Like A Child

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Like a Child
Let the Children Come - Part 1
Sunday, August 7, 2022
Mark 10:13-15, Matthew 18:1-5

Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God’s kingdom. What’s more, when you receive the childlike on my account, it’s the same as receiving me.

 Matthew 18:5 (The Message)

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Can I be honest?

I didn’t really like being a child. I’m not sure I was ever really good at it.

Even in my earliest memories I hated kids games, I hated the silliness, I hated arts and crafts projects., especially ones that involved paint, glue, and worst of all, glitter! I hated having to run outside, especially in the heat. And most of all I hated having to dress up as a clown for a circus themed Vacation Bible School at a church that wasn’t even my own. The only saving grace was that at that church nobody knew who I was.

Most of the time I would much rather sit down with an adult over a game of chess or read a book in my room by myself than hang out with other kids.

So if I’m really being honest, today’s teaching from Jesus is tough for me.

No one can enter the kingdom of God unless they become like a little child?

What!?!?

I have spent my whole life trying to be seen as an adult. Even as a younger or almost middle aged adult, it seems some people will always treat me like a child. The last thing I want is to actually be like a child again. I never even liked it the first time around.

There is one part of childhood, however, that I cling to dearly, and hope I never outgrow. It’s the need to question everything, to keep exploring and to get lost in wonder and amazement. It’s the hunger for learning and the thirst for wisdom and understanding. The one thing I loved about being a child is the one thing so many children seem to hate… school. I love learning so much I keep finding new ways to stay in school. I just finished my Doctorate Degree from Duke and I’m still wondering what other educational opportunities I can find to keep exploring, learning, growing, and becoming more of who God created me to be.

I find it interesting that when people say you should have the “faith of a child”, what they often mean is, “Don’t question, just accept what we tell you. Don’t doubt, just believe,” or as I was taught more explicitly, “be seen and not heard.” As a child you don’t have an opinion, at least not one that matters to anyone. Funny that as an adult, and even as a well educated pastor, I find that to most people my opinions still don’t matter much, no matter how well informed.

Those who say that having childlike faith means not asking questions or expressing doubts or opinions clearly haven’t been around a lot of children. One of my favorite things about my 8 year old daughter is the questions she asks. In fairness, she asks a lot of silly questions too. She’s a lot better at being a kid than I ever was. But she is also wise beyond her years and she asks the kinds of questions so many adults are afraid to ask. Questions about who God is and about the nature of humanity and why people do the things they do. Questions about the differences between people and the ways people believe and disagree on so many issues. She asks the kinds of questions that quite frankly would make us all better human beings, less angry and judgmental and more empathetic and understanding, if we would only be open enough to ask and bold enough to hear someone else’s answer.

I can’t help but wonder, and hope, that this is at least part of what Jesus means when he says we must become like children.

Never stop being curious. Don’t lose your sense of wonder. Keep exploring. Keep asking questions. Keep learning. Keep growing. The mysteries of God’s love are endless so if you ever think you know enough, remember… you are still just a child. Have a teachable spirit. You can never know it all. Dive deep into the mysteries of the universe, the mysteries of life, the mysteries of the human mind and soul, the mysteries of grace, and the mystery of the Eternal One.

Maybe I missed the point. Maybe I am just supposed to be silent, obedient, have no opinions or thoughts of my own, and be seen and not heard the way children are so often treated in this world.

But I really hope not. I hope with all my heart that Jesus is inviting us to childlike wonder, to joy, to eyes and hearts wide open to beauty, to mystery, and to love.

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With the service this week being geared toward children, we did not have a formal sermon to share. Feel free to enjoy a video of the full Back to School Worship Experience below…

Treasures in Heaven

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Treasures in Heaven
Burning Questions: Week 5
Sunday, July 31, 2022
Luke 12:13-34, Matthew 6:24

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be loyal to the one and have contempt for the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

 Matthew 6:24 (CEB)

Listen to this week’s sermon here:

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John Wesley’s Three Rules
for Faithful Stewardship of Money

 (excerpts from “Use of Money”, a sermon by John Wesley)

I. “Gain all you can.”  We ought to gain all we can gain, without buying gold too dear, without paying more for it than it is worth. But this it is certain we ought not to do; we ought not to gain money at the expense of life, nor (which is in effect the same thing) at the expense of our health… We are, Secondly, to gain all we can without hurting our mind any more than our body... We are. Thirdly, to gain all we can without hurting our neighbour… Gain all you can, by common sense, by using in your business all the understanding which God has given you.

II. “Save all you can.”  Having gained all you can, by honest wisdom and unwearied diligence, the second rule of Christian prudence is," Save all you can."… Do not waste any part of so precious a talent merely in gratifying the desires of the flesh; in procuring the pleasures of sense of whatever kind… or in gratifying the desire of the eye... Lay out nothing to gratify the pride of life, to gain the admiration or praise of others.

III.  “Give all you can.”  But let not anyone imagine that one has done anything, barely by going thus far, by "gaining and saving all he can," if one were to stop here. All this is nothing, if one go not forward, if one does not point all this at a farther end. Nor, indeed, can anyone properly be said to save anything, if one only lays it up. You may as well throw your money into the sea, as bury it in the earth…  If, therefore, you would indeed "make yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness," add the Third rule to the two preceding. Having, First, gained all you can, and, Secondly saved all you can, Then "give all you can."… As you yourself are not your own, but God’s, such is, likewise, all that you enjoy. Such is your soul and your body, not your own, but God's. And so is your substance in particular. And God has told you, in the most clear and express terms, how you are to employ it for him, in such a manner, that it may be all an holy sacrifice, acceptable through Christ Jesus. 

No more sloth! Whatsoever your hand finds to do, do it with your might! No more waste! Cut off every expense which fashion, caprice, or flesh and blood demand! No more covetousness! But employ whatever God has entrusted you with, in doing good, all possible good, in every possible kind and degree to the household of faith, to all people! This is no small part of "the wisdom of the just." Give all ye have, as well as all ye are, a spiritual sacrifice to Him who withheld not from you his Son, his only Son: So "laying up in store for yourselves a good foundation against the time to come, that ye may attain eternal life!"

Questions for Self-Examination:

• How am I guarding against greed instead of obsessing over fairness?

• How does my awareness of my own mortality affect my relationship with money? 

• What makes me feel secure or insecure.

• In what ways do I acknowledge that even my hard-earned, well-earned, self-earned wealth comes from God and belongs to God. 

• How am I prioritizing my connection with others over personal gain

• How often do I dialog with God about my financial resources instead of relying solely on my own planning?

Return of the King

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Return of the King
Burning Questions: Week 3
Sunday, July 17, 2022
Matthew 12:38-40, Matthew 24:35-42, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11

For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so, too, will be the coming of the Son of Man.

 Matthew 24:35-42

Listen to this week’s sermon here:

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Popular modern teachings on the end times center around ideas of “rapture” and escape from this world.  There’s only one problem.  Until the late 1800’s, nobody in any Christian denomination had thought of such a theology. 

Consider Matthew 24:35-42.  The idea is that those who are not prepared for the return of Christ will be “left behind” when the “rapture” comes, while true believers are caught up into heaven.  The misunderstanding here is in the passage itself.  Jesus says it will be as it was in the days of Noah.  Those who were “left behind” included Noah and his family on the ark.  The rest were “swept away” in the flood.  If it is truly like the days of Noah, then we should want to be left behind and not swept away in the flood.  To be left means to be rescued or “saved.”

The problem with modern versions of End Times Theology, Brian McLaren writes, is that they are

 ...desperate, escapist and globally hopeless…. The world is going down the toilet, they say. There is no hope.  It’s all going to burn.  So we should jump into the life rafts and paddle away like mad away from the sinking ship.  We should retreat into our  Christian enclaves, listen to Christian radio, watch Christian TV, pray, study the Bible, tell drivers what we believe with bumper-stickers that say, ‘in case of rapture, this vehicle will self-destruct,’ keep our contact with the world at a minimum, concentrate on our personal righteousness, and anticipate heaven, a supernatural life beyond history - instead of anticipating the just society [of the Kingdom of God fully manifest on Earth as it is in Heaven].

The overarching movement of scripture is toward restoration and re-creation, not destruction, toward a call to building the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven rather than escaping to some other heavenly realm.  Christ will indeed return, and as we read in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, we have a hope of being caught up with Christ.   But the early writers and hearers of this text would never have considered being caught up to go to another place.  Rather, they had in mind a common military image of going out to meet the King who is coming to rescue their city.  Then together they return to take back the city and restore the throne to it’s rightful ruler.  Christ did not conquer death only to be run out of creation by some devil in the end, taking only a few chosen ones with him.  When Christ returns, he will rule a new heaven and a new earth as one, and he has made us heirs of this kingdom.  More than that, he has given us the responsibility to start building it here and now.

… on earth, as it is in heaven.

Nothing Can Eat God

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Nothing Can Eat God
Burning Questions: Week 2
Sunday, July 10, 2022
Romans 1:20-25, Colossians 1:15-17, Psalm 19:1

Ever since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—God’s eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, because they are understood through the things God has made. So humans are without excuse. 

Romans 1:20 (CEB)

 Heaven is declaring God’s glory;
    the sky is proclaiming his handiwork.

Psalm 19:1 (CEB)

Listen to this week’s sermon here:

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Ninth Century Irish theologian John Scotus Eriugena describes the entire physical universe in sacramental terms.  Just as God is present in the bread and wine, so “God is in all things, the essence of life.”  In summarizing Eriugena’s homilies, Phillip Newell says that “Christ moves among us in two shoes… one shoe being that of creation, the other that of the Scriptures.”  Scripture and creation are seen as two books of revelation, both declaring the glory and character of God.

Many modern Christians have become obsessed with the so-called contradictions between science and scripture.  Scripture offers only 6,000 years of history in contrast to the 4.5 billion years scientific study has revealed.  If dinosaurs existed, for example, some argue that they must have walked side by side with humans, perhaps even sailing with Noah on the ark.  The fossil record clearly does not align with the biblical timeline.  So we argue about which is more reliable, scripture, or science, and for Christians, scripture will almost always win.

The problem is that scripture is not a science book.  It’s not even a history book.  It is the story of God’s working among God’s people.  Biblical writers could not have accounted for the fossil record anymore than they could have proclaimed a round earth revolving around the sun, a scientific fact that few will debate.

Science is the study of how creation works.  It tells us nothing about questions of meaning and why we exist.  If science is the study of creation and creation proclaims the glory of God, then why are Christians so afraid of science?  Science can show us how creation evolved over billions of years and how humanity, along with all creation, continues to evolve.  Yet it always leaves open the possibility that God is the source of creation and that all things are held together in the Divine being (Colossians 1:17). Any question about the existence or non-existence of God falls into categories of philosophy and theology, never science.

If we are worried that studying God’s creation can challenge the existence or nature of the Creator, we must examine the strength of our faith.  Can we really trust our lives and our eternity to a God who could so easily be disproven by those who study the inner workings of the very world God created?  If God is real, no scientific discovery can change that reality.  If anything, science, or the study of creation, only deepens our awe and wonder at the beauty, creativity and love of our creator. 

Nothing in creation can threaten the creator. 

Nothing science can discover is big enough to eat God.

The Eternal Dance

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The Eternal Dance
Trinity Sunday
Sunday, June 12, 2022
John 16:12-16

“I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t handle them now. But when the Friend comes, the Spirit of the Truth, he will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is. He won’t draw attention to himself, but will make sense out of what is about to happen and, indeed, out of all that I have done and said.”

John 16:12-13 (The Message)

Listen to this week’s sermon here:

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Why does the Trinity matter?  Who cares if God is three or one or one-hundred?  Why have we spent thousands of years of church history struggling to figure this out.  God is God! Isn't that enough?

We cannot understand the Three-One God rationally, but the Trinity shows us that for all eternity, God is a relational being and exists forever in a state of perfect love and harmony among Father, Son, and Spirit.  When John writes that "God is love," he is not speaking in the abstract.  God truly exists in a relationship of perfect love.

Here are just a few implications:

• Creation:  Humanity was created because love naturally seeks to reproduce itself, to love more persons and also to be loved by them.  This is a core reason why human parents desire to have children, despite the physical and emotional pain they know will result.

• Relationships: It explains why humans desire relationship and why as God says, "It is not good for man to be alone" (Genesis 2:18).  If we are made in the Divine Image, than our need for relationship is part of the image of God.

• Sin & Evil: It explains the existence of sin and evil.  God did not arbitrarily choose to give us free will so that we would rebel and unleash thousands upon thousands of years of destruction upon his creation.  Rather, because God is love and created us in the Divine image to be in a loving relationship with Father, Son and Spirit and with one another, God could not have created us without the freedom to choose.  Love is not truly love if it is forced.  If you knew your spouse or your parents or your children could not possibly choose to reject you, would you really believe their love was real?  Their love for you is defined by the fact that they choose to love you, and your love for them is also love freely given.

• Salvation: It explains the nature of salvation, because Jesus said that we should abide in him or be one with him as he is one with the Father (John 14:9-12, 15:1-11 ;17:21-22).  God's entire purpose in redemption is to restore us to the perfect harmonious relationship we shared with Father, Son and Spirit in the Garden of Eden.

The Trinity is not a math problem to solve.  The Three-One God is a dance to be danced, a song to be heard and sung and played, a masterpiece of beauty to be enjoyed, a life to be lived and a love to be loved. 

We may not ever fully understand it, but the Three-One God is inviting each of us to join the Eternal Dance.  Will you accept God’s invitation?

Scattered

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Scattered
Church - Part 4
Sunday, June 5, 2022
Acts 8:1-5, 26-40; Acts 1:6-11

At that time, the church in Jerusalem began to be subjected to vicious harassment. Everyone except the apostles was scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria…

…Those who had been scattered moved on, preaching the good news along the way.

Acts 8:1, 4 (CEB)

Listen to this week’s sermon here:

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In Acts 8:1, following the death of Stephen, we find that most of the church, except for the apostles, began to scatter throughout the regions of Judea and even into Samaria.  This was the catalyst they needed to fulfill Jesus’ final command: “Go!”

It’s interesting that they never actually intended to do this.  They seemed comfortable in Jerusalem and so long as they were comfortable they had no reason to go elsewhere.  They never planned any mission trips to Samaria… they didn’t even send money to help the poor in starving towns around the world.  Their fulfillment of the Great Commission came not by planning and sending, but by persecution, fear, and running away. 

The Word Jesus proclaimed was finally on the move, even if it required fleeing for their lives, but to their credit these persecuted disciples did not flee by leaving their faith behind.  Instead they moved into new territories with the same boldness that led to their persecution in Jerusalem.

“The blood of the martyrs,” Tertullian wrote in the 2nd century, “is the seed of the church.”  And they scattered that seed everywhere they went, along the way, without a second thought.

Much more can be said of the apostles’ preaching in Samaria and of Phillip’s continued ministry, particularly as he meets a royal servant on the road and through him, ends up sending the gospel even to the far reaches of Ethiopia… in some ways, to the end of the earth.  But for now it is enough to understand that the struggles we face as Christians should not drive us further into our protective church shaped bubble, but rather should propel us out into the world to continue spreading the Good News of God’s grace in all the world.

We must also realize that we will not always get it right and that even when we do get it right, it may not always be interpreted or understood the right way.  Finally, we see in these early Samaritan encounters that we are not the first ones to take Christ into our world.  God is already at work and many people are already searching.  Our primary task in evangelism is to see where God is at work and help others realize God’s presence in their midst.

As Bishop Ken Carter often says:

“Go now in peace to serve God and your neighbor in all that you do.  Bear witness to the love of God in this world, so that those to whom love is a stranger will find in you generous friends.”

PPGSW - Prayers, Presence, Gifts, Service & Witness

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PPGSW - The Meaning of Membership
(Prayers, Presence, Gifts, Service & Witness)
Church - Part 3
Sunday, May 29, 2022
Acts 2:42-47

The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the community, to their shared meals, and to their prayers. A sense of awe came over everyone. God performed many wonders and signs through the apostles. All the believers were united and shared everything. They would sell pieces of property and possessions and distribute the proceeds to everyone who needed them. Every day, they met together in the temple and ate in their homes. They shared food with gladness and simplicity. They praised God and demonstrated God’s goodness to everyone. The Lord added daily to the community those who were being saved.

Acts 2:42-47 (CEB)

Listen to this week’s sermon here:

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These past few weeks we have looked at the vows our Confirmation Students took in our service last week, but there is one further question asked in our service of Baptism and Membership: 

As members of this congregation, will you faithfully participate in its ministries by your prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness?

Essentially we are asked, “Will you live out your commitment to Christ through your participation in the local church as modeled by the Apostles in Acts 2?”  Each of these means by which we connect ourselves with the church are visibly present in the church of Acts.

They were clearly present, devoting themselves to DAILY teaching and fellowship.  They prayed for one another and the world.  They gave generously and sacrificially and served each other so that no one among them would be in need.  And the scripture tells us that they gained the favor of all the people and God added to their number those who were being saved.  In other words, their acts of service, generosity and prayer along with their commitment to regularly being present with one another did not go unnoticed in the community and their witness led many more to confess Christ as Lord.

• Prayers.

  Throughout the gospels, Jesus models and instructs his disciples about how to pray.  The New Testament offers many examples and instruction on prayer (see Matthew 6:5-13 and James 5:13-18).  By praying with and for our congregation we draw closer to our fellow believers and to Christ.

• Presence. 

  Being present at church is important, and “presence” can mean more than showing up regularly at the building.  Presence might mean visiting with someone who is unable to be part of worship.  Sometimes our presence is required to restore relationships.  When we feel pulled in many directions, we may need to be intentional about being fully “present” with the community of faith.  Psalm 139 shows the enduring presence, knowledge, and depth of care that God has for us.

• Gifts.

  1 Corinthians 12 reminds us that each of us have been given unique gifts from God, meant to be used for the good of the community of faith.  Each of us possesses talents, abilities, and personality traits that are important for the Body of Christ!  In community, we are meant to discover our gifts, affirm those gifts in each other, and find the best use for our gifts, as we offer them to God.

• Service.

  We put our gifts to work by living a life of Christian service.  We serve our congregation and together, we serve beyond our congregation.  Our service points to the example of Christ and bears testimony to God’s work in our lives.  Each of us, regardless of age or gift, can serve in some way.

• Witness.

  Our witness brings together all these expressions of faith.  When we use our prayers, presence, and gifts in service of God to others, we act as witnesses to God’s redeeming love through Christ and as examples of how to live a life of Christian discipleship. (Note: The 2008 General Conference added witness to the membership vows which is why it is not included in our hymnals)

As Christ’s living body on earth, we do not have the same leeway we might have in other clubs or organizations to grow slack in our participation.  A hand cannot say it is too tired to help someone when the head tells it to and a foot cannot say it is too busy to walk when the body needs to go out in the community to serve.  As members of the body, we do what the head instructs us to do, with no questions asked.  There are days when our body part may be sore or tired and not feel like moving, but we must continue to function regardless.  If not the whole body will become paralyzed.   

In order to function as Christ’s body, we must fully and actively participate in the life of the church and in His calling upon our lives beyond the church.

How are you participating in the Body of Christ through your prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness?

We Believe

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We Believe
Church - Part 2
Sunday, May 22, 2022
Acts 2:14-41, Matthew 16:13-20

Now when Jesus came to the area of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Human One is?”  They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”

He said, “And what about you? Who do you say that I am?”  Simon Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Matthew 16:13-16 (CEB)

Listen to this week’s sermon here:

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“Who do you say that I am?” Jesus asks us.

Or as we say in our third vow of baptism and membership:

Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior, put your whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as your Lord, in union with the church which Christ has opened to people of all ages, nations and races?

In other words:

Do you affirm the declaration that has been made about the person of Jesus and testified through the Holy Scriptures?

Do you believe Peter’s foolish words; that this man is indeed the Son of God, that he was crucified, dead and buried, yet on the third day God raised him from the dead?

Do you believe that by his sacrifice for us, you can experience the forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life?

If your very life was on the line, as were Peter’s and the other apostles’, would you declare this truth, that Jesus is Lord, over all of the powers and rulers of this world, and that he is the Christ, sent to save us from the power of sin and reconcile us with God our Creator, not as servants, but as children of the most High?

Do you trust wholly in his grace and promise to serve him with full and joyful obedience?

Today we will renew our baptism together.  We will reaffirm our belief in Jesus, which is revealed to us by the Father through the Holy Spirit.

May the declaration of faith spoken by Peter under the power of the Holy Spirit cut us to the heart once again, as it did the crowds that first Pentecost.  Let us pray for the faith to overcome our doubts in this foolish message, for as Paul writes:

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are being destroyed.  But it is the power of God for those of us who are being saved…

- from 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

 Lord, we believe.  Help us in our unbelief!