The Bread of Life- July 28th, 2021

The gospel reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, August 1st, John 6:24-35 says:

When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus replied, “I assure you that you are looking for me not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate all the food you wanted. Don’t work for the food that doesn’t last but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Human One will give you. God the Father has confirmed him as his agent to give life.” They asked, “What must we do in order to accomplish what God requires?” Jesus replied, “This is what God requires, that you believe in him whom God sent.” They asked, “What miraculous sign will you do, that we can see and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” Jesus told them, “I assure you, it wasn’t Moses who gave the bread from heaven to you, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. The bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said, “Sir, give us this bread all the time!” Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

In our scripture Jesus says, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” Jesus is telling us, “I’m going to do something new when you follow me. Your past is behind you and a new thing is about to happen.” 

Margaret, my wife and an amateur baker, once pointed out to me that Jesus said ‘I am the bread of life’ not ‘I am the cake of life.’ Following Christ is most certainly not a cake walk. Although there will be times of difficulty in a life of faith, there is also a rich life filled with love and joy and peace. In fact this idea is a main focus of John’s Gospel. In John’s Gospel not only will following Jesus affect the life that is to come, but Jesus will affect our quality of life in the here and now. Mark Allan Powell explains, “in John’s Gospel, eternal life is more than just “life after death”; it is not just life that is endless in length, but also life that is endless in value and meaning.” Eternal life, abundant life, the life that really is life is a present reality. This life is found in the truth of God that is revealed in Jesus Christ. Perhaps this is what Jesus was explaining when he said “I am the bread of life.” Saint Augustine once said, “every single person has a God-shaped vacuum in their soul. We can attempt to fill that cavity with a host of other things, but finally nothing satisfies the thirst for our redemption and our hunger for significance except Jesus and His gospel.”  

When we partake of the bread of life we find ourselves changed in this life, right here, right now. We find a new beginning. There is healing and good news for us now. Shane Claiborne says “Jesus came not just to prepare us to die but to teach us how to live.” Whenever we read the words “love your neighbor as yourself” and wrestle with and practice what this means we are changed. We partake of the bread of life. Whenever we discover or rediscover the spiritual disciplines of prayer, scriptural meditation, self-examination, and hospitality we partake of the bread of life. When we realize that this life is not all about us, when we realize that God’s grace is for all people, when we show people that there is indeed healing and good news for us now, we partake of the bread of life. We are called not only to be believers, but we are called to be disciples. We are called to be transformed by this gospel— to be a people who are living into different patterns and values from the world around us. We are called to have a faith that is worked out in love and compassion for other people. 

This life is no cake walk. Rain comes down on the righteous and the unrighteous and we will all have difficult times no matter what. But when we decide to follow Jesus and strive to become his disciples we will in many ways discover a life of joy and fulfillment and we will indeed be filled. 

The Nine- July 13th, 2021

When my wife Margaret was a freshman in college, she joined an all girls Bible study that was held in her dormitory. By the end of their senior year, the group had solidified into 9 women who attended regularly. They call themselves “The Nine.” Throughout their time in college, they each grew closer to one another and collectively as a group. They have remained close after all these years and today “The Nine” still share life together through visits with one another, occasional reunions, and through a shared text group. Often when Margaret’s phone is dinging with text after text, I know “The Nine” are having a conversation. Recently Margaret shared with me a conversation they had. One of her friends shared how important it was not to try and fix everything, but rather to just sit, to make time and space for rest even when life is messy and difficult. Another one of “The Nine” agreed and shared that sometimes you feel like going up to a mountain by yourself or taking a nap in a boat while a storm rages around you. This conversation and encouragement for rest and self care fits right in with the gospel reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, July 18th, Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 says:

The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

Jesus was God on earth. Jesus was the most selfless and sacrificial person to ever exist. He was perfect and yet we see him time and time again being very intentional and making room for self care, for sabbath and rest. Jesus understood he had to take care of himself so that he could take care of others. He had to make room for self care so that he was ready to do the work and be the person he needed to be. These moments of self care in the life of Jesus are obviously there to model for us that we need to do the same. It's modeled for us right from the beginning. In the book of Genesis, God takes 6 days to make all of creation and then we are told he rested on the 7th day. Self care is a spiritual practice that our culture desperately needs to reclaim. 

Tami Forman wrote an article for Forbes magazine titled “Self Care is not an indulgence. It’s a discipline.” She explains in that article that self care requires tough-mindedness, a deep and personal understanding of your priorities, and a respect for both yourself and the people you choose to spend your life with. And she cites some examples of self care that I think are really good. Self care is turning off the TV instead of watching another episode because the alarm clock is going to go off at 5AM so you can exercise. It’s saying no to the thing you don’t want to do even if someone is going to be angry at you. It’s doing work that matters and it’s letting other people take care of themselves. Sabbath is a time of rest, a time of worship, or both. Taking Sabbath doesn’t have to be a commitment to a specific day of the week, but rather it can be a morning walk. Sabbath can be riding a bicycle, taking a nap, being a part of a small group Bible study, sharing a meal together, praying, journaling. Anything that preserves an experience of life-giving nourishment and rest is sabbath. This life-giving nourishment will be different for different people. 

God was busy in the chaos of creation, but even God took time for rest. Even if we just take 30 minutes for ourselves to do something we enjoy that gives us peace and calmness. That’s important. If we don't take care of ourselves, we’re more likely to burn out and we’re more likely not to take care of others and the various responsibilities we hold. That’s why this is a discipline. And a discipline is not something we just do sometimes, it’s something that becomes a part of our everyday life. It’s making self care a regular practice so that we stay healthy and balanced.

Tami Forman concludes her article by stating, “ironically when you truly care for yourself, exercising all the discipline that requires, you are actually in a much stronger place to give of yourself to those around you. You will be happier, more grateful, and more engaged. Those who take care of themselves have the energy to take care of others joyfully because caregiving doesn’t come at their own expense. And those who take care of themselves also have the energy to work with meaning and purpose toward a worthy goal. Which means they are also the people most likely to make the world a better place for all of us.”

Rest and self care takes many forms, certainly time away and solitude can be vital. However, another important act of self care is to be a part of a group, a church, a Bible study, a community of people who surround us with encouragement and care. Jesus went away with his disciples, “The Twelve,” for rest and restoration. For Margaret, “The Nine” are a source of encouragement and nourishment and serve as an important way of caring for herself. To model Jesus is to go up to a mountain alone, to take a nap on the boat in the midst of the storm, to just sit when life is messy, and maybe to reach out to your own “Nine.”

A Plumb Line- July 6th, 2021

The first reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, July 11th, is Amos 7:7-15. Verses 7-8 says…

7 This is what the Lord showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall, with a plumb line in his hand. 8 The Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” “A plumb line,” I said. Then the Lord said, “See, I am setting a plumb line in the middle of my people Israel.’

A plumb line is a pretty interesting tool. My Dad is a carpenter and a mason and a few years ago he and I had a conversation about this passage from Amos and manly about a plumb line. Dad explained to me that it is often referred to as a plumb bob and that it is used to make sure jobs are vertical or plumb. The tool has been used since ancient Egypt and it is still being used today. A plumb line has a pointed tip at the bottom and it is suspended from a string. The point of the plumb line is used to mark a perfect vertical drop between the line beginning above and the ground below. Basically it is used to measure a perfectly straight wall. And this is the point, when something is “out of plumb” it is not perfectly straight but rather it is crooked, imperfect, and potentially dangerous. In Amos’s vision the Lord is standing beside a wall that is perfectly plumb. It is the Lord who has built this wall and so of course it is plumb. The Lord grabs the attention of Amos and explains that the divine plumb line will be used by the Lord to measure how straight God’s people really are. The result of the Lord’s measurement is that Israel is out of plumb and therefore something needs to happen.

The book of Amos has so much to offer to us today. God has given us everything. God has given us life, God has given us creation, the gifts of family and community and love and joy, God has given us grace and forgiveness, God has given to us all these things. And God has given us a guide as to how we are to live our lives. We can choose if we are going to live lives that are plumb, that are straight and that are pleasing to God, or we can be “out of plumb” not perfectly straight but rather crooked, imperfect, and potentially dangerous. Righteousness, holiness, sanctification, these are the things to which God is calling us. Living not for ourselves but living for Christ is how we know the life that really is life.

Two By Two- June 30th, 2021

The gospel reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, July 4th, Mark 6:1-13 says…

Jesus left that place and came to his hometown. His disciples followed him.2 On the Sabbath, he began to teach in the synagogue. Many who heard him were surprised. “Where did this man get all this? What’s this wisdom he’s been given? What about the powerful acts accomplished through him? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t he Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” They were repulsed by him and fell into sin. 4 Jesus said to them, “Prophets are honored everywhere except in their own hometowns, among their relatives, and in their own households.” 5 He was unable to do any miracles there, except that he placed his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 He was appalled by their disbelief. Then Jesus traveled through the surrounding villages teaching. 7 He called for the Twelve and sent them out in pairs. He gave them authority over unclean spirits. 8 He instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a walking stick—no bread, no bags, and no money in their belts. 9 He told them to wear sandals but not to put on two shirts. 10 He said, “Whatever house you enter, remain there until you leave that place. 11  If a place doesn’t welcome you or listen to you, as you leave, shake the dust off your feet as a witness against them.” 12 So they went out and proclaimed that people should change their hearts and lives. 13 They cast out many demons, and they anointed many sick people with olive oil and healed them.

Jesus goes home and things don’t go well. His hometown crowd were repulsed by him and he was appalled by their disbelief. Yikes. Following this difficult encounter, Jesus sends out his twelve disciples for the mission of changing people’s hearts and lives. Can you imagine what these disciples were thinking? “Whoa, the people Jesus grew up with just rejected him, how are people going to receive us?” It had to be part of the conversation because Jesus even tells them, “If a place doesn’t welcome you or listen to you, as you leave, shake the dust off your feet as a witness against them.” Yikes! This isn’t going to be all sunshine and rainbows. Perhaps this is why Jesus sent them out two by two. 

The message of calling people to change their hearts and lives isn’t always well received. The prophetic voice is not always a welcomed one. Going two by two ensures the disciples will not be alone when things get tough. This is a good model for us to continue to use today. Ministry isn’t meant to be done in isolation, but with one another in community. 

Biblical commentator Emerson Powery points out some unique features that are helpful in his commentary on this text. First, Mark’s gospel is the only one where the apostles are told to take a staff and wear scandals. This may indicate that the apostles were sent for a long journey. They may have been away from Jesus for a fairly long period of time. Another unique feature in Mark’s gospel is that the apostles were to continue the Jesus movement in households. They were not to carry on this work so much in the synagogues where the religious leaders were not as welcoming to new ideas, but rather they were to take this message to people’s homes. The apostles would meet people where they were and would take the message to them. This grassroots approach is an important take away for us. We must take Jesus’s message of love and grace to where people are and meet them where they are. We can’t expect them to come to us, we must go to them. Another unique feature in this passage is while the apostles continued Jesus’s message of repentance, their use of oil was distinctive. The gospel brings healing. We may not be cured, meaning our physical ailments will not go away, but healing in the spiritual sense or wholeness or being one with God is something we can offer others. When people change their hearts and lives this kind of healing takes place, and it is the best and most important healing. 

Spreading the message of Jesus will always be scandalous and risky and therefore will be met with resistance. People are not always eager to change their hearts and lives. So, we need each other. We must go two by two meeting people where they are and offering the healing message of Jesus’s grace. This message brings wholeness, peace, and a deeper connection with one another and with God.

'The Storm' teaches a lesson- June 16th, 2021

The gospel reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, June 20th, Mark 4:35-41 says…

Later that day, when evening came, Jesus said to them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” They left the crowd and took him in the boat just as he was. Other boats followed along. Gale-force winds arose, and waves crashed against the boat so that the boat was swamped. But Jesus was in the rear of the boat, sleeping on a pillow. They woke him up and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re drowning?” He got up and gave orders to the wind, and he said to the lake, “Silence! Be still!” The wind settled down and there was a great calm. Jesus asked them, “Why are you frightened? Don’t you have faith yet?” Overcome with awe, they said to each other, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”

Have you ever seen a picture of Rembrandt’s painting of this stormy scene with Jesus and his disciples from Mark? It’s titled The Storm on the Sea of Galilee and its Rembrandt’s only known seascape, but that’s not the only reason it’s famous.  My wife and I recently watched a documentary on Netflix detailing how this and other paintings were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardener museum in Boston. The theft in 1990 remains one of the worlds biggest unsolved art heists.  

The real tragedy of the theft is the loss of this beautiful and powerful interpretation of this Biblical passage from public view. Though photographs exist, standing in front of this masterpiece must have been an act of scriptural meditation. Rembrandt depicts a boat on the sea that is on the verge of being overturned in a chaotic scene. The twelve disciples are on the boat with Jesus and each of their actions are intriguing. I know practically nothing about Rembrandt and have read all of a Wikipedia article about this work, but here is what I see in the disciples actions. Five of the disciples are near the bow of the boat working to regain control of the vessel, but the violent wind has ripped the sail. One of the disciples is in the back of the boat with a paddle trying to steer. One disciple is on his knees, hands clasped in prayer. One seems to be shuddering in fear. One is sick vomiting over the side. One is sitting and seems to be in conversation with what appears to be a vaguely painted angel. Two are pleading with Jesus, the only calm person on the boat. While everyone else is in a panic, Jesus who clearly has just been woken from his sleep appears to not be worried at all. 

Upon careful examination, I found that there is however one other person on this boat in this painting… not thirteen, but fourteen passengers. There are twelve disciples, there is Jesus, and there is one other man. This man is holding his hat so that it doesn't blow off his head and he is breaking the fourth wall looking at us. It is Rembrandt himself. He has painted himself into the scene on this boat and he is looking out at the viewer. It’s like he is saying to us, “hey, get a load of this!” He is asking, “what do you think of this scene?” Maybe there is a little more to it than that. Perhaps Rembrandt looks at us to say, “hey, we are all in this boat with Jesus and his disciples.” And isn’t that the truth?

Life certainly brings storms that we have to weather and I suspect we can all relate to the actions and emotions of the disciples in this painting. We have all worked to regain control. We have all tried to steer the wind tossed ship. We have all fallen on our knees in prayer and shuddered in fear. We have became sick to our stomachs. We have encountered angels. We have pleaded with Jesus. You and I are in this boat and we're not alone. We’re in it together and we’re in it with God. God is with us, Christ is with us and even when all hope seems lost we can trust that Jesus brings calm to the storm. It’s important to reflect on the fact that in the face of this storm the disciples go to Jesus who gives healing, reconciliation, peace, and wholeness. So often we live in fear and Jesus is saying, “Why are you frightened? Don’t you have faith yet?” 

For the disciples, Jesus calming the storm and his chastisement of them didn’t erase their fears, but brought awe and wonder. Haven’t we too many times witnessed the presence of Christ bring peace? And doesn’t that leave us with that same awe and wonder? 

Field of Dreams- June 2nd, 2021

People will come, Ray. People will most definitely come. You know the movie, right? Ray plows down part of his corn field to build a field of dreams… and they do come. 

My daughter Ruby is playing t-ball for the first time this summer. If you have ever watched a t-ball game, you know it is easily the most entertaining sporting event. She is on a great team with great coaches and the program is organized by the Lamar Ruritan. We are very thankful for everybody who is volunteering their time to make this program happen.

Both my Dad and I played baseball for the Lamar Ruritan so it was pretty special to take Ruby to the old field for her first practice. It had been a long time since I had had walked out on the field, but the memories of summers spent racing around that red clay field came rushing back. All of a sudden I saw the field filled with the guys I used to play with at their positions fielding the ball. And I understood how it was that my Dad often reminisced about the guys he played with when we were at the ball field when I was a kid. 

The second reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for the Second Sunday after Pentecost, June 6th, is 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1. Verses 4:17-18 and 5:1 says…

Our temporary minor problems are producing an eternal stockpile of glory for us that is beyond all comparison. We don’t focus on the things that can be seen but on the things that can’t be seen. The things that can be seen don’t last, but the things that can’t be seen are eternal. We know that if the tent that we live in on earth is torn down, we have a building from God. It’s a house that isn’t handmade, which is eternal and located in heaven.

The word eternal is used in each of the final 3 verses of this passage of scripture. The Apostle Paul tells the Corinthians not to focus on the things that can be seen, but on the things that can’t be seen, the eternal. The things that can be seen don't last, but the things that can’t be seen are eternal. 

That beloved baseball movie, Field of Dreams, addresses things that are eternal. It’s a movie all about parents and children, generations past, answering a call, and baseball. Because Ray had the courage to give up financial stability for something greater, something magical happens on this baseball field in the middle of an Iowa corn field. Famous great deceased baseball players appear and play the game. Suddenly something that can’t be seen is very present and real.

Eternity is central to our faith as Christians. It's communicated to us in multiple ways over and over in our faith. Jesus triumphed over death and gives life to all and we trust in that life, as 2 Corinthians says that house that isn’t handmade but eternal and located in heaven. When we receive Holy Communion we remember that we not only commune with one another, we not only commune with God, but we also commune with all of those who have passed on before us. They are so very present and with us even now, though unseen.

In that most iconic speech in Field of Dreams, James Earl Jones tells Ray…

People will come, Ray. They’ll come to Iowa for reasons they can’t even fathom. They’ll turn into your driveway, not knowing for sure why they’re doing it. They’ll arrive at your door, as innocent as children, longing for the past. “Of course, we won’t mind if you look around,” you’ll say, “It’s only twenty dollars per person.” And they’ll pass over the money without even thinking about it, for it is money they have and peace they lack. And they’ll walk off to the bleachers and sit in their short sleeves on a perfect afternoon. And find they have reserved seats somewhere along the baselines where they sat when they were children. And cheer their heroes. And they’ll watch the game, and it’ll be as they’d dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick, they’ll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come, Ray. The one constant through all the years Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It’s been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and that could be again. Oh people will come, Ray. People will most definitely come.

The movie ends with the greatest crescendo. Ray, who had been estranged from his deceased father, suddenly sees his Dad on the baseball field. The eternal reality of reconciliation occurs for each of them and they have a catch. Meanwhile while they pass ball the people come, the community starts arriving to this heavenly field. 

In the Ken Burns documentary Baseball, historian John Thorn says, ‘the feeling of connection, bat against a ball, ball back and forth with your father or brother, the idea that you can throw a piece of yourself out there into the ether, a ball into the ether and it comes back to you. This is the promise of everlasting life that it’s not going to end, it’s going to come back to you.’ 

Sitting beside my Dad watching my daughter play on the same field he and I both played on as children, I recognize the unseen eternal realities of God’s grace that surround us all. 

Jesus After Dark- May 25th, 2021

The gospel passage from the Revised Common Lectionary for Trinity Sunday, May 30th, John 3:1-17 says..

There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a Jewish leader. He came to Jesus at night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could do these miraculous signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered, “I assure you, unless someone is born anew, it’s not possible to see God’s kingdom.” Nicodemus asked, “How is it possible for an adult to be born? It’s impossible to enter the mother’s womb for a second time and be born, isn’t it?” Jesus answered, “I assure you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, it’s not possible to enter God’s kingdom. Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. Don’t be surprised that I said to you, ‘You must be born anew.’ God’s Spirit blows wherever it wishes. You hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. It’s the same with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said, “How are these things possible?” “Jesus answered, “You are a teacher of Israel and you don’t know these things? I assure you that we speak about what we know and testify about what we have seen, but you don’t receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has gone up to heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Human One. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so must the Human One be lifted up so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life. God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

John 3:16 is certainly one of the most well known passages in the Bible. It is memorized, quoted, and has provided many with comfort and assurance. It tells us the truth of God’s promises of eternal life. Yet, how is it that we receive this most important Bible verse— through a theological conversation at night time.

Jesus and Nicodemus converse together at night talking about some of the most important topics life has to offer. In his book, Preaching, Fred Craddock writes,

All activities after dark are quite unlike daytime events. One’s mind can focus on the differences by reflecting on experiences of day and night meals, day and night parties, day and night ball games, day and night concerts. think about it; “after dark” says a great deal about leaving home and getting to the church, going from the parking lot to the building, coming into light and security from the dark outside, not to mention dress and physical weariness after a day of activity.

I have often found that a nighttime conversation lends itself to more openness. One of the most powerful things about our ministry at the Wesley Foundation is students having conversations at nighttime about some of the most important topics life has to offer. These conversations have helped students discern their future vocation, where they stand theologically, and have created relationships that have lasted a lifetime.

Later in the gospel of John after Jesus has been placed in the tomb, Nicodemus reappears bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about a hundred pounds. This abundance brought from Nicodemus to honor Jesus displays just how important that relationship was to him and how impactful that nighttime conversation was. Out of their openness in dialogue and the love and respect that happened in that conversation we have been given the gift of John 3:16.

Perhaps when we, like Jesus and Nicodemus, are open with one another and discuss some of the most important topics life has to offer in love and respect, we will experience theological realities like “for God so loved the world.”

What do you see in the fire?- May 19th, 2021

“What do you see in the fire?”

This is the question posed by the Avett Brothers on their 2020 album, The Third Gleam. With lyrics reminiscent to a hymn, some reviewers have said their song, “The Fire,” invokes a kind of C.S. Lewis theology.

A young child sits quiet, the forest is dark

Possibilities overflow his unbroken heart

I ask him, "Well, after the brush takes the spark, what do you see in the fire?

A life-sentence inmate in orange prisoner clothes

Who's been told his whole life "That's just how it goes"

Who came out swinging from poverty row

Sits a bit close to the dangerous glow

What do ya see in the fire?

A first year preacher stands on his feet

His love for mankind is true and complete

While the frigid wind blows through the trees

I ask, as he leans away from the heat, "What do you see in the fire?”

A woman of 90, with wisdom in spades

Her mind still as sharp as her kitchen blades

I ask as her memory nonetheless fades, "What do you see in the fire?"

The first reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for Pentecost Sunday, May 23rd, is Acts 2:1-21. Verses 1-4 says…

When Pentecost Day arrived, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound from heaven like the howling of a fierce wind filled the entire house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be individual flames of fire alighting on each one of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them to speak.

I think the Avett Brothers are asking the right question, “what do you see in the fire?” Verse 3 in this passage from Acts fascinates me, They saw what seemed to be individual flames of fire alighting on each one of them. I wonder what those disciples saw in the fire. What did they see in the fire that was lit on each one of them?

It had to be passion.

Finding and kindling our passion is vital. Much like the song “The Fire,” our varied passions are a tapestry of human experience. God certainly loves diversity for this is how we were created. Isn’t it interesting that when the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit they began to speak in other languages? They somehow suddenly expanded. Finding and living into what we are passionate about is to the glory of God. And friends, there is much to be passionate about.

When the disciples were lit they set the world on fire with radical hospitality, justice for the marginalized, overwhelming grace, inclusion, creativity, and unconditional love. How are we living into this passion today? What do you see in the fire?

The world needs more radical hospitality, justice for the marginalized, overwhelming grace, inclusion, creativity, and unconditional love. We need to be lit.

And I get it. In our spiritual lives, it’s certainly normal to experience an ebb and flow. Sometimes our passions can be squashed by all the challenges— the committee meetings, what we perceive to be little to no progress, the conflict. It can be easy to quickly grow complacent, jaded, cynical.

The journey certainly wasn’t easy for the disciples after they were lit. The book of Acts and all those letters to all those churches in the New Testament show us just how challenging and messy it was. However they changed the world. What do you see in the fire?

Pentecost Sunday is a reminder to the church to be lit. As Dr. Beverley Mitchel once asked my seminary classmates, “are we going to play games or are we going to be the church?” What do you see in the fire? The Avett Brothers answer the question near the end of the song and they repeat it 3 times…I see the good Lord offering mercy. I see the good Lord offering mercy. I see the good Lord offering mercy.

What are you passionate about? Why? What need do you see in the world today? What are you doing about it? How are you a part of the church? What do you see in the fire?

They Love First- May 11th, 2021

The gospel reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for the Seventh Sunday of Easter, May 16th, is John 17:6-19. Verse 11 says, “And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”

Jesus prays, that they may be one, as we are one. Wow! What a powerful prayer. Jesus is the Son of God, but also… he is God. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, the Holy Trinity three in one. Jesus is praying that we will be one as God is one.

And yet we often live in division. In our nation, our families, and our churches, disunity can rob us of the joys of collaboration, creativity, and cooperation. Division can quickly transform into opposition, and opposition can so quickly devolve into name calling and personal attacks. We can forget who we are and who we are called to be, we can forget about Jesus’s prayer. It’s interesting that Jesus doesn't pray that our differences be eliminated. He doesn't pray that we lose our identity or our individuality. It’s not that we can no longer disagree, but Jesus and the Father are one because they give themselves to one another, they love first.

In 2015, a tragic mass shooting took place at the Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. When this occurred the North Georgia Annual Conference of the UMC was in session. Bishop Michael Watson, the presiding Bishop, asked for a moment of personal privilege to share with the body that day. These remarks have served as an important reminder for me of how we are called to live in the midst of any disagreements we may be experiencing. I invite you to watch these remarks and to perhaps make this call for unity a prayer this week.

View Bishop Watson Video Here.

Fruit that Lasts- May 5th, 2021

One of my all time favorite meals is biscuits and gravy. Can you relate? Every Sunday morning of my childhood and teenage years, my Mamaw Ruby would make biscuits and gravy and our whole family would gather for breakfast. It was a glorious thing! I still love to eat biscuits and gravy however I have learned that it’s probably not something I should do every morning.

A few years ago, my wife introduced me to this odd thing I had never paid much attention to called a grapefruit. When I was first getting to know my in laws, I walked into the kitchen one morning to find everyone cutting up grapefruit for breakfast. I was like, “hey, where’s the gravy?” So I decided to try one these things and I followed each of their steps. I cut the grapefruit down the middle. Then cut all the little sections and finally I used my spoon to dig in. It was kind of sour and kind of sweet, but overall it was delicious! Later that day, I googled “grapefruit” and learned just how good this strange new fruit was for me. Grapefruit are high in fiber and low in calories. They can help protect you from disease and assist the body in fighting conditions like fatigue. Grapefruit contain a high amount of water which helps in changing the complexion of the skin and they are an excellent appetite suppressant. Some say that the smell of grapefruit reduces the feeling of hunger, which is why grapefruit are included in a lot of weight loss programs. Now you might be thinking, “I’m going to start eating a grapefruit for breakfast every day.” Thats a good idea because here’s the point— good things happen to our bodies when we eat grapefruit. 

The gospel reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, May 9th, is John 15:9-17. Verse 16a says, “You didn’t choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you could go and produce fruit and so that your fruit could last.” 

Fruit is an important part of a well balanced diet and fruit is not only something that’s good for you, but fruit is delicious. Bearing fruit however is a real, labor-intensive process. It takes, for instance, a lot of work to grow a grapefruit. In order to grow grapefruit, you have to plant a grapefruit tree which need a lot of care and attention. They need a lot of sun, and like any plant they must be watered every couple of days and once a week they require a deep watering. Grapefruit trees must be fertilized once a month and then over time these trees must be pruned of weak or dead branches. Grapefruit trees must be protected from frost and freezing in the winter. And finally it takes at least three years before any quality fruit is produced so any fruit that grows on a grapefruit tree in the first or second years is removed so that all the tree’s energy is directed into growth. After all this work comes the season for harvesting when the fruit are a perfect golden yellow. Timing the harvest is critical because the best, largest, sweetest fruit is the fruit that is allowed to remain on the tree to ripen. 

Jesus calls us to produce fruit that lasts. Fruit is so very good but it does indeed take a lot of work and intentionality to produce. In our culture we are very accustom to instant gratification. We want things when we want them and we want them… now! Who has time to grow a grapefruit tree when its so easy to go through the drive-thru for fast food? In verse 12 of this lectionary text, Jesus says, “This is my commandment: love each other just as I have loved you.” To love people the way Jesus did takes a lot of work and intentionality. The fruit produced however will be even better for us than a grapefruit for breakfast. 

The Lord is my Shepherd- April 21st, 2021

The psalm from the Revised Common Lectionary for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, April 25th, is one of the most popular passages in all of the Bible, Psalm 23 which says.. 

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.

Christ is risen! Did you know Easter is more than a single day? Easter is a season of the Christian year that emphasizes the risen Christ living in our midst for 50 days! We are living now in the season of Easter— a season of new life and resurrection. The season of Easter reminds us of a foundational Christian belief that Christ is alive and present with us even now. I wonder how you have experienced the presence of God in this Easter season. We talk about it a lot, God’s presence, God being with us, but what does this really mean? Psalm 23 provides a good answer. 

Psalm 23 is a passage of scripture that is so well known. In fact, I’m sure most people have it memorized. The opening line, “the Lord is my Shepherd” paints a clear picture of the divine-human relationship in which God leads, protects, and cares for humanity. These words also provide a foundation for our understanding of God’s presence, God’s being with. God is with us as the good shepherd is with the sheep guiding, protecting, and providing paths of righteousness that lead to the life that really is life.

There is however much more to the presence of God than this gentle picture of a comforting shepherd, than these words that we all know by heart. God is present beyond the words on the page. This God who we worship was nailed to the cross on our behalf. This God we worship died for us and then showed us that death is not the end. Psalm 23 addresses this. Facing death, the psalmist reminds us that there is no need to fear for God is with us in the shadowed valley.  God is our companion always.  And when our journey in this life is complete, God is present to graciously welcome us home our heads anointed with sweet oil. 

Christ is risen! Christ is alive! Christ is with us!

John Wesley was a minister in the Church of England. He was incredibly gifted, highly intelligent, and had high expectations for himself and his ministry. As a young man, he was sent as a missionary to Savannah, Georgia. When things didn’t go as he had planned, he traveled back to England viewing himself and his ministry as a failure. He was depressed and had grown cynical and jaded. Then Wesley was invited to a prayer meeting, a worship service that he didn’t want to attend. Unwillingly he went to the service and it changed his life. Wesley wrote in his journal describing the service: "while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.” Wesley’s testimony is a reminder that God’s presence is something we feel and know. He witnesses to its power to affirm to our inmost self that we are loved and forgiven. Wesley felt the assurance the psalmist described. “For thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."

The good news is that we are not alone. God is with us. The 50 days of this Easter season are a reminder as is the testament of John Wesley and the witness of Psalm 23. I invite you this week to make Psalm 23 your prayer, recite it to yourself as a reminder of God’s presence. Christ’s presence is so profound it may best be explained through poetry, and Psalm 23 is about as beautiful as it gets. Our cups runneth over, a table is prepared, our souls are restored beside still waters, and the Lord is indeed our shepherd. 

There is room to grow in doubt- April 7th, 2021

Sometimes even though I have deep faith, I experience doubt. I question things. I wonder and I try and reason out what I believe and why. Is this something I should feel ashamed of or worried about? Not at all. Questioning and doubt are healthy expressions of a faith journey. In fact, faith by its very nature arises from our doubt. There is so much we don’t know. To have faith means that even though we don’t know, we trust. We have faith. 

And yet, doubt can be kind of a taboo subject in the church. Have you ever been hesitant or fearful of sharing any doubts you hold? I sure have. The gospels share that the disciples were not so afraid of this kind of open and honest conversation. In one of the most important chapters in all of the Bible, questioning and doubt are front and center as a part of the journey of following Jesus. At the beginning of John chapter 20, Jesus is resurrected from the dead, the tomb is empty, and God has triumphed over sin and death. In that same chapter, Thomas, the disciple, moves to the forefront of the story.

The gospel reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for the Second Sunday of Easter, April 11th, John 20:19-31 says:

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

It’s the very first Easter Sunday and the disciples are locked away afraid. Jesus shows up in their midst and calls them to a life of forgiveness. He breathes the Holy Spirit on them, all of them, except Thomas. For reasons we don’t know Thomas wasn’t there. Later on the other disciples tell Thomas they have now seen Jesus and he is alive. This news, however, is all too good to be true for Thomas. He then utters the phrase for which he will become famous, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” 

It’s nice to know that Thomas wasn’t afraid to share his feelings. The disciples, despite all their flaws, must have had the kind of community in which Thomas was comfortable sharing his doubt. It’s interesting to note that after Thomas shares what he thinks he doesn’t walk away from the other disciples. He doesn’t leave the community. He continues to journey along with them despite his doubt. It takes some time, a full week, before Jesus is in their midst again. Thomas meets the Risen Lord and his faith in Jesus, the one who brings new life, is restored. 

The story of Doubting Thomas is clearly placed right after the story of the Resurrection by design. What does God want us to take away from this? Is it that doubt is bad and we should never bring it up? I think not. Doubt is a normal part of the human experience. Questioning is natural. In his book The Certainty of Uncertainty, Rev. Mark Schaefer discusses the nature of faith. Schaefer argues that faith is not belief, but rather faith is trust. He writes this, “In one of the best lines ever uttered on television, one character in Battlestar Galactica asks another, ‘How do you know you can trust me?,’ to which the other responds, ‘I don’t; that’s what trust is.’” Trust is about moving forward in spite of uncertainty. If we had certainty, it wouldn’t be faith, we would just simply know. It’s a much bolder faith to move forward into the unknown rather than the safer way of certainty. There is so much we don’t know, but we trust, we have faith. Like Thomas, we encounter Jesus and find new life. 

I’m convinced that there are many people who feel they cannot be a part of a church community because of their doubts. What if the church could be more of a place that welcomed people into a conversation about faith, doubt, and life? This seems to be the conversation taking place amongst the disciples following the Resurrection and then Jesus showed up. When the church is a community that loves unconditionally and welcomes people to share life together, resurrection occurs. 

This year at the ETSU Wesley Foundation due to the pandemic we have practically had to change every thing. In a normal year, we share a meal before worship to build community, we receive communion by intinction, and pray together at the table. We haven’t been able to do these things. We adapted our worship service so that following the sermon we have built in a 15-20 minute discussion time. The students discuss the scripture for the evening and questions raised in the sermon. The conversations have been fascinating and life giving. We have liked it so much we plan for it now to be a permanent part of our service.

When the church is a place where we can openly and honestly have a conversation in a community where unconditional love is experienced, that’s transformational. And isn’t that what Easter’s all about, new life? Will you pray with me? 

Gracious God, thank you for your unconditional love and presence in our lives. Help us to be open and honest. May we receive the Holy Spirit like you're disciples and live and love like you. Amen. 

Palm Sunday brings out our best- March 24th, 2021

The gospel reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for Palm Sunday, March 28th, Mark 21:1-11 says:

“When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ Just say this, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.’” They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, some of the the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying a colt?” They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.” 

Palm Sunday represents the best of us. Jesus is approaching, coming near, and the community welcomes him with praise, with worship, in what is a really beautiful ritual. They use palm branches collectively proclaiming, “Hosanna!” This is a ritual that many local churches remember and celebrate together at the beginning of Holy Week. On Palm Sunday, we wave palm branches and proclaim, “Hosanna!” 

Sometimes certain services stand out as particularly special in our lives. Perhaps it’s a Candlelight Christmas Eve Service or an outdoor Easter Sunrise Service. Maybe it’s All Saints Sunday or Pentecost, an annual revival, or homecoming service. The rituals of particular services can be something we look forward to. They provide something unique that helps us connect with God and with one another. In addition to the theological truth various worship services communicate, we may also have memories that revolve around these rituals. A friend once shared with me that singing in the choir on Christmas Eve always reminds her of her grandmother. She said she typically leaves that service with some tears, feeling that deep connection with her grandmother who has since passed on. In this case, the rituals of lighting the candles, singing the same hymns, and hearing the same passages of scripture unite my friend with the past and with her grandmother. We can all relate to the power that shared experiences and rituals play in our lives. 

I remember one Palm Sunday Service at the Embreeville United Methodist Church. My friend Raymond came to church with me. We were both around 13 years old. We were good friends and for some reason for years afterward we would reminisce about that service. It came up from time to time and we would say to one another, “remember that time we went to church and waved the palm branches.” It’s interesting that out of all the good times we shared it was this ritual of waving branches that especially stood out. Raymond passed away after high school. I think of him every year on Palm Sunday and that time we shared together, worshiping God, waving the branches in joy. 

Ritual is important. It has ways of uniting us here and now and across time and space. Things that unite us are vital. Too much time, energy, and attention are spent on things in the world that polarize us. Church has so many built in rituals and traditions that unify us as the body of Christ and that serve as annual reminders of the ways we are called to live and love one another. For example, the Revised Common Lectionary unifies Christians across the globe. The lectionary not only moves us through the Christian year, but the same passages of scripture are proclaimed and taught and preached in churches all over the world. We are united. In a similar way, Holy Communion unites all Christians. Far more takes place when we receive the sacrament of Holy Communion than can be expressed in words. When we receive communion we commune not only with one another and with God, but we commune with those who have gone before us and those who will come after us. How incredible! 

Similarly when we wave the palm branches each year, I feel a deep connection with that crowd 2000 years ago when Jesus was welcomed in their midst. It is the best of us. Of course, we cannot escape the fact that this same crowd days later shouted for Jesus to be crucified. We are there too. We all have within us the remarkable capacity for good and for bad, grace and sin. Holy Week communicates all of this to our souls and teaches us that Jesus triumphs over all. And so as this most important and sacred week begins we wave branches and we worship the one who pours into us all rivers of living water. Jesus is the one who provides for us life abundant and eternal. For this reason, I trust that one day I’ll meet Raymond again and I suspect he will hand me a palm branch. We will share that time together, worshiping God, waving the branches in joy. 

Will you pray with me? Gracious God, thank you for life abundant and eternal. Help us to live in unity and to love like you. Amen. 

Grace never runs out with God- March 10th, 2021

The epistle passage from the Revised Common Lectionary for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, March 14th, is Ephesians 2:1-10 which says.. 

At one time you were like a dead person because of the things you did wrong and your offenses against God. You used to live like people of this world. You followed the rule of a destructive spiritual power. This is the spirit of disobedience to God’s will that is now at work in persons whose lives are characterized by disobedience. At one time you were like those persons. All of you used to do whatever felt good and whatever you thought you wanted so that you were children headed for punishment just like everyone else. However, God is rich in mercy. He brought us to life with Christ while we were dead as a result of those things that we did wrong. He did this because of the great love that he has for us. You are saved by God’s grace! And God raised us up and seated us in the heavens with Christ Jesus. God did this to show future generations the greatness of his grace by the goodness that God has shown us in Christ Jesus. You are saved by God’s grace because of your faith. This salvation is God’s gift. It’s not something you possessed. It’s not something you did that you can be proud of. Instead, we are God’s accomplishment, created in Christ Jesus to do good things. God planned for these good things to be the way that we live our lives.

Life is made up of so many grace filled moments. My old pastor, Dr. Sam Neeley once said, “it doesn’t matter what you’ve done, you're forgiven, and you can accept God’s love.” God wishes for us all to be free from those things that keep us in bondage and wants us to live in freedom. This freedom is a gift that we always have, it’s with us our entire lives, even before we’re aware of it. Our experience of salvation is a process that contain so many grace filled moments. God provides every person on the planet the same things, an abundance of grace, forgiveness, love, mercy, wholeness and joy. It’s so life changing whenever we tap into what God wants for us. Ephesians says it’s like we were dead but God gives us life. And this life is available to us all. So how do we tap into this great gift of grace? How do we receive it and experience it? Heres how…we learn and remember that we are precious to God. Each and every one of us, no matter what, is a child of God. This truth is as fundamental to Christianity as any other thing we proclaim. God loves and values us all equally. Again Sam Neeley once said, “if there was just one, Jesus would have died for them.” This passage from Ephesians is proof positive of this. The salvation we enjoy, our ongoing experience of Gods grace, is not something we have achieved. Salvation is a free gift and it is for everybody. One grace filled moment is when we first receive God’s gift of forgiveness and recognize Gods presence in our lives and in the world. This moment of justification is the forgiveness of all our sins and our acceptance of Jesus. In this moment we repent and receive what has always been ours, God’s amazing gift of new life. This new life begins a journey of striving to love God and then to love all people as God loves us, unconditionally. This is amazing grace. Not only are we forgiven and then provided a new lease on life but we then get to be a part of sharing this life with others. We get to be a part of spreading love and joy. This fills our lives with so much meaning and purpose, so may grace filled moments. Former President Jimmy Carter once told the story of spending a week with the Pastor of a very small church that ministered to Cuban Americans. He spent the week with the Pastor to give Christian witness to people who were very poor, living in very old housing, and there was not a lot of hope in these peoples lives. So Jimmy Carter and this Cuban American preacher named Eloy Cruz went ministering to these people. Jimmy Crater would read some scripture and Pastor Cruz would then say a few words to the people. And Carter was amazed to see how their attitudes were transformed, Pastor Cruz was not all that eloquent with his words but there was something about him and Carter described it as the presence of the Holy Spirit that amazed him. At the end of the week Jimmy Carter asked Pastor Cruz for the secret of his success, and Pastor Cruz became very embarrassed. This was long before Jimmy Carter was president but Pastor Cruz felt that Jimmy Carter was far superior to him. And finally Pastor Cruz said that he didn’t know much about theology but he knew that you had to have two loves in your life, one love for God and the other love for the person who happens to be in front of you at any given time. What an incredibly grace filled moment and understanding of life. I invite you to pray this prayer and I hope that this week you experience grace filled moments… “Gracious God, thank you for your love. Forgive us, heal us, and make us new.” Amen. 

We are called to be counter-cultural- February 24th, 2021

The gospel passage from the Revised Common Lectionary for the Second Sunday of Lent, February 28th, is Mark 8:31-38. Verses 34-36 say:

He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 

I have often heard the phrase “counter cultural” in sermons. Have you? It’s a message preachers often repeat, myself included: “To follow the example of Christ means, we have to be counter cultural.” It’s a pretty easy thing to say— that often following Jesus means living differently and seeing value in what society may deem worthless. Like a lot of things it is easier said than done.

In this passage from Mark, Jesus tells us what is required. He calls together the whole crowd, not just the disciples, and tells everyone that to be his follower they must take up their cross. It’s not just the select few, it’s not just the apostles and the saints, Jesus says to all “take up your cross.” This is about as counter cultural as it gets. As commentary for this verse included in the Wesley Study Bible explains, this is a “demand for a total reordering of commitments.” 

There are strong currents that pull us to seek to “gain the whole world.” It’s mighty easy to get swept up in seeking what the world says is most valuable and lose sight of the ways Jesus calls us to live. What does it look like to reorder our commitments, to be counter cultural, to take up the cross and indeed save our lives? Reading Mark’s Gospel provides some good insights. 

Mark is the shortest of the four gospels and it is widely believed to be the oldest. It’s striking how counter cultural Jesus is in the 16 chapters that make up this book. In chapter 1, Jesus calls James and John to become his disciples and they leave their father Zebedee with only hired hands left to help him in their family vocation of fishing. This act of leaving their father was at the time scandalous, very counter cultural. In chapter 2, Jesus is questioned by religious leaders for sharing a meal with sinners. Jesus makes the shared meal an experience of reconciliation and healing, all very counter cultural. In chapter 3, Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath and again the religious leaders don’t like it, again counter cultural. You get the idea. In chapter 4, he challenges his disciples for fear of a storm. In chapter 5, he heals a man with an unclean spirit and the people in that neighborhood beg him to leave. Chapter 6 he refuses to turn anyone away from a shared meal. Chapter 7 he is criticized for not honoring cultural traditions. In chapter 8, he refuses to engage in an argument with the religious leaders. Chapter 9 he is inclusive of all who call on his name; chapter 10 he becomes indignant with his disciples because they kept children away from meeting him; chapter 11 he overturns the tables of the money changers in the temple. In chapter 12, Jesus condemns important and respected people for their dishonesty and self-seeking acts and a person who is insignificant by cultural standards is revered for their faith. In chapter 13, he tells his followers they will be hated and persecuted because of their discipleship. In 14, Jesus prays self sacrificially stating “not what I want, but what you want.” In chapter 15, Jesus is executed by the death penalty and in chapter 16, Jesus brings life out of death. 

So what does it look like to reorder our commitments, to be counter-cultural, to take up the cross and indeed save our lives? The themes of Mark’s gospel are over and over based around radical hospitality and welcoming the other; bringing healing even when its inconvenient; making sacrifices; being courageous; facing criticism; working against injustice; and following God’s call. During this Lenten season, how might God be calling you to take up the cross? I invite you to read Mark’s gospel and pray about how God is calling you in this season. 

Lent can bring us together this year- February 10th, 2021

Filling Ourselves for Lent

Matthew 4:1-11 says:
Then the Spirit led Jesus up into the wilderness so that the devil might tempt him. After Jesus had fasted for forty days and forty nights, he was starving. The tempter came to him and said, “Since you are God’s Son, command these stones to become bread.” Jesus replied, “It’s written, People won’t live only by bread, but by every word spoken by God.” After that the devil brought him into the holy city and stood him at the highest point of the temple. He said to him, “Since you are God’s Son, throw yourself down; for it is written, I will command my angels concerning you, and they will take you up in their hands so that you won’t hit your foot on a stone.” Jesus replied, “Again it’s written, Don’t test the Lord your God. Then the devil brought him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. He said, “I’ll give you all these if you bow down and worship me.” Jesus responded, “Go away, Satan, because it’s written,You will worship the Lord your God and serve only him.” The devil left him, and angels came and took care of him.

I won’t be fasting from anything for Lent this year.

Blasphemous? Hear me out. 

Last year we were still near the beginning of the season of Lent when things shut down. I remember in March serving communion at a Tuesday night worship service with the ETSU Wesley Foundation community and then that Sunday morning sitting on the couch at home with my family attending church through this thing called “zoom.” Things changed quickly that week. Suddenly the whole world was fasting from all kinds of things, fasting from so many in person activities. It was near the end of Lent that I saw this hilarious meme on social media:

“This is the lentiest Lent I have ever lented.” 

Boy, was it! And if you had told me then that we would be approaching Lent 2021 still in the midst of the pandemic it would have been a lot to digest. Fasting from something is a central theme to the Lenten season, but haven’t we given up enough right now? And it begs the question, why do we fast from something during Lent anyway?

The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (February 17th this year) and ends on Easter Sunday (April 4th this year). Lent is a 40 day period (Sundays are excluded) that represent Jesus’s 40 day fast in the wilderness as he prepared for his ministry. Lent is a time for reflection and self-examination. During this season, Christians are encouraged to fast from something or add something new to life as a way to draw closer to God. We fast to remind ourselves that we don’t rely on the things of the world, but rather on God. It’s a way to focus ourselves on God and not on things that can take away so much of our time and attention. Many people will give up social media, chocolate, or soda, etc. Similarly we may choose to add something during this season, such as a new daily devotional time or a new way of serving in our community.  Others may focus on being more intentional about putting aside time for rest and self care. 

The point is Lent is an opportunity to draw closer to God in communion with millions of people all over the world who are doing the same. It’s a remarkable thing really. During this time when we lack so much togetherness, we can still share in this season together. We can together meet Christ in an intentional 40 day preparation for Easter. We can together prepare our hearts for new life and resurrection. 

So this year I’m leaning more into adding something new than taking something away. Fasting is certainly important, but in a year when we have given up so much perhaps this is the Lent to fill ourselves up. Will you join me in adding something to your routine this Lent in hopes of transforming our hearts to become more like our Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer? Here are some suggestions of things you could add to your Lenten journey this year:

• Intentionally go out of your way to do something nice for someone

• Journal

• Read one chapter from the New Testament

• Reach out to people with cards, emails, etc.

• Do something creative

• Take a prayer walk weekly or daily around your neighborhood

• Set aside time to pray

In the verses that follow Matthew’s account of Jesus’s 40 days in the wilderness, Jesus calls his first disciples. He added something new to life and it was transformative. I invite you to add something new this year beginning February 17th, Ash Wednesday. 

There is always light in our lives- January 27th, 2021

There is Always Light

John 1:1-5 says:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”

Last spring, as we all know so well, many of the normalcies of life were very disrupted. One of the many oddities was the lack of sports. March Madness was cancelled, Major League Baseball didn’t start on time, and the Summer Olympic Games were postponed. So in April when ESPN started airing the documentary The Last Dance about Michael Jordan and the 1990’s Chicago Bulls, it gave sports fans something to watch and talk about. I really enjoyed the documentary and reliving some of those great moments.

Learning more about who Michael Jordan is and what made him so successful was fascinating. One of the most compelling parts of Jordan’s story was just how close he was with his dad. His dad was his best friend and his greatest mentor. It was shocking to learn about this closeness only to later watch the documentary explore how James Jordan was tragically murdered and examine how devastating this loss was for Michael. Jordan shared that one thing his dad taught him was that you have to take a negative and turn it into a positive. Now that’s a very simple idea, but profoundly affected Jordan’s life as he tried to live by it after suffering such a terrible tragedy and great loss.

The world is having to deal with a lot of negatives right now. We are all being forced to walk through some dark places and there’s no magic to make it all go away. We certainly need to make room for grief and lament, but we also need to make room for the fact that God meets us in the midst of these difficulties. God is with us all here and now. And God has equipped us with the ability to turn a lot of negatives into positives— to shine light in a lot of dark places. And I wonder what that looks like for you. I wonder how you might shine light in other peoples lives who are in need right now. I wonder how you might seek out light and love and joy despite the challenges. And I also wonder what that’s going to continue to look like for our local churches and the universal church. How are we going to create positives for people who may be struggling? God is with us in the darkness creating opportunities for us to share the light in ways we’d not thought of before. With God’s help, we can be light. We can get creative and innovative and think outside the box. John Wesley taught 3 simple rules to live by: do no harm, do good, and stay in love with God. It's always helpful to start by reflecting on what it means to do no harm and then moving into how do we do good. In this moment in time, these are especially important instructions to consider.

God is with us. God’s light dwells within all of us and within all of us lies the means to turn negatives into positives. So we can choose to bury our heads or we can choose to be shaped by the challenges. Barbara Brown Taylor, author of a Learning to Walk in the Dark, writes about how we can find a deeper spirituality in

the seasons when we don’t have all the answers. If we can put aside our fears and anxieties, we can explore what God has to teach us in the dark. We can find courage. We can understand the world in new ways and we can feel God’s presence guiding us through the seen and unseen. Taylor explains that it is often in the dark that we grow the most. She writes,

“It’s not a popular truth, but there it is: God dwells in deep darkness. The darkness that is not dark to God can be terrifying for those who like our deities well lit. When we cannot see—when we are not sure where we are going and all our old landmarks have vanished inside the cloud—then plenty of us can believe we are lost when the exact opposite may be true. Based on the witness of those who have gone before, the dark cloud is where God takes people apart so they can be made new. It is the cloud of unknowing where nothing you thought you knew about God can prepare you to meet the God who is. It is the dark womb where life begins again, at least for those who are willing to lift the veil. Is this good news or bad news? I think that’s up to you.”

Friends, so much of this is up to us. Yes, we are walking in the dark in a lot of ways and there are so many things out of our control, but there are also many opportunities to turn some negatives into positives. Perhaps if we walk in the dark together we will be changed by this journey in ways that will help us shine light. Perhaps we will be shaped by this season in ways that will empower us in the future. Perhaps we will gain a deeper appreciation for the nature of life together and a deeper understanding of what it means to follow Jesus. Amanda Gorman really said it best: “For there is always light if only we’re brave enough to see it, if only were brave enough to be it.” Amen.

We have good news in Jesus- January 13th, 2021

Luke 2:10 says...

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people.”

One of the best things to hear someone say is...

“I’ve got some good news for you!”

It’s a statement filled with excitement and anticipation. The person sharing the news is thinking to themselves, “I have a gift for you and I can’t wait to see you open it and realize just how good it is.” It’s great to be on both ends of that statement. It’s nice to give good news and it’s wonderful to receive good news.

Luke 2:10 is my favorite Bible verse. It says 4 things that are very important:

1. Don’t be afraid.
2. There is good news. 3. It's of great joy.
4. It's for all people.

The shepherds in the fields are afraid and understandably so. If I saw an angel suddenly appear, I would probably run home to Momma! But this angel brings reassurance. Isn’t that what God does for us? God reassures when we are filled with fear saying, “don’t be afraid.”

Friends, I’ve got some good news for you. God is with us! We are not alone. God loves us all, each and every one, as precious children. We are always surrounded by God’s love, grace, and care. When we reflect and live into this amazing love it has a habit of flowing in and through us to others. What a remarkable thing! Not only do we get to latch onto this good news, but we get to extend it to others. We get to experience the joy of receiving and giving.

While Luke 2:10 is my favorite verse, my favorite Bible story the Prodigal Son (or better titled The Loving and Gracious Father), is recorded in Luke 15. In this story, a father has two sons. The younger son has the audacity to ask his father for his share of his inheritance while his father is still living. The Bible tells us that the father divides his estate between both of his sons. The younger son leaves home and wastes his wealth through extravagant living. He reaches a point where he is without food and no one gives him anything. He decides to return home to his

father and ask to be given a job as a hired hand. While this younger son is still a long way off, his father sees him and is moved with compassion. The father runs to him; embraces him; and puts the best robe on him, a ring on his finger, and sandals on his feet. He not only welcomes the son home, but he throws a big party! And they cook the fatted calf! It’s an extravagant celebration for this son who was lost and now is found.

Remember though there is another son in this family. The older son is coming in from the field when he hears music and dancing. Someone must have forgotten to tell this son about what was happening. Soon he discovers that his younger brother has arrived home and that his father is celebrating big time. The older son is so upset and angry by this gracious welcome that he he refuses to even walk inside to the party. The father goes out to him and the older son says, “I’ve served you all these years, yet you’ve never given me as much as a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.” (Of course the father gave the older son his share of the inheritance too at the beginning of the story). Then the father again does the most remarkable thing. The father doesn’t get angry or upset with this son. He tells him, “Son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.”

I’ve got some good news for you. God is throwing a party, and we’re all invited! It’s not just any party, but its one with the finest wine, the richest food, a ring put on our finger and sandals on our feet. God says to all of us, “all that I have is yours.” There is so much for us to rejoice about because Jesus Christ provides for us grace, love, forgiveness, healing, peace, joy, wholeness, abundance, life in all its fullness.

What if we approached this new year by reflecting on this good news and then sharing it with others? What if we found ways to love people extravagantly? What if we could embody the same kind of grace the father shows both his sons?

I’ve got some good news for you. We can do these things and we change lives and the world when we do. There is good news of great joy for all people! Thanks be to God! Amen!