"A Church Grammar Lesson"

Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnoman, on the faithandleadership.com web site, makes a compelling point about denominations within Christianity. Check out a short video of his comments here. Denominations, Kinnamon says, represent distinctive renewal traditions within one Body of Christ, and terms like “Methodist” and “Presbyterian” are adjectives that qualify the word “Christian.” This raises at least two questions for all churches. First, are we being faithful to the tradition of renewal that gave us birth, or are we supporting in institution? Second, where does our renewal tradition fit within the the greater (meaning bigger and better) body of Christ?

"No Fear"

John 12:20-26

Can I just say that I am not a fan of Lent. This whole "giving stuff up" and "dying to self" is not fun. This is not the happy, happy, joy, joy season of the Christian calendar. It is tough to preach and even tougher to live out. I love Easter, Christ's victory over death, salvation, hope, and all of the wonderful themes surrounding the holy day. Easter, yay! Lent, not so much. But, then, while I am wallowing in self-pity and frustration (I gave up candy for Lent, and I am ashamed at how much will power it is taking me), I encounter a scripture like John 12:20-26. I remember that the whole purpose of Lent is not to be sad and downcast just to appease God. The purpose of Lent is to prepare our hearts and minds for the radical mystery that is Easter. The resurrection of Jesus is the event in human history that provides us with hope. Because God was able to conquer death and sin, we can hope that He continues to be at work in our midst. But, Easter - resurrection - cannot happen unless there is first the cross. Which brings me back to Lent. While I might not find it enjoyable to skip that Milky Way bar that I wanted to have after lunch, and while I may find it difficult to preach and teach on themes that we all struggle with, the truth is that Lent is a very important time because it provides us the opportunity to die to ourselves so that we might live to Christ. In the gospel lesson that we read yesterday, Jesus invites those who would follow him to take up a "cross-centered spirituality," which means that we are willing to die to ourselves each day so that we might live to Christ forever. This would have been a source of fear for the people, just as it probably is for many of us. The idea of dying to our own desires, habits, prejudices, appetites, etc. is not an appealing one for most people. But, we must remember that the cross is not the end of the story. And that is the whole point. The cross is merely the path to the real story - eternal life with God. We need not fear the cross. We need not be resentful about the season of Lent, with its emphasis on self-denial. All of these things can be sources of hope and new life. And that is good news!

"Faith and Fear"

This Sunday, we are going to be talking about fear and faith, specifically giving up our fear of a cross-centered spirituality and embracing a faith that sees in the cross hope for salvation. I found this wonderful quote from Dr. E. Stanley Jones that sums up, quite well, what I am hoping to say. "I am inwardly fashioned for faith, not for fear. Fear is not my native land; faith is. I am so made that worry and anxiety are sand in the machinery of life; faith is the oil. I live better by faith and confidence than by fear, doubt and anxiety. In anxiety and worry, my being is gasping for breath--these are not my native air. But in faith and confidence, I breathe freely--these are my native air. A John Hopkins University doctor says, 'We do not know why it is that worriers die sooner than the non-worriers, but that is a fact.' But I, who am simple of mind, think I know; We are inwardly constructed in nerve and tissue, brain cell and soul, for faith and not for fear. God made us that way. To live by worry is to live against reality." Amen.

"Heaven on Our Minds - part 2"

"Hell hath no fury like a ministry scorned." Ouch! That one hurt. That is the opening line from an article by Lukas I. Alpert from the NY Daily News about a United Methodist minister that was asked to leave his appointment after posting on his Facebook page his support for Rob Bell's book Love Wins. I find this more than a little unsettling considering I am a United Methodist minister that expressed sympathy for Bell's ideas on this blog last night. Should I be worried about my job? Will my parishioners come after me? I doubt it. They are a pretty good bunch of folks. But, as someone that loves not just Light of the Canyon UMC, but the whole United Methodist denomination, it saddens me to see that the narrow-minded theological ideas of a few people are broadcast on the web and become the mage that people have for the whole bunch of us. As I said last night. It is not the theology that I find so disturbing. It is the idea that we find it really important that people go to hell. That seems like an angry and fearful faith, not a loving one. Right now, I am reading a wonderful action/mystery by C.J. Box. But, when I am finished with that, Rob Bell's book is next on my reading list (I am not the world's greatest multi-tasker, so I try to keep it to one book at a time). I will give my thoughts about Bell's book when I get to it. If you are curious about what all of the uproar is all about, check out this promotional video that Rob Bell put out about his book. In the meantime, the question we are left with is one that Rob Bell asks in his video, "What is God like?" That is a deep question for deep souls. And God is not afraid of our questions. He welcomes them. Many people prefer the shallow waters of faith. That's cool. But, even one of the most evangelical people in America, Rev. Billy Graham, has said, when asked whether he believes heaven will be closed to good non-Christian people, "Those are decisions only the Lord will make. It would be foolish for me to speculate on who will be there and who won't ... I don't want to speculate about all that. I believe the love of God is absolute. He said he gave his son for the whole world, and I think he loves everybody regardless of what label they have." This quote is from a Newsweek interview in 2006. I have to say I appreciate and applaud Rev. Graham's humility. I hope that it is catching. 

"Heaven on Our Minds"

There is much ado about Rob Bell's new book Love Wins. Rob Bell is a provocative thinker, and so people usually have a passionate response to him one way or the other. It rakes a special courage to put yourself out there like that. I admire that quality (and even envy it a little). I am looking forward to reading the book. I confess that I have not yet done so. However, what has struck me about the response of so many people is that so many Christians seem really concerned that certain people go to hell. They take a special relish in knowing that they themselves will be enjoying an eternal reward with God in heaven while those that do not believe burn in eternal torment. What concerns me is not people's theological perspective. It is their sincere hope that some people burn in hell. That seems un-Christian to me. I am not saying I don't believe in hell. And I am not saying some people do not go to hell. I am saying, I would like to think that the GOd of the universe, a God who came up with the idea of redeeming human sin by dying on a cross, will address the afterlife with the same compassion that I hear so many preachers preach about. If God is love, what does that mean for heaven and hell? Either way, I think it is a prideful and arrogant sin when Christians rejoice at the prospect of someone spending eternity in hell. There is nothing in that idea worthy of rejoicing about. We really need to get over ourselves. Rob Bell rightly points out in an interview with Relevant Magazine that there is a great diversity of opinion within the Christian tradition about the nature of heaven and hell. That is a true statement. And while people on the theological extremes (both right and left) would prefer to think that they have the one true answer and that is the end of the discussion, that is clearly not the case for people that seek a faith or both head and heart.

"You Can Take It With You"

Luke 16:19-31

Lent is the season of giving things up. That may not be a great sales pitch. But, that is what this time is about. Remember, this is not because God is no fun. God is not a cosmic killjoy. We practice giving things up during Lent because God is the path to true abundance, abundance that human currency cannot buy. That is why the first thing that we need to give up for Lent is our love of/obsession with money. The reading that I shared yesterday from The Discipleship Journal sums up quite nicely the main principle in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. “Money will buy a bed, but not sleep; books, but not brains; food, but not appetite; finery but not beauty; a house but not a home; medicine but not health; luxuries but not culture; amusements but not happiness; religion, but not salvation; a passport to everywhere but heaven." That there is poetry.

"To Die is Gain"

Scripture: Philippians 1:12-26

Yesterday, in worship, I tried to convince everyone of a truth that is, in all honesty, counter-intuitive. That truth is "to die is gain." Again, I am not speaking of a literal death as the Apostle Paul probably was in his letter to the Philippian church. I am talking about dying to self, dying to all of the things that hold us back from knowing, loving, and serving God. In the video that I showed during the sermon, God actually chiseled away the parts of the man that he needed to "die to" in order to live to Christ. And living to Christ is what makes dying to self a "gain." In the video, God talked about the "empty wells" that we keep going to again and again, and we continue to hope that somehow this time will be different. We all have our own version of the empty well. For some, it is bad relationships. For others, it is bad behaviors. For some, it is negative emotions or thoughts. What is your empty well? The secret to living in Christ is to learn to die to those things that make us feel separated from the love of God. Death is not a popular topic, and it is usually not one that fills the seats in Sunday worship. But, I want to invite you to take seriously the opportunity that we all have during this Lenten season - the opportunity to die a little to ourselves each day, so that we might truly live to Christ for all days. If you would like to fill out a "Flight Plan" for our new sermon series, you can find an attachment at the LOTC Facebook page. A good way to get the most out of this series will be to prepare our hearts and minds for what God has in store for us. The whole point of the season of Lent is to prepare us for the glory and the mystery of Easter. So, while we talk a little bit about death now, it is for the purpose of knowing fully the abundant life to which we have been called through Christ. 

Japan Relief

Follow this link if you would like to make a donation to UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) to support the relief efforts for the victims of the Japan earthquake and resulting tsunamis (Matthew 25:34-40. Let us continue to hold all of the victims in our prayers.

"Just Around the Next Turn"

I went hiking yesterday. While this may not be cause to alert the media, it has been a while since I have been out. I hiked a place Fish Canyon Trail in Duarte. It was a pretty serious elevation climb to begin the hike. I found myself in an old familiar position, looking "just around the next turn." For those that hike or bike, you know this experience. You tell yourself, I will keep going until I see what is around the next turn. But every time you reach a turn you look around and see that is just leads to another turn. So you repeat the process until exhaustion sets in. I was thinking as I was hiking and kept telling myself over and over "around the next turn," that this is what the life of faith is life. We Christians have a belief in an ultimate victory of Christ, where love and justice reign in the world and in the hearts of people. But, the distance between where we are and where God calls us to be is so far that sometimes the best we can do is to make it to the next turn. And then God inspires us to go one more, and again and again. That is why the Christian life is like a journey. It never ends until it...well...ends. So for now, I will just keep going. Because I really think something cool is going to happen...around the next turn.