Forgive my crankiness in this post.  This is one of those things that bugs me.  During October, before Halloween, many stores were already putting out Christmas decorations to sell.  One department store had even decorated their store with Christmas decorations.  And on October 21st, I saw my first Christmas/Holiday season commercial on television.  And one of the things I always say (parroted by my daughter) is “it’s not even Thanksgiving yet!  What about Thanksgiving?”  Then I wander off muttering to myself.

So I recently walked into a big box store and what did I see?  Cards and decorations for “TURKEY DAY”.  My friends, it is not turkey day.  It is not a day to celebrate the gifts of turkeys.  Think about it this way.  On Veterans Day we honor our veterans.  We do not cook them and serve them on a platter.  On Arbor Day, we remember the gift of trees.  We do not cut the tree down and decorate it in our homes (that day is coming all too soon).  So on Thanksgiving, we should do what the name says, we should give thanks.  And who do we thank?  We give thanks to God for all His wondrous gifts.  We give thanks to the Lord for He is good.  His love is never failing.

All crankiness aside, we do have a tendency to make Thanksgiving the gateway to Christmas.  We look at the ads in the paper for our shopping plans (previously on Black Friday, but now on Thanksgiving day itself).  We plan our decorating, and we overeat and watch football.  So, on this Thanksgiving day, I charge you with taking some time to give God thanks.  Take time to appreciate all those God has placed in your lives.  Take time in prayer, recognizing all that God has done for you.  Give thanks.  And then celebrate.

Oh, and of course, on Friday you can start to decorate for Christmas!

May God bless you abundantly this Thanksgiving, and may we all turn to Him in thanks.

I am a pretty typical American leader.  I believe that people should not have meetings unless there are reasons for the meetings.  I believe that an agenda should be created and followed.  I believe that goals should be set, monitored and met.  I create a worship order and try to stick with it every Sunday.  I was taught that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. And there is nothing wrong with that.

Except often we miss God in the formal structures and straight lines.  Today at a prayer breakfast, we were given a message about Moses.  In Chapter 3 of Exodus, we read:  Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.  There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.  So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”  The part that was brought up this morning (and I never caught before) was the last sentence.  When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look…

Moses could have kept going, but he not only noticed but took the time to go back and see this amazing burning bush.  How often do we just keep on going, trying to keep up our to-do lists, goals and agendas?  How often do we miss out on God’s great works because we are too busy being productive, goal-oriented people?

While hearing this, I immediately thought of my daughter.  One day she asked if we could go to the park to play.  And so to the park we went.  Now in my orderly mind this is simple.  Leave house, go down the street, make a right turn, follow that street to the end then make a left turn, follow that street to the park.  Enter park, play, have fun, go home.  Simple, isn’t it?  But to my five year old daughter, getting there is half the fun.  She stops and looks at flowers.  She stops and looks at rocks and stones.  She marvels at God’s creation.  She wants to stop at the neighbor’s wishing well and sit on the neighbor’s bench.  She sees something in the clouds.  She hears something that she likes.  She experiences God’s world in a way that we “big people” keep forgetting.  And so, after cajoling her to get moving, I stop.  And I look.  And I listen.  And I see God’s handiwork all around me, especially in the wonder and love of my daughter.

And so all of you hard working, goal oriented, task achieving type “a” personalities like me, take a lesson from my daughter.  Stop and look at a rock.  Then take a lesson from God’s word.  If you see something wondrous, go to it.  Who knows, maybe God will speak with you.

May God bless you abundantly,

Bill

Those words echo in my head while watching news about the shooting at the Naval Yard in Washington DC.  A law enforcement expert was interviewed and essentially said that these type shootings are a part of the “new normal”.

My heart goes out to those who were hurt and to their loved ones.  My heart breaks every time one of these incidents happens – and they seem to be happening more frequently. People get angry and upset and the “new normal” says to shoot.

Of course the national debate over new gun laws will occur – with the same predictable results.  Advocates of new laws will make their impassioned pleas while those against new laws will make their rebuttals.  But in the end, people have been hurt and killed.  Families will live without loved ones.  Lives will be irreparably harmed.  And we scratch our heads and say “what is going on in this world?”

We live in a world of amorality.  Nothing matters anymore.  Rules only count if we like them, we can live any way we want without concern for others and nobody is allowed to declare a specific truth.  This is the “new normal”.  And it is wrong.  God is the ultimate truth and he has spoken with some basic rules for us.

Mark 12:28-31

²⁸ And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” ²⁹ Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰ And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ ³¹ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.

Love does not mean “anything goes”.  Love does not mean “who cares how you live your life as long as it doesn’t affect me.”  Love is about serving one another and caring for one another.  In these difficult days of the “new normal”, let us not forget what our Lord teaches us.  Let us instead live out our lives everyday with love guiding us.  And if someone is showing signs of anger, or their lives are going out of control, step in with love.  Maybe you are called to change the “new normal.”

May God bless us and keep us.

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…