What We Shall Be

This is All Saints Sunday. What is a saint? It’s someone who has exemplified the Christian life. It is someone who has been set apart. It is someone who has become holy.  We don’t have a way of criteria where people are formally named as saints. Even in those systems, I have come to learn that saint does not equal a perfectly lived life. It ultimately means a trust in God with one’s life.  How does one become holy and set apart? By having faith in Jesus Christ.

What is All Saints day?  It is a day to celebrate the communion of saints as we remember those who have died.

I brought this picture of my grandparents. Were they perfect? Yes, as grandparents go. I couldn’t have asked for any better.  Did they have flaws? Yes but they are getting harder to remember as the years roll on. They had faith in Jesus Christ and I look forward to seeing them again in the life to come.

Some of you brought photographs this morning. How did you choose which picture to bring? Was it because of the accomplishments of the person in the picture? Was it because they lived a flawless life?  Was it something else? What do you feel when you remember the person you hold in your heart? What do you remember? What do you let go of?

The reason you brought the picture is your own definition of a saint. Many of you did not bring a picture but you hold someone in your heart this morning. Perhaps you lit a candle in their memory. You hold them in your heart this morning on All Saints Day.

We have so many memories and stories of those that we have loved and lost in this life. But if you could boil it down to one word, one reason, one idea, one feeling, what would that word be?

If you would like, please share the word that comes to mind about the person you are remembering today…

All good things.

We have a promise. We will be made new.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians “ⁱⁿ an instant, in the blink of an eye, at the final trumpet. The trumpet will blast, and the dead will be raised with bodies that won’t decay, and we will be changed. ⁵³ 

We will be changed. But what shall we be?

Paul says we will have a body that won’t decay. But that is a little less information about eternal life than is satisfying isn’t it?  What I want to know is what life is like when we cross from this life into the next. And more importantly what will it be like when Jesus returns?

Let’s look at what Jesus says.

In the beginning of Chapter 5 of the Gospel according to Matthew we have a series of statements from Jesus.  They are traditionally called the Beatitudes. Do you know what beatitude means? It means the state of great joy, or supreme blessedness.

As you heard me read earlier the passage of scripture is repetitious in the phrase blessed are the… Blessed are those who…

Poor in spirit

Mourn

Who are meek

Who hunger and thirst for righteousness

Are pure in heart

The peacemakers

The persecuted

This is not a fun list of attributes. This is a list that represents a life that from the outside seems difficult and uncomfortable at best. But Jesus says they are blessed, that they are set apart for God.

Because our God is a God of reconciliation and transformation.

Because our God can bring life out of death.

God can fix what is broken and heal what is wounded.  

God has provided a way for you to have that healing. God has provided a way to have life that never ends and it is found in Jesus Christ.

But are you willing to let God transform you?

The love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ that reconciles us to God is the only path to blessedness. And while we live this life we have been gifted with the church. The Church is intended to be the body of Christ on earth.  The problem with the church is that it is filled with people who are broken and looking forward to being made whole again.  But we are a people set apart for God. By God’s grace we have become his children. We have taken on the mission to make disciples for him. To know Christ and to make him known.

Sometimes we forget to show love. Sometimes we forget to show mercy. But then sometimes we get it right. Sometimes by God’s grace we can be used to pass on a blessing to another. When we recognize our own brokenness and our own woundedness, we begin to forgive others for theirs and carry one another’s burdens.

When we learn that we cannot stand on our own, that we need someone else to lean on that ultimately we have to admit that we are powerless in this life, then God can truly move into your spirit and teach and guide you.  

This is what it means to be poor in spirit. Blessed… are those who are poor in spirit. Why? Because theirs is the kingdom of God. This is the definition of freedom and this leads to faith in Jesus Christ it is the definition of salvation.

And that’s what we are about. The kingdom of God, where we will be comforted. We will inherit the earth. We will be satisfied when we hunger and thirst for righteousness. We will be shown mercy. We will see God. We will be called the children of God!

Rejoice and be gland because your reward is great in heaven.

So how is it with you today? We have given only a little piece of time to accomplish His work on this earth. We celebrate those who have gone before us on this All Saints Day, this is a day of remembrance with joy, a celebration that there is life beyond life, and that death is not the end of life. Something that Jesus Christ accomplished for us.

What shall we be?  What will it be like in the resurrection? I don’t know but we know it will be blessed and supremely joyous.

Imparted Strength

  Luke 4:1-13             

 The scripture today is an interaction between Jesus and the Devil. 

                Now there are some of you who will begin to immediately dismiss what comes next just because I mentioned “the Devil.” It’s not popular to talk about him.  In seminary, the devil is often only referred to as a literary character rather than a spiritual reality.  Intellectuals scoff at the idea as a 2000-year-old superstition.  It is far more in vogue to talk about social injustice and psychological disorders than to consider that there are spiritual forces that are beyond our control or understanding.  When I studied religion at Central Michigan University I was taught several different ways of understanding God other than the way that says that God actually exists. 

                Intellectual pursuits are good.  Understanding through reason is good.  But you can’t expect someone to fully understand something they have not experienced. 

I don’t know who said it but it seems true, “for those without faith, no explanation will be sufficient. For those with faith, no explanation is necessary.”

                Back in 1999, I experienced God in such a way that I could never doubt His existence again.  His presence was so convincing that I started making the transition from self-employed business owner to itinerant pastor.  Within a year I was a full time student again to make that happen.  I was in an English class somehow a discussion about God came up.  The Professor said, “We cannot know for sure if God exists.”

I often wonder how people without sight understand the moon.  The primary way to
experience it is through sight.  One must be completely dependent on another
for a good description to have any experience of it. Likewise how do you adequately
explain God to those who have never experienced God?
Photo by Alex Pohl

                I raised my hand immediately.  “I can.” 

                “Excuse me.” The professor said.

                “I can say for sure that God exists.”

                Who knows what he thought.  He didn’t question my statement. He just went on from there as if I had said nothing.  But before that experience I year previous, I was an earnest searcher of God but I would have agreed with his statement that “no one can say for sure…” But the moment you dip your toe into the ocean you can never deny its existence.

                By gathering together as we do to worship God, we are, on some level, all acknowledging that God is in charge; that God is our guide; That God sets the standard.  We know this and not one of us can say that we are perfect followers of all that we know to be good and true.  We have all failed to live up to our own understanding of what God expects from us.  We are constantly distracted.  We are constantly tempted.  Life as a disciple of Jesus Christ requires attention and intentional living.  Just like being a good friend or a good spouse or a good parent.  We can easily get into the habit of going through the motions in all these relationships.  If I don’t pay attention, even being a pastor can distract me from my relationship with God. 

                God is constantly loving us and guiding us.  When we take that love and guidance for granted and try to add to it or do it our own way, we start to depend on other things for our fulfillment. 

                “I have my friends. They fulfill me.”  It’s good to have friends.

I have my spouse; I have my job; I have my family; I have my kids; I have my hobbies; I have my car; I have my house; I have my boat; I have my cabin; I have my girlfriend; I have my health plan; I have my medicine; I have my chocolate; I have my sassy attitude; I have my superior recycled, granola, eco-friendly lifestyle.  Whatever we look to for fulfillment in that is not God can and will let us down.  And just like a drug addict, when we aren’t finding fulfillment with a little then we will think the answer is a little more; then a little more.  It doesn’t take long before we are slaves to the things of this world.  Jesus offers freedom from this addiction.  

                Remember Jesus went into the synagogue and read from the Prophet Isaiah and claimed that what he read was fulfilled in him?  He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives…”  That’s us! We are slaves to those things we put our energy into.

                And so we begin this first Sunday of Lent.  If you find fulfillment in chocolate and you have given up chocolate for Lent to focus on God, that’s awesome.  Experience that freedom!  Whether it’s from chocolate or from some other false source of fulfillment cast it aside and live in the freedom that Jesus has won for us. 

                So…How’s your will-power these days?  How are your best intentions working out?  How are those New Year’s resolutions doing?  I don’t know about you but the harder I try or the more I think about making a life change the more difficult it becomes to do so.  Not only are habits deeply ingrained in our person but our family and friends expect us to act in familiar ways.  When we change, it doesn’t mean that they have and they don’t always make the change easy.  

                Even if our friends and family are on board for the change we make in our lives, there is something more.  You ever notice when you resolve to give something up the desire for it increases?  Or when you want to add something like exercise or regular prayer to your life it suddenly seems particularly difficult to get started.  What is that?

                Like I said before people don’t like to talk about the Devil.  Some folk are just too sophisticated to have such simple explanations for things.  What do you want to call it when genocide happens?  What do you call it when someone opens fire on young ones?  You can call it “Negative energy; bad mojo; karma.” Maybe you call it bad luck or statistical anomaly.

                But in the book that we love we read a story of our Lord fasting for 40 days.  He suspended his attachment to the earthly things to find his way spiritually.  At the end of that period the devil came and tempted him. 

                It is always when are at our weakest when the things of this world seem the most appealing.  The devil tempted Jesus with the most simple of foods, bread.  Jesus knew where his fulfillment ultimately lay.  Jesus was clear about who he was.  Jesus identity was secure as the Son of God.  He was free from the slavery to earthly desires and attachments. 

Then the Devil got right to the point.  The Devil wanted Jesus to worship him.  The Devil never had a chance.  Jesus knew that he had already won and one day the devil would bow down to him. 

I imagine the Devil was frustrated and infuriated when he suggested that Jesus should throw himself off the pinnacle of the temple.  Jesus dismissed him with words from scripture.

                                As you grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ you may be tempted to measure your life by your successes and failures.  Don’t do that.  You are God’s beloved child.  When you are tempted, draw near to Jesus. Pray to him. Read about him in scripture.  Seek his presence.  The Devil or whatever you want to call it can’t stand that. You will be distracted from God’s wonderful love from time to time.  When you realize that you have lost your way, just come back.  God isn’t going anywhere.

                So you have given up Chocolate (or whatever) for lent, let me ask you, do you plan to pick up that yoke of slavery again after Easter?

                Would you pray with me?

Just Ordinary

John 2:1-11

A story about a wedding, I can’t tell you how many weddings I have officiated.  I can’t. I haven’t kept track.  I probably should have in retrospect but when I try to remember the list changes every time.  Then I try to remember all the weddings I have attended and the list even more muddled. When I was a kid, it seems like all the weddings I went to had a reception at the KC Hall #3651.  I remember that number because that was the number of my Cub Scout troop that also met there.  Every my memory of those receptions have all blended into one memory because the band was always in the same place.  The food was all basically the same.  The same relatives were dancing the way they do. The loud music, the cool night air, the exhausted bride…it was always the same.  The next day, as far as I was concerned, life returned to normal. Everything was ordinary again. It’s interesting how the ordinary life can, at times, become extraordinary.

                For example in a couple of weeks, on February third, a two professional football teams will be in New Orleans.  They will spend several minutes trying to carry, throw and kick an oblong ball to opposite ends of a great big green rectangle.  Whichever team does it the most will win and will be the champion of pushing an oblong ball to the end of a big green rectangle.  That’s football.  And there will be a lot of little green rectangles traded for beverages, chips, wings and hot dogs.  And there will be lots of little green rectangles paid for advertising on television while you watch the game to convince you to buy things a bit more expensive than beverages, chips, wings and hot dogs.  This is part of our culture.  Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, then a month later, Super bowl.  And I like it. 

                I like it like it like I like weddings, and graduation open houses.  I like it like an impromptu summer dinner around a grill in the summer or a night out with my wife, just because.  I like it because it is a celebration of the ordinary life.  Last night there was a party out in the Activity Center.  We played some silly games, heard some less-than-stellar jokes and ate some good food.  The theme was football, but we would have had a great time even if the big game was cancelled.  We laughed and enjoyed each other’s company because we love each other.   We gathered in the name of Jesus as a community of disciples.  We didn’t have a bible study but we felt the love of God.

                When Jesus is at the center the ordinary becomes extraordinary.

                In the Gospel Lesson today Jesus is at a wedding.  The writer of the Gospel didn’t say who was getting married, this may be because he didn’t want to distract from his main point by identifying the bride and the bridegroom or it may be like me, by the time he wrote it down he didn’t remember which wedding it was that he was at.  He just remembered that Jesus was there.  He remembered that Jesus’ mother was there. He remembered that Jesus disciples where there.  He remembered that something very special, something extraordinary happened at that wedding. He saw Mary and Jesus discussing something. He saw his lord give instructions to some servants.  He saw one of those servants draw some liquid out of a stone jar that was usually used for ritual cleansing and bring it to the head waiter. He saw the delight on the head waiters face as he tasted the contents.  And the celebration continued. The next day life went back to being ordinary.

                Now the same event from the perspective of the newlywed couple was that the celebration was underway.  The head waiter came and complemented the bridegroom for the good wine and the celebration went on and the next day life went back to being ordinary.

                The same event from the perspective of the average attendee of the celebration was that they went, every proceeded as these things usually do and the next day life went back to being ordinary. 

                For the disciple, the bridegroom and the average attendee the ordinary life meant different things.  For the disciple who witnessed these things and followed Jesus life was never like it was before.  Life had purpose and meaning.  The wedding at Cana was a turning point. I have had the thought before and I have others say it as well, that ‘I wish I could feel the way I felt when I first believed.’  You know that feeling of complete peace mixed with exhilaration and joy.  The knowledge of the eternal balanced with an appreciation for the earthly. “Thank you Jesus! Thank you God for breaking down the walls of my ego and pride!” I would be nice to stay in that state, but the kids need to be dropped off at school, the taxes need to be filed and, you know, my bad knee is acting up today.

                 For the newlyweds the ordinary life was also different because he now has a wife, she has a husband.  The party was over and life begins. They had a wonderful party.  There was a situation where at that party that could have embarrassed the family. But Jesus came through for them.  Good thing he was invited. But now regular life begins. The ordinary life begins. The day in and day out of life can sap you of your spirit. How can you go every day to a job and do the same thing over and over again and find fulfillment.  How can you clean your house every single day only to have it thrown into disarray moments after your family walks through the door and receive little to no appreciation for the work you have done? What is the cure for this ordinary life?

For the average attendee of the wedding the next day may have been just like most days.  The party came and went. For them it was just an ordinary party.  But if they knew where the wine that they were drinking came from, they would have a different perspective.  Who gonna tell ‘em?  

                But there is a fourth person I haven’t mentioned.  The servant who filled those jars with ordinary water then drew out wine and brought it to the head waiter. He saw everything that happened yet had no understanding.  I’ll bet he didn’t sleep well that night.  I’ll bet that he spent many hours contemplating what had happened. My Hope is that he sought out the one who instructed him that night to fill those jars and ask who he is and how that extraordinary thing happened.  I don’t think there is any measure of normal for this fellow until he gets some answers to explain the things he experienced?  Who’s gonna guide him?

                We spend a lot of time and energy on things that are impermanent.  If we hinge our joy on a sports team then our happiness is diminished when our team fails.  Those of you who are Lions fans have had to grow spiritually and lean more and more on your faith over the years while you Packers fans have had an easier go of it!

God want us to have joy! At the wedding feast the wine ran out.  Mary came to Jesus. Jesus took care of it.  It wasn’t his time to reveal himself as the Messiah so he did it discretely. The party went on the celebration continued. That’s what we have to do. We have to celebrate.  We have to celebrate the things of this life. The wedding is a celebration of the love two people have for each other. The party yesterday was a way to celebrate our life together, a way to find joy.  In a book in the Bible called Hebrews it says “ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,  not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” When we are gathered together in the name of Jesus he is among us and he makes the ordinary extraordinary.

Brothers and sisters we need to keep Christ at the center of everything we do. It’s there we will find joy.  If we are in the practice of prayer and worship, if we study the bible and meditate and it does not lead to joy then we are doing it wrong.  If we don’t find joy in the Christian life then Christ is not the center of it. 

So, how is it with you today?  Does your walk as a disciple of Christ lead you to joy?  I pray that it does.

Kneeling Before a Baby

Though we understand God to be
ever-present.  We symbolically understand
God to be present specifically at the altar.
Above is the Altar at the United Methodist
Church on Third Ave. In Big Rapids, MI.
That's my good friend Mike to the left. 

Matthew 2:1-12

They came and Knelt before a baby.  When you find God you kneel before him.  If you find Him in truth; if you find him in your faith; if you find him in your service you kneel before him.  Does that mean you actually take the posture of resting on your knees?  Perhaps, but what it really means is that you give God honor, you give praise, your acknowledge God’s presence.   We don’t always notice the presence or the action of God in our lives.  Not everybody is the type that walks around looking for the presence of God.  We are doing what we feel called to do.  There is work to be done.  So what do we do?  How do we find spiritual nourishment from the God who came as a human in the form of a baby?  How do we worship a God that lived as a human 2000 years ago in a region of the world that most of us will never see?   We look to scripture and we witness the action of the three wise men, the three kings, the astrologers the magi, whatever you want to call them, they came and they knelt before a baby.  This is a strange thing. 

I mean, love my kids, but kneeling before a baby?  Scripture says they paid homage to him. They brought gifts of Gold, frankincense and myrrh. To a baby!  Who were they trying to impress?  A baby doesn’t notice anything but its own comfort or discomfort.  The baby’s parents were a young couple traveling from Nazareth; they seemed to be no one special so why kneel before a baby?

Alex just had his 16^th birthday.  17 years ago I had very different visions of what parenthood would be than I do now.  In fact a lot of those visions were shattered about this time of year 16 years ago.  While we were waiting for Alex to arrive I had a chart hanging in the hall in the upstairs of Diane’s grandmother’s house where we were staying.  It was an illustrated diagram of the development of a fetus month by month.  I had written in Alex’s due date at the end of the fold out piece of glossy paper and I worked backward adding dates along the diagram to the current date.  I would look at it. And marvel at it as if it were an actual picture of our unborn child.  I didn’t realize then, just how clueless I was.

I wasn’t even the one that was responsible for feeding him and it wasn’t long before I felt exhausted.   Up several times a night crying.  He was hungry, so Diane fed him.  He was messy so we cleaned him. He got sick and we worried over him.  One night he wasn’t any of these things that I could tell and yet he was still crying and I irrationally asked him “What do you want? Just tell me and I’ll do it!” of course a baby cannot answer with words. A baby is not interested in your desires or your wellbeing.  As wonderful and as miraculous new life is, babies are the most selfish creatures on the planet. 

You’ll notice in the scripture the wise men didn’t stick around. They left.

They brought all this great stuff for Jesus.  Joseph may have been like, “Oh hey, why don’t you stay for a few weeks?”

Then (With the baby crying in the background) the wise men were like, “Oh, no. We really need to be getting back.  We gotta go to work.  You know astrology stuff.  Uh, take care.  Good luck with the Herod thing.  Enjoy the incense and the…balm. Hope the gold helps.”  Then they were gone!

By the way, I was asked about the gold that was given them.  Mary, Joseph and the baby almost immediately after this were on the run for their lives from Herod.  They lived in Egypt as refugees until Herod’s death.  I don’t imagine there was a lot of time for Joseph to find work.  I think the Gold was very useful and necessary during this time of their lives.  

The wise men gave their best.  They gave their gold, they gave their frankincense, and they gave their myrrh.   They came from Persia and they brought their best. We come to this place of worship to be in the presence of our God.  We come from Fountain and Ludington, and Scottville, and Pentwater, and Muskegon.  And we bring our best. 

What is our best? 

Back when I was in seminary I volunteered at my church as a Stephen Minister.  The Stephen Ministry is a congregational care program where people are matched.  Someone who needs care is paired with a caregiver.  It is spiritual care.  It is a relationship.  It’s a friendship.   I was paired with Wally. Every week I visited him.  I would sit in his home for an hour sometimes more seldom less.  We talked about all sorts of things.  He was a sports writer for many years so when March Madness came around our visits were mostly about watching basketball.  He had a stroke one day which meant that he couldn't stay in his home any more. He moved to a nursing home. So I visited him there.  I was going to school in Holland at the time.  In the middle of one of my theology classes I got a call that Wally wasn't doing well.  That the end was probably near.  So I asked to be excused.  I drove the hour and a half back to Greenville and when I got to the nursing home there was a worker in his room cleaning.  No Wally.  I was too late.  He was gone and they had already taken him away.  I didn’t get to say goodbye.  

I loved him. In all my pastoral classes they say that I should keep a professional distance from the people that I will serve.  I understand why they say that and to a certain extent I agree because if I took on everyone’s hurts, I don’t know if I could survive.  When Wally died I questioned if this was the right profession for me. I wasn’t sure I could endure that kind of pain on a regular basis.  But to not love, to not give your best, to hold something back, to hold back a blessing that God has for you, which He wants to give through you, to hold that back is a sad thing. So I said “okay” to God.  The same is true of each one of you. You each have blessings to give. You have your best to give. The commandment is to love one another.

Something may have happened that has prevented you from fully giving of yourself, which makes you hold back.  When that happens, the Adversary has a victory.

The wise men gave their best. They sacrificed everything for something unknown; for an unsure thing but they had confidence they would find it. They found it in a baby. They left that day. They couldn't take anything from the baby.  They didn’t get any material gain or imparted wisdom it was a baby! They just wanted to be in the presence of this hope, this potential, this promise that is only in the beginning of being fulfilled.  They gave their best not knowing how it would end.  Even if they would have stayed none of them would have lived long enough to experience anything of Jesus’ adult ministry.  But they came and they brought their best.  They knelt before a baby.

When Jesus was an adult just before he gave his life, he gathered his disciple for a meal.  He told them that the bread was his body and the wine was his blood.  Do this in remembrance of me. Jesus tells us, “Do this in remembrance of me.” 

This is my Body broken for you.  This is my blood of the new covenant shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.  Jesus is present.  Jesus is here!  So come! Take this gift of his presence. If you haven’t noticed his presence in your life, if you are unaware of how God is working in an through you, then take this opportunity to receive Holy Communion and know that he is present and kneel before him and give him your best. 

Hold On!

I wish is had a blood pressure cuff this past week. I was at home with the family. We had the television on. And a political ad came on. I couldn't believe it. The election was over. Aside from being a wast of money because they aired the commercial at the wrong time it was a waste of my time because, like most people I got pretty sick and tired of those ads and I didn't want to hear one more word about it. I started going into a tirade and wasn't a couple of sentences into it when I noticed the commercial started moving in fast motion. I hadn't realized until that moment that the program we were watching was recorded from the week before and now my loving wife was kindly fast forwarding it to spare me the pain of watching one more moment of it.

A moment of pause would have done me well. A moment of reflection and patience before speaking would have saved me some grief. Fortunately, only my family was around to see this embarrassing display. With out saying a word; with out a gesture or a glance' with the quick action of the remote control my wife said “hold on!”

That's a multipurpose phrase, “Hold on”

“Hold on” can mean to pause as my wife's actions suggested. Its what you say when you are wanting to catch up to someone, getting them to wait. Its what you say when you are challenging someone on an idea. You ever done that? It seems to happen more around election season. Someone is passionate about a subject and they are going on and on and at some point they cross a line that you cannot agree with so you stop them with a “hold on.” I wonder what the criteria is, for some people when forming their political opinions. It ought to be be based on the great commandments of God but I am convinced that's not always the case. What is the line that some one crosses that causes you to say, “Now hold on!”? It's interesting to look inside and investigate where our biases come from.

Jesus gave the disciples a “hold on” in the scripture today.

Jesus and his disciples were walking out of the temple and they were awestruck by the immensity of the place. And Jesus told them not to be so impressed because all this is temporary. Well scripture has Jesus saying, “ Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left on another. All well be torn down.”

These guys were small town fishermen and they were with Jesus in Jerusalem, in the temple which was at that time one of the wonders of the world. And Jesus was saying that this marvel was temporary. Ti must have seemed unbelievable.

This week in history 25 years ago, in 1987 I was a small town boy getting ready to play in the state championship football game in the Pontiac Silver-dome. We came out of that tunnel for a short practice onto that field that two nearly years before Barry Sanders ever did. My coach, taking a cue from the movie The Hoosiers, pulled out a tape measure and measured a yard and, yep, it was a regular ole yard, 36 inches. And now The Silver-dome goes unused.

This is a temporary world with temporary things and temporary problems. Jesus disciples wanted to know when the destruction of the temple would happen. They wanted dates. They wanted a time line. They wanted a heads up or a warning. But Jesus gave them a “hold on.” There will be people who will try to use events to try to claim to be the Christ but don't you listen to them. Jesus in his loving care didn't address their question directly but warned them about the dangers of their way of thinking. We ought not be looking for signs of the end but instead we should be staying true to what God commands us.

Hold on and also mean brace yourself. There is rough road ahead. Its like when I get last second directions in the car to make a turn. I tell the kids, “Hold on!”

Do you other parents instinctively put your hand in front of your child in the passenger seat to protect them? We do that I a lot of ways not just in the car. We try to keep those we love safe in a world that is dangerous and full of things we cannot control.

When we face difficulties, sometimes the only thing we can do is hold on, to minimize the loss or the damage. That feeling of being out of control is not one that we desire. This is a dangerous world. We can marvel at a sunset over Lake Michigan and say that God is good but then we also have to look at the devastation that Hurricane Sandy has wrought and hold on to the same understanding of God. God is still good. There are some who say that this storm or that storm is a judgment by God about this or that action of a people. That doesn't make much sense to me. Does that mean that we northern Michiganders get punished with dangerous blizzards every January and February for our sins? Only to be rewarded with heaven on earth every summer and fall? No its just a dangerous world we live in. Bad things happen. During the good times we rest in God and During the rough times we hold on and rest in God. Jesus said that there wold be wars and rumors of wars. Jesus said that there would be earth quakes and famines. Hasn't this happened many many times in the past 2000 years? Hasn't there been many predictions of the end of time that have come and gone? Has that been spiritually profitable to anyone? The current one that is getting attention is the end of the Mayan calendar. I know its frustrating when you get to the end of the calendar you are using and have to buy a new one, especially when it's been carved out of stone and is centuries old but time marches on and we have something eternal to hold on to.

That's another way to use the phrase “Hold on”. Keep secure what is true and valuable. Hold on to my grandmothers frog that was her door stop for all the years of my life. But even as solid and as permanent as it seems it is temporary so I don't hold to tightly. Hold on to what is eternal. Hold on to what is true: God loves you unconditionally; God took the initiative in saving you the tangle of hell you have created for yourself; Jesus is God in human form and came to give you life; Life in Jesus means life in eternity.

So, how is it with you today? Hold on! Pause and asses your situation. Hold on! It could get rough, but God is there. Hold on! Hold on to what is true and eternal.

On Kinney Down

Jay getting his glasses adjusted AGAIN. The staff at the optometrist know us well. 

Some notes from the Kindergarten Sunday School class for me.  What a delight!

This is the entrance where I get my hair cut.  I now have a barber.  Thought I have
been gong her for over a year now, I finally can call her "my barber" because there is now
that familiarity means little needs to be said.  Its a Zen-like understanding. 

  

Blessing of a Home

This is not a home altar. These items are in my study in the church.
The painting is of the lighthouse in Ludington painted by my wife.
This is to acknowledge that the true holy land is where you are
not some particular piece of geography. the egg is wooden and hand-
painted from Ukraine.  Its gift from my brother and a nod to Christian
tradition.  The paper is a "love letter" from a former church wishing me well.
The cup reminds me of the cup of blessing. The photo is of my siblings. the
Shell is a symbol of baptism and a souvenir from my kids' mission trip.
The Nativity scene is hand carved olive wood purchased from Palestinian
Christians. 

 In my last post I brought up the idea of consecrating our homes, of perhaps, even having a home altar. The home is the place where we can truly practice God's unconditional love. In our homes we are free from pretense. In our home our true nature is most revealed. In our home life is at its most raw. How blessed would it be to come before God, as a family, in our shared weakness to ask for God's strength? If you have children or grand children they will learn from you how to relate to God. If you only relate to God one day a week, then that is how they will likely relate to God. If you make your spiritual life indivisible from the rest of your life, well then our children will be all the stronger for it.

In our home we have weekly family meetings. In these meetings each person has an opportunity to bring up a topic of discussion to which every person has a an opportunity to respond to. This act of intentional communication with each other has strengthened us and has brought greater peace and harmony to our home. Wouldn't it stand to reason that if we included God in our daily lives that the blessings would multiply? Yes, most families have a prayer before meal time but what about a more intentional way of living our life together?

In our United Methodist Book of Worship there is a SERVICE FOR THE BLESSING OF A HOME on page 610. In this service, several scriptures are suggested (I will list them below). What if, at the beginning of Advent or the beginning of the calendar year we rededicate not only ourselves and our families but our homes as well, to God? The liturgy for this service will take less than ten minutes. What a great way to start the year and what a great way to get to know each other better! You could make it as simple or elaborate as you want. I could breeze in and breeze out or you could make it a party!

I would enjoy comments, suggestions and even Guinea pigs for this.

Blessings. 

Suggested lessons for the blessing of a home:

Joshua 24:14-25

1 John 4:11-21

Acts of the Apostles 2:43-47

Ephesians 3:14-21

Matthew 7:24-27

Matthew 6:25-33

John 14:1-3

Pass the Cup

Mark 10:35-45

Today is a beautiful day to be alive in Christ.  Celebrate!

We are fully into the the Fall season. This is definitely not summer anymore. This is my favorite season of the year. I love the mild temperatures. I love the changing colors. I even prefer wearing long pants. There is one more thing I appreciate about the passing of summer: the reduced likelihood of potato salad. I don't like the stuff. It's cold potatoes and mayonnaise. What's to like? When there is no potato salad there is no question: “What? You don't want any Potato salad?” as I pass the bowl at the dinner table from the person on my right to the person on my left with out taking any. Wouldn't it be nice if we could just pass on other things in life that we find unpleasant? I'll pass on sickness and disease. I'll pass on war and violence. I'll pass on suffering and greed.

We face what is before us. The cup that we are given is the experiences that lie before us. Some of us actively try to shape our lives while others are more passive about what our course of life.

I would really have liked to meet the Apostles James and John. The were bold; they were full of zeal; they weren't afraid of taking a risk; they were willing to try at the risk of being wrong. In this scripture they approached Jesus and asked him to grant them whatever they requested...

Say what now?

These two brothers have it in their minds that they are going to have some sort of high position in Jesus' glory that is to come, so they tell Jesus that he ought to get on board with the idea.

Can you imagine? I mean what would your reaction be? Imagine if you had a small group of people that you loved and cared for, that you were trying to teach, that you were trying to equip. Imagine that you knew that this small group of people was going to face difficulties that they could not yet fathom, then suddenly two of them come and make this demand. “Do for us what ever we ask of you.”

Now, I am glad that the job of savior of the world has been taken by Jesus because if I were in this situation I would have told James and John to go sit down and, “You better watch how you talk to me!” But Jesus isn't like that. Jesus asks the obvious question, “What is it that you want me to do for you?”

“Grant that, in your glory, we may sit at your left and right hand.” Bold! Bold, bold, bold. I love it! -reminds me of the first days when I came to faith as an adult and joined a church. I wrote a letter to the pastor saying that I was willing to serve in whatever way I was needed. Give me the word and I will and I'll do it!

I anticipated the answer. I waited for a reply. Nothing came. Weren't they just pining away to employ everything I had to offer? Weren't they deficient in some way that I could ride in and add my presence and make the church all that it could be?...The answer and the response to the my letter never came. Instead I got a call from Mr. Campbell, a humble man that was a very long-time member of the church. Mr. Campbell invited me to Saturday morning men's bible study that he led. In that group of men the next youngest was 30 years my senior. In that group of men I learned how to pray. In that group I learned how to listen. In that group I learned what it meant to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Jesus said to James and John, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink and are you able to be baptized with with my baptism?” He is asking them if they realize what he is facing. It is his purpose to reconcile humanity to a right relationship with God. To do that he will suffer and die. The prophet Isaiah said “Wake up! Wake up! Get up, O Jerusalem! You drank from the cup the lord passed to you, which was full of his anger! You drained dry the goblet full of intoxicating wine.” but a little later he writes, “This is what your sovereign master, the Lord your God, says: “Look, I have removed from your and the cup of intoxicating wine, the goblet full of my anger. You will no longer have to drink it.

He will give everything for those he loves. Jesus is asking James and John if they understand that is what it means to be his disciple. They claimed that they understood. Jesus affirmed that they would indeed suffer and sacrifice, but that doesn't mean that Jesus wanted it that way.

Remember Jesus prayerful words in the garden the night before his execution. He was facing his own death and he prayed, “My Father, if this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, let your will be done.” Jesus didn't want to suffer and die but that was the path that was before him and he walked it in faith.

The cup that we are given is the set of life experience that lie before us. It is not some script that is predetermined it is a set of choices. When we make the choice to follow Jesus, when we live by faith, when we finally trust in the power of God, what ever our cup is we can drink of it deeply because it will be filled with God's blessings.

I'm not saying everything in the life of a disciple of Christ is easy. There are certainty difficulties that come with being a follower of Christ. God expects us to be good stewards of what we are entrusted with. We are expected to feed the hungry, cloth the naked and visit the sick. We are supposed to trust in God even when the world is crashing down around us. We are supposed to be witness for Christ in a world that is becoming increasingly hostile and increasingly intolerant of people of faith.

God does not make people hungry, but God gives us the ability to feed them.

God does not does not give us cancer but God does give us and intellect, the desire and a wisdom to fight it.

The world may be hostile to the message of Christ but that is nothing new! They crucified the author and originator of this message.

We are not called to let the cup pass from us. We are called to know Christ and to make Christ known. We are called to actively step into a life of discipleship and to drink deeply of the cup that God lies before us.

All those difficulties that impede us. All those “Red Lights” along our faith journey are opportunities to sharpen our faith. They are opportunities to hone our understanding of God's will for us.

So, how is it with you today? You may be facing a very significant challenge. You may not be in the place you want to be. You may not have achieved all the things you wanted to achieve to this point in your life but God is calling you to be present in your life right now, to drink the cup of discipleship. To follow his way. Don't let the cup pass you by.   

Wanted: Adventurers

Mark 10: 17.

My two oldest children made this swing.
Life is pretty easy here in Ludington, Michigan. 

Imagine you are living in the first century in Palestine. Whatever prosperity might be there is sopped up by the Roman occupation. Imagine trying to survive. Some are are fishermen, some are builders. While the desperate have resorted to tax collection and prostitution. It must have been a harsh environment. It still is a harsh environment. 

Now imagine if Jesus put an ad in the local paper, looking for disciples. It might read something like this. seeking adventurers. Wanted: individuals who are willing to work for little to no material reward. Where the possibility of rejection is high and success is uncertain. You will at times feel powerless and walked upon. You will face very real dangers including bodily injury and even death. However you will become an heir of the King. You will inherit the promises of God. You will find the meaning of life and you will discover the specific purpose for your life. Requirements include, loving God first in your life, letting go of your own notions of power and control, trusting in Jesus as Lord and loving your neighbor.

Who would answer the ad? Who did accept the invitation? It was the laborers, the tax collectors, the outcasts and the powerless.

There were followers of Jesus who had some power and wealth. Joseph who provided the tomb for Jesus' body after the crucifixion, Nicodemus the Pharisee who asked all those questions in the dark of night. There was a Roman officer who demonstrated faith who may have carried the message of Jesus to others. They all were praised by Jesus for coming close to the truth. But these aren't the people that Jesus lifts up as examples. Jesus lifts up the one that feeds the hungry, gives water to the thirsty, cloths the naked and visits the sick.. Jesus says the greatest man born of a woman was John the Baptist because he told people to turn away from sin and turn toward God.

There is a funny thing about we humans. Like other creatures of the earth we are afraid to die. But unlike other creatures our fear moves beyond and instinct to preserve our own life. We think about it. We ponder it. We avoid it while we prepare for it.

We make sure we are in a position to prolong our lives as long as possible. We go to the doctor, we make sure we have food and shelter. To make sure we have food shelter and medical care we get jobs and make money and save money. We build retirement accounts and pensions. We invest in real estate and business. We do all this to have what we need and want. We do this ultimately to avoid death.

But Jesus has a different perspective. Jesus in the Gospel according to John say, “I am the door. If anyone enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.” This tells me that, like pasture animals, God will provide for us. God will protect and guide us.

I cannot wait for the election to come. Not that I am overly excited about it but because I am so tired of the political ads. I don't even mind political ads per se. But when they are obviously lying about their opponents or misleading about various proposals it leads me to believe that they don't have my best interest at heart. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;” Jesus says, “I have come so that they may have life, and my have it abundantly.”

Jesus wants the best for you. Jesus wants us to have an abundant life. To know that we are loved, protected and cared for. Jesus wants us to know and love God. Jesus want us to know our purpose it this life and he wants us to participate in the life to come.

The problem is that we are often like the young man that approached him in today's scripture. He ran up to him, fell on his knees, and said, “good teacher, what must I do do to inherit eternal life?” This seems good right. Wouldn't we love that kind of enthusiasm? Wouldn't we appreciate a new believer in Jesus to be that open to following the Lord? But Jesus brings him back down a bit. Jesus says to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.

Enthusiasm is good but not ignorant enthusiasm. Jesus never took on a disciple that didn't know the cost of following him. Jesus was always clear about what it meant to be his follower. It isn't easy. There will be suffering involved. You will surely be ridiculed perhaps even rejected. Some may even give their lives for their faith.

I don't regret my service in the Army Reserves and Michigan Army National guard. But I can see that I had an enthusiasm when I enlisted that I would not be able to muster now. After all these years I am more able to count the cost. The adventure enticed me. The ideals of patriotism and service called me. But I didn't fully count the cost.

The rich young man was not ready for what Jesus was offering. He knew there was more and he wanted more but he couldn't see clearly just what Jesus was offering. He only saw an unreasonable demand.

When we follow Jesus we must count the cost. The rich young man came to Jesus claiming that he had followed all the commandments since his youth. This young man has done things his life according to his own power. He had wealth to make his life comfortable. He exerted his will to follow the Law of Moses. He was the one in control of his life. He was the one in a position of power over his own destiny. He was fully relying on himself for his own salvation and Jesus recognized it. The young man new he was missing something. He must have sensed an emptiness in his life. He must have had an awareness of his life being incomplete. The Holy Spirit must have directed him toward Jesus as the source of life. So he sought Jesus out. He asked the question, “what must I do.” in the question itself reveals his own delusion. What must I Do? What action should I take? In what way can I exert my power to attain the prize?

So Jesus cuts to the quick as he so masterfully does goes right to the source of this young man's power. His stuff. His earthly abundance. His life insurance policy. Jesus told him to sell his possessions and give the money to the poor. In the young man's eyes Jesus was taking away his power. Jesus was taking away his ability to save himself. In reality Jesus was offering a way to be freed from the illusion of false power. Selling your stuff and giving away the money to the poor is not a requirement to get into heaven, but relinquishing control over your life to God is. This was the only way that this young man would be able to do this.

How difficult it is for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God! Or the powerful person. Come November the race to be number one in power will come to an end. But we know the first will be last and the last will be first in the Kingdom.

So How is it with you today on your journey as a disciple? We all have a certain degree of earthly power and control. Are you willing to set that power aside to let Christ rule in your hearts? The cost may seem high. The demand may seem excessive. Don't be afraid. God will take care of you.  

Sure Footing

John 6:51-58

     We need to have a clear idea of who we are. We need to know clearly what our purpose is. We are the beloved children of God. Humanity is broken and wandering and has fallen into the muck and our loving God, our Heavenly Father became human and came to save us. Jesus came to reach out his hand to lift us out of our delusions, he came to life us out of our self-destructive behaviors, Jesus came to save us and to give us life in abundance. Jesus offers his hand with out conditions. Trusting him to save you is all that is required.

     This past Thursday I attended a memorial service of a 24 year-old-man that I first met 13 years ago. His was a sad and tragic death.

He was born with some physical challenges that he had to deal with his entire life. Sometimes they were frustratingly impossible to overcome when it came to getting what he wanted, like a driver's license. When I knew him as a high-schooler he had ideas of going into pastoral ministry and would often stop me in the halls of the church to ask me questions about the process.

I mostly lost touch with him over the last few years. I got a cryptic Face book message from him last summer, to which I replied but he didn't respond back. I had no idea that he was living in Manistee.

What I knew of him was that he had a strong faith and a supporting family. I thought that with all challenges he faced in his life that he had a good foundation...sure footing to stand strong.

But based on the decision he made it is obvious that there was pain that I did not see and there was unstable ground where I thought there was a rock.

     When you lose someone like that it causes you to ponder and to reassess. I was doing that the day after the memorial service when Alex said, “I want to go for a hike.” Perfect. That is just what I need. So he and I went up to the National Forest and hiked part of the Nordhouse dunes trail. I had never been there before . It's a beautiful place. We started by going out to the beach. We stumbled over hills of sand just to get a look at Lake Michigan which was just roaring that day with huge waves. Then we went and hit the trail. We climbed up and as we walked along the trail I was aware of the risk involved. The down side of the dune ,which was rarely more than just a couple of feet from the trail and sometime much closer, dropped off 60-100 feet to the bottom. It was pretty steep and had lots of trees. The trail is sandy and had lots of obstacles like roots across it. If one were careless it would be easy to trip and fall and get hurt pretty bad if they went over the side of the hill. Alex and I hiked for little over an hour. My senses were elevated because of the risk. I was thinking, “I want to make sure my son had sure footing both on the trail and in life.”

     Jesus Christ is the source of everlasting life. Jesus Christ is the Lord of Lords. Before he existed in the flesh He was the Logos, the Eternal Word of God. All things were created by him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind.

     As we stumble through life climbing the unstable piles of sand It is good to praise God for the abundant beauty that is around us in those he has put on the path with us and in everything he created. When we work to get over all the unstable ground that this life throws at us just to get to ultimately reach the lake shore it is good to have some assurance of our destination, and I'm not talking about riding the Badger to Wisconsin.

     Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats from this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

      Jesus promises eternal life and life for the world. He is offering something eternal, unchanging stable. He is giving the alternative to the instability of life. Life without Jesus leads only to death. There are some who only hear what they want to hear.

Scripture says, “Then the Jews who were hostile to Jesus began to argue with on another, 'How can this man give us his flesh to eat?'”

     They were taking Jesus words literally without listening to what he was really telling them. Jesus was offering something wonderful, but because they had an agenda to discredit and to destroy they were looking for any possible way to distort his words. Why would anyone who is stuck in the muck and the filth not take the hand of one who could get them out?

     When you have been in the muck so long you begin to think that is just the way things are supposed to be. And if you can explain the muck well enough. If you can explain our human predicament well enough and if enough people listen you begin to believe that it is the only truth there is. When you are convinced that the ditch is holy and there is no other alternative to the cycle of life that you are in, then the offer of Jesus' salvation seems like a fantasy that is too good to be true.

     Some people just don't want to hear it. Jesus doesn't back down from his metaphor. “The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood resides in me, and I in him.”

     We are to eat his flesh? We are to take on the sanctified nature of our humanity. We were made in perfection. We have messed up, failed and have fallen. But Jesus came to clear all that up. Jesus came in the flesh to purify our flesh. We need not be ashamed of our humanness. We need not be ashamed of our nature. God made us the way God intended and any corruption that is in us, Jesus will correct if we just reach out our hand and accept his salvation.

     Jesus says we are to drink his blood? Yes! Blood is life. We are to take Jesus life that he has offered as our own. Our life on this earth will end. But while we are here we take the life of the eternal Christ in us an live in confidence, serving our neighbors without hesitation or restraint because we know that we have eternal life even beyond death's door.

     We are going to have two baptisms. In baptism we as a community of faith welcome new members into God's family. In baptism God's undeserved love is lavished on those he has created. In baptism God offers sure footing in a world of shifting sands.

     So how is it with you today? How confident are you in your spiritual walk. How is you relationship with God?

     I invite you to remember you baptism. Not necessarily remember the day, but remember that you are a beloved child of God. Remember that God acted first in offering you a way to an abundant and eternal life.

Remember that God made you on purpose and loves you very much.