Do you remember?

Where were you 12 years ago today?  I was working in industrial sales, covering the office when I got a call “something is going on in New   York.”  I turned on the television to see the images that we all remember so well.  The unthinkable happened – a huge, well choreographed attack on the United States.  I, with most of the nation, was stunned as I watched the news.  As our service technicians called in, I told them to finish up and go home.

Later that afternoon the church called saying there would be a prayer service.  And so we all gathered together, confused, scared and angry.  And we took all of that to the Lord.  The following Sunday nearly every church in America was packed with worshippers, for when there is no where else to turn, we turn to God.

Today, 12 years later, we remember.  We remember the horrific images of the twin towers falling.  We remember the smoke blackened faces of the emergency workers as they valiantly strived to save lives.  We remember the sadness on the face of those seeking their loved ones in the buildings.  We remember the heroes of flight 93 as they sacrificed their lives stopping one of the planes.  We remember the American flag being lifted up, for no country, no group, or no person can keep this nation down.  And we remember to pray.  We remember to give God thanks for the blessings of this nation.

 “While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance to a land that’s free,
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer. ”

God Bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home.

The busier I get, the less I care about others.  Think about that statement.  Is it true for you?  The busier you are, the less you care about others.  Well, how about this; the busier you are the less you care about God?  Think about it.  We have created a society that is always on the move, always busy, always doing something, and therefore always neglecting someone.

I had an interesting conversation on Christmas night with my brothers-in-law.  We were commenting on how the younger kids all had their phones out and were texting their friends.  They were probably bored with hearing the old men around the table complaining about kids on their phones!  But here is the point.  One asked this question:  It is Christmas dinner, how many of you have your phones on you?  We all did.  Then he asked the other question.  How many of you really need your phone on you right now?  I, as a pastor, was the only one who had a legitimate reason to be carrying a phone (in case of a pastoral emergency).  Not the auto mechanic, or the landscaper, or the handyman.  They carried their phones because that is what we do today.  No other reason but to have the phone and therefore, the emails, the internet and the texts.  Just in case.  Just so we can do.

But before those of you who do not have smart phones, or do not carry your phone everywhere get too comfortable, let me ask you this.  When was the last time you just stopped without feeling guilty about “not doing”?

God does not intend that for us.  In the creation story, God used six days to do His work and rested on the seventh.  When God gave the 10 Commandments to Moses, God specified we work six days and keep the Sabbath holy.  This was not an intention to inflict a rule onto us; rather it is a gift to keep us sane.  In the same way, Jesus modeled a way of life that included his work.  He preached to the larger groups, taught the small group, healed many, continued to spend much time in prayer, and he rested.  Even during “crisis” Jesus rested (Mark 35-39).  He knew that we need to balance all we do.

And, of course, this is hard.  There is so much to do.  We have unfinished business, bills to be paid, people to call or visit, family who demands and deserves our time, chores to be done, grass to be cut, dishes to be washed and a need for exercise and sleep.  But we also have a life to live, one that should be lived with our Lord, and this is a life that needs balance.

So what do we do?  How do we start?  How about permission?  You have permission to take some time off.  You have permission to take some time this Labor Day weekend and just enjoy the provisions of God.  You have permission to rest.  And that does not come from “THE PASTOR” the permission comes from the LORD.

May God bless you abundantly this Labor Day weekend.

Last Sunday we celebrated the Lord’s Supper.  As a pastor, facilitating the sacraments is one of the most important, meaningful things I do.  To stand at the font and baptize a person – to pour the water symbolizing dying to sin and rising with Christ is so powerful.  And to stand up and break the bread broken for us never fails to touch me.

Whatever you call it, Communion, the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist; and whatever your beliefs are about Christ’s presence, we can all share this.  Jesus gave us this special meal to celebrate with each other, and he is present with us in the breaking of the bread.  It is a very powerful, very connecting ritual of the church.

On Tuesday morning, during prayer time, I randomly opened the bible and landed at this passage: Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver.  From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over (Matthew 26:14-16).  This event immediately comes before the Last Supper, the institution of the holy meal of Communion.

Now I have read this countless times.  I have preached it, I have studied it.  But the significance never really struck me until this week – Jesus celebrated this meal, this special event, this sacrament while he was being betrayed by one of the 12.  He gave his apostles, and us this means of grace knowing that one would betray, one would deny and 11 would abandon him in just a few short hours and then he would be executed.

Often we experience betrayals in our lives.  It might be a close friend, or a fellow leader, or even a spouse.  We might have someone walk away from us during a time of need.  We might even be in a life threatening situation when someone abandons us.  And that hurts.  But can we, like Jesus, give grace in the middle of the turmoil?  Can we offer ourselves as a blessing to others even when we are in crisis?

The next time you eat the bread and drink the cup, remember his sacrifice and pray that God would show you how you can be a blessing to others even in the middle of life’s difficulties.

I never went to Vacation Bible School as a child. I did not even really know about VBS until I was an adult and my girlfriend (and now beloved wife) volunteered at her church. Naturally I was “roped” into service.

VBS brings up different thoughts in me. I always wonder if it does any good. Are we reaching children for Christ or are we just entertaining kids for a week? The truth is many of the children who attend our program are churched – they attend worship at various churches in the community, and attend some of the other VBS programs as well. But this year, as a group leader, I got to see a different perspective. While many of the children are members of a congregation, many are not always involved in real, solid Christian formation. They may attend church and Sunday school, but are they actually being nurtured? Are they an important part of the community of faith?

Being a group leader I had the opportunity to get to know some of the children from our community (and our own congregation) in a different way. I could interact with closer than during the children’s sermon. I had a chance to speak with them about faith and life. And I will admit my ego was boosted a bit when the Apostle Paul (one of our faithful VBS volunteers) asked the group who told them about Jesus and one of the boys answered “my pastor”!

One of the best things about VBS is the children themselves. They invited their friends to attend and hear about Christ’s love. It was important for some of them to get their friends to come. Imagine if the adults did the same thing for every Sunday service. We might actually reach some of those unchurched in our neighborhoods after all.

Recently I was asked what I liked best about being a pastor. Now I was standing in a line of preachers about to process forward for an ordination service, so I did not have time to think, nor answer anything short of a “tweet”. I said something about seeing people in our community that the church has helped. And that is a true thing. Over the past few weeks I have seen people who attend our Shepherd’s Kitchen meal ministry, or people who the church has been able to help in various ways (physically and spiritually). And seeing them in public, in the “real world” so to speak is always nice. One family who benefited from our church’s willingness to help expressed their gratitude and told me some great things going on in their lives now.

But now that I have had a chance to ponder the question more, I think one of the best things about being a pastor is seeing the connections between what we do on Sunday morning and a person’s life the rest of the week. This is the eternal connection between God and us that we so need and desire. This is living in the “thin places” those places where the barrier between Heaven and Earth are thin – places where God’s presence is felt more powerfully.

During May and June, we had four deaths in the congregation. Two of them were an elderly couple who died within ten days of each other. It was a grueling couple of weeks. I gave up vacation time to tend to the families and prepare the services. Two of the funerals were held on the same weekend, so it was a very busy time. Our women’s group, (as always), was wonderful putting together funeral lunches and the entire church responded by checking in with the families and helping with the services. I am extremely grateful that our church still has people willing and able to help with funeral lunches.

Funeral services always have that air of sadness around them. Obviously people are grieving and hurting, but there is also a sense of celebration. We celebrate the lives of the deceased – we celebrate the lives of our loved ones. And we celebrate the resurrection – knowing that death is not the final answer to life. The word of God connects to people at funerals. Funerals are always at the thin places.

But during this time we also celebrated a marriage. I officiated at the wedding of a young couple in the church. And here is also where the word of God connects with people. As I delivered the sermon based on Paul’s “Love Passage” from First Corinthians 13, I stressed how the wedding day, while a happy day, is not the most joyful day of the marriage. That comes tomorrow (and the tomorrow after that and so on). Every day is an opportunity to love our spouse just a little bit more – loving them with the servant love of Jesus. And these words connected – even to a congregation where divorce has happened, where love did not last a lifetime, where pain still exists. But God’s word can penetrate that pain. His word always brings hope. And that hope was seen on the faces of those present at the wedding. Weddings are held in the thin places.

So, what do I like about being a pastor? Seeing the connections between each other, and most important, seeing the connections between God and humanity – seeing people at the thin places. May God bless you abundantly, and may you always sense the thin places around you.

My Monday morning started off a bit different than most. Around 5 AM I woke up to a heavy rain storm. I tried to go back to sleep, but pretty much tossed and turned until the alarm went off. I shuffled downstairs and made the coffee for myself and tea for my wife. I read my morning scriptures and spent a little time in prayer. Then I sat down to the computer screen. Normally on Mondays, I get the scripture for the sermon into the document, do a lot of background studying, and then start to write. My writing process is one of free flow writing – I type everything that comes to mind and then start to sort it out. Sometimes I write a couple of different ideas down until one concept takes over. The left over items might get saved for a future sermon. Ultimately, by the end of Monday, I have the overarching idea of the sermon down and will hone it during the rest of the week in between visits, bible studies, meetings and administrative duties.

But this Monday was different. The ideas did not flow. The concepts never emerged. I wrote some stuff, but could not focus. I’ve hit a wall. It might be due to working almost every day over the past eight weeks. I might be hitting a wall because I just completed a sermon series. It might be lack of sleep. And it might just be a sign that my original plan for the sermon is not God’s plan for the sermon.

Preaching is hard work. Preachers try to help the congregation link the ancient scriptures to today’s lives so transformation may occur. And we never do this alone. We rely heavily on the Holy Spirit so that what we preach is more about God than our literary and oratory skills. And fortunately, the Holy Spirit has never failed me.

So where am I on the sermon? Well after some time of prayer and reflection, I gave up the scripture lesson I first planned and went with another. And while I am not as far on the work as other weeks, knowing that the Holy Spirit is working with me gives me great confidence that all will work out on Sunday. And the Holy Spirit will transform me in the process.

And that is why God is so great – He never abandons us, He always supports us, and will carry us when we have hit the wall. May God bless you abundantly this week.

She was a woman with a past. And a present, for she was still considered a sinner. Luke (chapter 7:36-50) never tells us what she did or how she lived that was so bad, so many have speculated she was a prostitute. After all, when a woman is labeled a sinner, what else could she be? But speculation of her dilemma leads us down the wrong path. It takes us away from the point of the story and its relevance to our lives.

The truth is, Luke never tells us – he only tells us that she lived a sinful life until she met Jesus, and then she was forgiven. In her gratitude, she anoints Jesus’ feet with very expensive perfume – a lavish, extravagant gift in response to a lavish, extravagant grace. For this woman, the bonds of sin were broken.

But what are the bonds of sin? First are the obvious – the actual sinful behavior, and its consequences. But there are other bonds that are hard to break – most especially the label “sinner”. This woman was labeled in the town as a sinner. She was considered the local “bad girl”, and that label made her an outcast. But now, because she was forgiven, that bond was broken – If Jesus no longer considered her sin, than neither should we. She is now free to begin again, with a clean slate. That is the importance of grace. And grace is something we need to offer to each other.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound…

 Brothers and sisters, we are blessed.  God has showered incredible blessings upon us – and quite honestly, sometimes we do not recognize our blessings.  Personally, I have been blessed with an incredible wife – a woman who stands behind me and supports me.    We have an amazing daughter who we never envisioned – yet God knew the plans he had for us.  We sometimes face a tight budget but we never want for food.  And even in the younger days of my life, when I did face want – when at home we did not have enough, or the bills were long overdue, I was blessed.  There were always family members who provided some care.  But blessings are not just about physical things.  I am blessed by God and so are you.  God has seen me through all sorts of bad times, and He has given me an abundance of good times.  When I turned to Him, He provided a path for me, a path filled with blessings and hope.  Blessed be the name of the Lord.

 But if we are so blessed by God, why do we put so many limits on ourselves?  Why can’t we “be all that we can be” or better put, why can’t we be all that God wants us to be?  The prophet Jeremiah uttered these Godly words; “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  God has plans for you and for me.  His plans are to build us up, not to harm us.  His plans are to bless us – and in turn we are to bless others. 

In John’s gospel, Jesus says these words: I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.  Jesus’ vision for abundant life is not about material goods – but a life lived out in service to God.  A life of incredible blessings as we follow God’s will for our lives.  Imagine if we lived life as God calls us, knowing that he has a plan for us, a plan not to do us harm but plans to prosper us, to give us hope and a future.  Imagine life if we actually lived up to God’s expectations for us.  Imagine, or better yet…instead of imagining this, let’s just do it.  Let’s recognize all the blessings God has bestowed upon us, let us give Him all the thanks and praise, let’s live every step of our lives with him and share our blessings with the world. Let’s go forward knowing that when we do God’s work, we can achieve far more than we can imagine.   

 Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.

Pentecost Sunday has past. Often Pentecost has been called “the Birthday of the Church” and celebrated as such in our mainline denomination churches. And I’ve often said that the mainline churches treat the Holy Spirit as the “red-headed step-child of the Triune God”. We tend to lump any and all “manifestations” of the Spirit as non-existent any more. Some theologians of the past have declared that all signs and wonders have ceased with the death of the last of the apostles, and so the work of the Spirit is to guide us in our understanding of Holy Scripture and acceptance of the gospel… and nothing else.

The shame of this is that we neglect the power of the Spirit promised to us by Jesus, and therefore limit the church. We invoke the Spirit’s name often, and even say He is the one responsible for our own pet projects within the church (“the Spirit is moving us to do this thing I want to do”). But we fail to listen for the Spirit.

Recently I read an email calling a group of people to “continue to listen for the Spirit’s guidance in following God’s will about…” What a great way to put this. In school we were taught basic listening skills – skills we often fail to hone. We live in a very busy and noisy world. There is a constant din around us, whether traffic, construction, music and people. Just walk anywhere and you will hear things. But it takes great care to discern the noises. If you walk through a busy mall, you need to concentrate to hear your spouse above all the noise. If you are sitting in a crowded restaurant or in a place with a TV blaring, you must focus on the person speaking to hear them. It is the same with the Holy Spirit. We need to focus and concentrate on listening for God. We need to hone our listening skills and add God’s voice to the other voices we can hear above the din

And when we do this, when we actually listen for the Holy Spirit, we will be amazed at what He says to us.

According to the liturgical calendar of the church, the Easter season has ended.  Last week we celebrated as Jesus Christ was ascended into heaven, where he sits on the right hand of the Father.  But the story continues.  This Sunday we celebrate the day of Pentecost.  Some like to call it the “birthday of the church” since it is traditionally the day that the apostles publicly began their ministry, preaching the Good News and gathering new believers together.

But the Pentecost story from Acts chapter 2 is far more than the beginning of a church movement. It is a story filled with wonder, amazement and power.  And it is far more than a metaphoric look at the beginning of the new church.

Acts explains the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer.  The Spirit gave Peter the courage to stand up and preach – and the words to say.  The Spirit gave all the people the ability to hear Peter’s words.  The Spirit moves people from one place to another, calling them to preach the gospel all over the known world.  Peter is sent to a group of gentiles, Philip is sent to an Ethiopian eunuch, Paul encounters Christ and goes all over the place planting churches at the Spirit’s call.  And then there are the healings, plenty of healings.  Incredible stories of people healed from physical illnesses throughout Acts.

But we live in 2013 and it is hard to believe some of this stuff.  Does God still heal today?  Do miracles still happen?  Does God actually give us directions like He gave to Peter and Paul (and the rest)?  Or do we just have these words to guide us?

Well I have seen miracles (have you seen my daughter?  We were never supposed to be able to have children).  I have seen healings.  I have been part of incredibly powerful moments of prayer.  I have felt His presence in commanding ways.  And He has led me.  Sometimes it was nothing more than to make a phone call or send a card, other times to show up at the right place and right time.  And sometimes it is to just lift up a person in prayer – finding out later on that they really needed it.

As we celebrate Pentecost together, claim the power.  It doesn’t mean you have to go around praying in tongues (unless, of course, the Spirit gifts you that way).  It doesn’t mean you have to shout amen at my sermons (unless, of course, you are moved to do so).  It just means you are opening yourselves to God and the works He has prepared in advance for you to do.

In the words of Dick Halverson, former chaplain of the United States Congress:  You go nowhere by accident.  Wherever you go, God is sending you.  Wherever you are, God has put you there.  He has a purpose putting you there.  Christ who indwells you has something He wants to do through you wherever you are.  Believe this and go in His grace, love and power.