Saturday, May 30, 2009
Other Websites
Please take a few moments and check out the other websites that I have linked on the right hand side. Please especially take notice of our new Youth Group webpage! The kids have already worked hard on it, and they will continue to work with it and make it more and more their own in the weeks and months to come.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Sermon Sampler (May 17th) - Who's Invited?
Who's invited? Are you invited? Am I invited? If I am invited, what do I need to do to accept my invitation?
Sometimes you find yourself in the midst of a church service that just seems never ending. For many the longest and most painful part of such a service, is the sermon, which often has a tendencey to drag on and on. I remember one such service, where the pastor said "and finally" and then continued on for five more minutes before he said "and in conclusion" which was followed by several more minutes of talking before he said "and lastly"! I also vividly remembering asking God to intervene in some way, to get me out of there!
Our New Testament lesson (Acts 10:44-48) picks up right in the midst of one of those sermons. Peter is preaching to some Gentiles (people who are not Jewish) when the Holy Spirit interrupts and falls upon said Gentiles. Peter and those in attendance are shocked that such a thing would happen. Prior to this, it was taken for granted that the chosen people of God were Jews, and therefore God's Holy Spirit would only be given to Jews (as was the case at Pentecost). This single event raises the question of who's invited or allowed to be one of God's chosen people. In an instant, in the midst of a sermon that God just had to interrupt, Gentiles were now invited to the party.
I remember as a child growing up, we didn't have a church of our own. Our family believed in God, and we meant well, but for the longest time we couldn't seem to find a church to call our own. For a few weeks we would attend the Presbyterian church, and then for a few the Baptist church, and then for a few more, the non-denominational church, we even tried the Catholic church one Sunday. In those early years, we attended just about every church in and around my hometown of Owego, but none seemed to be a fit. We didn't really feel like we were welcome in many of the churches we attended. Most had nice enough people, but we just didn't feel like we were really a part of the congregation. Then it happened. My mother was invited to the local United Methodist church, and from the very first moment we felt like part of the family. The people seemed to notice us, care for us, and best of all, they actually learned our names (even mine and my sister's)! It was as if every single Sunday we were given a special invitation to attend there, and if we weren't there, people noticed and missed us! Finally we fit in, finally we felt like a part of the congregation. The best part was that there was no catch. We didn't need to do anything, or be anything that we weren't. We just had to be there.
It's the same way with God. In the first letter of John (1 John 5:1-5) the author talks about what is required to become one of God's chosen people. The answer is simple, a person doesn't have to be Jewish, or dress a certain way, he or she doesn't need to eat certain foods, or even attend church every Sunday, instead all that is needed is faith in Jesus. It's just that easy, all that's required is faith. It is for this reason, that I can proudly (and boldly) proclaim that YOU are invited to be a child of God. The invitation is open to all, and all that's required is that you believe in Jesus!
In a world where we are constantly dividing ourselves and creating more and more exclusive groups where membership hinges upon race, religion, gender, economic status, athletic ability, intellectual prowess, secret handshakes, funny phrases, payment of dues, etc. etc. God says you are all invited! Of course once you've accepted your invitation, there's a journey that lasts a lifetime before you, but the only requirement to begin that journey is faith. And to answer that initial question of "who's invited", the answer is EVERYONE! So the new question is, you're invited, but will you accept your invitation?
Grace & Peace,
Pastor John
Sometimes you find yourself in the midst of a church service that just seems never ending. For many the longest and most painful part of such a service, is the sermon, which often has a tendencey to drag on and on. I remember one such service, where the pastor said "and finally" and then continued on for five more minutes before he said "and in conclusion" which was followed by several more minutes of talking before he said "and lastly"! I also vividly remembering asking God to intervene in some way, to get me out of there!
Our New Testament lesson (Acts 10:44-48) picks up right in the midst of one of those sermons. Peter is preaching to some Gentiles (people who are not Jewish) when the Holy Spirit interrupts and falls upon said Gentiles. Peter and those in attendance are shocked that such a thing would happen. Prior to this, it was taken for granted that the chosen people of God were Jews, and therefore God's Holy Spirit would only be given to Jews (as was the case at Pentecost). This single event raises the question of who's invited or allowed to be one of God's chosen people. In an instant, in the midst of a sermon that God just had to interrupt, Gentiles were now invited to the party.
I remember as a child growing up, we didn't have a church of our own. Our family believed in God, and we meant well, but for the longest time we couldn't seem to find a church to call our own. For a few weeks we would attend the Presbyterian church, and then for a few the Baptist church, and then for a few more, the non-denominational church, we even tried the Catholic church one Sunday. In those early years, we attended just about every church in and around my hometown of Owego, but none seemed to be a fit. We didn't really feel like we were welcome in many of the churches we attended. Most had nice enough people, but we just didn't feel like we were really a part of the congregation. Then it happened. My mother was invited to the local United Methodist church, and from the very first moment we felt like part of the family. The people seemed to notice us, care for us, and best of all, they actually learned our names (even mine and my sister's)! It was as if every single Sunday we were given a special invitation to attend there, and if we weren't there, people noticed and missed us! Finally we fit in, finally we felt like a part of the congregation. The best part was that there was no catch. We didn't need to do anything, or be anything that we weren't. We just had to be there.
It's the same way with God. In the first letter of John (1 John 5:1-5) the author talks about what is required to become one of God's chosen people. The answer is simple, a person doesn't have to be Jewish, or dress a certain way, he or she doesn't need to eat certain foods, or even attend church every Sunday, instead all that is needed is faith in Jesus. It's just that easy, all that's required is faith. It is for this reason, that I can proudly (and boldly) proclaim that YOU are invited to be a child of God. The invitation is open to all, and all that's required is that you believe in Jesus!
In a world where we are constantly dividing ourselves and creating more and more exclusive groups where membership hinges upon race, religion, gender, economic status, athletic ability, intellectual prowess, secret handshakes, funny phrases, payment of dues, etc. etc. God says you are all invited! Of course once you've accepted your invitation, there's a journey that lasts a lifetime before you, but the only requirement to begin that journey is faith. And to answer that initial question of "who's invited", the answer is EVERYONE! So the new question is, you're invited, but will you accept your invitation?
Grace & Peace,
Pastor John
Monday, May 11, 2009
Sermon Sampler (May 10th) - Mother's Day
Mother's Day has always been a special day in my family. One could define the way it functioned in my house growing up with five words: "Mom does whatever she wants." That's roughly the way we still try to allow the day to be now, although it's admittedly more difficult with a two year old and a three year old! Just the same I always enjoyed Mother's Day, if for no other reason than that it was the one time every year I could let my mom know how special she was. On Mother's Day, I could show her how much I appreciated all she did (of course I could do this every day, but for some reason that fact never was apparent to me).
Now sometimes I tend to think that everyone thinks like I do, and that if I understand/beleive/do something, it's the same for everyone else. That was the case early in my college career when I was engaged in a discussion around a table with several others about Mother's Day. I was espousing my belief that Mother's Day was great, and should always be celebrated, because at least on that day we can show our love, honor, and respect for our mothers. One young woman at the table was vehemently opposed to this view, instead opting to suggest that Mother's Day is "stupid" and shouldn't be celebrated at all! I was shocked, even offended at this young woman's disdain for Mother's Day, and so I pressed her further about her beliefs. I was convinced that she had no good reason to dislike the day, but instead was just trying to be contrary. Boy was I wrong!
She started by telling me that she remembered as if it were yesterday, the day her mother left her and her father. She was only seven at the time, but she still remembered her mother taking all their furniture, dishes, towels, even food and loading them into a truck. The young woman remembered holding up a broom and a dustpan and suggesting that her mother took those too, since she had taken everything else. Before I could apologize, the young woman went on. She remembered her mom running off to Florida with some other man, and then having the nerve to call the girl and tell her she missed her. The young woman listed off several times that her mother promised this or that, only to later back out and let her daughter down. At this point I apologized and said I could now understand how someone could feel the way she did about Mother's Day, but to my surprise, the young woman continued. She told me about her stepmother, who essentially amounted to a real version of Cinderella's wicked stepmother. The things she told me immediately taught me that the nice little world I grew up in, wasn't the same world that everyone else lived in.
As we talked some more, I learned that this young woman did have a grandmother that seemed to fill the role of a mother for her. She stayed with this grandmother when her parents first split up, and again when life with her "wicked" stepmother got to be too much. She told me how her grandmother taught her many of the things that most mom's teach their daughters, like how to cook, how to sew, how to braid her hair, and on and on. It was at this time that I first realized that a mother doesn't need to give birth to a person to be their mother. Being a mom is less about biology and giving birth and more about nurturing, caring, raising and actually being there.
From this one young woman that I knew in college, I learned two lessons. First that Mother's Day is far more complicated than I had ever realized, and second that mothers aren't only those who give birth.
Mother's Day, for many is complicated. For some it's a day of great joy and celebration. For other's it's a day of sadness, frustration, lonliness, and even anger. Some people have wonderful mothers to lift up and celebrate, others do not. If you find yourself in the group that does not, for whom Mother's Day is complicated, I would encourage you not to give up on the day all together. We are all surrounded by wonderful mothers. Every year we as a society set aside one day to honor those women. If you can't/don't want to celebrate your own mother, I would encourage you to lift up and honor someone who's been like a mother to you. Just because it's complicated doesn't mean we should not rejoice.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor John
Now sometimes I tend to think that everyone thinks like I do, and that if I understand/beleive/do something, it's the same for everyone else. That was the case early in my college career when I was engaged in a discussion around a table with several others about Mother's Day. I was espousing my belief that Mother's Day was great, and should always be celebrated, because at least on that day we can show our love, honor, and respect for our mothers. One young woman at the table was vehemently opposed to this view, instead opting to suggest that Mother's Day is "stupid" and shouldn't be celebrated at all! I was shocked, even offended at this young woman's disdain for Mother's Day, and so I pressed her further about her beliefs. I was convinced that she had no good reason to dislike the day, but instead was just trying to be contrary. Boy was I wrong!
She started by telling me that she remembered as if it were yesterday, the day her mother left her and her father. She was only seven at the time, but she still remembered her mother taking all their furniture, dishes, towels, even food and loading them into a truck. The young woman remembered holding up a broom and a dustpan and suggesting that her mother took those too, since she had taken everything else. Before I could apologize, the young woman went on. She remembered her mom running off to Florida with some other man, and then having the nerve to call the girl and tell her she missed her. The young woman listed off several times that her mother promised this or that, only to later back out and let her daughter down. At this point I apologized and said I could now understand how someone could feel the way she did about Mother's Day, but to my surprise, the young woman continued. She told me about her stepmother, who essentially amounted to a real version of Cinderella's wicked stepmother. The things she told me immediately taught me that the nice little world I grew up in, wasn't the same world that everyone else lived in.
As we talked some more, I learned that this young woman did have a grandmother that seemed to fill the role of a mother for her. She stayed with this grandmother when her parents first split up, and again when life with her "wicked" stepmother got to be too much. She told me how her grandmother taught her many of the things that most mom's teach their daughters, like how to cook, how to sew, how to braid her hair, and on and on. It was at this time that I first realized that a mother doesn't need to give birth to a person to be their mother. Being a mom is less about biology and giving birth and more about nurturing, caring, raising and actually being there.
From this one young woman that I knew in college, I learned two lessons. First that Mother's Day is far more complicated than I had ever realized, and second that mothers aren't only those who give birth.
Mother's Day, for many is complicated. For some it's a day of great joy and celebration. For other's it's a day of sadness, frustration, lonliness, and even anger. Some people have wonderful mothers to lift up and celebrate, others do not. If you find yourself in the group that does not, for whom Mother's Day is complicated, I would encourage you not to give up on the day all together. We are all surrounded by wonderful mothers. Every year we as a society set aside one day to honor those women. If you can't/don't want to celebrate your own mother, I would encourage you to lift up and honor someone who's been like a mother to you. Just because it's complicated doesn't mean we should not rejoice.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor John
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Sermon Sampler (May 3rd) - Why Sheep?
My grandfather has a favorite story that involves church, Catholics, and them all being sheep. For background purposes, my grandfather is Protestant, his father is Protestant, and his father before him was "invited" to leave Ireland for being Protestant. My grandmother is Catholic. Being such a "good" Protestant, my grandfather naturally only ever went to church when he went to Mass with my grandmother. On one occassion, while attending an Catholic Mass with my grandmother, my grandfather decided to stand up. The people around him, uncertain of what to do, also stood up. Within moments, the entire congregation was standing for no reason other than that my grandfather decided to put his sheep theory to the test!
My grandpa loves to tell this story, and it always ends with him laughing at how all Catholics are nothing more than sheep, willing to blindly follow the priest/pope no matter what. Truth be told, Jesus said we are all sheep (see John 10:11-18) and that he is the "Good Shepherd". Now at first such a statement doesn't seem to be too offensive, until one begins to learn more about sheep. For instance, sheep are not known for being the smartest animals, as a matter of fact, they kind of have a reputation for being fairly stupid. This appearance of stupidity, comes from the naturally strong flock mentality present in sheep. This means that they are drawn together, and that once in a group they are seemingly very content to stop thinking on their own, but rather go with the flow. All of a sudden, being labeled as "sheep" isn't so flattering. As unflattering as this comparison may be, one need only observe a group of people for a short time to find that we too have a strong "flock mentality" that often gives us the appearance of not being the sharpest tools in the shed. The following short story from my own past, illustrates this truth quite well.
Out with several friends, at a local grocery store, someone got the bright idea to take a piece of candy out of the bulk candy bins and eat it. What was good for one of us, seemed like a good idea for the rest of us, and before anyone thought about what was going on, there were six teenage boys stealing candy from the local Topps in Owego. When one of us got caught red-handed, the rest of us scattered (only to be rounded up soon after). To make a long story short, the six of us ended up chipping in to buy 30+lbs of lemon jelly beans! An action that would have seemed outrageous to any one of us, if we were alone, seemed completely reasonable (even a good idea) once we were in a group. Truly individual persons are smart, but a group of people often act dumb.
This story is by no means the exception, but rather quite telling of humanity's willingness to follow one another's lead without fully thinking things through (also known as the flock mentality). This is why Jesus' self-identification as the "Good Shepherd" is so important. As the Good Shepherd he is responsible for leading us, and because of who he is, Jesus leads us in right paths.
As people who often act like sheep, the reality is we are going to follow someone or something, the question is will we be lead by the Good Shepherd or by the flock? The flock mentality says our time is our own, yet our Good Shepherd calls on us to give it to others. The flock mentality says times are tough, we've got to save every penny, but our Good Shepherd encourages generosity and giving to those whose times are tougher yet. The flock mentality says food should be hoarded because you never know, but our Good Shepherd leads us to give to local food pantries, because some have no food to hoard. The flock mentality leads us astray, down paths that lead to selfishness and loneliness. The Good Shepherd leads us down paths that lead to community and self-giving. Who will you be following, the Good Shepherd or the flock?
Grace & Peace,
Pastor John
My grandpa loves to tell this story, and it always ends with him laughing at how all Catholics are nothing more than sheep, willing to blindly follow the priest/pope no matter what. Truth be told, Jesus said we are all sheep (see John 10:11-18) and that he is the "Good Shepherd". Now at first such a statement doesn't seem to be too offensive, until one begins to learn more about sheep. For instance, sheep are not known for being the smartest animals, as a matter of fact, they kind of have a reputation for being fairly stupid. This appearance of stupidity, comes from the naturally strong flock mentality present in sheep. This means that they are drawn together, and that once in a group they are seemingly very content to stop thinking on their own, but rather go with the flow. All of a sudden, being labeled as "sheep" isn't so flattering. As unflattering as this comparison may be, one need only observe a group of people for a short time to find that we too have a strong "flock mentality" that often gives us the appearance of not being the sharpest tools in the shed. The following short story from my own past, illustrates this truth quite well.
Out with several friends, at a local grocery store, someone got the bright idea to take a piece of candy out of the bulk candy bins and eat it. What was good for one of us, seemed like a good idea for the rest of us, and before anyone thought about what was going on, there were six teenage boys stealing candy from the local Topps in Owego. When one of us got caught red-handed, the rest of us scattered (only to be rounded up soon after). To make a long story short, the six of us ended up chipping in to buy 30+lbs of lemon jelly beans! An action that would have seemed outrageous to any one of us, if we were alone, seemed completely reasonable (even a good idea) once we were in a group. Truly individual persons are smart, but a group of people often act dumb.
This story is by no means the exception, but rather quite telling of humanity's willingness to follow one another's lead without fully thinking things through (also known as the flock mentality). This is why Jesus' self-identification as the "Good Shepherd" is so important. As the Good Shepherd he is responsible for leading us, and because of who he is, Jesus leads us in right paths.
As people who often act like sheep, the reality is we are going to follow someone or something, the question is will we be lead by the Good Shepherd or by the flock? The flock mentality says our time is our own, yet our Good Shepherd calls on us to give it to others. The flock mentality says times are tough, we've got to save every penny, but our Good Shepherd encourages generosity and giving to those whose times are tougher yet. The flock mentality says food should be hoarded because you never know, but our Good Shepherd leads us to give to local food pantries, because some have no food to hoard. The flock mentality leads us astray, down paths that lead to selfishness and loneliness. The Good Shepherd leads us down paths that lead to community and self-giving. Who will you be following, the Good Shepherd or the flock?
Grace & Peace,
Pastor John
Psalm 23
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
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