Scots Wha Hae

I just got back from the Scottish Festival at Orange County Fairgrounds. This is an event that I go to every year. It is enjoyable to celebrate one's heritage, even if it is as rag tag of a story as we Scots. Robert Bruce beat up on Edward II at Bannockburn in 1314 (very dramatically and poignantly, but erroneously, portrayed in my favorite movie "Braveheart" - what is a "warrior-poet" anyway?) and we have been looking for that one big win ever since. Oh well, it is still a wonderful thing to be Scots. We enjoyed fish and chips, A Scottish sheep dog exhibition, Highland Games, and all the bagpipes we could want. One of the highlights for me was during opening ceremony when all of the assembled bands played together the song is "Scotland the Brave." Amen to that.

P.S. Can anyone tell me what "Scots Wha Hae" means? The clue - it is from Robert Burns.

Adam Hamilton is My Hero (or one of them, at least)

Forgive the long title of this post, I was trying to be witty. I was reading Adam Hamilton's blog and he posted some statistical information about the United Methodist Church (I know, riveting, huh?). I found it interesting, however. As the pastor of a church of over 60 weekly attenders, but less than 7000 (significantly less), I am constantly juggling the mission of the church (see my previous post) with my desire fill the seats. They are not necessarily the same thing. One thing that I do know about working in a decidedly "non-mega church" is that there are challenges and joys that congregations of all sizes must face. Rick Warren can write a letter asking for money and bring in 2.4 million dollars. If if wrote the same letter (with a few less zeros), I would probably get about 2.4 thousand (maybe a smidge more). However, I get to know the people in my care. I get to hold their hand in bad times, and jump for joy with them in good times. I get to pray with them, laugh with them, cry with them (sometimes even cry in front of them). And that is worth at least 2.4 million. The point is, every church of every size is placed in this world for a reason. No church is more important than another. God is not sitting in heaven grading us on our average weekly attendance (at least, I hope not). Some churches, because of their size can have a wider impact on the community and the world. While others have a profound impact on a few people. Either way, through Jesus Christ, transformation is happening. And I am just stoked to be a part of it.

Making Disciples

The United Methodist Church, of which I and may wife and son are lifetime members, certainly is far from perfect. We, like any human organization, have our share of issues to deal with. But, there is one thing that we nailed. Our mission statement is "making disciples for the transformation of the world." I love that. It possesses both a task, or calling - making disciples, and a rationale, for the transformation of the world. It is not about a reward that we may, or may not, receive when we "shuffle loose this mortal coil" (Isn't that pretty? It's from Hamlet. That Shakespeare cat had a way with words). Living the Jesus way is about the life we live today, and how God uses us in this world. We have been doing a sermon series and small group study on making disciples, and the conversations that have emerged have been very interesting. The consensus so far, and we are only two weeks into it, is that the witness that we provide to the truth of Christ is not found in our words, but in the way we order our lives. That sounds like a no-brainer. However, if the church (United Methodist and otherwise) could figure that one out, we would truly be a force of transformation in the world.

A Violent Wind (Again)

I can't help myself. As I was reflecting on Pentecost, I remembered this video. I use it in my Confirmation classes when I teach about the Holy Spirit. Christianity is not polite. Think of it this way. The wind is the spirit. The boat is the church. Someday, we will get it right. Enjoy.

Sailing

A Violent Wind

Tomorrow is Pentecost, the day the Holy Spirit came upon the people in Jerusalem after Jesus had ascended into heave. It occurs to me that, from the very beginning, crazy things happen when the Holy Spirit comes. Church does not resemble a social gathering as much as it does a “violent wind.” And the violent wind of God’s spirit invades not just our worship,but the way that our lives are ordered. And it changes everything. Nothing is left untouched. Suddenly, we start doing kooky things. We share the story of God’s love with others. We care for others. We do things like feed the hungry, free those who are enslaved, care for the lonely. We see care for God’s creation as our responsibility. That is radical. The Holy Spirit can be frightening at times (in fact, it is), and may be people that will scoff (in fact, there are). But, remember, this is all a part of God’s promise. This is all a part of God’s plan. It s l sailing on a boat at sea. We cannot seek to direct the wind, we can only seek to use it to move us forward. Pentecost is a reminder that we are not in charge, God is. And all that we can really do about it is to go with it.
Because God’s spirit is gonna come. It is not a question of if. It is a question of when. And when it does, God does not need us to be ready, He needs us to be willing.

The Holy Family (continued)

More thoughts on the "holy family". Last Sunday, we talked about the different narratives that vie for our attention in this world. I mentioned that one of the best things my parents ever gave me was one of the things that we argued about the most. When I was growing up – and especially in my teenage years - the idea of sleeping in on a Sunday morning (or going surfing) was far more appealing than worshiping at University United Methodist Church, Irvine where my family attended. Every week, my parents and I would the same argument. And the argument would always end with my dad saying the same thing, "We are Watersons, and we go to church. And that is how it is.” Argument over. And that was how it went. Until we turned the magical age of 18, that was the rule. What I didn’t know then was that my parents were doing two things...
1. Fulfilling the promises they made at my baptism.
2. Helping to craft the narrative that would define my life, the narrative of the Christian faith.
The question we need to ask ourselves is this: whose story defines how we live our lives and raise our families? Is it the story of Madison Avenue. Is it the story of commitments and obligations? Or is is the good news of Jesus Christ and the new kingdom that he inaugurated?

The Holy Family

We have bee participating in a sermon series entitled "Family Ties" at Light of the Canyon. I have enjoyed it a great deal as it has not only been an opportunity to share my thoughts. It has also been a learning experience and challenge for my wife and me. We chatted this weekend about son's Little League team. They have more practices this week than usual because we are in the "playoffs" (honestly, 7 year-olds, in the playoffs?!?). Navigating the challenges of family time and Little League is difficult now, but it will only get more so as the level of competition increases. These are the challenges that we must be prepared for, and they are the challenges that many of you face. I wish that there was a simple formula, like "X amount of family time divided by Y amount of activities to the power of participating in the church = the perfect life." However, no such equation exists. It is to us to work it out. I don't think that the issue is one of time per se; it is one of focus. In Deuteronomy Moses commands the people to, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might." This means that our highest allegiance belongs to God. And that allegiance defines all of our other loyalties. That is a tough one! John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, quoted this verse from Deuteronomy often, citing it as a summary of biblical or spiritual religion. And lest we think that this does not apply to us, in the gospels Jesus says that this commandment is the greatest of all (Matthew 22:34-40). In fact, Jesus actually ups the ante. He adds another commandment with it. It is from Leviticus 19:18, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love of God and love of neighbor is the cornerstone of the Christian life, as well as the Christian family. It is the story that we have to tell.