Face-to-face

I love the fall!  When we lived in Kentucky I came to appreciate this season so much.  Growing up in the panhandle of Texas, the seasons don't always follow the calendar.  It's not unusual to have a blistering day followed by a severe cold front the next.  It's also not unusual to have spring in the summer, fall in the winter, or even winter in the winter.  Usually the weather changes on a regular basis...but you're just not certain which season will come next.

But that wasn't the case in Kentucky.  Their weather followed a fairly predictable pattern.  The months of September and October would steal the heat and humidity of summer and we would be left with warm days and cool nights.  The green leaves of the growing season would change to bright reds and brilliant golds.  In fact, we would have enough leaves fall to the ground that we would rake them up and the girls would play in the piles.

But I've learned to love fall for other reasons too.  As a teacher, fall always brought the challenges and excitement of a new school year.  Learning new faces, names, and routines always helped make life richer and fuller.  Watching my kids get excited about school and getting involved in various activities brings a smile to my face.  When they come home from school and tell me about what they have learned, I understand their satisfaction of learning and growing up.

As a pastor I've come to appreciate fall for other reasons.  After a summer of so many people traveling, it is nice to see our pews filling up again.  But, it's more than just having fuller worship services.  I genuinely miss seeing people when they are gone.  I miss having interaction and sharing life with them.  I understand that we all like to travel and to visit family and friends in other places, but I also like to have my faith community gathered together each week.  So fall is turning into a great re-gathering of my brothers and sisters in Christ.  While there may be several people gone this Sunday due to the long week-end, I anticipate the coming weeks as our routines return.

In 1 Thessalonians, St. Paul is eager to see the church in Thessalonica.  He writes to them "Brothers and sisters, we were separated from you for a while physically but not in our hearts.  We made every effort in our desire to see you again face-to-face.  We wanted to come to you--I, Paul, tried over and over again--and Satan stopped us.  What is our hope, joy, or crown that we can brag about in front of our Lord Jesus when he comes?  Isn't it all of you?  You are our glory and joy!" (2:17-20).  I understand his eagerness.  I also desire to see those who have been gone throughout the summer.  I have come to love the people of Haskell UMC and they are my glory and joy.

While its true that I look forward to changing leaves, cooler temperatures, and fall activities, the real joy I anticipate is the reunification of our local church.  I look forward to laughing at their summer hijinks.  I hope to hear about family reunions and exciting trips.  But most of all, I can't wait to look out into my congregation and see all of the faces that were separated from us during the summer.  Until next time...

+May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Print Page

Ohana

It's funny to me how God works in our lives.  What I used to think was coincidence I now realize is the Holy Spirit working in our lives.  Let me give you an example.

Two weeks ago I was preparing a sermon for our congregation here in Haskell.  Throughout the summer we have been looking at the fruit of the Spirit as listed in Galatians 5.  Through my studies I ran across a section from 1 Thessalonians that went well with my sermon.  In 4:3-5, St. Paul tells us "For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from fornication; that each one of you know how to control your own body in holiness and honor, not with lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God..."  Since I was preaching about self-control, I incorporated these verses into my sermon and everything was fine.

But for some reason I couldn't quite let go of this verse.  It continued to rattle around in my brain for the next several days.  Myranda, the girls, and I took a few days off before school starts in order to have a time of rest.  During that time we were away, the verse continued to come to mind periodically.  At the time I wasn't sure why...

While we were gone, our lay leader here at Haskell UMC agreed to fill-in for me.   Yesterday morning I took some time to listen to her sermon.  She did a fantastic job.  I always love to hear other people preach and this gave me an opportunity to hear someone I have come to respect greatly.  Anyway, her sermon came from 1 Corinthians 12:12 where Paul discusses the importance of being the body of Christ.  Cathy did a marvelous job of proclaiming the truth of this passage.  In her sermon she reminded the congregation that it takes all of us to do what God has called us to.  No one has the right to get lazy and allow someone else do the job.  We are supposed to continue to work with one another and not become jealous of those who have gifts different than we do.

Well, after I listened to her sermon, I came back to mine in order to polish it up.  While I was finishing up, the Spirit led me back to the passage from 1 Thessalonians.  I noticed something I had never seen before.  When St. Paul is writing about sanctification as the will of God, the "you" he uses is the plural form of the pronoun.  In other words, as the Holy Spirit works in our lives he is doing so in the body of Christ.  The entire community of believers should be growing in holiness together.

I'm afraid that we in the United States have made Christianity too individual.  We think that as long as I'm okay and growing spiritually then everything is fine.  But the more I read Scripture the more I'm convinced this is a bad attitude to have.  As children of God, we are called to self-sacrifice.  We are called to serve one another.  We are called to submit to each other.  We are called to help one another in our Christian journey, not to run ahead for our own good.  In the Disney movie "Lilo and Stitch" Lilo says something very similar to this.  She says "Ohana means family.  Family means no one gets left behind." That's a lot of wisdom coming from a cartoon character.

Ohana means family.  Family means no one gets left behind.

So the Holy Spirit showed me some pretty amazing things the last couple of weeks.  I realize more and more how important a community of faith is in our development and growth.  I have come to appreciate all of my brothers and sisters more through this revelation.  May each one of you continue to grow in holiness, not for yourself but for the community of faith you serve.

Until next time...Ohana!

+May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.   



Print Page

Ripe Fruit

This summer our congregation has been looking at the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-26.  Each week, I have taken one of the Spiritual fruit and gone into it in more detail.  We have explored why St. Paul chose this particular attribute of God to emphasize to the church in Galatia.  Each Sunday, we have delved into this Scripture with great depth trying to come away with a stronger appreciation of what it is God is doing in our midst.

As I have prepared for each one of these sermons, I have grown in my own understanding of what Paul was up to when he composed this letter.  Each week I have come away from my time of study with a greater appreciation for the immense changes taking place within the children of God as we pursue holiness.  But it wasn't until this week that the series really clicked as a whole for me.  As I was studying the last fruit, self control, I was led to 1 Thessalonians.  Now what is really interesting is that I was already reading this book as a part of my personal spiritual discipline.  I'm confident that the Holy Spirit was leading me through all of this for a reason.

In 1 Thessalonians 4, St. Paul is encouraging his brothers and sisters in Thessalonica to continue to pursue a life that is pleasing to God.  He states, "...we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus that, as you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God (as, in fact, you are doing), you should do so more and more.  For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.  For this is the will of God, your sanctification...For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness."--4:1-3a,7

Our sanctification is God's will for us.  What an amazing statement!  When I re-read this verse this week all of the previous week's study about the fruit of the Spirit fell into place (I've told y'all I'm a slow learner).  The fruit of the Spirit that God produces in our lives has one purpose...to bring about our sanctification.  Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control transform us from the way we were in our old flesh into the people God desires for us to be as his new creation.

God is continually calling each one of us higher and higher.  He desires for us to be drawn more and more into him so that we have a wondrous family resemblance with our Father and our brother.  But the most amazing part to all of this transformation is that it is not primarily done for us.  Now don't get me wrong, we do benefit from it for ourselves, but the primary goal is not for us to be better people.  The primary goal is for us to go into the world as changed people for the benefit of others.  When we exhibit the Spiritual fruit we are honoring God by showing the world who God really is.  When we practice these fruit in our lives, others are blessed through our relationship with the Father through the Spirit.

I am convinced that God continues to call all of his children to holiness.  I have no doubt that as he continues to ripen the fruit of the Spirit in our lives that our communities will benefit.  Our personal transformation will draw us out into the world around us as we obey God's desire.  We are empowered for service for the benefit of the world.  Until next time...

+May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Print Page

How Do They Know?

A few weeks ago my friend Bill Hogan (who I greatly admire) posted a quote on his Facebook page.  He stated, "Don't be the best church in the community, be the best church for the community"--Eric Swanson.  This quote summed up what I have been thinking for the last several months.  It seems as though churches are no longer relevant within their communities.  We try to do all kinds of things to draw people to us, but when it comes down to the nitty-gritty of life we prefer to step aside.  We expect government social programs, educational institutions, or others to fill the gap so that people are able to have their needs met.

But I don't see that as the calling of the church community.  I see that our calling is to be so enmeshed in the wider community around us that the city government, the local schools, and the welfare programs can count on us to be there even when government funding stops.  I guess that's why this whole Chick-fil-a controversy makes me so angry.

Don't get me wrong; I fully understand both sides of the argument.  I understand that there is a "freedom of speech" component.  I understand that people have the right to boycott establishments if they so desire.  I understand that not all Christians will be of the same opinion on every topic.  I really do understand all of that.

However, what really bothers me about the whole thing is that Christians have become more passionate on both sides of this issue than they have about any number of other things.  I see people proudly displaying Chick-fil-a sacks on their social networking sites.  I see people bashing those who eat at the restaurant and calling them all kinds of horrible names.  And to what avail?  What's the outcome?   Hate.

In St. John's gospel, Jesus gave his farewell discourse to the disciples.  And in that discourse he stated all sorts of wonderful and amazing things.  One thing he said was this, "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.  Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."--13:34-35.

Well, I can honestly say that I haven't seen much love from either side.  I see people purposefully trying to hurt, harm, and be nasty to their brothers and sisters in Christ.  Whether we approve of a certain lifestyle or not, it does not make someone a Christian.  There are many different life styles by many different people, who I know personally that I don't approve of, and yet they claim Christ too.  Since that is the case, then according to Scripture, I must love them.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's time for this kind of non-sense to quit taking our focus from the reality of being the best church for the community.  It's time we put as much time, energy, and enthusiasm for caring for the sick, visiting those in prison, and feeding the children as we have into this fight.  It's time we become truly relevant within our community so that others will come to know the love of Jesus Christ too.   Until next time...



+May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.





Print Page