"People Get Ready"

On November 7, we are beginning an exciting new sermon series. Believe it, or not, the season of Advent - the time of preparation for Christmas - is right around the corner. In order to make our hearts ready, we are looking at the words of some of the Old Testament prophets for hope and inspiration. The series is entitled "People Get Ready." Check out the video.

"Giving When it Hurts"

Scripture: Luke 12:35-48

Next Sunday is Consecration Sunday. This is the week that we will all be asking ourselves the question, “How much shall I give?” What amount shall we commit to sharing with the church in 2011? This is an important question, one that requires prayer. This past Sunday, I spoke with you about the difference between religious “consumers” and disciples. The rise of religious consumerism started in the Protestant reformation, when pastors and theologians started teaching their people that wealth was a sign of God’s favor. This belief is not biblical. In fact, it runs counter to many of Jesus’ teachings. However, saying that our financial well-being (or lack thereof) is a sign of God’s favor or disfavor does not mean that God is not the source of our gifts. The disciple sees God as the source of all that we have and considers faithfully how to respond. Part of the problem for many of us is that, with the rise of the industrial economy, we stopped seeing our resources as related to God. In the bible, the people lived on the fruit of their labors - literally. They were connected to the things that gave them life (food, etc.) because, quite often, these things resulted from the work of their hands. When they made offerings to God from their grain, or livestock, they were offering a portion of what we might consider to be their “salary.” When we learn to see the money that we make in the same way - as the fruit of our labors - we will more likely develop the attitude of a disciple.

The State of the Jon

I have noticed that, like many people, I tend to be reflective on my birthday. That is what happens when you have celebrated more birthdays than you probably have left. You think about making the most of your time remaining. I usually share some insight on this blog on or around my birthday. And so this year, I am just going to claim that right as a getting-older-person and share my state of the union (or "State of the Jon" as the case may be). As is often the case, a U2 song comes to my mind, "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." I don't mean that in a dramatic "life is hopeless sense," nor am I on the waning edges of a mid-life crisis. I simply mean that, as I turn 49 (or 30-19 as I like to say), I am aware of two contrasting realities in my life. I have a wife that is way out of my league (don't tell her, it will be our secret). I have a wonderful son. My family remains close (if not a little crazy) and I have a job that is more of a blessing to me than the people that I serve. I am spoiled. Life really is good. And yet, I still haven't found what I'm looking for. There is still that restlessness that says, there is more work to be done in this world. As my high school math teacher Mr. Bentley once told me, "nothing is harder on one's laurels than resting on them." So, today, I celebrate all that I have been blessed with in this world, and I thank God that I somehow have way more than I deserve. But, I also celebrate the divine restlessness that is within me for it keeps me looking ahead more than I am looking back. And that is the way that I want to live. Can I get an amen?

The Ripple Continues

Yesterday in worship, we talked about one of the more difficult passages in scripture, Matthew 25:31-46, known as "The Judgment of the Nations." Jesus was pretty serious about what he said, and that can be frightening to many people, myself included. It is important that we bear in mind exactly what Jesus is asking us to do. He is asking us to serve in such a way as to make only a ripple in this world. He is not asking for much. His words are frightening sometimes because of their severity. But, what he is asking is not something that we cannot do on a regular basis. It is important to remember that he calls us to serve the "least" of these. Jesus is always about bringing into the family of God those that the world has forgotten. Too often, I think, the church has been an organization that tries to define who is "out" of the kingdom, who is not worthy of God's grace, etc. The truth is, however, that the church was never given that authority. It is our job to welcome others into the family of God in  Jesus' name, even the "least" of these. If we spend our time on that, than we will not only be faithful to the call of Christ, I am sure that we will hear those blessed words, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."

"Blessed are the ???"

"If you pursue God for God's sake, than God will bless you with material things." So says Pastor Michael Moore of Faith Chapel in Birmingham, Alabama. This quote caught my ear because we are in the middle of a sermon series entitled "Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity" based on the book by the same name by Pastor Adam Hamilton, and I essentially refuted this very idea in my sermon last week. This is a harmful idea because it confuses blessings with material wealth. The problem with that is that Jesus never makes that promise, nor does the gospel imply anywhere that people that are wealthy are any more blessed than anyone else. I think that Pastor David Platt is on the right track when he says that, "More than health and wealth, Jesus I think gives us a picture more of a homeless and wounded gospel, and even the New Testament church is not a picture of prosperity theology. It’s a picture of adversity theology, persecution, struggles, poverty, helping one another out." These are very uncertain times that we are living in, and often times many of us (myself included) will grab onto ideas that give us comfort but that are ultimately false. I think that the "prosperity gospel" is one such idea. Perhaps, the life that Jesus is calling us to looks more like the picture in Matthew 25:31-46, which is what I am preaching on this Sunday.

"Get There Early"

Here is a great book. It is called "Get There Early" by Robert Johanson. He spoke at the Leadership Institute last week at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. In the United Methodist tradition, and I suspect in many mainline churches, we are so wedded to the past that we neglect the future. And yet, in our communion liturgy, we talk about remembering, celebrating in the present, and hoping for the future. Each of these elements is based on our covenant with God. We in the mainline need to think about where the world is going if we hope to minister to it meaningfully. We need to know where the road leads if we are hoping to "get there early."

"The Ripple Effect"

This Sunday, I am preaching on Matthew 25. Jesus says that, "As much as you have done this to the least of these who are members of my family, you have done it to me." What we do in the this life echoes even in eternity. I prepared a small movie to celebrate how the ripple effect works at Light of the Canyon. We will be showing this in worship on Sunday. Here is a preview.

"All Things"

Yesterday, our sermon title was "More Than Enough" and we talked about Christian contentment. The scripture was Philippians 4:10-14. At its core, Christian contentment is characterized by the realization that Paul wrote about in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." This is pretty famous passage and I have seen it in many different places throughout my life. I have seen it posted on license plate frames, t-shirts, mugs. In high school, I knew someone that had "Philippians 4:13) stitched on the back of his lettermen's jacket. I left mine blank, hoping instead that God would send a beautiful girlfriend who would wear my jacket. But, I digress. When we think of the statement, "I can do all things through him who strengthens me," our minds are immediately drawn to thinking about possibilities, about what can be. That is the power and mystery of God at work. Through Christ - and that is a very important disctinction meaning that our goals are formed and shaped by our relationship with Christ - we can all things. I immediately think of the challenges faced by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. He was faced with discrimination, cruelty and violence. And yet, he chose, after prayer and discernment, to follow non-violent social action and decided to have faith in the principle that "all things are possible through him who strengthens me." All of this is to say that we must seek out contentment in Christ and we must have faith in Christ in order to know the assurance that Paul speaks about. How has God worked in your life? I have posted a question on the church's Facebook page and I would love to hear your response. The question is "Yesterday in worship we talked about Paul's declaration that "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." Please take a few moments to post on the page about a time when Christ strengthened you. I would love to read your responses and I know that others will be inspired, as well. Just follow this link to get to the page.

Thank God I'm a Methodist

I am still at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection's Leadership Institute. It is still wonderful and inspiring. COR's vision is "Changing lives, transforming communities, and renewing the church." What impresses me so much about this is that renewing the church that gave them life is important. I am a lifelong Methodist. I am proud of that association. United Methodists can have a tendency to be "institutional," rather than oriented towards being the church. But, that is not our tradition. That is not even our stated value. It is just what we have become. Our mission in the United Methodist Church is to "make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world." How cool is that. I can completely get behind that. No one knows what the future holds for the UMC. But, it is an exciting time to be a part of this church. You might be interested to know that we have a rich history. In addition to to our history in the world, and our hope about where we are going, the United Methodist church has placed an interesting place in American culture. Check out this link to find our some fun facts about Methodists.

"Inspirado"

I am at the Leadership Institute at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas.  As usual, this experience is inspiring and educational. Right now, I am listening to Jason Moore and Len Wilson from Midnight Oil Productions talk about creative worship. The main theme is how our culture is shifting from a focus on text to a focus on images. To communicate effective, they say, we must learn to communicate in image. This is a compelling thought. For someone that makes his living with words, this statement is particularly challenging. How does this relate to communicating the good news of Jesus Christ in our day and age? What are your thoughts?