...and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.--Ephesians 5:2

I've been doing a lot of thinking the last several days.  During my time of devotion and meditation I keep contemplating the word sacrifice.  When I first heard God calling me into full time ministry, I really didn't know what all it would entail.  I supposed in many ways I still don't.  As I've told people before, one of the most important things I have learned since coming to Asbury has been to trust God and leave things up to him.  Some days that is harder than others, but I seem to be getting better at it.

Anyway, back to sacrifice.  Since moving from my hometown, I have witnessed several ways that people have been sacrificial.  There are several people who I am close to who have had to sacrifice in order for me to try to fulfill the calling placed on my heart.  The first group is my home church.  They have been so generous with their gifts over the last few years.  I will never be able to express my thanks to them for everything they have done and continue to do.  They have faithful given a check every month since we have been in Wilmore.  Various ones from the church have sent cards and letters of encouragement.  We have received gifts in the mail for our girls.  We get emails and Facebook messages from these loving people that fill the gap that a great distance has brought between us.  Many times, before I spend money, I think of the sacrifice that some of these people are making in order to provide for us during this time of school.  Am I spending money on something that someone in my church (it will always be my church) is doing without so that I can sit at the feet of these professors so that I can learn?  That is a question that goes through my mind on a regular basis.

Besides the sacrifice of the people in my home church, my family has also had to sacrifice for this call.  My in-laws and parents have had to sacrifice their grandkids to a long distance relationship that neither one enjoys having, but they do the best they can in the face of the circumstances.  My kids had to leave friends and teachers in school in order to move here and they will have to do the same thing again this summer.  My loving wife gave up a job she enjoyed with good friends so that I could come to seminary and she has not complained one time since we've been here.  She had to give up a house that we bought, worked on, and poured our own sweat into in order to make it a home only to have to sell it so that we could once again live in rent houses.

I think about our dear friends who we love dearly that we used to have Scripture reading and prayer time with.  We forged a relationship that can never be severed and yet they had to let us go so that we could continue along the path that God has set us on.

When I think about all of these things, I see them as bitter-sweet realities.  I wouldn't trade the experiences I've had here in Wilmore for anything.  Myranda and I have met wonderful people and made new friends since we've been here, realizing that once again we will be leaving them behind to follow God's plan.  We have been blessed by two churches who don't know us and yet they love the LORD so much that they have been willing to reach out to us and shower us with the love of the Father.






However, none of this really measures up to the ultimate sacrifice that was given to all people freely.  This past Sunday I was reminded of that sacrifice as we sang one of the great hymns of the Church, "How Great Thou Art."  When we got to verse 4, I could barely whisper the words because I was so overcome with emotion.  Stuart Hines' wrote this, "And when I think that God, his Son not sparing, sent him to die, I scarce can take it in; that on the cross, my burden gladly bearing, he bled and died to take away my sin;"  These words ring so true.  They resonate within my heart and I remember how insignificant my "sacrifice" is compared to the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made to leave the heavenly court in order to walk among humanity, to teach us the way of his Father and then to be punished for no reason other than jealousy and hatred from the hearts of the wicked.

I realize that I still have much to learn and to think about in terms of sacrifice and to "live in love, as Christ loved us..."  I pray that God continues to soften our hearts as we learn to live and love as Christ.  +May God continue to bless you and draw you unto him as you walk the path that he has established for you.  Amen.

"How can I unless someone guides me?"--Ethiopian eunuch

This past Sunday in Sunday school when we got to the end of the lesson on Epiphany, I asked the class if there were any special prayer requests for the week.  One of the bravest men I know had one.  It kind of surprised me that he would have a prayer request because he really is a rock based in the foundation of Jesus Christ.  The reason I say this is that over the last several months he watched his wife slowly and painfully be destroyed by cancer.  Throughout this long ordeal he remained faithful, grace-filled, and loving.  When she did pass away, he continued to sing God's praises.  The Spirit of God shines through him even when he quietly sits towards the back of the room simply listening to the lesson.

Anyway, he had a prayer request this past week that has stuck with me for the last several days.  At some point over the Christmas season he traveled by airplane between Kentucky and Texas.  While on the flight he ran into a young man named Jordan.  Jordan was brought up with a bad home life.  He was abused and hurt many times throughout his childhood. I'm not sure about everything that he went through growing up, but I can safely bet that I will never face the things that he did.

Jordan recently had become a Christian.  I don't know any of the specifics, but he talked about the change that Christ had made in his life.  Apparently, he is really on fire for the Lord and is eager to go forth and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to others.  He was planning on starting with his family.  The same family that had abused him and shown very little love to him during his early years, he desperately wanted them to know Christ and to experience this life altering Spirit.





The story of Jordan reminded me of the Ethiopian eunuch that we read about in Acts 8.  That is the story where Philip runs into the Ethiopian court official as he was returning home to Ethiopia after worshiping in Jerusalem.  Since he was a eunuch, he would have been prohibited from fully joining in the worship assembly, but apparently he had done as much as he was allowed (see Deut 23:1).  We are not told much more about him other than the fact that he was seeking God and wanted to worship him.  When Philip encounters him, the Ethiopian is reading from a passage of Scripture.  Philip inquires if he knows who is reading about.  I love the reply, "How can I unless someone guides me?"  Philip jumps at the chance to proclaim the good news.  The Ethiopian is given a chance to hear the fullness of the truth of Scripture and is finally accepted for who he is, not what he is.  Because of Philip's obedience to the Spirit, the Ethiopian was baptized and returned to his country.  My guess is that he shared what he learned with others.




I believe that our brave friend was placed on that plane next to Jordan as an encourager and as a mentor to a young brother in Christ just like Philip was sent by the Lord to encounter the Ethiopian.  We didn't hear the entire conversation that took place between these two men, but I would loved to have been there to hear what was said.  I'm not sure if Jordan knows that there are people in Kentucky praying for him and his family right now, but there are.  My prayer is the Jordan will continue to grow and be strengthened in his faith.  I pray that the Holy Spirit will give him words to speak and will guide his actions as he spends time with his family.  I also pray that he will be given fathers and mothers in the faith to continue on his narrow way.

We never know when we will be called upon to guide someone along their faith journey or how our own testimonies will impact others.  I love to hear stories like these of men and women of faith guiding others along the way.  As you are going, make disciples...

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

Just a few thoughts...

Okay, I'm going to make a confession here.  I believe that God still communicates with his people in all sorts of ways.  I personally believe that he speaks to our hearts through the natural world, through other believers, and at times through people who are not Christian.  I also believe that he speaks through visions and dreams.  (If you think I'm out of my mind, you have my blessing to leave now).  This will lead somewhere, I promise.

Over the last 150 years Western Christianity has seemed to reduce what it means to be a Christian to acknowledging a series of beliefs with the brain.  I was like that for a long time.  However, I have come to understand that God is not as nearly interested in what your brain thinks as he is with how your heart beats.  Here's the thing, it is pretty easy to be a Christian if all you have to do is say that you believe that Jesus is God's Son and that he came to earth and died on a cross.  It's pretty easy to be a Christian if you go to church on a fairly regular basis, love those who love you, and recite the Apostle's Creed every so often.  That's all head knowledge.  

However, I was reminded in a dream the other day that that's not what God really wants.  With the end of the semester hitting at the same time as planning for Christmas, I have to admit that I quit spending as much time in the Bible or in prayer.  In fact, my Scripture reading was down to only a couple of verses a day and my prayer life amounted to a couple of sentences before meals and at bedtime.  Truthfully, it was really paying lip service to the Creator of the universe instead of spending quality time with my Father.  The day after Christmas, I was awoken by a dream that I was having.  In the dream, I was teaching Sunday school and the importance of focusing on the means of grace (prayer, Scripture reading, fasting, Holy Communion, etc.).  I had several of these items listed on the white board.  As I was talking, I looked to my left and standing next to me was Jesus.  He held out his arms to me and I was suddenly convicted that what I was teaching in the classroom I was not currently practicing.

I used to feel guilty when I would miss several days in my devotional life.  However, when I woke up from that dream, I didn't feel guilt...I felt sadness.  I felt like I had missed something.  I realized that there was something missing from my life and that something was the relationship that I have with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  I guess the best word for it is emptiness.  

Over the past year and a half I have been chatting with a cousin that I have not seen in about 20 years.  She and I got reconnected on Facebook and have begun to get to know one another again.  Even though I "knew" her before we began to chat, I had no relationship with her.  We are still getting to know each other again and I find that I really like her and hope to see her this coming year.  

I'm afraid the kind of "relationship" that most people have with Jesus Christ is the kind I had with my cousin before I reconnected with her.  They know he's out there, but there is not much else to it.  My prayer for you this coming year is that your relationship with the Holy Father, Holy Son, and Holy Spirit will improve.  I believe that we can never get too close to the Trinity and that the better the relationship we have with God now will continue to form us into the image of Christ for the benefit of others in the Body of Christ.

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

"Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man..."

In my Sunday school class, we have been using a study that follows the lectionary.  I have really enjoyed looking at the lessons and reading what the commentators have to say about it.  Last week's lesson was about Mary and this week's lesson is about Joseph.  I have thought a lot about these two individuals the past few Advent seasons.  What were they like?  Did Joseph ever fully understand who Jesus was?  What made these two stand out to God to be chosen as the earthly parents of the savior?  While St. Luke's gospel focuses on Mary, St. Matthew chooses instead to focus on Joseph.  Unfortunately, in Scripture we rarely get the full episode or the feelings and thoughts of the people in the narrative.  However, we are given clues here and there to help us come to grips with these people.  Mary is told that she has found favor with God.  Joseph is reported as being a righteous man.  It's interesting to me that if we follow the thread through Scripture, we find others who are lifted up as an example of finding favor or being righteous.  Noah found favor and was saved, along with his entire family, from the flood.  Abraham's faith was counted to him as righteousness.  God looked at King David's heart and chose him to be the true earthly king of the Israelites.  Esther, Moses, Deborah, and Jacob all caught God's eye.  The first disciples stood out to Jesus for some reason to be called into ministry with him.  St. Paul himself was hand picked by God for important ministry.  What was it about these people that inspired God to bring them into his salvation story?  

As I said before, we don't always get all of the answers to the questions in the Bible.  But let's look at Joseph again.  I love the line that comes after St. Matthew calls him righteous.  Let's look at the paragraph.  "Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way.  When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.  Her husband, Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.  But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins'" (Matt 1:18-21).  

I find this passage fascinating.  If we compare Joseph's response to Mary's unplanned pregnancy to the woman caught in Adultery in St. John's gospel, we find something incredible.  The Pharisees brought the woman to Jesus demanding him to tell them what to do with her.  They cited the Law as stating that they were to stone such a woman.  You probably remember how Jesus responded, "Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." (See John 8:1-11 for the entire story).  According to the mindset of the "holy" people of the day, at the very least Joseph had a case to humiliate Mary with a public divorce.  I wonder if he could have even pressed for her to be stoned...I really don't know.  But that's not what is said about him.  He chose to quietly leave her so that she wouldn't be publicly disgraced.  Maybe he was going to allow her to marry the other man and save face.  I don't know.  Regardless of what he was thinking, it does look as though he was willing to extend a grace similar to the grace that Jesus himself extends to all people.  Joseph looked a lot like Jesus here.  He took a woman pregnant with a child that was not his as his wife.  He gave the child his name which meant that he adopted him as his own.  He raised that child as his son.  That, to me, speaks volumes about this man.  No wonder Joseph caught God's eye as the earthly father of the savior of the world.  

This week as Advent comes to a close and we begin the feasting of Christmas, let's not forget about Joseph and his righteousness.  Let's remember to meditate on the people God has chosen to use for his good and for his glory.  I personally know several people like that and I hope that someday others will see me like that as well; a signpost pointing to the grace, peace, love, justice, mercy, and righteousness of God the Father, through Jesus Christ his Son and our savior, by the power of his Holy Spirit.  Amen.

God bless+,
Dustin

"This is my body...This is my blood..."

This semester I had the honor of enrolling in a class that I had waited for two years to take.  This class is taught by one of most humble men I have ever had the privilege of knowing and someone who I have enjoyed getting to know while I have been here.  The class focuses on the history of the sacraments of the church and how they have been viewed and are currently viewed by various branches of Christianity.  We researched and presented various ideas and arguments that prominent theologians have made about the various sacraments over the past 2,000 years.  Many times a student was required to present a position that he/she did not agree with personally, but yet still was able to articulate the ideas that formed that particular branch's theology.  I personally found the discussions interesting and my own beliefs began to solidify over the course of the semester.  However, to leave this class with just theories and explanations seemed not to do the class and research justice.

Regardless of whether you believe there are 2 sacraments, 7 sacraments, or more, most Christians agree that Holy Communion and Holy Baptism are at the top.  There is just something different and special about these two.  While the class had some good discussions about baptism, our focus really rested on Holy Communion.  When Jesus said "Take, eat; this is my body" and "Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" he was giving a command that is both powerful and ordinary (Matthew 26:26-27).  When we take of this sacrament we use everyday items and yet there is so much more to it than that.  Throughout the ages the church has tried to explain what happens at Holy Communion, yet I'm not sure it can be explained.  I have learned to let it be what it is and be content with it. While I too have my own opinions on Communion, what it is, and how it should be celebrated, I have learned and have come to appreciate that it really does not matter what I think about it.  It does not matter what any particular denomination teaches or what the official doctrines express.  What I have come to understand the most about it is that it only matters what God says it is.  The entire meaning of a sacrament is that it really is a mystery.  Our feeble human minds do not have the capacity fully to engage what happens when we partake of this sacred rite.

A few weeks ago I asked Dr. O'Malley if it would be possible for us to take Communion together as a class on our last meeting of the semester.  He agreed and organized it for us.  We were blessed to have an Anglican priest and an Anglican monk in the class this semester.  Dr. O'Malley asked them to preside over the table for us.  It was special time of celebration for me as we went through the liturgy and then took the consecrated elements together.  I believe I saw a more complete view of the Kingdom of Heaven that evening.  The priest who presided over the table is from Kenya and he used a newer version of the Communion Liturgy that expresses the truth of the gospel message from a Kenyan point of view.  His assistant is from the United States.  They worked together and served each one of us in the class.  Various denominations came together around the Lord's table and took of his body and blood together.  This was probably the most ecumenical gathering I have ever been a part of in my life.  Each of my brothers and sisters that evening, with their own story and their own calling, mean a lot more to me now than they did at the beginning of the semester.  While I still don't know all of them very well, I feel a bond with them that I had not felt before.

 I suppose if I had to rank this class it would have to be one of the top 5 I have had while in seminary.  To explore the theories and ideas of the sacraments was interesting, but to celebrate one of the holiest institutions of the church with these fellow travelers was beyond description.

"Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord."--James 5:7a

This coming Sunday I was offered a chance to give the sermon at our early service in Nicholasville.  I like to follow the common lectionary as much as possible.  This year the lectionary is heavily based on the twin realities of the season of Advent.  The gist of the sermon is that while Christians can indeed reflect on the first coming of our Lord and Savior two thousand years ago, to stop there is a major problem.  Advent is about more than that.  It is also about the reality of the second coming of Christ and the closing out of the period of history that we currently find ourselves in.  For the past two thousand years we have simply been in the beginning of the in-breaking kingdom.  While that sounds like a long time to our finite minds, the truth of the matter is that in God's mind, it is simply a split second.  We serve a mighty, faithful, patient God and for that I am truly thankful.  

In order to see the difference between us and God, I have been contemplating when Christmas begins and how it should be celebrated.  In reality, Christmas has turned into a culturally specific thing instead of the theological truth that we find in Scripture.  For example, in the earthly kingdom Christmas starts on the day after Thanksgiving and quickly sprints up to Christmas Day.  It is a time of hurriedly preparing Christmas parties and feasts, buying other folks things they really don’t need or want, and about going out and seeing who has the prettiest Christmas lights in town.  It is about kids worried that they were not good enough for Santa’s visit this year and about adults worried that those credit card bills will begin to pour in before the next pay check.  It is about silver bells ringing, children singing and sleigh rides jingling.  It’s about a reindeer with a red nose, a snowman with frosty toes, and a Grinch who stole.  It is a month long season of revelry, excitement, headaches, and running out of time to do nothing.  We hear of the "must have" toy of the season and parents who pay way too much for a piece of plastic made in China that is not on store shelves now but will be made in excess come January.  We are focused on the end of the year and we reflect on the fact that another year is almost over and hope the next one will be even better.  We like to think of the local food pantry, toys for tots, and the Salvation Army as good places to give during this season because we are feeling extra generous right now.

But I'm afraid that with this kind of cultural thinking, we have missed what it means to be Kingdom people.  The church calendar that follows Tradition and Scripture says "Wait just a minute.  Don't rush ahead too quickly."  We need to stop and catch our breath.  It tells us that before we can celebrate Christmas, we must first endure the season of Advent.  And yes, I do mean endure.  According to the Tradition of the church, Advent is much more like Lent and much less like Christmas.  It is a time of fasting, not feasting.  It is a time of anticipation, waiting, crying out to God and saying "Come quickly, Lord Jesus."  In reality, Advent comes at the beginning of the calendar, not at the end.  It is about recognizing that we have not helped those in need the other eleven months of the year and that we need to do better about helping them over the next eleven.  It is about knowing that the food pantry needs items every month to feed the hungry, the clothing closet needs help to clothe the naked all year long, and the sick need someone every day, not just a few weeks in December.  Advent should be a time of more reflection and less activity while at the same time it should be a reminder that we need to look ahead with expectation and anticipation as we reach out to a world that has not yet received Christ.  It should be a time of giving of ourselves instead of simply giving out of our bank accounts.  It is about hearing the words of John the baptizer as he cries out "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."  

You see, we will have plenty of time later in the year to celebrate Christmas and the nativity of our Lord.  Let's not move too quickly to that place without first enduring Advent.  In the church calendar these words certainly ring out, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven..."  Christmas and Epiphany are coming, but not yet.  It is not time.  I pray that you will remember that over the next couple of weeks as we continue during this season of Advent and that you will not move too quickly ahead.  Be patient.  Be watchful.  Be prepared.  Be expectant.  "The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.  You also must be patient.  Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near."--James 5:7b-8  Until next time...

+ May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you--Amen+

God bless+,
Dustin

"...and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God." Romans 5:2b

A few years ago, I was a really proud man.  I thought I had everything together.  I had married a wonderful woman who was deeply in love with me and for whom I would do anything.  At the time, we had two beautiful daughters and we were living in a nice home.  In all actuality, we had everything that any young family could ever want.  I remember reading this particular Scripture one night, "Do not be deceived!  Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers--none of these will inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Cor. 6:9-10).  I remember thinking, "I sure am glad I'm not one of those people.  They sure will be in a heap of trouble when Jesus comes again and they are cast into hell."  I also remember feeling my heart swell with pride that I had nothing to worry about and that as long as I followed the rules, went to church on Sunday, and did nothing that was terribly wrong, everything would turn out just fine.


Boy was I wrong!  After Jesus intersected my life, showed me my puffed up and prideful heart I began to realize that I had a long way to go in order to be humble, meek, and self-giving.  Over the last several years I have really tried to remember to ask God in my prayer time to change my heart and to help me to think less of myself and to place others ahead of myself.  That's really a tall order, but I do believe that this is part of the salvation process.  God takes a lump of clay and begins to mold it and shape it into the image of his only begotten Son.  Every so often he shows us that we are changing.  Much like raising kids, the day by day growth is not always noticeable.  However, ask almost any parent at the beginning of the school year and the kid's growth becomes obvious.  I think that sometimes God reveals to us how much we have grown just so we see that we are not the same as we were when we started out on this journey of faith.


I was blessed enough to experience such a revelation this past Sunday.  This time the reading came from Romans 1.  At the end of the Scripture reading of the morning, these words were read by the liturgist, "God gave them up to a debased mind and to things that should not be done.  They were filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice.  Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, craftiness, they are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, rebellious toward parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless" (Romans 11:29-30).  This time, instead of my heart swelling up in pride, it was broken.  Tears literally swelled up in my eyes as I thought about these people and what they are missing out by rejecting God and the peace, grace, and love that he offers to humankind.  As I have reflected on what happened on Sunday, I realize that by the grace of God, I have grown.


Now I hope that no one misreads this and thinks that my heart is completely filled with love and grace.  Unfortunately, that is not the case.  There are still plenty of people in this world who drive me crazy.  I still get irritated at people and don't want to deal with them.  I still find myself being on the side of rejecting the gospel message of love instead of embracing it.  However, maybe this doesn't happen as often as it used to.


This week, I was reminded to continue to pray and to expect transformation into the likeness of Christ.  John Wesley once said "The perfection I teach, is perfect love; loving God with all the heart, receiving Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King, to reign alone over all our thoughts, words and actions. That we are to expect it, not at death, but every moment; that now is the accepted time, now is the day of this salvation" (Wesley's Works, Vol. VI, p. 500).  As hard as it is to expect this transformation to take place now, I think he is right on target.  I do believe that we continue to grow day by day, but since we serve a mighty God, he can also do an amazing act all at once too.  I'm going to continue to expect God to act in my life, change me, and mold me into the perfect shape of his Son and our Savior.


+ May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you--Amen+