Wisdom From the Minor Leagues

It seems that our society has an unhealthy fascination with stardom. Everybody wants their 15 minutes of fame, and when it is up, it seems like they will do almost anything to make it last longer. It should be no surprise that in a celebrity obsessed culture that we tend to overlook and undervalue the role of the supporting player. Starting on November 9, we are beginning a new sermon series where we celebrate the "wisdom from the minor leagues." If you were ever a sidekick, or felt that your wisdom and gifts were overlooked, than this series is for you. Check out the commercial.

"Happy Birthday..."

Today is my 47th birthday. That seems like a strange thing to say. I don't feel 47. I don't think that I look 47. It seems like it was just yesterday that I was starting college. And yet, here I am, celebrating 47 years of life on this earth. It was a great day. I think that it has taken me a long time to learn this, but I did something today that I have never done on my birthday. No, I didn't go bungee jumping and parachute out of an airplane. I did not involve myself in any "bucket list" behavior. This year, I celebrated my birthday by spending the morning with over 20 people from my church at the Special Olympics of Orange County. It was a great day. We worked at the soccer venue. Our job was to cheer on the athletes, to keep score, and help out any way that we could. But, mainly, we cheered on the athletes. It was an inspiring time. Maybe it is because I am 47, and I am spending more time thinking about the legacy of my life than I once did. But, I realized something today. If I never celebrate a birthday just for myself, that will be o.k. Spending my day trying to inspire others (but, more often than not, being inspired by them) is a perfect way to reflect in my life the values that I proclaim with my words. Put more simply, God has given me 47 incredible years - with far more joy than I deserve. What better way to celebrate than to share with others what God has so freely given me? I am reminded by the closing words to the poem "The Summer Day" by Mary Oliver. "I don't know exactly what a prayer is. I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel in the grass, how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields, which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done? Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" I don't know the secret to the meaning of life. But, I do know how to cheer at a soccer game, to encourage someone else in a righteous endeavor, to make a "victory tunnel" after the game. Tell me, what should I do with my one wild and precious 47th birthday?

"Here I Stand, Part Deux"

Our continuing series on core principles, "Here I Stand," continues with core principle #2. This is a biggie. Jesus is Lord and Savior. Whew! I know, your thinking I really went out on a limb on that one. Jesus is Lord and Savior. What a radical thing for a pastor to say. Granted, I probably did not divulge one of the great mysteries of the universe with that one. But, it is an important principle. And I fear, because it is so simple and straightforward, we often overlook it. But, as the incarnation of God's love, Jesus is Lord of all creation. Through his ministry of grace and healing, through his crucifixion where he took upon himself the sins of the world, and by the power of his resurrection, Jesus has ushered in a new kingdom of love and grace. Yes, it is simple. But, what does it mean if it is actually true. If Jesus really is the Lord and Savior of all creation, how does that change my life. It should change it in absolutely every conceivable way. This means, not only has God through Jesus Christ done great things in the world, but he has also called us through those "mighty acts in Christ Jesus" to allow our lives to be shaped and molded by Jesus' example of sacrificial and self-giving love (see previous blog "how Shall the Kingdom be Won?" for a deeper discussion of this). Some scriptures that help to illuminate this principle are Luke 4:16-21, John 3:16, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, and Philippians 2:5-11. Jesus is Lord and Savior. Here I stand. Are you with me?

Nuances in Worship

There has been a lot of discussion in the last few decades about the nature of Christian worship. Why do we worship? What is the purpose? What is the function of worship? How do we identify a meaningful worship experience? If someone cries is, that meaningful? The short answer is that I have always considered worship both a foretaste and a dress rehearsal for the kingdom of God. That is to say that when we worship, we experience just a sample of what the feast of heaven is like. There are many theological underpinnings to this notion. Just who is welcome in the kingdom of heaven? How are people received? I think that worship that emphasizes the radical hospitality that Jesus demonstrated in the gospels is probably on the right track. But, worship is also a dress rehearsal for the kingdom. That is to say that worship must not only point to an eschatological future. It must also acknowledge that we have not always been faithful to the calling of God's kingdom. Therefore, we must rehearse what life in the kingdom is like. This means that worship presents a narrative to people that shines the light of the gospel onto the cultural narrative that the people are familiar with. A stated value at Light of the Canyon is that worship must be meaningful and relevant to our context. This means that both what happens in worship and how it happens should be planned with our community in mind. Last week, we opened worship with a great story that fit the theme for the day. The story was "The Three Trees." Our Children and Family Ministries Corrdinator, Minnie August, did a great job artistically interpreting the story as I read along. It was a very moving experience for the folks. Check it out.