"Transformed Living in Tough Times"

Scripture: Matthew 6:16-21

First of all, I have to give thanks to Rev. John Ed Mathison for his book "Transformed Living in Tough Times," on which our recent sermon series was based. If you learned only one thing during our previous sermon series, let it be that it is not the job of the church to sit back and hope and pray that the tough times we are living in will somehow be transformed. Our job, our calling, is to live transformed lives in the midst of these tough times, and in so doing, become agents of transformation. That is what we have been talking about for the last few weeks. In all of the stories that were shared with you, in all of the sermons, everything we have done has been a call to be God's agents of transformation in a world desperately in need. One of the ways that we do this is to take seriously Jesus' words. "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rustconsume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." If it is helpful, think of it this way. You have two safety deposit boxes. One is marked "this world" and the other is marked "kingdom of God." Which box do you fill first. We are not just talking about money, we are talking about our prayers, presence, gifts and service. God knows that you must fill both boxes in order to live. But, which box do you fill first? Are both boxes a priority or does the "kingdom of God" box get leftovers, whatever is available or convenient. That is not what God wants. God wants our hearts because where our treasure is, there our hearts will be also.

"Having a Christ-like Attitude"

Scripture: Philippians 2:4-11

Yesterday during worship, I talked about having a Christ-like attitude. Quite honestly, I thought I was somewhat eloquent (if not a wee bit wordy). But, the truth is, I was the third best speaker that took to the lectern yesterday. While I preached from Paul’s letter to the Philippian church, those of you that were in worship heard two dramatically different, but equally compelling testimonies to what having a Christ-like attitude looks like. Marci shared about being transformed after experiencing brokenness. If we are going to be honest with ourselves, we have all experience moments of brokenness in our lives. That cannot be avoided. The question is not will we be broken. We will. Then question is, will we allow God to heal our brokenness. Saying yes to that question is the first step to developing a Christ-like attitude. Later in the service, Mike shared about the Grow One program. Grow one is a tool that we can use to move closer to the biblical standard of the tithe. I shared with you about offering your prayers, presence, gifts and service to God as a spiritual discipline. Marci and Mike described what that looks like. I hope that you will prayerfully consider their words this week. I know I will.

"Who Needs God?"

Scripture: Luke 19:1-10

Yesterday, in worship, Mark Bell shared his story of coming to faith. THis talk was appropriately titled "Who Needs God?" I think that Mark's story is similar to that of a lot of people. We go through life with all of our physical needs satisfied. We have money for recreation. We are comfortable. Mark said it several times in his talk. He felt like he "didn't have any problems." And yet, beneath the satisfied, comfortable exterior was an inner searching that was going unsatisfied. In the Methodist tradition, we call this sense "prevenient grace." This is the grace of God that calls us to itself, sometimes by making us uncomfortable in our comfortable lives. Every time that Mark described, rather humorously I might add, seeing a Harvest Crusade sign and then dealing with the inner turmoil that resulted, that was God's prevenient grace working in his life. Said another way, Jesus did not die on the cross and raise from the dead so that God would simply sit back, have a glass of lemonade and wait for people to respond. God, through the Holy Spirit, is constantly working in our lives, whether we actually believe in him, or not. When Mark finally went to the Harvest Crusade, he had all kings of preconceived ideas about Christians. "This is just a scam," was one of his ideas. "These people are fanatics" was another. His experience is actually rather typical. Many people outside of the church have a lot of preconceived ideas about Christianity. Unfortunately, all too often, the church has brought these ideas on ourselves by the way that we have behaved. It is important to think about how our behavior, and often times our words, impact other people. Mark's story is an important reminder that how we behave really makes a difference to how effectively we bear witness to the love and grace of God.

"Seeing the Possible"

Scripture: 2 Kings 5:2-14

Yesterday was an inspiring time in worship. We heard from Minnie, Jared and Debbie Allen about their time at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection's Leadership Institute. They all articulated a vision of moving LOTC forward through a process of change and growth (the order of those two words is intentional). Minnie challenged us all to "think different." Follow this link to see the commercial that she played during her talk. Jared challenged you to give 24 hours to the youth in 2011 or 2012. What a difference a day can make to the youth of our church. Debbie talked about what a wonderful model the Church of the Resurrection is for having a vision and gearing all that you do towards that vision. And I talked about "seeing the possible." Through the story of Namaan and Elisha, we learned that all things are possible if we keep our eyes and ears open for God's leading.

All of the conversation yesterday reminds me of something. I have two pictures in my office on the wall opposite my desk so that they are facing me as I work. One is a picture of John Wesley. It is probably not a real mystery as to why that picture hangs on my wall. The other picture is Abraham Lincoln. The reason his picture hangs on my wall, staring down at me (more as inspiration than condemnation) is that he reminds me to have a clear vision and to communicate it and live it out in all that I do. His vision was clear, "that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." He gave everything for that vision. The question that we must ask ourselves is, what will we give to make LOTC a "welcoming community of faith where spiritual seekers become loving, serving, followers of Jesus Christ." That is our Great Commission.

"Rockin' the Boat"

Scripture: Matthew 14:22-33

Yesterday, there was an interesting dichotomy in our worship service (ain't that always the way?). First, Debi Anderson, a Special Olympics athlete, gave an inspiring speech about Special Olympics. Her theme for her life was "I can do all things." She quoted Philippians 4:13. She is a gifted speaker and I know that people enjoyed and were inspired by her testimony. But, then Pastor Jon got up and preached about our limitations. I said that we are not supposed to walk on water. Only Christ does that. The point was that we need to learn to accept our role as a disciple of Jesus Christ, and not try to define for Jesus what is best. When it comes to our faith, we are followers, not leaders. This can be very confusing for people that lead in the church. But, remember, you are not leading Christ; you are leading the people of Christ. So, how do we reconcile this situation? Debi says, "I can do all things," and we want to believe her because her story is so compelling. But, Pastor Jon says that there are limitations to what we can do. Well, as you might expect, Pastor Jon is right. We must remember, especially as we determine how we will commit our resources to Christ and his church, that he is the master and we are the servants. We must know our place in the great drama of faith. But, Debi is also right. Through Christ, there is no limit to what we can accomplish. If we are working toward his purpose and his calling, with the strength of his spirit, we are unstoppable. And that is really good news.