cannot "afford" NOT to tithe! Let me say this again, both those who do and those who do not tithe have bills, loans, children, unstable jobs, and many many other reasons not to tithe. Those who do tithe, do so because they trust God will be faithful to God's promises and provide for them. Those who tithe, do so out of a profound sense of trust in God, and they have countless stories of how God has proven trustworthy in the past.

So if you want to grow your faith, if you want your relationship with God to be strengthened, if you want to be able to trust God more fully, then I strongly urge you to increase your giving. Take baby steps if you need to, and go from 2% to 3%, or 4% to 6%, but increase your giving. Please be clear that I am not concerned with you giving money to your church (or my church), but that you strengthen your relationship with God. You can increase your giving by giving that extra 1% to UMCOR, The American Cancer Society, The Red Cross, to your local food pantry, or countless other good causes. What I'm suggesting is that wherever you choose to give, that you increase your giving and watch as your relationship and trust in God increases exponentially as well!

With hope you'll find yourself no longer with trust issues, no longer being merely an acquaintance of God's, but instead truly a child of God complete with a trust in God that only a child can place in a loving parent.

Grace & Peace,
Pastor John

2nd Annual Methodist March Madness!

This year we celebrated our 2nd Annual Methodist March Madness (a contest to see who can best fill out the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament brackets). As you can see from the above picture our winner this year was 3 year old Emily Martin. This just goes to show that anyone can be succesful at this, and that you don't need to be some kind of expert. We had over 20 people participate, including the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama! Congratulations to everyone who competed. The top five were as follows:

1. Emily Martin
2. Jodi Carey
3. Mr. Jerry LeClar

4. Jeannie Howard

5. President Obama

Sermon Sampler (April 5th) - Everybody Loves a Winner

My devotion to the NY Giants (football team) began early in life, in an amazingly unprofound way. My parents were watching a football game, and I asked who we were cheering for, to which my father replied "the team in blue". This started, what for me has been a nearly lifetime following of the Giants (for some reason though, my parents are Bills fans?). I've been a Giants fan my entire life...well except for a short time during the summer between 5th and 6th grade.

In Owego, when students move from 5th grade into 6th grade, they also move into a different building (the middle school). For many students this transition is seen as a fresh start, an opportunity at a new beginning and a second chance to make first impressions. This was how I too perceived the transition, and I aimed to take full advantage of it. I bought new clothes, got a new haircut, and even decided to root for a new "better" football team. I had decided that nobody likes a loser, and so I was going to root for the Dallas Cowboys! The Cowboys were at the height of their 90's renaissance, and were in the midst of winning 3 Super Bowls in four years. Surely everyone loves a winner! Being a loser (or a fan of one) is to be lonely.

I lasted as a Cowboys fan all of about two months that summer. Not just because my friends (who'd known me for years) labeled me as a "bandwagonner" but because I realized I still was a Giants fan. I came to this realization as I watched the Cowboys destroy the Giants in the first game of that season. It was then that I realized I was still rooting for the Giants, and that I couldn't just change my team because it was "cool" or becuase they were winning. Flash forward to last year (2008), when the Giants won the Super Bowl, and I was cheering, laughing, and high-fiving anyone within arms reach. I wasn't the only one who was excited and reveling in the victory either. When I tried to call my parents to share my excitement, the call would not go through, because so many others were doing the same thing. The same euphoria and enthusiasm certainly was there on that first Palm Sunday, as Jesus entered Jerusalem (Luke 19:28-40).

It is during this one shining moment, that the people welcome Jesus as the embodiement of all their hopes for independence from Roman rule, as the long awaited Messiah. Jesus, it was hoped, would be a king like David, who would restore the glory of God's chosen people and fulfill the prophecies. Unfortunately (or fortunately as it would turn out) Jesus was not there to be the Messiah the people had hoped for, and once this was realized, their love and adoration turn to wrath and scorn. These same people who welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem proclaiming "Blessed is the King that comes in the name of the Lord" would soon be shouting "crucify him" (Matthew 27:22-23). Truly everyone loves a winner, and to be a loser is to be lonely.

This "bandwagon" mentality wasn't just limited to the crowds, but even Jesus' own disciples, his closest friends, also were subject to the sad truth that nobody wants to be around a loser. Peter, James and John couldn't stay awake and pray with Christ (Matthew 26:36-46), and Peter denied even knowing Jesus three times (Matthew 26:69-75). The bad news is this sad reality extends to Christians now (nearly 2,000 years later)! Churches around the world will be packed on Palm Sunday, and even fuller the following Sunday on Easter Sunday, but on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday most churches will be lucky to have even a handful of people in attendance.

Many claim the busyness of the week, or a sensitivity to the harsh reality of what Jesus went through on those days so long ago. The reality is that the week in between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday (known by many as Holy Week) is when Jesus was made to be a loser and everyone loves a winner, but nobody wants to be around a loser! The part that people miss is that in order to celebrate the victory of Easter, we need to suffer through the defeat of Good Friday. Jesus' ultimate defeat (death on a cross) truly was our ultimate victory (freedom from and forgiveness of sin)! The thing I learned from my brief time as a Cowboys fan is you can't really enjoy the victory if you haven't first suffered through the defeat.

This week we are all offered not just the opportunity to rejoice in the victory, but to suffer along with Christ in the midst of defeat. Here at Oxford we will be observing a prayer vigil Friday from 6:00 am until 2:00 pm and then watching the "Passion of the Christ" at 6:00 pm. You are invited to participate in either or both of these opportunities to share in a defeat which was suffered by Christ for our benefit. These opportunities will also elevate the victory we'll be celebrating on Easter Sunday making it all the more powerful!

Grace & Peace,
Pastor John