Tuesday, June 26, 2012
God's faithfulness - and ours
"The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein;
for he has founded it upon the seas,
and established it upon the rivers." (Psalm 24:1-2, RSV)
Psalm 24 (our Psalm Lesson for July 15, 2012) has been a celebration of the creative genius, the redeeming grace, and the persistent, passionate presence of God for thousands of years. In good times, it has summoned generations of the faithful to celebration and renewed covenantal faithfulness; in difficult times, it has comforted other generations with the assurance that God is God, that God’s power and purpose is triumphant for us, in us, through us, and, sometimes, in spite of us.
"Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false,
and does not swear deceitfully." (Psalm 24:3-4)
“Clean hands and a pure heart” might suggest that some of us could qualify for the high privilege of worshiping God in God’s high, holy place. The Psalm is attributed to David, the great king of Israel anointed by God. Yet even the most casual reader of Scripture knows that David’s “hands and heart” were often unclean and impure (Consider again Bathsheba and Uriah – or the bloodthirsty slaughter of the Philistines after Goliath was slain.). Therefore, human qualifications cannot be the first or final measure of worthiness for the worship of God. God’s faithfulness must be the decisive measure of empowerment.
"Lift up your heads, O gates!
And be lifted up, O ancient doors!
That the King of glory may come in." (Psalm 24:7)
Celebration is at the heart of the faithfulness which God makes possible:
God has created. Yes! God is present. Amen! God lifts us up. Let God in!
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Life and Change
How many Methodists does it take to change a light bulb?
At least once a year, someone forwards an e-mail to me depicting how many Catholics, Methodists, Episcopalians, Pentecostals, Baptists, etc., are needed to change a light bulb. Many of you probably receive a similar e-mail. Methodists needed several committees (one for long-term planning, one to arrange the farewell potluck dinner, one to consider recycling possibilities), Episcopalians never changed the bulb – they remembered how much better the old one was. Catholics preferred candles. And, a Baptist shrieked, “Change?!?”
Change can be easy. Consider Jesus’ calling of Simon (whom Jesus later renames Peter) and Andrew. In that moment, change occurred unhesitatingly:
As he was walking along by the Sea of Galilee he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net in the lake – for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you into fishers of men’. And at once they left their nets and followed him. (Mark 1:16-18, The Jerusalem Bible)
Change can be hard. When Jesus begins to teach his disciples about the suffering, rejection, death, and resurrection he must face as God’s Messiah, Peter feels that he must remind Jesus of the Messianic expectations held by the Jews of his day. Peter loves Jesus, reveres Jesus – but Peter needs for Jesus to live up to his expectations, so he takes Jesus aside to correct him. Jesus’ response to Peter, his friend and the rock on which he will build the church, is painful and prophetic:
‘Get behind me, Satan! Because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s.’ (Mark 8:33, The Jerusalem Bible)
Changes are coming:
To St. Charles Church – eight of our “children” are preparing to become full members (adults?) of our congregation by receiving God’s gift of Confirmation; three of our members are actively considering their calling to ministry in and through The United Methodist Church; God is leading us into new expressions of ministry, even as we continue vital ministries of worship, education, fellowship, outreach, and service;
To The United Methodist Church – Louisiana will receive a new Bishop on September 1; New Orleans will receive a new District Superintendent on July 1; our Annual Conference and the entire Church are actively considering how God is leading us in ministry in these times.
Change is the most constant feature of God’s Creation. Indeed, one of the creeds we use claims, “We believe in God, who has created and is creating.” But will we be blessed to follow in God’s way and not be limited by our own thinking? Pray that we may face life and change in the Spirit of Christ. Pray!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
For All the Saints
1. For all the saints, who from their labours rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
The first time I experienced “For All the Saints”, I felt the hymn before I heard it. The first note of the music is a deep bass note – more like a sonic “pulse” of the organ than simply music – and it resonated from the stone floor through my legs and torso into my heart, mind, and spirit. The Sanctuary came alive with sound – and the song we sang (one I had never heard before) has shaped my ministry ever since.
2. Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and their Might;
Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Chuck’s faith, like Chuck’s life had always been understated. Profoundly real and active but quiet. He was not the “Captain”, but he clearly knew Him and followed Him.
6. O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
All are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
On All Saints’ Day, we remember not only the faith of those who have gone before us, but the remarkable truth: “All are one in Thee, for all are Thine.” On All Saints’ Day 2011, I traveled to Alabama to celebrate God’s gift of Zachary and the love shared by family and friends.
7. O may Thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold,
Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,
And win with them the victor’s crown of gold.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
On All Saints’ Day, we ask God to bless us – “Thy Soldiers” – as we strive in the face of challenges to give evidence of the Kingdom “which the Father has prepared” for us.
8. And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
It is hard to fully imagine the struggles which Zachary and his family faced -- but what a joy it is to sing with him “And hearts are brave again, and arms are strong. Alleluia!”
11. From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
And singing to Father, Son and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia, Alleluia!
[Grateful thanks to God and to former Anglican Bishop William Walsham How (1823-1897) for this amazing hymn text; and to Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) for a profoundly stirring hymn tune and arrangement.]
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
The first time I experienced “For All the Saints”, I felt the hymn before I heard it. The first note of the music is a deep bass note – more like a sonic “pulse” of the organ than simply music – and it resonated from the stone floor through my legs and torso into my heart, mind, and spirit. The Sanctuary came alive with sound – and the song we sang (one I had never heard before) has shaped my ministry ever since.
2. Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and their Might;
Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Chuck’s faith, like Chuck’s life had always been understated. Profoundly real and active but quiet. He was not the “Captain”, but he clearly knew Him and followed Him.
6. O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
All are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
On All Saints’ Day, we remember not only the faith of those who have gone before us, but the remarkable truth: “All are one in Thee, for all are Thine.” On All Saints’ Day 2011, I traveled to Alabama to celebrate God’s gift of Zachary and the love shared by family and friends.
7. O may Thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold,
Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,
And win with them the victor’s crown of gold.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
On All Saints’ Day, we ask God to bless us – “Thy Soldiers” – as we strive in the face of challenges to give evidence of the Kingdom “which the Father has prepared” for us.
8. And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
It is hard to fully imagine the struggles which Zachary and his family faced -- but what a joy it is to sing with him “And hearts are brave again, and arms are strong. Alleluia!”
11. From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
And singing to Father, Son and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia, Alleluia!
[Grateful thanks to God and to former Anglican Bishop William Walsham How (1823-1897) for this amazing hymn text; and to Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) for a profoundly stirring hymn tune and arrangement.]
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
No Substitute for a Good Mother
Wow! That was all I could think the first time I saw it in print. It was on a poster sent to us from The Methodist Children’s Home in Ruston. The poster read: There is no substitute for a Good Mother.
The poster and the accompanying special gift envelopes were attempting to raise money for our truly remarkable ministry with children and teenagers (which has now expanded tremendously with three homes and several ministry centers across Louisiana), but the truth is abundantly clear: Even an exemplary ministry like Louisiana United Methodist Children and Family Services (as it is now called) is “no substitute for a good mother.”
That realization became particularly poignant for me earlier this week. I received an e-mail recommending a particularly delightful gift opportunity for Mother’s Day. I followed the link immediately, thinking this would be an excellent gift for my mother. Then it hit me: For the first time in many years I will not be buying a gift for my mother, who died on December 30, 2010.
But perhaps I can share a gift that she would particularly savor. My family’s links to our Children’s Home are long-standing:
A dear family friend (in truth, more like “family” than “friend”) is the daughter of one of the former directors of the Home. We first met Rev. White and became aware of the Home during the early 1960s.
Shortly after that, my parents decided to welcome a foster child into our home. A few years later, when a judge determined that he needed more intensive care than could be provided in an “open, trusting family setting”, we were able to secure a placement for him in The Home. What a blessing it proved to be for us and for Perry! What a challenge for The Home! – but they persevered.
Further, as a pastor I have been able to entrust three troubled children/parishioners to the love and guidance of our Home. “There is no substitute for a good mother”, but the Home has been determined to be a faithful witness and servant in good times and troubled times for these youth who were unable to prosper in their home settings. In recent years, I have been able to call on The Home’s regional counselors to help with families and individuals in their “at-home” settings.
I will be making a special gift to our Children’s Home on Sunday – Mother’s Day -- in celebration of my mother’s life and remembering her love and appreciation for all that the Home has meant to our family. Even though there is “no substitute for a good mother”, I hope you will join me in offering your support for this vital ministry with children and families.
The poster and the accompanying special gift envelopes were attempting to raise money for our truly remarkable ministry with children and teenagers (which has now expanded tremendously with three homes and several ministry centers across Louisiana), but the truth is abundantly clear: Even an exemplary ministry like Louisiana United Methodist Children and Family Services (as it is now called) is “no substitute for a good mother.”
That realization became particularly poignant for me earlier this week. I received an e-mail recommending a particularly delightful gift opportunity for Mother’s Day. I followed the link immediately, thinking this would be an excellent gift for my mother. Then it hit me: For the first time in many years I will not be buying a gift for my mother, who died on December 30, 2010.
But perhaps I can share a gift that she would particularly savor. My family’s links to our Children’s Home are long-standing:
A dear family friend (in truth, more like “family” than “friend”) is the daughter of one of the former directors of the Home. We first met Rev. White and became aware of the Home during the early 1960s.
Shortly after that, my parents decided to welcome a foster child into our home. A few years later, when a judge determined that he needed more intensive care than could be provided in an “open, trusting family setting”, we were able to secure a placement for him in The Home. What a blessing it proved to be for us and for Perry! What a challenge for The Home! – but they persevered.
Further, as a pastor I have been able to entrust three troubled children/parishioners to the love and guidance of our Home. “There is no substitute for a good mother”, but the Home has been determined to be a faithful witness and servant in good times and troubled times for these youth who were unable to prosper in their home settings. In recent years, I have been able to call on The Home’s regional counselors to help with families and individuals in their “at-home” settings.
I will be making a special gift to our Children’s Home on Sunday – Mother’s Day -- in celebration of my mother’s life and remembering her love and appreciation for all that the Home has meant to our family. Even though there is “no substitute for a good mother”, I hope you will join me in offering your support for this vital ministry with children and families.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Power-washing
Sometimes that which you are seeking is right in front of you – and you fail to recognize it because you are so busy seeking that you render yourself unable to find.
I was sitting in my office trying to find just the right thing to share with you as our progress through Lent continues. Powerful images from Holy Scripture were competing for my thoughts and expressions, but I was having trouble choosing one.
One thing proved thoroughly frustrating as I pondered the “Dry Bones” passage from Ezekiel 37: A man was power-washing the walls and windows outside my office. I thought, “How in the world can I find the witness I need to share with all this power-washing going on?”
Wait a minute! Power-washing! What better image could I have discovered during the Season of Lent than Power-washing?
Ezekiel was asked by Yahweh, “Son of man, can these bones live?” Ezekiel was smart enough to respond, “You know, Lord Yahweh.” And God caused Ezekiel to prophesy and through him promised:
“And I shall put my spirit in you, and you will live, . . . and you will know that I, Yahweh, have said and done this – it is the Lord Yahweh who speaks.”
All the “mold and mildew” of the ancient Hebrews’ sense of defeat and despair will be washed away and God will breath into them God’s own breath – true power indeed.
May God send you a Power-washing today! (Or send you as a power-washer!)
I was sitting in my office trying to find just the right thing to share with you as our progress through Lent continues. Powerful images from Holy Scripture were competing for my thoughts and expressions, but I was having trouble choosing one.
One thing proved thoroughly frustrating as I pondered the “Dry Bones” passage from Ezekiel 37: A man was power-washing the walls and windows outside my office. I thought, “How in the world can I find the witness I need to share with all this power-washing going on?”
Wait a minute! Power-washing! What better image could I have discovered during the Season of Lent than Power-washing?
Ezekiel was asked by Yahweh, “Son of man, can these bones live?” Ezekiel was smart enough to respond, “You know, Lord Yahweh.” And God caused Ezekiel to prophesy and through him promised:
“And I shall put my spirit in you, and you will live, . . . and you will know that I, Yahweh, have said and done this – it is the Lord Yahweh who speaks.”
All the “mold and mildew” of the ancient Hebrews’ sense of defeat and despair will be washed away and God will breath into them God’s own breath – true power indeed.
May God send you a Power-washing today! (Or send you as a power-washer!)
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
O that today you would listen!
The Season of Lent is a time of pilgrimage – a pilgrimage of the heart, mind, and spirit. On Ash Wednesday, we were not only marked by a smudge on our foreheads, we were invited to embrace a conscious “Observance of Lenten Discipline”:
“Dear brothers and sisters in Christ: the early Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord’s passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church that before the Easter celebration there should be a 40-day season of spiritual preparation....”
Most of our Scripture readings during Lent have depicted wilderness experiences: of Jesus’ 40 days of temptation; of the Hebrews 40 years between Egypt and their promised land; of Adam and Eve banished from the Garden; of Abram (later to be known as Abraham) led to “the land that I [God] will show you”; of Nicodemus’ journey from darkness to light, from curious awareness to active discipleship.
Meanwhile, the witness of the Apostle Paul writing to the Romans has been persistent and insistent:
“. . . what proves that God loves us is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. Having died to make us righteous, is it likely that he would now fail to save us from God’s anger?” (Romans 5:8-9)
“If it is certain that through one man’s fall so many died, it is even more certain that divine grace, coming through the one man, Jesus Christ, came to so many as an abundant free gift. The results of the gift also outweigh the results of one man’s sin: for after one single fall came judgement with a verdict of condemnation, now after many falls comes grace with its verdict of acquittal.” (Romans 5:15b-16)
To borrow again from our “Invitation to the Observance of Lenten Discipline”:
“In this way the whole congregation was reminded of the mercy and forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel of Jesus Christ and the need we all have to renew our faith. I invite you, therefore, . . . to observe a holy Lent: by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s Holy Word.”
An ancient Psalmist extended the invitation simply and pointedly: “O that today you would listen to his voice!” (Psalm 95:7b) May God guide your hearing, your searching, and your journey with Jesus in these 40 days.
“Dear brothers and sisters in Christ: the early Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord’s passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church that before the Easter celebration there should be a 40-day season of spiritual preparation....”
Most of our Scripture readings during Lent have depicted wilderness experiences: of Jesus’ 40 days of temptation; of the Hebrews 40 years between Egypt and their promised land; of Adam and Eve banished from the Garden; of Abram (later to be known as Abraham) led to “the land that I [God] will show you”; of Nicodemus’ journey from darkness to light, from curious awareness to active discipleship.
Meanwhile, the witness of the Apostle Paul writing to the Romans has been persistent and insistent:
“. . . what proves that God loves us is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. Having died to make us righteous, is it likely that he would now fail to save us from God’s anger?” (Romans 5:8-9)
“If it is certain that through one man’s fall so many died, it is even more certain that divine grace, coming through the one man, Jesus Christ, came to so many as an abundant free gift. The results of the gift also outweigh the results of one man’s sin: for after one single fall came judgement with a verdict of condemnation, now after many falls comes grace with its verdict of acquittal.” (Romans 5:15b-16)
To borrow again from our “Invitation to the Observance of Lenten Discipline”:
“In this way the whole congregation was reminded of the mercy and forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel of Jesus Christ and the need we all have to renew our faith. I invite you, therefore, . . . to observe a holy Lent: by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s Holy Word.”
An ancient Psalmist extended the invitation simply and pointedly: “O that today you would listen to his voice!” (Psalm 95:7b) May God guide your hearing, your searching, and your journey with Jesus in these 40 days.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
An Apostle of Jesus Christ
There she sat, eating a sloppy roast beef po-boy and visiting with her friend as if it was any other day. And yet, there was a black smudge on her forehead. In south Louisiana, we know two things: It’s Ash Wednesday and she has been to Church in order to be marked as an apostle of Jesus Christ through the imposition of ashes.
An “apostle of Jesus Christ”? Many might argue that it was just a young woman on her lunch break. What makes her an “apostle”, for goodness sake? An “apostle” is one who is sent. An “apostle of Jesus Christ” is someone who goes into the world to bear faithful witness to the truth of Christ.
In 2 Corinthians 5, the Apostle Paul describes his function as an apostle and invites the Corinthian Christians – and us – to claim their proper role as apostles, those who go forth in the name of Christ:
“And so it is with the fear of the Lord in mind that we try to win people over. God knows us for what we really are, and I hope that in your consciences you know us too. . . . If we seemed out of our senses, it was for God; but if we are being reasonable now, it is for your sake. And this is because the love of Christ overwhelms us when we reflect that if one man has died for all, then all men should be dead; and the reason he died for all was so that living men should live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised to life for them.
From now onwards, therefore, we do not judge anyone by the standards of the flesh. . . . And for anyone who is in Christ, there is a new creation; . . . It is all God’s work. It was God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the work of handing on this reconciliation. In other words, God in Christ was reconciling the world to himself, not holding men’s faults against them, and he has entrusted to us the news that they are reconciled. So we are ambassadors for Christ; it is as though God were appealing through us, and the appeal that we make in Christ’s name is: be reconciled to God. For our sake God made the sinless one into sin, so that in him we might become the goodness of God. As his fellow workers, we beg you once again not to neglect the grace of God that you have received. . . . Well, now is the favourable time; this is the day of salvation.”
Lent might begin with a smudge on your forehead, but God is empowering “apostles”, “ambassadors”, and “fellow workers” with Christ to “hand on” the reconciling love of God. Not sure you are worthy of those terms? How about “a new creation” or “the goodness of God”?
God will be at work in us, with us, and through us as we progress toward the Cross and the Empty Tomb. Do not “neglect the grace of God” – make God’s love known to someone today.
An “apostle of Jesus Christ”? Many might argue that it was just a young woman on her lunch break. What makes her an “apostle”, for goodness sake? An “apostle” is one who is sent. An “apostle of Jesus Christ” is someone who goes into the world to bear faithful witness to the truth of Christ.
In 2 Corinthians 5, the Apostle Paul describes his function as an apostle and invites the Corinthian Christians – and us – to claim their proper role as apostles, those who go forth in the name of Christ:
“And so it is with the fear of the Lord in mind that we try to win people over. God knows us for what we really are, and I hope that in your consciences you know us too. . . . If we seemed out of our senses, it was for God; but if we are being reasonable now, it is for your sake. And this is because the love of Christ overwhelms us when we reflect that if one man has died for all, then all men should be dead; and the reason he died for all was so that living men should live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised to life for them.
From now onwards, therefore, we do not judge anyone by the standards of the flesh. . . . And for anyone who is in Christ, there is a new creation; . . . It is all God’s work. It was God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the work of handing on this reconciliation. In other words, God in Christ was reconciling the world to himself, not holding men’s faults against them, and he has entrusted to us the news that they are reconciled. So we are ambassadors for Christ; it is as though God were appealing through us, and the appeal that we make in Christ’s name is: be reconciled to God. For our sake God made the sinless one into sin, so that in him we might become the goodness of God. As his fellow workers, we beg you once again not to neglect the grace of God that you have received. . . . Well, now is the favourable time; this is the day of salvation.”
Lent might begin with a smudge on your forehead, but God is empowering “apostles”, “ambassadors”, and “fellow workers” with Christ to “hand on” the reconciling love of God. Not sure you are worthy of those terms? How about “a new creation” or “the goodness of God”?
God will be at work in us, with us, and through us as we progress toward the Cross and the Empty Tomb. Do not “neglect the grace of God” – make God’s love known to someone today.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)