Inbetween Time 2

Inbetween time.
In-be-tween time.
n b twe n time.

What 2 b revealed,
2 shine 4th,
God revealed?

Epiphany.
E-piph-any.
Any time now.

Inbetween Time

It's that time between Christmas and New Years. Being a teacher for thirty odd years always meant this was a time of respite and of recharging of the batteries. Working now in the church, it means coming off perhaps the busiest time of the year. Rest and recharge remains for me an important part of this 'in-between time.' Perhaps it is for everyone. It will be hard to get back to the old schedule after New Year's Day... but still, that's what we'll all have to do. Rats!

Ice Day

Today was an "ice day" for Benton Community, as well as Cedar Rapids schools. It was a good day to stay off the roads and work in the office. Afternoon and evening activities in parish had to be cancelled. Tomorrow is to be better, although temps may not be high enough to melt the ice. We are starting out this 'winter thing' altogether wrong in my opinion.

The last Day of November

With the final day of November almost here, snow is forecast for tomorrow. Only a couple of inches here though. That's good. Wouldn't want to shovel out to make it to churches in the morning. It's been a full week, even though Thanksgiving was this past Thursday.

In the Mean Time

Besides the regular stuff - I've began a new sermon/study series. I've prepared for and survived Charge Conference. I've had surgery. I've been recovering. I've walked for CROP. I've been sick. I've helped elect a new President. And I've finally updated this blog. All since last time. What's next? Let's see.

One Month Later

... and I still don't know what to post here. Oh well, maybe I'll think of something tomorrow.

Mercy On All

The good news this week is that God shows mercy on all, God's 'chosen' and those not perceived by us as having been chosen. Both Romans and Matthew touch on this, that God's mercy is for Jew and Gentile alike. That's where Sunday's message is headed anyway. I wonder if there is a song there?

Less Than a Day Off

Days off are meant for doing things we don't normally do. Seeing as how its been several weeks since posting something here, I guess this qualifies. However please note I didn't get around to it until this afternoon (on the job this morning), right after ordering a new battery for my laptop. I should be outside trimming the hedge but that will have to wait until the next 'day off' because the Checkerboard and family waits. Maybe I'll tell you about it. Until then...

A Same Perspective

It's been two weeks since I have posted last. Sometimes there is nothing pressing to say and sometimes what is, is best left unsaid. Some observations of myself at the fair with our five grandchildren: I am my dad in so many ways: livestock barns and 4-H exhibits, ice cream, no time for carnival games, money better spent, "time to go," etc. County Fairs are fun regardless of our age, the only thing different is where to begin and when to end.

A Tough One

the good seeds = the people who belong to the kingdom [everyone who has done right will shine like the sun in their Father's kingdom.]
the weed seeds = those who belong to the evil one [everyone who does wrong or causes others to sin are gathered and burned in a flaming furnace.]

Whenever I'm Sad

Paul says, "What a miserable person I am." (Romans 7:24a) He's talking about someone - about everyone - who has ever been unhappy, sad, or depressed. Anyone who has had to deal with their own limitations. But he says there is hope - hope for all of us.
When God is out there somewhere, far away, looking down on us, removed from our pain and suffering - we only have ourselves. But when God is "with us," then we can as Paul says, "Thank God, Jesus will rescue me."

Loose Fingernail

Today my thumbnail is closer to coming off. It's going to happen on its own though. I've never lost a thumbnail before and I'm not in a hurry now.

About a month ago, maybe longer, I hit my thumb with a sledge hammer. I didn't try to. I didn't intend to. In fact it was probably the last thing I wanted to do. And yet, that's exactly what I did. I had been working on our new flower garden, replacing and expanding some stone edging. That's what the sledge hammer was for - breaking longer lengths of 4"x4" sandstone into shorter lengths to fit the curved edging I was creating. When finished, I decided I needed to reinforce a couple of cement blocks with some stategically placed re-rod. I was pounding in the third one when it happened. Honest, I was being careful, really - well, maybe I was distracted. Anyway, I'll leave the story there.

Where I'm going with this though is like what Paul says in Romans 7:15-25a, we try and still we fail. Thank God for Jesus Christ. I'm still working though on the part about something inside me makes me do it - I don't think 'deep down' I wanted to hit my thumb, but maybe so.

Where Has the Week Gone?

It's Friday and I haven't posted anything in this space since Monday. What's going on here? There was a brief pause on Monday, time to catch one's breath and 'recharge the batteries,' but to take the whole week off - no way! Let's just say I've been busy with quite normal things that needed to get done. And through it all there was a 'cup (or two) of cool water' [see this weeks Scripture Readings]. One was last evening. Beyond a sunset, it was an entire powder blue sky populated with soft, streaming clouds of peach and off white with pastel highlights here and there. Words never describe what the soul needs most, but God is good.

The Day After the Chautauqua

It's midmorning on Monday, the day after my first Chautauqua. I've never been to a Chautauqua before. Six months ago, I really didn't know what one was. It became a lot clearer this weekend. I don't think I've been to a town event any better than this (and this was a town of about 250 people). The best part about it was the great variety of things going on, one right after the other, and sometimes two at the same time. There was something for everyone, young and old alike. People seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves, not only in the scheduled events but also in opportunity to visit and "catch up on" one another lives. It was what town celebrations once were, and should continue to be - an opportunity to be 'community' together.
Thank you Roy, Alecia, Mark, Laurie, and all those whose effort made it possible. Good job!

The Elberon Chautauqua

We are setting up today for an event we hope to be an annual thing here in Elberon, as we try to build community. It begins tomorrow and runs through Sunday. This is a great opportunity for the church and community to come together and get to know one another better. Although the church has been in this town for over 125 years, we hardly know one another. Hopefully when we are through with this and other things, we will know one another and will have formed a real 'connection.' We (the United Methodist Church) are, afterall, a connectional church. Let it be so as we connect with the people of this town.

A Different Way of Looking

I guess there is different ways of looking at anything. After so many days of TV 'talking heads' focused on The Flood of 2008 with the crest reaching new levels as it moves down the Cedar river from Cedar Falls and now to Iowa City, one eventually becomes overwhelmed and overloaded. A break is needed. Last night that break came in the form of a video from one of the local TV stations. Videos of the flood yes, but from a different angle. There were no reporters voices, only acoustical guitar music. And interspersed with the devastation of the flooding and the disruption of human lives was the beauty of 'life going on' for the birds along its path. There was reassurance of God's presence in those videos, a peacefulness and a calm in the water no longer rising. The waters recede and life does go on. I needed that very much. We all do.

When It Just Won't Quit

I don't know how many times I've heard someone (or myself) say during the past week, "I'm ready for it to stop with the rain, already!" We're ready, all of us, for things to dry out around here. And sun-shiney days - more than one at a time - that would be nice. The continual thunderstorm and tornado watches/warnings have gotten old as well. However the house we live in is not flooded and I can still get to work, unless work calls me to the other side of a flooded roadway. We pray for the rain to stop soon and, if not, then for the strength to endure until it does.

... and then again.

It even rains on the higher ground. Life can be disrupted there as well. Oh, perhaps not as often, but still their are times when our 'wellbeing' is threatened by 'too much rain.' It may not be the rising flood but the 'rain soaked' ground sliding out from under us. A high rock, large enough for all of us, would be a good place to be. "On Christ, the solid rock, I stand..."

What to Do

Sandbagging is a temporary solution to the impending danger of flooding.The measure is intended to curtail the mess that the rising water will surely create. It is necessary every time the water rises (to uncommon levels) and threatens once again. Other measures, such as building strong levees, would seem prudent, although costly and, in the overall scheme of things, also short term. Perhaps a wiser thing to do would be to move out of the flood plane. No doubt there is a life lesson here for all of us.

The Day After

Several things accomplished today, so I feel pretty good right now. Although most of the morning and afternoon was spent in the office, I did take a little time to put up a fence around two (leafless) miniature rose bushes that the rabbits had feasted on. Hopefully that works. Also finished a very good book today by Henri Nouwen (with Philip Roderick), Beloved. Read it, you'll be glad you did.

Iowa Annual Conference Day 4

The morning was almost all legislative session with 30 minutes of holy conferences before the break. A few other loose ends taken care of and then ready to finish ahead of time with resolution 207 (concerning raid at Postville). Right. In fact we had to extend the time 15 minutes into the lunch break. Eventually, after several motions to amend, etc. we passed the resolution essentially condemning what was done. Ordination service in the afternoon was good. The only ddown side for the day would be the weather. Prayer lifted for all affected by the water and storms today.

Iowa Annual Conference Day 3

Today was largely legislative agenda items with everything running very smoothly. In fact, we were a little early going to supper (dinner for some). The evening service recognizing retirees and commissioning of new probationary members challenged us to minister to all, especially those who now find themselves in a foreign land. We have been blessed by this conference in many ways. We have a lot to take back with us.

Iowa Annual Conference Day 2

Some notes from this afternoon's session:
"That's not quite right, let's go back and do it together."
We (the church) are a people in exile. We would like to go back to Jerusalem. But what if God doesn't want us to go back but rather wants us to be God's people where we are?
Exile is a breeding ground for hope. Hope not rooted in history is dangerous.
Questions to think about:
In what ways do we see that the church is living in exile?
As a people in exile, how is God equiping us to 'build houses and live in them' (that is to do more than exist/survive)?
How are we 'seeking the welfare of the city' where God has sent us?

Iowa Annual Conference Day 1

Today was good. At the afternoon clergy session, we heard five great messages by fellow clergy and then Bishop Palmer challenged us, as he always does, with his 'sermon off the cuff' given down front in the center aisle between the vote and the amen and before the return of those whom the elders had approved for ordained ministry.
Then the opening worship service tonight. Oh my! the music and the message of hope given us by James Salley. Those who were not able to be here tonight missed a Spirit-filled event. With storms moving across the state again tonight, we pray all are safe.

New Post

It's been several days (weeks) since my last post. Today is the first day of Annual Conference (Iowa United Methodist) and Althea and I are in Ames for it again this year. This year marks the fifteenth; a lot has happened since that very first as a lay member. The Spirit continues to work in all of us. Thanks John.

Interesting Blog Post

By Carey Nieuwhof (Connexus Community Church) on Web/Tech I was reading my bible this morning (I'm a One Year Bible guy) and ran across yet another verse I'm sure I've missed all these years. So much ministry energy is wasted trying to figure out why people die. You hear everything from "it must be God's will" to the ridiculous "they must have needed her more in heaven than we did on earth." I always find those conversations frustrating, disappointing and heartbreaking all at once. Because I'm not sure the image of God reflected in them bears much semblance to reality. Enter Psalm 116.15: "The Lord's loved ones are precious to him. It grieves him when they die". That's about a five year old New Living Translation rendition, but I love how it reads. I think that summarizes the heart of God so well. And I think if people could understand that the sin that entered the world and pains us so badly also pains the heart of God, our relationship with Him would run so much deeper and be filled with much more mutual love. URL: Have You Seen This?

Words Become People: 2

So to get a better idea of what was meant by 'hospitality' you clicked on the word and found it meant (according to Meriam/Webster): hospitable treatment, reception, or disposition. And that in turn meant: "given to generous and cordial reception or welcome of guests; offering a pleasant or sustaining environment; and being readily receptive or open to new people (or ideas)." Now, who comes to mind? Who is the most hospitable person in our congregation? Or maybe, there are several. Let me know who comes to mind.

Words Become People: 1

Have you ever encountered a word and, in your mind, saw a face or maybe thought of a particular person? Or maybe the word becomes a blank frame yet to be filled. So you search through your packets and scrapbooks for photos, but none quite fits. Take the word hospitality, who comes to mind in our church? Who is always the one talking to visitors and making them feel welcomed? Add a comment and tell me who you see in that frame.

Day 13

Tuesday we flew home after dropping girls off to school. Last 30 minutes of flight to Minneapolis quite bumpy, otherwise uneventful. On time to Cedar Rapids so we made the Jazz band numbers and band concert at Harding Middle School before coming home. Last five miles driving home was a challenge with wind and rain. But we made it back. A great vacation. Back to work on Wednesday.

Day 12

This has been a full day. Some things on a 'to-do-list' (that wasn't mine), some things I've been meaning to get to (that were), some things not planned, and some things we've been looking forward to. A good day indeed. A last supper together, a last performance in the back yard by the girls, and a last bedtime story before we leave. We'll see them all this summer in Iowa and that will be great, too.

Day 11

A great message this morning at Glendale First UMC. Pastor Kim was right on, hopefully those in the pews who wouldn't be going back home this week were listening. No doubt we all need to hear "there's a ways to go yet" whenever we've wondered, "Are we there yet?" It's tempting to just want to 'be there' wherever 'there' is, when here is where you're at. The girls mom and dad returned tonight - and needless to say they were all happy!

Day 10

It's been somewhat of a 'lazy afternoon' after sleeping in, a home-cooked breakfast, a morning of shopping with the girls and a late lunch back at the house. I've caught up on Bloglines, for the most part. Starting to think about the coming week and calendar for once we return home. This good thing is about to come to an end. I hope I don't rush it any.

Day 9

The clock says 10:00pm. The body says 12:00am. "Two hours more in Arizona," so says the clock. "So what?" says the body, "I'm done for the day." It's been good. Girls to school and back again. Most of the time in between spent with old friends and then evening with three young artists who also love ice cream. It's been a good day all around.

Day 8

These 'lazy days' are tough. After taking girls to school it's return to the house for coffee, lawn chair, and NY Times. Then a little serious reading and thinking. Quick trip to the post office (not really when you don't know exactly how to get there) and then lunch 'somewhere new.' An afternoon of loose ends and bloging. Maybe even a short nap. The art lesson for the night is drawing. Fun it is.

Day 7

Just noticed there was no posting yesterday. Oh well.

Day 6

By the time we returned after taking girls to school and their mom and dad to airport there was little time for pondering 'tree lessons.' Email is caught up. Easum says mapping better than planning - I can accept that. Daily entry on this blog almost complete. Subscription blogs still to be read. Art (painting I think) with G-A-E yet to happen after school. Hope our schedule for the girls works out. On with the day!

Day 5

This is the tree that has been my guide these past few days, providing both relaxation and inspiration to my thoughts and soul. There is nothing special about this tree, I suppose, except that we share a common place and time. It is neither larger nor smaller than most, but it is present.

Day 4

Contemporary Service at Glendale First this morning with Brian, Leah, and the girls after sleeping in until 9:30 Iowa time. Then lunch buffet with our birthday granddaughter (just the three of us). In a few minutes we are off to a late afternoon adventure with girls and their cousins. This is a fine vacation indeed.

Day 3

A good day. A full day. Granddaughter Gabrielle's eighth birthday. Short desert trail hike while she, friend and sister went on their first trail ride (horses). Shopping with Abby in afternoon for art supplies for next weeks after school art classes with girls. Checking out cars and networking stuff with son-in-law before fixing a 'breakfast' supper. Time now to catch up on blog and posting pictures for the day. Oh yea, there was a nap in there between the hike and shopping - first one of those for a while also.

Day 2

This is the first time in a long time I have sat down and just listened to the birds sing. It feels good. I will do this more often. I'm half way into the second day away from the things that usually concern me (it's hard to call it work) and my goal is to not think about anything but family for a whole day. That will have to be later though as I still have a couple things I didn't quite get done Wednesday. I'll spend a few hours on that and then be open to whatever comes along.

Wednesday

The sun is shinning brightly today. It's a good day. Soon the youth will be here for a scavenger hunt (an early dismissal from school at 1pm). We're going to check out the church at Elberon and then back to Salem to see what we can find. It should be a lot of fun!

Tuesday

Monday has come and gone. And at the end of the day I was left with one broken tooth (from popcorn Saturday night) extracted. I'm sure this mornings swelling and nasty breath will eventually be replaced by a tongue's frequent appraisal of this new vacancy. It's time for the first antibiotic for the day and another cup of coffee. The thread's end tickling the inside of my mouth may only be imaginary after all. And then again...

Something to Think About

Theologian Karl Barth once remarked that to say the old line from the creed, "I believe in the Holy Catholic Church" does not mean that we believe in the church. It means rather to believe that God is present and at work in the church, that "in this assembly, the work of the Holy Spirit takes place. ... We do not believe in the Church: but we do believe that in this congregation the work of the Holy Spirit becomes an event."

New Posting Format

Starting today, this section will include my oftimes random thoughts and sharing of ideas during the week. The scripture readings and message for the week will be posted on linked blogs (see top right).

March 30, 2008 Readings

1 Peter 1:3-9 (The Message)

A New Life
3-5 What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we've been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you'll have it all—life healed and whole.

6-7 I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it's your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.

8-9 You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don't see him, yet you trust him—with laughter and singing. Because you kept on believing, you'll get what you're looking forward to: total salvation.


John 20:19-31 (The Message)

To Believe
19-20 Later on that day, the disciples had gathered together, but, fearful of the Jews, had locked all the doors in the house. Jesus entered, stood among them, and said, "Peace to you." Then he showed them his hands and side.

20-21 The disciples, seeing the Master with their own eyes, were exuberant. Jesus repeated his greeting: "Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I send you."

22-23 Then he took a deep breath and breathed into them. "Receive the Holy Spirit," he said. "If you forgive someone's sins, they're gone for good. If you don't forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?"

24-25 But Thomas, sometimes called the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, "We saw the Master."

But he said, "Unless I see the nail holes in his hands, put my finger in the nail holes, and stick my hand in his side, I won't believe it."

26 Eight days later, his disciples were again in the room. This time Thomas was with them. Jesus came through the locked doors, stood among them, and said, "Peace to you."

27 Then he focused his attention on Thomas. "Take your finger and examine my hands. Take your hand and stick it in my side. Don't be unbelieving. Believe."

28 Thomas said, "My Master! My God!"

29 Jesus said, "So, you believe because you've seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing."

30-31 Jesus provided far more God-revealing signs than are written down in this book. These are written down so you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life in the way he personally revealed it.

March 23, 2008 Message

March 23, 2008
Colossians 3:1-4 (NRSV)
“Living the Right Way”

Did you hear about the lady whose house was infested with Easter eggs?
...She had to call an eggs-terminator!

Why do we paint Easter eggs?
...Because it's easier than trying to wallpaper them!

What's yellow, has long ears, and grows on trees?
...The Easter Bunana!


Listen once again to these words from Colossians 3: 1 and 2, “…seek the things that are above, where Christ is,… Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, The Popular Translation puts it this way, “…try to see the world the way Jesus sees it (that is, from heaven). Understand how Jesus sees things. Don't just look at everything the way people do.

Paul wrote this letter to the Colossians about some ‘real’ problems the community was experiencing. Perhaps foremost among these was how a person is to go about living ‘the right way.’ He urges them to live in a new way. Our reading today IS an introduction to Paul’s appeal for that kind of a lifestyle - living ‘the right way.’

Paul began with an interesting statement. It’s sort of like he’s assumed the Colossians had already died and had received resurrected life. It’s as if they have already gone through the ‘end times.’ Somehow they have already died with Christ and had been raised with him into his new life. It seems really strange.

Actually, though, they had done just that, but in a metaphorical sense. Because this is what was taught about baptism in the early church: death to self, life in Christ. So it would seem reasonable Paul was referring to this initiation rite into the Church when he said this. Likewise, in confirming our baptism today – we, too, talk about ‘death to self,’ and about ‘our life in Christ.’ This IS living the ‘right way” – IN Christ.

God comes to us to help us do just that. God comes to us in the Water of Baptism, through the Holy Spirit, and in the Word, made flesh in Jesus the Christ. From the Water and Word we receive God’s comfort and grace. In baptism, is our death to a life centered on things below and in baptism, is our resurrection to new life centered on things from above.

Refreshed and renewed. We have been raised with Christ in the waters of our baptism. Martin Luther said that “through our baptism we are snatched from death and sin to practice the work that makes us Christians” – in other words, to live a life from above.

In our baptism we receive Christ's risen life. That is something we ‘firm up’ at our confirmation, a belief that we should actually think differently (on upward or heavenly things). In other words, we should look at life through God's eyes. After all, you did receive the Holy Spirit. And you should act accordingly (see 3:12-24), Paul says.

"Put to death in you whatever is earthly," he cautions. In our society today, the things Paul is referring to are the very things that people ‘seem to think’ we should do. We want our lives to be full and so we ‘live’ to accumulate wealth and possessions, power and status. But these things are the very things that come between us and God. The very things we think are going to give our life meaning and identity, in fact, strip us from the meaning and identity that is given us in the person of Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul, in his call to the Colossians to a life in newness, reminds them, "When you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God who raised him from the dead." You, too, are called to a new life in Jesus Christ – a life of full measure that is to be lived from above. It is a life seen through the eyes of Jesus, so that Jesus might minister to this world through our hands and our hearts and our living. Paul says, “Don't just look at things the way people do.…try to see the world the way Jesus sees it.”

Our life and our call and our journey is one headed toward the promise of the resurrection, and the God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead has promised in the fullness of time to raise us up as well.

The Good News for us today, for all of us – not just those being confirmed - is that, even if weighed down by sin--and that is what sin does, it weighs us down--Jesus Christ promised us freedom and a new life. Jesus promises to bring us to everlasting life, into a life in fullness here, now, and in fullness in the kingdom to come, when Christ returns in glory.

Take time today to reflect on your baptism – your death to this life - all of you. How is it you see this new life in Christ before you? Amen.

March 23, 2008 Readings

Colossians 3:1-4 (NRSV)

1-2 So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth,

3-4 for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your* life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.


John 20:1-8 (NRSV)

Resurrection!

1-4 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’ Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went towards the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.

5-8 He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed;

March 16, 2008 Message

March 16, 2008 - Palm Sunday
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29; Matthew 21:1-11
"What's going on here? Who is this?"


On Palm Sunday, a 6-year old had to stay home from church with his dad because he was sick. When the rest of the family came home carrying palm branches, the little boy asked what they were for. His mother explained, "In church today, people held them over Jesus' head as he walked by."

"Wouldn't you know it," the boy pouted. "The one Sunday I don't go to church, and Jesus shows up!


Today our focus is on Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the “Hosannas!” of the shouting crowd. The Passion will wait. As later this week, we will join Jesus in the upper room on Thursday, walk in the way of the cross on Friday, and witness the empty tomb on Easter morning. Today though is a day of exultation, a day of joy and excitement, a day of celebration. It is a day of ‘arrival.’ Our victorious king has come!

Today is about Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem (his destination and purpose), but it could also be seen as our entrance into ‘Jerusalem’ (our destination, our purpose) as well. These forty days of Lent have represented our journey to faith and understanding of God. During this time we have recognized our need to place our trust in God.

Just as Psalm 118 called worshippers long ago to enter “the gate of the Lord” (v. 20) and celebrate, so we are now called to come and give thanks for God’s saving action in Jesus “who comes in the name of the Lord”. So, here we are, like Jesus, giving thanks to God for the journey and for the destination.

I look back over the road I’ve traveled and I’m amazed. I look at Matthew and the stories leading up to today (those found in Chapter 20) and I say, “Wow, that’s been my journey!” It doesn’t seem that long ago I understood for the first time the grace that can only come from God found in the parable of the workers. Or the cup we are all to drink from as revealed to James and John as they sought to be close to Jesus. Or the need to have our ‘eyes opened’ to God and Jesus’ ability to do just that, as related in the story of Jesus and the blind men on the way to Jerusalem. As the disciples traveled with Jesus, they discovered his journey to be their journey as well.

And when Jesus gets to Jerusalem, what happens? He gives thanks. His trust is in his Father, who he knows as good and always with him. Perhaps this parade Matthew tells us about is an expression of his thanksgiving - that God’s love endures forever.

Psalm 118:1-2 (from The Message) says, “Thank God because he's good, because his love never quits. Tell the world, Israel, "His love never quits." Isn’t that what Jesus was in Jerusalem for? To show the world that God’s love never quits.
God is good and God’s love always wins out. Jesus is happy.
1. God’s love abounds in the Old Testament books of Exodus, Jeremiah, Psalms, Micah, and Joel, all describing God as ever compassionate, loving, and forgiving.
2. The New Testament says one thing, “For God so loved the world…” It just says it in a whole bunch of ways. God’s love for God’s creation never runs out.
3. And that’s the love that is ours today. God continues to be present in our lives, lifting us, leading us, and loving us to our ‘Jerusalem.’

Verses 19-20 of this Psalm says, “Swing wide the city gates—the righteous gates! I'll walk right through and thank God!” Open up. Let me in. Here I come to worship and praise God! This Temple Gate belongs to God, so the victors can enter and praise.
Jesus is the one who has come to praise (not to be praised).
1. The parade isn’t about Jesus’ popularity, all the people lining the street, crowding around him wherever he went, following him everywhere.
2. Or the people along the road shouting, “Hosanna” or yelling, “Save us,” as they look for a Passover deliverance from slavery and oppression.
3. It’s about how Jesus feels, his state of mind, at this point in his journey. He has reached Jerusalem and he is pumped up. Without a doubt, he knows he’s there for a reason.

21-25 Thank you for responding to me; you've truly become my salvation! The stone the masons discarded as flawed is now the capstone! This is God's work. We rub our eyes—we can hardly believe it! This is the very day God acted— let's celebrate!
Jesus recognizes God’s work in him and there is reason to celebrate - now.
1. The parade isn’t about Jesus but about God and what God has done and will do through him.
2. It is God’s work and was all along. God gets the credit for God’s promise kept. It’s time to celebrate, perhaps even for a parade.
3. Matthew writes, “Nearly all threw their garments down” on the road as the parade advances toward them. People are now counting on him. He must be the one.

26-29 Blessed are you who enter in God's name— from God's house we bless you! God is God, he has bathed us in light. You're my God, and I thank you. O my God, I lift high your praise. Thank God—he's so good. His love never quits!
It is a blessing to do God’s work – what God would have us do.
1. Large crowds come to hear what Jesus says. They follow him everywhere, straining to hear every word.
2. There is a renewed interest and excitement in religion in the country. There is hope where before there only hopelessness. And people shout Hozanna.
3. But soon, the cheering will stop. The tide will turn. The old excitement will be gone. Jesus will be attacked and more and more people will be against him.

And yet, for Jesus, there is a parade today. He is right there, up front, leading the way. He smiling and laughing and acknowledging all who greet him. And, as always, he calls us to come join him. Be happy. Know that God is good. Thank God for this day. See what God is doing. Imagine God’s work through you. Feel blessed in what you do.

His gracious invitation today is to know love, to have a reason for hope, to be set free to experience joy. He calls out to us to join the parade. Understand though that if you do, your ‘Jerusalem’ - will be “shaken and stirred” as well. People might even ask, as they did then, "What's going on here? Who is this?"

March 16, 2008 Readings

Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 (The Message)

1-2 Thank God because he's good, because his love never quits. Tell the world, Israel, "His love never quits."
19-20 Swing wide the city gates—the righteous gates! I'll walk right through and thank God! This Temple Gate belongs to God, so the victors can enter and praise.
21-25 Thank you for responding to me; you've truly become my salvation! The stone the masons discarded as flawed is now the capstone! This is God's work. We rub our eyes—we can hardly believe it! This is the very day God acted— let's celebrate and be festive! Salvation now, God. Salvation now! Oh yes, God—a free and full life!
26-29 Blessed are you who enter in God's name— from God's house we bless you! God is God, he has bathed us in light. Festoon the shrine with garlands, hang colored banners above the altar! You're my God, and I thank you. O my God, I lift high your praise. Thank God—he's so good. His love never quits!

Matthew 21:1-11 (The Message)

The Royal Welcome
1-3 When they neared Jerusalem, having arrived at Bethphage on Mount Olives, Jesus sent two disciples with these instructions: "Go over to the village across from you. You'll find a donkey tethered there, her colt with her. Untie her and bring them to me. If anyone asks what you're doing, say, 'The Master needs them!' He will send them with you." 4-5 This is the full story of what was sketched earlier by the prophet: Tell Zion's daughter, "Look, your king's on his way, poised and ready, mounted On a donkey, on a colt, foal of a pack animal." 6-9 The disciples went and did exactly what Jesus told them to do. They led the donkey and colt out, laid some of their clothes on them, and Jesus mounted. Nearly all the people in the crowd threw their garments down on the road, giving him a royal welcome. Others cut branches from the trees and threw them down as a welcome mat. Crowds went ahead and crowds followed, all of them calling out, "Hosanna to David's son!" "Blessed is he who comes in God's name!" "Hosanna in highest heaven!" 10 As he made his entrance into Jerusalem, the whole city was shaken. Unnerved, people were asking, "What's going on here? Who is this?" 11 The parade crowd answered, "This is the prophet Jesus, the one from Nazareth in Galilee."

March 9, 2008 Message

Romans 8:6-11; John 11:1-45
“God Living and Breathing In You”
_________________________________
"Do you believe in life after death?" the boss asked a new employee.
"Yes, Sir. I do." the woman replied.
"Well, then, that makes everything just fine," the boss went on. "After you left early yesterday to go to your grandmother's funeral, she stopped in to see you."
_________________________________
When we ended last week, I said this: A ‘life from above’ – one based upon trusting God – can be ours. We don’t need to feel alone, abandoned, or sick of everything life has thrown our way. God lifts and holds us close. God is good and right and true. God is life. We can trust God to always be there for us.

The week before we learned what Abraham finally knew in life – God can be trusted to do what God promises. Jesus says, in fact, you must be ‘born from above’ – becoming a new person relying on God rather than yourself – in order to live life to the fullest.

But there is more than being ‘born again’ and ‘living’ from ‘above.’ There is also our ‘rising’ from death – as did Lazarus – in a way that ‘glorifies’ our Lord. The catch here, though, being that death must precede life.

Now rather than apply this on a personal level, I want you today to take a more historical or traditional view of scripture and, instead, hear it on a different level – as a group. Paul’s letters, after all, were written to communities of believers that made up the churches of the day. So listen now as a community of faith – the church.

Paul says, “When God lives and breathes in you… you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ's!” Paul is talking about you – not each of you individually, but all of us collectively (all of us together). He’s talking about God living and breathing in us – a community of believers – the church. And Paul was writing to a church, perhaps like us, that had lost the life it once had.

At one time, this church, to whom Paul is writing, had really been alive. You’ve been there before, haven’t you? People were excited, full of energy and love for the Lord. They wanted others to know Christ as they did, so they shared this love and excitement. There wasn’t a thing they wouldn’t do. There was no stopping them in this church. Then things changed. Their focus was different. The life was gone.

Paul told the churches of Rome, “Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God.” Does that ever happen with us? Sure it does. When we begin thinking more about what we are doing than about God (and what God is doing around us)? Paul would say that’s no life at all! He wanted such a church to be delivered from a ‘dead’ life like that. So his advice to them was to have “God live and breathe in you.”

But how does that happen when you’ve been dead? Let’s try to get a handle on it. (And, by the way, there’s a pun in there if you look deeply enough.) Remember, we’re thinking here collectively, and collectively we are Peace United Methodist Parish – P.U.M.P. – get it? Now consider that pumps have handles on them, at least the old-fashioned kinds do. “Get a handle on it.” Get it? Oh well.

Let’s suppose for a moment theP.U.M.P. (this group of believers known as Peace United Methodist Parish) no longer has the life it once did. We could say it’s a ‘dead’ life, as Paul put it. And maybe we are dead if we’ve been thinking more about ourselves than about what God is doing in this community – more about our worship, our church school, our building, our newsletter, our groups, our vacation bible school, and our part in them. We’ve been confined and limited to this tomb that has defined us.

150 years ago, 500 people died of cholera in just ten days in one London neighborhood, marking the beginning of a terrible epidemic. Dr. John Snow, unlike his colleagues, believed that cholera was not caused by mysterious "vapors," but was instead a disease of the ‘gut’ spread by contaminated water.

With the high number of deaths in this neighborhood, he was convinced that a pump used by the neighborhood was the source of contaminated water and suggested removing the pump handle so no more water could be drawn from that location.

The handle was removed, cholera abated, and huge projects were launched for sanitation systems and clean water across Europe. That pump handle affected all of us. (Steve Loranger [CEO of ITT Industries], "Global Water Management," Vital Speeches, 15 March 20005, 325ff.)

A week ago this past Tuesday (on February 26) Starbucks got a new pump handle. Starbucks locked their doors. 7100 Starbucks in North America shut down for three hours - no customers at all. Why the coffee break? They closed down to clean up their original ‘pump handle’ that had been so changed that the company needed a new one.

Or in the words of CEO Howard Schultz, “We are passionate about our coffee. And we will revisit our standards of quality that are the foundation for the trust that our customers have in our coffee and in all of us.” "This is not about training," he insisted when talking to his employees about the need to reconnect the company to the "soul of the past." "This is about the love and compassion and commitment that we all need to have for the customer."

It is a concept that sounds like a contradiction. Shut down your business in order to open up your business. And yet doctors do it all the time when they induce comas in patients with life threatening injuries. Without going into all the details, they "shut down" the patient’s body in order to help it come alive to health.

Maybe our churches should take our own "coffee break" to rediscover our love and compassion and commitment for God and neighbor. Maybe we should think about a 3-day, or 3-week, or 3-month shut-down of our churches to revisit and reconnect with our own “soul of the past.” Maybe we need to find our original handle as well, to insure the living water that comes out of thePUMP is, in fact, healing and ‘thirst quenching’ to all who come to the well.

Perhaps our handle has been corroded and is in need of replacement. Maybe it has something to do with our busy-ness. Just look at how busy we are. Check out the bulletin or the newsletter... all the things going on in our churches each week, our Lenten services, our programs, our missions, our Sunday schools, and all the committees. We may feel good about our busyness. But has it taken over our identity? Have we forgotten why the church exists at all?

Starbucks closed down to find the "soul of its past" – to rediscover its beginning. Maybe our church needs to "close" itself off from its programs and meetings and activities in order to rediscover why we are what we are? And who are we? And why are we here? What was our original identity – what people knew us by – what was our PUMP ‘handle’ in the beginning? Perhaps this spring or summer we might try to find out.

And it could very well take our dying to find out. And dying is not easy for anyone. Lazarus had died. He was gone. Although he would be missed, he wouldn't be back. His sisters, Mary and Martha, were sad. They were angry. They were frustrated. They were all these things at the same time. But then Jesus came and called Lazarus forth to renewed life – a life rising from death in order to ‘glorify’ God. Just think… might it have been different had Lazarus not died at all? Or was death necessary for him to truly live?

Sometimes, life comes from being born. Sometimes, life comes from living. And sometimes, life comes from having died. May you all find God living and breathing life in you today. Amen.

March 9, 2008 Readings

Romans 8:6-11 (The Message)

6-8 Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God's action in them find that God's Spirit is in them—living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God isn't pleased at being ignored.
9-11 But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won't know what we're talking about. But for you who welcome him, in whom he dwells—even though you still experience all the limitations of sin—you yourself experience life on God's terms. It stands to reason, doesn't it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he'll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ's!


John 11:1-45 (The Message)

The Death of Lazarus
1-3 Aman was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. This was the same Mary who massaged the Lord's feet with aromatic oils and then wiped them with her hair. It was her brother Lazarus who was sick. So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Master, the one you love so very much is sick."
4 When Jesus got the message, he said, "This sickness is not fatal. It will become an occasion to show God's glory by glorifying God's Son."
5-7 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, but oddly, when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed on where he was for two more days. After the two days, he said to his disciples, "Let's go back to Judea."
8 They said, "Rabbi, you can't do that. The Jews are out to kill you, and you're going back?"
9-10 Jesus replied, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in daylight doesn't stumble because there's plenty of light from the sun. Walking at night, he might very well stumble because he can't see where he's going."
11 He said these things, and then announced, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep. I'm going to wake him up."
12-13 The disciples said, "Master, if he's gone to sleep, he'll get a good rest and wake up feeling fine." Jesus was talking about death, while his disciples thought he was talking about taking a nap.
14-15 Then Jesus became explicit: "Lazarus died. And I am glad for your sakes that I wasn't there. You're about to be given new grounds for believing. Now let's go to him."
16 That's when Thomas, the one called the Twin, said to his companions, "Come along. We might as well die with him."
17-20 When Jesus finally got there, he found Lazarus already four days dead. Bethany was near Jerusalem, only a couple of miles away, and many of the Jews were visiting Martha and Mary, sympathizing with them over their brother. Martha heard Jesus was coming and went out to meet him. Mary remained in the house.
21-22 Martha said, "Master, if you'd been here, my brother wouldn't have died. Even now, I know that whatever you ask God he will give you."
23 Jesus said, "Your brother will be raised up."

24 Martha replied, "I know that he will be raised up in the resurrection at the end of time."
25-26 "You don't have to wait for the End. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live. And everyone who lives believing in me does not ultimately die at all. Do you believe this?"
27 "Yes, Master. All along I have believed that you are the Messiah, the Son of God who comes into the world."
28 After saying this, she went to her sister Mary and whispered in her ear, "The Teacher is here and is asking for you."
29-32 The moment she heard that, she jumped up and ran out to him. Jesus had not yet entered the town but was still at the place where Martha had met him. When her sympathizing Jewish friends saw Mary run off, they followed her, thinking she was on her way to the tomb to weep there. Mary came to where Jesus was waiting and fell at his feet, saying, "Master, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died."
33-34 When Jesus saw her sobbing and the Jews with her sobbing, a deep anger welled up within him. He said, "Where did you put him?"
34-35 "Master, come and see," they said. Now Jesus wept.
36 The Jews said, "Look how deeply he loved him."
37 Others among them said, "Well, if he loved him so much, why didn't he do something to keep him from dying? After all, he opened the eyes of a blind man."
38-39 Then Jesus, the anger again welling up within him, arrived at the tomb. It was a simple cave in the hillside with a slab of stone laid against it. Jesus said, "Remove the stone." The sister of the dead man, Martha, said, "Master, by this time there's a stench. He's been dead four days!"
40 Jesus looked her in the eye. "Didn't I tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"
41-42 Then, to the others, "Go ahead, take away the stone." They removed the stone. Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and prayed, "Father, I'm grateful that you have listened to me. I know you always do listen, but on account of this crowd standing here I've spoken so that they might believe that you sent me."
43-44 Then he shouted, "Lazarus, come out!" And he came out, a cadaver, wrapped from head to toe, and with a kerchief over his face. Jesus told them, "Unwrap him and let him loose."

The Man Who Creates God-Signs
45-48 That was a turnaround for many of the Jews who were with Mary. They saw what Jesus did, and believed in him. But some went back to the Pharisees and told on Jesus. The high priests and Pharisees called a meeting of the Jewish ruling body. "What do we do now?" they asked. "This man keeps on doing things, creating God-signs. If we let him go on, pretty soon everyone will be believing in him and the Romans will come and remove what little power and privilege we still have."

March 2, 2008 Message

Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41
"From Above”

A pastor was giving a lesson about ‘right and wrong’ during children's message and told a story of a robber who broke into a jewelry store at night after everybody was gone.
The robber went to the safe where the jewels and the cash were kept, and on the door of the safe is a sign, "Please do not use explosives. The safe is not locked. Just turn the handle."
So, the thief turns the handle and immediately the alarm goes off. The robber panics, but by the time he figures out he’d better leave it’s too late. The police arrive and he is arrested.
"So, children," asks the preacher, "What’s the moral of the story?"
One little boy replied, "You can't trust anybody."


And yet we know there IS someone we can trust – we can trust God. Last week, we learned that the very nature of a ‘godly’ person is to trust God to do what is promised – to set us right. When Abraham finally let go and left it up to God to do what he couldn’t, God came through and delivered on the promise. And we were reminded once again that Jesus was the fulfillment of that promise.

Last week, John spoke of a different sort of birth. Next week John speaks of a different sort of death. Last week Jesus talked to Nicodemus about being born “from above.” Next week Jesus talks to Martha about death that comes from above – death that glorifies God.

Last week, Nicodemus told Jesus, "Teacher, we all know you're a teacher straight from God. No one could do all… you do if God weren't in on it." And Jesus replied, "You're absolutely right.” Next week, Martha is absolutely sure “God will give (Jesus) whatever (he) asks.”

Jesus told Nicodemus, “Trust me and there is hope or don’t trust me and there is nothing.” Jesus will tell Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" Trust what Jesus says about God and there is a “new birth.” Trust what Jesus reveals to us about God and there is a “new death.”

But what about this week, what’s the lesson for us this week? What are we to learn today? Well, between birth and death is a life to be lived that need not be the same – a life ‘from above.’ Teacher and writer Tony Campolo has asked his students, “Even if there were no heaven and there were no hell, would you still follow Jesus? Would you follow him for the life, joy, and fulfillment he gives you right now?” A life ‘from above’ causes us to live differently. It allows us to be glorified in Christ now.

Paul says ‘living from above’ causes us to do what pleases Christ. Graced by the "light" from above we discover what we are to be about – “doing what is pleasing to the Lord." And we don't have to wonder what that means. In Ephesians, Paul makes it very simple and straight-forward when he writes: "what is pleasing to the Lord" is "all that is good, and right, and true" (v.10). "Living from above” as “children of the light” is living a life of goodness, righteousness, and truth. This is what glorifies God.

And to Paul’s way of thinking doing what pleases Christ is definitely not the ‘busy work’ kinds of things we often find ourselves doing – things that don’t really accomplish anything. You know, all those little, trivial things that take up so much of our time and energy and keep us from ‘living the life from above.’ No Paul says, “Let the light of Christ – the light from above - lead the way.”

Living a life ‘from above’ causes us to help others by our involvement in ministries of presence and hope, such as One Great Hour of Sharing, which many United Methodist churches are observing today. Combining our gifts, we are able to more effectively respond to people suffering catastrophic losses due to natural and human-made disasters, such as those in Nevada displaced by terrible flooding at the beginning of this year. For many years, this offering has helped people all over the world through the involvement the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). This is a good thing

Living a life ‘from above’ also causes us, as Bishop Palmer has suggested, to grieve, to pray, and to make a ‘God shaped difference’ where we live by striving to make the prayer of St. Francis a reality in light of the tragic shootings and deaths two weeks ago at the Northern Illinois University in Dekalb. This is a right thing.

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love; for it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

And finally this living a life ‘from above’ causes us to trust God in all things – in birth, in death, and in the life that lies between. This new life comes from God, revealed in Jesus Christ. This is God’s doing and not our own. This is a true thing.

Even though we think we earn what we get, today’s gospel lesson tells a different story. Jesus heals a man who has been blind from birth. Did he get what he earned? Jesus is pretty clear that his blindness was not something this man deserved because of anything he or his family did. And likewise, he was not healed because of anything he or his family did. Unlike his affliction, the man’s healing was ‘from above’ – something only a loving and omnipotent God can do.

And because of what God does, our life becomes a ‘life from above’ causing us to become ‘good’ and ’right’ and ‘true.’

Frederich Niedner (who teaches biblical studies at Valparaiso University) suggests that this story, at a deeper level, is an allegory of life and death among the baptized. Our baptism is life changing - effecting where and how we worship, whom we serve, and quite often our families. He says, “Reshaped in the mud of new creation and washed in the water of the sent One, we can now see what we could not before.” Concerning this new life, he says: “Daily we die and rise from the mud, washed and dispatched by the sent One into another day… quite capable of killing us. That’s all right. As it turns out, starting over is what we do best.”

This ‘life from above’ is ours. No longer are we alone. It’s a life based upon trust. God doesn’t abandon us in our confusion. God raises us up from our affliction. God holds ever so close. God is good, and right, and true. God is life. And that, my friends, is what living a ‘life from above’ is all about. That is the good news for us today and everyday. We can trust God it is so.

March 2, 2008 Readings

Ephesians 5:8-14 (The Message)

8-10 You groped your way through that murk once, but no longer. You're out in the open now. The bright light of Christ makes your way plain. So no more stumbling around. Get on with it! The good, the right, the true—these are the actions appropriate for daylight hours. Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it.

11-16 Don't waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness. Expose these things for the sham they are. It's a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness where no one will see. Rip the cover off those frauds and see how attractive they look in the light of Christ.

Wake up from your sleep,
Climb out of your coffins;
Christ will show you the light!


John 9:1-41 (The Message)
The Message (MSG)

True Blindness
1-2 Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked, "Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?" 3-5Jesus said, "You're asking the wrong question. You're looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do. We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent me here, working while the sun shines. When night falls, the workday is over. For as long as I am in the world, there is plenty of light. I am the world's Light." 6-7 He said this and then spit in the dust, made a clay paste with the saliva, rubbed the paste on the blind man's eyes, and said, "Go, wash at the Pool of Siloam" (Siloam means "Sent"). The man went and washed—and saw.

8 Soon the town was buzzing. His relatives and those who year after year had seen him as a blind man begging were saying, "Why, isn't this the man we knew, who sat here and begged?" 9 Others said, "It's him all right!" But others objected, "It's not the same man at all. It just looks like him." He said, "It's me, the very one." 10 They said, "How did your eyes get opened?" 11 "A man named Jesus made a paste and rubbed it on my eyes and told me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' I did what he said. When I washed, I saw." 12 "So where is he?" "I don't know."

13-15 They marched the man to the Pharisees. This day when Jesus made the paste and healed his blindness was the Sabbath. The Pharisees grilled him again on how he had come to see. He said, "He put a clay paste on my eyes, and I washed, and now I see." 16 Some of the Pharisees said, "Obviously, this man can't be from God. He doesn't keep the Sabbath." Others countered, "How can a bad man do miraculous, God-revealing things like this?" There was a split in their ranks. 17 They came back at the blind man, "You're the expert. He opened your eyes. What do you say about him?" He said, "He is a prophet."

18-19 The Jews didn't believe it, didn't believe the man was blind to begin with. So they called the parents of the man now bright-eyed with sight. They asked them, "Is this your son, the one you say was born blind? So how is it that he now sees?" 20-23 His parents said, "We know he is our son, and we know he was born blind. But we don't know how he came to see—haven't a clue about who opened his eyes. Why don't you ask him? He's a grown man and can speak for himself." (His parents were talking like this because they were intimidated by the Jewish leaders, who had already decided that anyone who took a stand that this was the Messiah would be kicked out of the meeting place. That's why his parents said, "Ask him. He's a grown man.")

24 They called the man back a second time—the man who had been blind— and told him, "Give credit to God. We know this man is an impostor." 25 He replied, "I know nothing about that one way or the other. But I know one thing for sure: I was blind . . . I now see."
26 They said, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" 27 "I've told you over and over and you haven't listened. Why do you want to hear it again? Are you so eager to become his disciples?" 28-29 With that they jumped all over him. "You might be a disciple of that man, but we're disciples of Moses. We know for sure that God spoke to Moses, but we have no idea where this man even comes from." 30-33 The man replied, "This is amazing! You claim to know nothing about him, but the fact is, he opened my eyes! It's well known that God isn't at the beck and call of sinners, but listens carefully to anyone who lives in reverence and does his will. That someone opened the eyes of a man born blind has never been heard of—ever. If this man didn't come from God, he wouldn't be able to do anything." 34 They said, "You're nothing but dirt! How dare you take that tone with us!" Then they threw him out in the street.

35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and went and found him. He asked him, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" 36 The man said, "Point him out to me, sir, so that I can believe in him." 37 Jesus said, "You're looking right at him. Don't you recognize my voice?" 38 "Master, I believe," the man said, and worshiped him.

39 Jesus then said, "I came into the world to bring everything into the clear light of day, making all the distinctions clear, so that those who have never seen will see, and those who have made a great pretense of seeing will be exposed as blind." 40 Some Pharisees overheard him and said, "Does that mean you're calling us blind?" 41 Jesus said, "If you were really blind, you would be blameless, but since you claim to see everything so well, you're accountable for every fault and failure."

February 24, 2008 Message

February 24, 2008
Romans 4:1-5, 13-17; John 3:1-17
“Trust”

Why couldn't Jonah trust the ocean?
Because he knew there was something fishy about it

The preacher was giving a children's lesson about ‘right and wrong’ and told a story of a robber who broke into a jewelry store at night after everybody was gone.
The robber went to the safe where the jewels and the cash were kept, and on the door of the safe he finds a sign that reads, "Please do not use explosives. The safe is not locked. Just turn the handle."
So, the thief turns the handle and immediately the alarm goes off! He panics and doesn’t know what to do. By the time he figures out he’d better leave, it’s too late. The police are arrive, and he is arrested.
"So, children," asks the preacher, "What’s the moral of the story?"
One little boy replied, "You can't trust anybody."

The theme for today’s scripture readings and message is trust. It’s a trust that begins with a promise (God’s promise to Abraham), includes a decision (concerning how to live), and ends with complete joy (of a promise having been kept).

Concerning the promise, the apostle Paul says, “But the story we're given is a God-story, not an Abraham-story. What we read in Scripture is, Abraham entered into what God was doing for him, and that was the turning point. He trusted God to set him right instead of trying to be right on his own." (Romans 4:3) When Abraham was slow to grasp how huge God’s promise was, God moved forward anyway. When Abraham was impatient and couldn’t wait, God continued to plug away. When Abraham didn’t quite get it, God said it one more time so that he would understand. When Abraham finally let go and left it up to God to do what he couldn’t, God came through and delivered on the promise.

Concerning trust, Paul goes on to say, “When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn't do but on what God said he would do.” (Romans 4:18) Isn’t that what trusting God is really all about? Reaching the point in our lives when we finally accept there is nothing more we can do, and leaving it all up to God. Keep in mind, Abraham didn’t get it right and probably neither will we. All of us trust that God can do whatever it is that God promises, but are we all willing to leave it up to God – or do we find ourselves trying to help out now and then. At what point do we realize we can’t do it on our own? What do we do then? Give up or trust God to do what is promised?

Concerning a promise kept, John relates Jesus’ confirmation of Nicodemus’ observation. He tells Nicodemus, “You’re right – all that has been done through me has been God’s doing, because here are things that only God can do.” And then later, in verses 16-18, he shares with Nicodemus, “God’s promise has indeed been fulfilled” – the world is set right - not because things had gotten so bad, but because God loved the world so much. “He gave his Son, his one and only Son… so that no one – not one person - need be destroyed.” All that is necessary for “whole and lasting life” – for this great joy - is our trusting it is so – our believing what God has done (in him).”

Jesus goes on to tell Nicodemus, “Trust me and there is hope or don’t trust me and there is nothing.” Anyone who trusts what Jesus says about God, what Jesus shows us about God, what Jesus reveals to us about God is acquitted (and released); and anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? - because they can’t trust God to love them that much.

I first understood ‘trust’ – in a religious sense – from a song we sang in church. That song was “Trust and Obey.” I thought trust was something a Christian had to do – just like “obeying” and “walking with the Lord” and “doing His good will.” If I would do those things – with the emphasis on “do” - God would be with me and I would be in Jesus.

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word, what a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey.
Refrain: Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

I thought as long as I trusted, and obeyed all the rules, and was doing ‘good things,’ Jesus would be happy and would be there for me. I guess I must have thought that during the times I wavered or doubted some, he was off somewhere ‘walking’ with someone else. The burden was on me.

But you know what, I had it all wrong. It’s never been a matter of if A happens then B happens. Rather it’s always been when A happens then B happens. B is a given. B is a promise kept. There’s a difference, a huge difference. When trust happens, darkness and doubt and all the things that might overwhelm us become bearable.

Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies, But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear, Can abide while we trust and obey.

The whole song takes on a different meaning when I read Paul’s explanation of what it means to really trust God. By Paul’s own account, his is a new way of looking at things when he says: “when it comes to ‘setting us right’ (with God), it isn’t our doing, but God’s.” For Paul, it isn’t a matter of ‘if,’ it’s a matter of ‘when.’

"So how do we fit what we know of Abraham, our first father in the faith, into this new way of looking at things." – Romans 4:1, CEV

Paul is speaking to the Romans about a “new way of looking at things.” We have to look at what he had been talking about earlier to understand what he means here. In chapter three of Romans, Paul talks about how God is faithful, even to those without faith, and how no one is righteous (good) because of what they do. We are righteous only because of what God has done. Our goodness comes from God. It’s important that we believe this; that we trust it is true – because, it is. God has a gift for all of us.

Paul says the promise to “make us right with God” is not a payment or reward, something to be earned. It’s simply a gift. He says, “it's something only God can do, and you trust him to do it—(because) you could never do it for yourself no matter how hard and long you worked…”— Romans 4:4-5, CEV

That turns our thinking upside down! You work hard, there’s a reward, right? It doesn’t seem fair otherwise. So our thinking is if we’re going to get something, we’re going to have to do something. But that’s not it at all. It’s not about what we, or any human being, could ever do.

"That famous promise God gave Abraham—that he and his children would possess the earth —was not given because of something Abraham did or would do. It was based on God's decision to put everything together for him, which Abraham then entered when he believed." – Romans 4:13, CEV

All that was necessary for Abraham was to trust that God would do what God’s promised. Paul mentions that with trust there is also embracing God and what God does. Embracing God is sort of like what the refrain of “Trust and Obey” says: “While we do His good will, He abides with us still.” Or maybe its like what Vince Antonucci, pastor of Forefrount Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia refers to as “living in the presence of God.” He says, “abiding looks like a dance with God… in which everything becomes very natural…. So natural that it’s hard to tell where one partner ends and the other begins.”

Everyone who trusts, everyone who embraces God, is included. Everyone receives the gift. Everyone gets to dance. When it’s a gift - which it is – it doesn’t matter if a person has kept certain religious traditions or not. We are all included. Because God can do that sort of thing - for those who trust. Abraham was the first to trust, the first to embrace God to do what only God can do. Abraham was the first to dance with God.

And Abraham got to be the first because God chose him to be. He got God's attention not by living like a saint, but because God made something out of him when he was a nobody. God set him up, God made him “father of many peoples.” Then he became what God made him to be by daring to trust God to do what only God could do. Paul said, “When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn't do but on what God said he would do.”

Abraham accepted the invitation to dance with God – to trust God in everything. Jesus invited Nicodemus and all those he met to the dance. And today we are invited as well. That is the good news. May the dance go on!

February 24, 2008 Readings

Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 (The Message)

Trusting God
1-3 So how do we fit what we know of Abraham, our first father in the faith, into this new way of looking at things? If Abraham, by what he did for God, got God to approve him, he could certainly have taken credit for it. But the story we're given is a God-story, not an Abraham-story. What we read in Scripture is, "Abraham entered into what God was doing for him, and that was the turning point. He trusted God to set him right instead of trying to be right on his own."

4-5 If you're a hard worker and do a good job, you deserve your pay; we don't call your wages a gift. But if you see that the job is too big for you, that it's something only God can do, and you trust him to do it—you could never do it for yourself no matter how hard and long you worked—well, that trusting-him-to-do-it is what gets you set right with God, by God. Sheer gift.

13-15 That famous promise God gave Abraham—that he and his children would possess the earth—was not given because of something Abraham did or would do. It was based on God's decision to put everything together for him, which Abraham then entered when he believed. If those who get what God gives them only get it by doing everything they are told to do and filling out all the right forms properly signed, that eliminates personal trust completely and turns the promise into an ironclad contract! That's not a holy promise; that's a business deal. A contract drawn up by a hard-nosed lawyer and with plenty of fine print only makes sure that you will never be able to collect. But if there is no contract in the first place, simply a promise—and God's promise at that—you can't break it.

16 This is why the fulfillment of God's promise depends entirely on trusting God and his way, and then simply embracing him and what he does. God's promise arrives as pure gift. That's the only way everyone can be sure to get in on it, those who keep the religious traditions and those who have never heard of them. For Abraham is father of us all. He is not our racial father—that's reading the story backward. He is our faith father.

17-18 We call Abraham "father" not because he got God's attention by living like a saint, but because God made something out of Abraham when he was a nobody. Isn't that what we've always read in Scripture, God saying to Abraham, "I set you up as father of many peoples"? Abraham was first named "father" and then became a father because he dared to trust God to do what only God could do: raise the dead to life, with a word make something out of nothing. When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn't do but on what God said he would do. And so he was made father of a multitude of peoples. God himself said to him, "You're going to have a big family, Abraham!"


John 3:1-17 (The Message)

Born from Above
1-2 There was a man of the Pharisee sect, Nicodemus, a prominent leader among the Jews. Late one night he visited Jesus and said, "Rabbi, we all know you're a teacher straight from God. No one could do all the God-pointing, God-revealing acts you do if God weren't in on it."

3 Jesus said, "You're absolutely right. Take it from me: Unless a person is born from above, it's not possible to see what I'm pointing to—to God's kingdom."

4 "How can anyone," said Nicodemus, "be born who has already been born and grown up? You can't re-enter your mother's womb and be born again. What are you saying with this 'born-from-above' talk?"

5-6 Jesus said, "You're not listening. Let me say it again. Unless a person submits to this original creation—the 'wind-hovering-over-the-water' creation, the invisible moving the visible, a baptism into a new life—it's not possible to enter God's kingdom. When you look at a baby, it's just that: a body you can look at and touch. But the person who takes shape within is formed by something you can't see and touch—the Spirit—and becomes a living spirit.

7-8 "So don't be so surprised when I tell you that you have to be 'born from above'—out of this world, so to speak. You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it's headed next. That's the way it is with everyone 'born from above' by the wind of God, the Spirit of God."

9 Nicodemus asked, "What do you mean by this? How does this happen?"

10-12 Jesus said, "You're a respected teacher of Israel and you don't know these basics? Listen carefully. I'm speaking sober truth to you. I speak only of what I know by experience; I give witness only to what I have seen with my own eyes. There is nothing secondhand here, no hearsay. Yet instead of facing the evidence and accepting it, you procrastinate with questions. If I tell you things that are plain as the hand before your face and you don't believe me, what use is there in telling you of things you can't see, the things of God?

13-15 "No one has ever gone up into the presence of God except the One who came down from that Presence, the Son of Man. In the same way that Moses lifted the serpent in the desert so people could have something to see and then believe, it is necessary for the Son of Man to be lifted up—and everyone who looks up to him, trusting and expectant, will gain a real life, eternal life.

16-18 "This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.

February 10, 2008 Message

February 10, 2008
Romans 5:12–19; Matthew 4:1–11
“Radical Politics”

Apostle Paul – “Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life! One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right.” – Romans 5:18-19 (The Message)

Here are some of the dumb things our presidential candidates have said so far.
- “I'm pretty sure there will be duck-hunting in heaven and I can't wait!"
- "We are going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good."
- "You know that old Beach Boys song, Bomb Iran? Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran."
- "Three words: Vice President Oprah"
Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

Well, last Tuesday was a very special day all around. For presidential candidates, their supporters, the news commentators and political experts - all chasing the holy grail of politics in this country - it was Super Tuesday. For the millions of people, in this country and throughout the world, celebrating Mardi Gras before the fasting associated with Lent, it was Fat Tuesday. For those in this community and all across Iowa, concerned whether they could get to work or there would be school on Wednesday, it was the day “the snow storm of ‘08” began.

I had no plans to celebrate Mardi Gras this year, although we were preparing for Ash Wednesday activities and the beginning of Lent. And I’m not what I would consider a very political person, although I do know who the candidates are and some of their positions on the issues – enough, I hope, to vote ‘intelligently’ when the time comes. It’s hard to get too excited though, when it comes to picking a winner in past presidential elections -– I’m a terrible 0-10.

So this past Tuesday - as I was keeping tabs on the weather updates of the impending storm AND watching the caucus and primary results on CNN AND indirectly observing Fat Tuesday (I know I ate way too much food and could use a good fast) – I found myself wrapped up in everything that was going on and probably stayed up way too late.

But every night has a morning, and in the Christian calendar this year Ash Wednesday follows Super Tuesday. Even though there were no clear winners when the dust settled, no school and no Ash Wednesday service when the snow fell - Lent began. Just as Israel spent forty years in the wilderness, and Jesus spent forty days in the desert fasting, praying, and battling temptation, since the fourth century Christians have set aside the forty days of Lent as a time for repentance and self-examination – typified by practicing an attitude of humility, self-denial, and abstinence.

Some Christians give up something for the forty days of Lent, such as chocolate, or an hour of TV, or something else they do every day; some fast and don’t eat certain foods or maybe don’t eat a whole meal; and some perform acts of mercy, doing something for someone else that they may not be able to do for themselves. In a culture that glorifies excess and indulgence, Wednesday's ashes signify a shocking, counter-cultural act of humility and moderation.

Creativity and imagination are good qualities during Lent, as we look for things to give up among those things that take up too much of out time or try to imagine ways to simplify life or set aside our lists of things to get done in order to put the interests of others before our own.

All of this then leads to my question for today: Would any of us be better off giving up politics for the 36 days remaining in Lent? Think about it. Wouldn’t that be the Christian thing to do?

In the Gospel this week Jesus is tempted by the glory of "all the kingdoms of the world." All he has to do is, "bow down and worship." But Jesus doesn’t take the bait. He doesn’t waver. And you know what - throughout his life, Jesus went on to challenge the political status quo with a revolutionary alternative. So, when politics starts to consume us to the point our lives are centered on the election and begins demanding deep sacrifice, unquestioning obedience, and unwavering allegiance, we can also turn our backs on politics in favor of Jesus’ alternative.

After those forty days in the desert, Jesus began his ministry by proclaiming a new and different type of kingdom or rule – a different sort of politics, if you will. (Mark 1:15) And because of it, he was considered a troublemaker and charged with political sedition or treason. But his was an example the early Christians took seriously.

In the book called The Christians as the Romans Saw Them, Robert Louis Wilkin, a University of Virginia historian, describes a time when Christians held a very cautious attitude toward political power and the state. “During the first hundred years,” he wrote, “They were invisible to most people in the Roman empire. But over time they developed a reputation as an anti-social ‘fringe’ group and were viewed by others as fanatical, subversive, and rebellious.

These early Christians rejected Roman religious traditions. They refused military service. And they were indifferent to civic affairs. Their attitude seemed to others as undermining society and their reliability as citizens was questioned. But, when Jesus had announced and embodied a new community - one in which God was king and ruler of the world and the rulers of this world were not – they listened and responded. These early Christians took Jesus seriously. So they gave up the politics of their day – and had no use for a political state or political solutions.

Imagine today if God ruled the nations instead of Bush, Musharraf (Mu-shar-raf), Putin, Kim Jong-il (Kim Joung-eel), or Ahmadinejad (ah-ma-deen-ah-zhad). Or imagine after Bush it isn’t any of today’s candidates – it’s God? Every aspect of life would be turned upside down, wouldn’t it? There would be peace-making instead of making war, liberation instead of exploitation, sacrifice rather than conquest, mercy rather than retaliation, care for the helpless instead of privileges for the powerful, generosity instead of greed, truth instead of propaganda, humility rather than bravado, and embrace rather than exclusion. The ancient Hebrews had a great word for this sort of life - shalom or human well-being. Jesus did too, when he taught his followers to pray: “God’s kingdom come, God’s will be done.” So, every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer… we imagine a kingdom on earth, as it is in heaven - where God rules our lives.

With Mardi Gras and Super Tuesday now past history, the season of Lent offers an opportunity to think about politics, and all of life, in a radically different light. What if, as was suggested earlier, we gave up our political activism and replaced it with something even more subversive - prayer. Think about it! If we honestly prayed the Lord's Prayer – everyday - it would be the most radical political manifesto ever: "Lord, may your kingdom come, may your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

Whether Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative, capitalist, socialist or communist, democratic or theocratic – that would be a radical sort of politics for sure! Let us pray.

February 10, 2008 Readings

Romans 5:12-19 (The Message)

12-14 You know the story of how Adam landed us in the dilemma we're in— first sin, then death, and no one exempt from either sin or death. That sin disturbed relations with God in everything and everyone, but the extent of the disturbance was not clear until God spelled it out in detail to Moses. So death, this huge abyss separating us from God, dominated the landscape from Adam to Moses. Even those who didn't sin precisely as Adam did by disobeying a specific command of God still had to experience this termination of life, this separation from God. But Adam, who got us into this, also points ahead to the One who will get us out of it.
15-17 Yet the rescuing gift is not exactly parallel to the death-dealing sin. If one man's sin put crowds of people at the dead-end abyss of separation from God, just think what God's gift poured through one man, Jesus Christ, will do! There's no comparison between that death-dealing sin and this generous, life-giving gift. The verdict on that one sin was the death sentence; the verdict on the many sins that followed was this wonderful life sentence. If death got the upper hand through one man's wrongdoing, can you imagine the breathtaking recovery life makes, sovereign life, in those who grasp with both hands this wildly extravagant life-gift, this grand setting-everything-right, that the one man Jesus Christ provides?
18-19 Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life! One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right.

Matthew 4:1-11 (The Message)

1-3 Next Jesus was taken into the wild by the Spirit for the Test. The Devil was ready to give it. Jesus prepared for the Test by fasting forty days and forty nights. That left him, of course, in a state of extreme hunger, which the Devil took advantage of in the first test: "Since you are God's Son, speak the word that will turn these stones into loaves of bread."
4 Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: "It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God's mouth."
5-6 For the second test the Devil took him to the Holy City. He sat him on top of the Temple and said, "Since you are God's Son, jump." The Devil goaded him by quoting Psalm 91: "He has placed you in the care of angels. They will catch you so that you won't so much as stub your toe on a stone."
7 Jesus countered with another citation from Deuteronomy: "Don't you dare test the Lord your God."
8-9 For the third test, the Devil took him to the peak of a huge mountain. He gestured expansively, pointing out all the earth's kingdoms, how glorious they all were. Then he said, "They're yours—lock, stock, and barrel. Just go down on your knees and worship me, and they're yours."
10 Jesus' refusal was curt: "Beat it, Satan!" He backed his rebuke with a third quotation from Deuteronomy: "Worship the Lord your God, and only him. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness."
11 The Test was over. The Devil left. And in his place, angels! Angels came and took care of Jesus' needs.

February 3, 2008 Message

"I’m Nobody, Who Are You?"
1 Corinthians 1: 26-31 and Matthew 5: 1-8

Have you ever noticed how sometimes people just don’t get it?

I went to Taco Bell last week and ordered a taco with minimum lettuce. The guy behind the counter said, “Sorry, we only have iceberg.”

Then later, I stopped at Staples and after I had signed the charge slip at the checkout, the clerk looked at the back of my Discover Card and told me she couldn’t complete the transaction unless the card was signed. When I asked why, she said so she could compare the signatures. So I signed the back of the card. Then she carefully compared the signatures. Luckily they matched.

Those things didn’t really happen to me, but they’re true none-the-less – which goes to show, not all people are the brightest in the world.

In 1 Corinthians 1: 26, the apostle Paul writes, “Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don't see many of "the brightest and the best" among you, not many influential, and not many from high-society families.” How could Paul write to the Corinthians and to me at the same time? You see, I was never the smartest, never the best at anything. My family was probably a notch or two below middle class and not many people really listened to me. Paul is right on target when he reminds me who I am – someone really quite unimportant.

A day or two ago, I ran across a blog on the Internet entitled: “I’m Nobody, Who Are You? - Where nobodies gather, because somebodies don't like us and anybodies ignore us entirely.” It’s a place where people, I guess nobodies, can post their thoughts and opinions. I don’t think this is quite what Paul had in mind when he wrote, “Isn't it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these "nobodies" to expose the hollow pretensions of the "somebodies"? Paul was writing about a different place, a community of faith (the church) where nobodies matter. And he wants us to know God chose us. Not because of who we were, or because of what we could do, but so we would know – so that everybody would know – whatever was done was God’s doing and not our own.

Finally Paul reminds us never to get a “big head” or think we’ve done more than we have when he says: “Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That's why we have the saying, "If you're going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God." On that blog I was telling you about – the one for nobodies - you can order shirts and all sorts of stuff with the IAN (I Am Nobody) logo on it and proudly tell the world you’re a nobody. Surely that’s not what Paul had in mind! It isn’t about me, a nobody - it’s about God.

An important lesson we can learn from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians is that the Church is a place where ‘nobodies’ are important, a place where they are actually ‘somebody.’ That makes perfect sense, right? Someone once said, “When people don't have a sense of belonging, they're lost," That is so true. What do you do if you’re not involved in something, if you’re out there by yourself all the time, if there’s no one around to talk to? You feel lost! You feel alone! But if these ‘nobodies’ Paul is writing to, feel connected to the whole - and that's what Church community does, or at least should do - they have a sense of belonging, which is what people need most. They now become somebody. After all, life is about meaning. People want to matter. And they want to know that what they do matters.

Aren’t all of us, in the church, nobodies? Jesus said you are the ones truly blessed: those of you knowing God is near when you’re are at the end of your rope; when you’ve lost things most dear; when you’re happy with who you are; when you hunger most for God; when you care about others; when you have your priorities straight; when you’re able to ‘get along’ and aren’t fighting all the time; and when you stick by God’s truth no matter what. That’s when you’re blessed! When the feeling of being a nobody is transformed into a feeling of being somebody.

Paul claims that it is not the wise or the powerful or the good people of this world who get it, but the simple, common folk who believe it (1:21). It is not those seeking signs or wisdom who know the way, but those who know that the sign of wisdom is a crucified and risen Christ – something that makes no sense at all to anyone but nobodies.

Never mind that your friends and neighbors, those outside the church, may think you’ve got it all wrong; that you’re foolish going to church and doing all that ‘church stuff’; that you’re wasting your time. What do they know. They’re concerned with all the wrong things – money and success. They think they know, but they don’t. What could you tell them, anyway – you’re a nobody?

Never mind. Paul argues… it is better this way. Better to confuse them and leave them speechless – these people who are so "wise." Better to confuse the "strong." Maybe then they will realize it has been God’s doing all along. God is at work in the church. Think about it. God work - if it is God’s work - is done by nobodies. That’s different!

The church is a place to come to for a change. It’s the wrong place to be if you want to be comfortable. Paul points out that Christ has given the Church a counter-intuitive strategy that turns conventional thinking on its head. It’s a plan that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. You want to be great? Then be the servant of others. You want to be first? Then agree to be last. Want to save your life? You first must lose it. Want to be strong? You must learn to be weak. You want to be wise? Be foolish.

This takes some thinking outside the box or thinking ‘bigger box.’ In other words, the Church is a place for creative connections. We are to be the Church of Bigger Box Thinkers. It’s necessary to broaden our understanding of God and God’s kingdom. In our study on Wednesday mornings, Bruce and Stan, in Taking Life To the Extreme, have challenged us to consider God as a circle rather than a dot. When in our thinking God becomes a circle rather than a dot, our box becomes so much larger, doesn’t it!

Sometimes that box, expanded to include others not quite like us, can seem somewhat radical.
On Larry King Live, a little over a year ago, Jay Bakker, son of fallen televangelists Jim Bakker, said: "I think we get caught in this idea of pleasing God rather than trusting God. And I think once you learn to trust God, it's a lot easier to please God."

Jay Bakker, who preaches at the Revolution Church - New York City, is a 30-year-old high school dropout with a ring in his eyebrow and a tattooed cross on his arm. He stresses acceptance and the unconditional love of Christ, a gospel uniquely suited to young adults like him - who seem so terribly fragile and unable to fit in. His hope is that someday everyone will belong, (Katherine Marsh in Rolling Stone magazine, September 16, 1999, 69-74)

Jay Bakker is quoted in Rolling Stone magazine as saying. "The Bible isn’t about 'Don't do this, don't do that.' God is saying, 'You guys are accepted, and you are loved.' God is saying, 'My hands are open'"

And at other times, that box, we’re asked to enlarge, may not be all that different from what we’re used to. A church in Oklahoma periodically sponsors an eight-week series of evening events called "Soup for the Soul." These evenings begin with a light supper of soup, bread and fruit, and after the meal there is a short devotional, fellowship and sharing. These programs provide the opportunity to invite friends, neighbors and coworkers who might enter into the congregational life in this informal way before participating in the more formal Sunday morning worship service. In addition, they give the church members and their visitors the opportunity to consider how their faith connects with their work, travel, interests, hobbies and family life (Christian Century, April 21-28, 1999, 458).

The church is a collection of nobodies, who open themselves to the work of God so others - smarter, wiser, and more powerful – might know it can only be God that makes such marvelous things happen. Ask God to make your boxes larger. Allow God to enlarge this church. Erase the dot that has limited your God and draw the largest circle ever.

Tell God, “I am nobody, who are you?” And then let God go to work!