"New Life"

Scripture: Luke 24:1-12

Today, the theme was obviously the resurrection. Resurrection is more than resuscitation. It is not about Jesus simply breathing again, and blood once more coursing through his veins. That would not be that spectacular since Jesus had already done that for Jairus' daughter (Mark 5:21-43) and Lazarus (John 11:1-44). Resurrection was about more than Jesus' coming back to physical life. It was about Jesus being transformed and living again in an entirely new way. And that is the promise that resurrection holds for us. Imagine that all of this was an epic drama. The script had been written, and all of the characters knew their parts. Then, suddenly, Jesus goes completely off script. He changes everything. And because Jesus did it, he has opened the door for us, as well. We all have different scripts that work in our lives. Sometimes they are good, and lead to new life. And sometimes, they are not good, and lead to death. The good news of Easter is that God has completely rewritten the play through Jesus Christ. And we all have reason to rejoice and to hope because what God has done in Christ, he wants to do in our lives, as well. We need not be bound by a script that others have written for us. We need not be bound by a script that diminishes us. Christ has conquered death, and new life is possible for everyone. Hallelujah! Christ is risen, my friends. Christ is risen indeed. 

"The Old Rugged Cross"

Today's is Good Friday (a somewhat ironic moniker). It brings to mind one of the great old hymns "The Old Rugged Cross."

On a hill far away stoold rugged cross,
the emblem of suffering and shame;
and I love that old cross where the dearest and best
for a world of lost sinners was slain.

So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,
till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
and exchange it some day for a crown.

Amen. And amen.

Earth Day

Today is Earth Day. In the same way that Sunday is not the only time during the week that Christians are called to live as faithful disciples, Earth day is not meant to be the one day of the year that we are proper stewards of the earth's resources. Earth Day is simply an annual reminder of how God calls us to live all the time.The challenge of earth day is what lifestyle changes are we willing to make in order to preserve our natural resources. A great place to start is the Rainforest Site. With a simple click on the icon, you can help buy rainforest land. This is  great daily spiritual discipline. There are other resources right at your fingertips.  Go here to learn the principles of "Leave no trace." There are many others. What lifestyle change are you willing to commit to in order to be a faithful steward of God's creation? I'm going to think about it while I go on a hike.

"Triumph???"

Scripture: John 12:12-16

During the sermon yesterday, I quoted from the musical Jesus Christ Superstar. Simon the Zealot was one of the twelve disciples. It is meaningful to note that the zealots were a faction within Judaism in Jesus' day that advocated violent overthrow of Rome. It is interesting to me that, within his closest circle of disciples, Jesus welcomed such diversity of opinion from a zealot (someone who hated the Romans) to a tax collector (someone who actually collaborated with the Romans). I often wonder what many of the discussions were like between the disciples. Anyway, maybe Simon's words to Jesus from the musical make more sense knowing his political position. "There must be over fifty thousand, screaming love and more for you. And everyone of fifty thousand, would do whatever you asked them to. Keep them yelling their devotion, but add a touch of hate at Rome. You will rise to a greater power. We will win ourselves a home. You'll get the power and the glory, for ever and ever and ever.” Simon has bought into to Jesus as the conquering hero. And he wants it so much that he is blinded to what Jesus is actually doing. I love Jesus' response in the musical. "Neither you Simon nor the 50,000, nor the Romans, nor the Jews...understand what power is, understand what glory is, understand it all." We think of power and glory and, let's be honest, the last thing we think of is a cross. So it was in Jesus' day. And that is the great reversal of Jesus' ministry. If we accept that Jesus was the messiah, the Christ, and we accept that Jesus was God incarnate, than we must come to understand that how God revealed himself is important. God revealed himself through the life, death, and resurrection of a simple, suffering servant, of a man whose power and glory was most plainly revealed in sacrificial self-giving love. As we prepare to celebrate Easter, we must ask ourselves, how will God be revealed in and through us?

"Hurt"

Yesterday, in worship, we "burned" our sins in a bowl while we played the song "Hurt" by Johnny Cash. This is a powerful song, originally written by Trent Reznor, but covered exceptionally by the man in black. Take a moment to watch the video and offer up to God your own confession. It's good for the soul.

"Dying to Sin"

Scripture: Romans 6:5-11


Are you dying to sin? Or dying to sin? Yesterday, in worship, we received an object lesson in grace. During the sermon I told everyone that a legalistic world view focuses on obeying the law which does not necessarily inspire creativity. Not a lot is accomplished in with this world view because very little is ever risked. The world view of grace, however, inspires creativity and when mistakes are made, relies on grace. After the sermon, I almost set off the sprinklers in the sanctuary by burning our sins in a steel bowl. I was trying to illustrate the point that our sins do not have authority over us any longer. My little inspiration may not have gone how I planned, but I'll bet that folks will remember the sermon longer than some others that they have heard. Grace versus the law is an age old debate that has been around since the very beginning of the church. What is important to remember is that when we try to narrow God down to a set of rules and regulations, we are making a spiritually monumental mistake. We are limiting God to parameters of our own understanding. It was just that very thing that Jesus came to liberate us from. When we die to ourselves and live to Christ, we live not by the confines of the law, but by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And that changes everything. It changes our behavior. It changes the way that we see the world. And it changes our understanding of sin. One important thing to remember is that sin is not limited just to individuals. In the bible, sin is often dealt with in a collective manner. That means that we in the church bear responsibility for the church as a whole. God has made a covenant with each of us as individuals. This is our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. But, God also calls the church to be in covenant with Him. Sin and grace apply to all of our covenant relationships with God.

"Counting the Cost"

Snowy River

Hot Springs Falls

"The Cost"

I hiked this past Friday. It was strange, frightening, and fun. I hiked the Upper Hot Springs Canyon trail to Hot Springs Falls. It was a short hike, only about three miles round trip. But, this is the only hike where I ever got lost. It was last year, and I lost the trail on the return trip when it crossed a dry creek bed. I was lost for about 90 minutes before I found an alternate trail back to my car. I was determined that that trail would not get the best of me, so I went out on Friday with a plan. I brought duct tape and placed on branches every time I traversed the creek bed, which was full of water because of the very wet winter. It was my own version of Hansel and Gretel's bread crumbs, only no birds were going to eat my markers. On the way back, I simply followed the trail that I had marked. I made it back to my car without incident. Well...almost. First, there was the snow. That's right, snow. It was cold enough where all of the snow that had fallen in past weeks had not yet melted away. Then, there was the hail. It hailed while I was hiking which challenged my will to go on. And finally, there was the "slip and fall." While walking in the wet creek bed,  I stepped on a rock, slipped and fell back, injuring my elbow. It occurred to me as I drove back home, wet, tired and exuberantly happy, that there is often times a cost associated with facing challenges. And it is in our willingness to count the cost, and still pay the price where we see our character develop. This truth was demonstrated on my hike on a small scale. But, in life, it happens to us every day on a much larger scale. The trick is, I think, that we remember that our faith is not there to shield us from challenges, or to protect us from "the cost of discipleship," it is there to motivate, empower and equip us to face challenges.

"Building Character"

"Building Character"

Scripture: Romans 5:1-5

In 1979, M. Scott Peck published a book that was to become a bestseller and an international phenomenon. What is unique is that Peck opened his book with these words, "“Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths..." I know that the first time I tried to read that book, I did not make it past the first line. And I am sure that I am not alone. I did not want to invest time and energy in a conversation about suffering. That seemed rather depressing. That is tragic because if I would have continued to read I would have realized that Peck's book is not about suffering; it is about transcending suffering. The very next lines of his book read, "It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult--once we truly understand and accept it--then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters." Peck's book, with its insights into transcending suffering and living lives of meaning was an inspiration to millions of people around the world. The Apostle Paul's words to the church is Rome were probably received about as enthusiastically as I first received Scott Peck's words - not very enthusiastically at all. No one wants to hear the adage, "it builds character." But, here's the thing. There are times when suffering does build character, and there is really no getting around it. Suffering can draw us closer to God (which is always a good thing) and it can strengthen us as we prepare to face challenges in our lives. Let us not shrink from challenges. Let us learn to face them with the assurance of God's abiding presence with us, even in the midst of suffering.

"Hubris"

So, Reverend - and I am biting my tongue as I use that term as it is a title that I share - Terry Jones decided that he would go ahead and burn the Koran anyway. Jones claims to be a Christian (I have doubts see Matthew 7:21). Although I have a feeling that when he finally meets his maker that he is going to be as surprised as a suicide bomber that expects 20 virgins to cater to his every whim when he goes before God. I have read the bible. I know the Christian story. Jones' act of "spiritual terrorism" did absolutely nothing to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ. Instead, he simply reinforced people's fear that Christians are ignorant, intolerant, and bigoted. And now, as a result of his actions, people are being killed or injured in protests over his action. Terry Jones does not speak for any Christianity that I have ever known. His is a gospel of fear and hatred, not of Jesus Christ. As much as it turns my stomach to even mention Terry Jones because I suspect that publicity is what he is most after, it is important for Christians to denounce his actions as strongly as we would denounce any other act of terror committed in the name of God. I hope that preachers all over the country tomorrow denounce Jones as the perpetrator of hate that he is.