What's My Motivation?

What motivates you in life? For me often times it is writing a list so that I can then experience the satisfaction of checking things off of it.  A friend of mine said a few weeks ago that his mom is the kind of person who sits down at the kitchen table with her morning coffee and at the top of her "to do" list writes, "make coffee" just so that she can mark it off.  Kindred spirits, she and I.  Other times it is a deadline fast approaching that motivates me, paying bills for example.  The best motivation comes when you are inspired to do something!  When sheer joy or love drives you to finish that book, write that article or finish that project. One of the most important and exciting things for me to do in the past few weeks has been to prepare for my besties' wedding.  There has been nothing too great or too small that I would not do to help her.  After all, this is part of a bridesmaids' job!  Buying a fancy dress, showering her with gifts, and taking her with friends to the beach for a weekend before the wedding has been such a blast.  Indeed, our continued friendship has motivated me to try and be the very best bridesmaid that I can be!  

I'm sure you know where I am going with this: what is our motivation when it comes to the life of the church? We know that when it comes to the task of giving of our time, talents, and treasures, there are many times when climbing that particular mountain appears to be too steep!  How can we motivate each other to pack up our gear and begin the arduous climb? How do we motivate one another to join us in the journey to become as generous to our church as perhaps we are in other areas of our lives? "What", you might ask, "is my motivation?"

I love this statement from McKenzie and Miller in "Climb Higher."  They write, "God continues to express generosity and give to us in ways we can hardly imagine--not because of what we do, but because of grace.  God's gifts come to us without strings attached.  Our gifts to God should be returned in the same way." Grace, the ultimate motivation! 

I could talk about generosity in the church being budget driven, but if you are like me, reading a bunch of numbers and line items can be intimidating and your eyes begin to glaze over.  Fiscal responsibility is very important and all of us should be aware of the church's expenses and the need to fund our various ministries, pleading with members to help out when times are tough isn't necessarily the best approach. Another option is to merely plea for help in a crisis situation.  This might lead a congregation into a panic or to believe that the church is no longer viable.  While a congregation should always be told if a financial crisis has emerged, it should be a vision for ministry that inspires the congregation to resolve it.    Some churches attempt to divide the amount of funding needed to sustain ministries equally among its members.Families are told what is needed and their portion and are called to respond accordingly.  Wow, um...insulting (in my opinion). This sounds a lot more like being guilted into paying dues rather than out of being lead through prayer to give as they are able.  We also have to be careful not to encourage a "giving to get" mentality.  Have you ever heard a testimony from someone who said that after they increased their tithes to the church they recieved a promotion or a raise? Our tithing should not be based on a bartering relationship with God.  Remember, God blesses us by grace alone and those blessings preceded and exceeded any gift-giving on our own part. 

I have shared this quote with our congregation before: "We don't pay the utility companies because we love paying utilities.  We budget for utilities because of the many different ways in which the building is used for ministry."  So, what is our motivation? Instead of talking about money lets talk about ministries.  

One of our best kept secrets at ACHPC is probably our music program.  When visitors come to our church they are blown away by the amount of talent we have in our small congregation.  It reminds me of a song Martina McBride used to sing, "I'm little but I'm loud."  I hope that for as many folks that come to me on Sunday morning to tell me they enjoyed my sermon, they tell our pianist, choir director, guitarist and choir members how fantastic they are.  While I do not like the notion that worship is a performance, I do on occasion encourage church members to clap after an anthem because the choir deserves to know that they have helped that congregation come closer to God in that moment.  That the Holy Spirit's presence was felt due to their inspiring music.  It isn't just about praising them, it is about glorifying God and in those moments thanking God for the talents they share with us each week! I look forward to occasions such as Joy Gift and Palm Sunday when they are able to breathe new life into our worship.  Having laity participate in worship each Sunday by leading the liturgy is crucial to our continued vitality, it helps members to take ownership of their worship and spiritual health.

I think we are also strong in our Christian Education at ACHPC.  We may not boast multiple Sunday school classes, but why should we?  What is the benefit of being fragmented when such wonderful, thoughtful discussion happens in one room?  The curriculum for the upcoming year for both adults and youth strives to connect real life, newsworthy events and personal narratives with the scriptures.  How do the scriptures help us to respond to what is happening in the world?  The Men's Fellowship Group and the Girls' Day Out study does the same thing, although with a different context.  We know that thoughtful study is an important key to our inspiration, it is what helps us to flesh out our theology and apply our faith to daily living.  

In addition to our study and worship, we fellowship with one another each and every week!  It is a delight for us to have luncheons and dinners together, to sit down and spend that quality time just being in relationship.  But, it is amazing what 10 minutes after worship can do to lift one's spirits, energize them for the coming week, share in a smile that can spread, one to another.  Make no mistake, the stories of the Bible are encounters with neighbors, relationships are at the core of  each one!  

There are churches that are twice the size of ours in number but can't seem to find the time to take care of one another.   Our family ministry is by far one of the most wonderful things we do.  While I try my very best to visit with our members when they are ill or struggling, I simply cannot do all that I would like.  I could never do enough in all honesty, but with help from congregation members, we are able to show our love and support to members. The cards, the flowers, the food, mean so much to people.  I would encourage everyone that you do not have to wait until you are the person signed up to do family ministry to reach out to folks.  Our prayer list is in the bulletin each week for a reason.  After you've prayed for our members, call them, visit them, and pray with them!

The amount of work we do in the community is also phenomenal. When people call us and ask for help with groceries, we can direct them to the local food bank because we are always collecting food for their shelves.  When people need help with their rent or their electric bills, we are able to provide for them because of the congregations generosity with funds as well as the time our members spend working to raise money at the Railroad Festival.  We assist with Habitat, we do an angel tree, 2-cents-a-meal, the list goes on and on.  In fact, we may have too many irons in the fire.  But, they are each so very good.  

Make no mistake, the success of these ministries is directly linked to our congregations generosity. Generosity of tithes, generosity of time, generosity of talents. I ask my congregation to think about the impression these ministries have had on your life. When it comes to generous giving, what is your motivation?

An Attitude Of Gratitude

When I was a little girl my mother trained me to say, "Thank you Momma, you're a good woman."    It's true she is a good woman. She is like a fine wine or a product that has become more valuable with inflation over time, she is an incredible, extraordinary woman!  She taught me to have an attitude of gratitude.  In fact, not only should I show her my thanks and gratitude for the ways in which she cares for me, but I should also give her a compliment to remind her (and me) of just how fantastic she is.  It probably wasn't long after that when I began to say, "you're the best momma in the whole wide world!" If I haven't said it enough recently Mom, I am saying it now! 

McKenzie and Miller write in their book "Climb Higher" that nurturing generosity calls for a clear vision and committed leadership.  They go on to say, "But more than anything else, to attain the summit of enduring and effective stewardship requires inspiration! We are inspired to give, meant to give, and in the giving we are inspired or animated with new life.  In our giving we become like God." For the authors inspiration is crucial to stewardship.  They point to the most well known verse of Scripture to make their point, John 3:16.  What did God do because of his love for us?  He gave. He gave of himself out of great love for his creation.  

God is the giver of all things in our lives and when we seek God's guidance on how to use the gifts he has given us, we can find ourselves in a closer relationship with God.  Winston Churchill is quoted as saying, "we make a living by what we get.  We make a life by what we give." For the authors of "Climb Higher" Christian stewardship is grounded in gratitude, revealed in prayer, and lived in faith. If we are to be serious about enduring and effective stewardship, we need to create an attitude of gratitude!  A few weeks ago in worship we filled out gratitude cards and placed them in the offering plates.  It was wonderful to see the outpouring of thanksgiving from members, for family, friends, a a happy home and good health. 

We have a church member who has been diagnosed with cancer this summer.  He is a pillar in our congregation, he is an inspiration for all of us and we all feel the void ,see the empty seat in Sunday School and Worship since he has not felt well enough to be with us on Sunday mornings.  I went to visit him last week after he discovered that the cancer had spread and surgery was not going to be an option for him.  When he and his children who had all gathered there in the doctor's office heard this news his children were upset, understandably so.  But ever upbeat he said, "Don't be sad, look at what God has done, he has brought us all together today."   In all things, he gives thanks. 

When we can begin to reflect on our lives based on the sheer multitude of blessings we have received rather than the difficulties we face; life can become more bearable, in fact it becomes deeply enriched because suddenly we can name the ways in which God is working in our lives! Out of gratitude we turn to the Lord and say, "thank you Lord, you are a good God." We then ask God, based on all that he has given to us, what would God have us do?  How does God desire that we use our wealth, our health, our time and our talents to build up God's kingdom?  It is about being open to listening for God's call and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us in living out that call. 

 Last week at our session meeting as we had the inevitable crunching of numbers and pouring over the church's finances, our Clerk of Session said, "I have decided to increase my giving by an additional 10%."  In doing this he showed his dedication to the church's ministry.  He also demonstrated his dedication to being a leader in the congregation.  This was not a moment of patting himself on the back, this was an honest moment of generosity by which he followed up his words with actions.  He had encouraged church members in the newsletter to increase their giving if they felt so moved and in then did so himself.  

I do hope that we have created and are continuing to nurture a culture in our church that is based on gratitude, prayer, and a willingness to answer God's call, whatever that call may be.  I pray that we might be strong enough to step out of our comfort zones, to go beyond what has always been done, and move to whatever we feel touched or called by the Lord to do. 

  Recall a time when you were nearly overcome with a profound sense of gratitude. What were the circumstances?  Did you feel inspired to do something, say something, or change something? 

Try to remember a time when you were intentional about listening for God's will in your life. What happened?

Following The Leader, The Leader, The Leader

John Quincy Adams once said, "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader."

Some days I have to remind myself that leader does not mean idea generator, which I love to do, almost as much as organizing!  Nothing excites me more than thinking up new worship experiences, fun sermon illustrations, worthwhile church programs or activities.  But I believe that being a leader does not mean that I do all of these things by myself, but rather that I empower other people to be not only hearers, but doers of the Word.  I am called to inspire new ways of thinking but also to equip members of the congregation to actively participate in the life of the church.   

As I prepare to begin a visioning process with our session members and hopefully inspire our congregation to also think about what God is calling us to do, I am reminded by authors' Scott McKenzie and Kristine Miller in Climb Higher that "simply knowing where God is leading you in your ministry will not propel you to the top."  Our leadership must be committed to the task.  Miller and McKenzie argue that if one were planning an expedition to scale the heights of Mount Everest, one would desire to have the most skilled of climbers leading the charge.  In the same way, you want to recruit the very best of your membership to lead the way in effective ministries.  In this book, the main topic is stewardship, so the example is that you would want your best stewards in charge of the stewardship campaign.  I believe the theory holds for any committee in the church, you would want your members who are the most hospitable to be a part of your fellowship team or greeters on Sunday morning.  You would want to ask your most compassionate and perhaps prayerful members to help you with visiting the ill or shut-ins.  

This is not even a matter of selecting the person who does the most hosting or gives the largest contributions.  Rather, it is the person who represents the most meaningful commitment.  Miller and McKenzie argue for example, "a person in a leadership role who has not made a financial commitment to support the ministries of your church will derail your vision and be a stumbling block at every turn."   The point is that your leadership should be 100% behind the vision of the church and supporting it with their time, talents, and tithing in whatever way they can.  I must give kudos to our session members here as they try very hard to do whatever needs to be done to ensure the success of any project.  They also make a commitment to stand behind decisions that the session votes on, even if all don't agree, once the vote has been made, all members support one another and present a united front.  I don't know if the rest of the congregation realizes this, but I tell you, they set a wonderful example and I hope to highlight it!  The session should be enthusiastic ambassadors for our ministries within the church not just 'chair committees.'  And they cannot do any of this work alone, they need the help of the entire membership to not only volunteer to be lay readers or man the hot dog stand (which we absolutely do need), they also need people to Show Up.  I don't mean just be a warm body filling a space, I mean be physically, mentally, and spiritually present in all our various ministries!  If you don't feel like church is fulfilling your spiritual needs as it should, ask yourself why you think that is and what you/we can do about it. 

The leadership of the congregation plays a crucial role in assisting the congregation to fulfill its God-given vision for ministry.  I know that God is calling us to do something quite special, even though we have yet to discern precisely what this looks like.  In truth, all the members of a congregation are leaders in some way, everyone has their gift and their place in ministry, we are all members of the priesthood of believers.  This may require each of us to shift our way of thinking.  For example, instead of viewing stewardship as a way to convince people to give more money, imagine it as a way to inspire people to become more generous in all aspects of life.  Instead of viewing fellowship events as a meal, what if it inspires us to become more hospitable to one another. Instead of coffee hour being about snacks to tide us over until lunch, it helps us reconnect and minister to one another as we take a genuine interest in each others' lives.  

I was taught in any number of scenarios throughout my life that the world needs both leaders and followers.  Sometimes the situation necessitates that the one who is usually the boss steps back and lets someone else take the lead.  I was reminded of this quite clearly last weekend at our youth council planning retreat when I had to say to some of our returning council members, "Hey, you are really good at this...let someone else give it a try."  I think that I am naturally a leader but that does not mean that always have to lead. I can still be a leader and allow myself to follow the direction of someone else from time to time, especially if they have more experience or expertise than I do.  I guess my point is, if you are a leader in the church, own it, become an inspirational ambassador for your church's vision. If you cannot commit to this crucial role, ask yourself, "why am I in a leadership position?"  If you are a follower, think about why it is that you are in that position. Is it because you don't think you have the chops to be a leader? Is it because the opportunity hasn't presented itself?  Is it because you have been burnt out in a leadership position before?  

As we begin to envision the future of our church, I pray that you would be inspired to dream, equipped to participate, and affirmed in prayer that God is calling you and us together to do something amazing.  Amen.

 

Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose!

One of the most under-rated television shows in recent years, in my humble opinion, was Friday Night Lights.  The series followed the lives of a Texas high school football coach, his family, and players on his team.  Coach Taylor is known for his rousing pep-talks both on and off the field in the series.  One of the lines that has become well-known from the show is "Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Can't Lose!"  

I don't say things like this very often, but I feel that God continues put the notion of a church visioning process in front of me.  In order for a church to do more than simply survive but to thrive, it needs a clear and compelling vision.  In the book Climb Higher: Reaching New Heights in Giving and Discipleship, authors Scott McKenzie and Kristine Miller highlight the truth that pastors, sessions, and even Presbyteries try to deny: that often times a church's vision is merely to pay the bills and keep the doors open.  For many of the smaller churches out there, this is a gargantuan task in it's own right.    These days there are so many organizations out there asking for people to donate their hard-earned money to this cause or that charity, the voice of one crying out, "In the wilderness,prepare ye the way of the Lord" is lost in a cacophony of other voices, other needs.  

Maybe, just maybe, the reason that our cries are muffled is because we aren't asking the right questions!  Anyone can ask for money, anyone can say, "this is the budget, help us meet it."  Anyone can pull off a stewardship campaign and perhaps get back a small percentage of pledge cards.  In truth, we aren't saying in our churches, "we are preparing a way for the Lord" or "we are making disciples of all nations" we are saying, "here are the numbers, help us keep the lights on."  The questions are not "How much do we need? How much do I give?" The questions are, "Why should I part with my money to give to the church? What will be the effect of my giving to the church rather than say, the American Cancer Society or Children's Miracle Network?"  Friends, do not hear me saying that these are not worthy causes, they certainly are!  My point is, people want to see their money, time, and talents transforming lives!  

Our mission is given to us in the scriptures, it is the great commission.  It is the vision portion that is difficult.  We have to put in sufficient time and effort, in work, study and prayer to discern where our strengths intersect with the needs of the community.  What is it that God is calling us to do in this place and at this time?  

It is time for our church to ponder the difficult questions:
Who are we?
What is our context or community for ministry?
What does God want?

Then, and only then, will we find the inspiration and the motivation to support the ministries of the church, the activities and the people, rather than simply paying the bills.  Clear Eyes. Full Hearts.  Can't Lose!  

Rules For A New Life

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

25 So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbours,
 for we are members of one another. ²⁶Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun 
go down on your anger, ²⁷and do not make room for the devil. ²⁸Thieves must give 
up stealing; rather let them labour and work honestly with their own hands, so as to
 have something to share with the needy. ²⁹Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, 
but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give 
grace to those who hear. ³⁰And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you 
were marked with a seal for the day of redemption.³¹Put away from you all bitterness
 and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, 
³²and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, 
as God in Christ has forgiven you. 5¹Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, 
²and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering 
and sacrifice to God.

Rules For A New Life

For several weeks Michael has been saying to me, “You should watch this new show The Newsroom, its awesome!”  And for several weeks I continued to tell him that I would get around to it eventually.  Finally, one evening I felt motivated to watch the show and so I began to watch the six aired episodes in a marathon fashion.  I am absolutely hooked!  The premise of the series is that a jaded and slightly arrogant news anchor, his executive producer, and the rest of the staff for the cable news show begin a serious mission to report the news well in the face of corporate and commercial obstacles.  Within the fictitious plot of The Newsroom, its breaking news stories for News Night are based on real reported events in America’s recent history.  Last week’s episode revolved around the staff breaking the story of the death of Osama Bin Laden.  Throughout the episode three of the characters are stuck on a plane in LaGuardia airport, unable to get to the news station to participate in breaking the story.  One character in particular, a hotheaded producer named Don continues to rage to the stewardess on the plane that the plane is stopped on the runway, that there is no reason that he should not be allowed to get out of his seat, and even more so that he absolutely must get off the plane!  As the trio begins to piece together what the monumental news from the President will be, Don becomes more enraged and he jumps out of his seat and begins to get the attention of the entire plane, as whispers from the cabin begin to erupt about a possible terrorist attack, threat of war etc.  The stewardess calls for the pilots to come out and as Don wheels around to continue his tirade about the ridiculousness of his circumstances he suddenly realizes just why the stewardess and the pilots would be nervous, why these rules have to be implemented on flights.  It is then that Don reports the news.  He tells the pilots that he is proud to announce to them that on that very night Osama Bin Laden had been killed. [1]

It was a very powerful moment for me in the show, especially to see that a character that I tend to despise does have some redeeming qualities.  It reminded me that we are all human and we all have flaws.  We are all prone to sins of anger, greed, and malice.  But, as Christians, we must let the image of God in us shine through the mire.  This passage from Ephesians today encourages us to live a new life.  Our reading this morning gives us an occasion to think about what it means not to be just a name on the rolls of a church, but a living, breathing, follower of Jesus, with our hearts and minds transformed by giving our lives over to God in Jesus Christ.  Last week we read about Jesus’ second encounter with the crowds after he served the multitudes.  When asked how they should do the work of God, Jesus simply responded that they must believe in him.  This passage teaches us what comes out of living that faith.  The letter of James tells us that faith without works is dead.  We need not do works for salvation, we need only believe as Christ tells us.  But our faith should naturally compel us to lead lives in which good works are done.  Our faith should compel us to follow these rules laid out in Ephesians.  If we are truly given over to Christ, truly transformed, people will be able to see it. 

We are called in this passage to speak the truth to our neighbors.  It seems to me that in our world today ‘speaking the truth’ and ‘first amendment rights’ have become more and more a battle of sensationalism and extreme confrontations.  The questions of civil rights and freedom of speech come down to the slogan of “to eat or not to eat more chicken!”  We argue over gun laws in circles incessantly because we are afraid to face the truth that our systems for treating the mentally ill are not working!  We are afraid to admit some civic responsibility when innocents are killed while watching a movie or worshipping in their own faith tradition.  And the sad truth is that I saw a lot more of my fellow Christians posting articles and pictures online about a chicken sandwich than I have seen regarding the shooting at the Sikh temple in Wisconsin.  Is this what being members of one another looks like?  I don’t see any media coverage of Christians on either the  so-called liberal or conservative side protesting at gun shops or rallying for better care of our mentally ill civilians because the commandment “Thou Shalt Not Kill” has been broken in horrific ways in the past month, not to mention multiple times each and every day. 

Could it be that we in the church spend so much time talking about sexuality, property, and authoritative interpretations in order to avoid telling the truth in love? Rev. Katherine Huey challenges that,  “perhaps we also want to avoid talking about the even larger questions of generosity: the forgiveness for example, that comes with a gentle and generous spirit that lets go of resentment, anger, and old grudges, not to mention the death-grip that we often have on our own self-righteousness! Even more paralyzing,” Huey says, “is our fear of the truth, of telling and hearing the truth.  And yet, a faith community that is both truthful and loving is an immeasurable gift in our lives.  This passage begins with an exhortation to tell the truth, but that command is tempered by love, and later by kindness.”[2] 

The author of this letter goes on to write: “Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy.”  Have you ever had something stolen from you?  I have, and I have friends who have, and it is such a disheartening and frustrating experience.  And if it is an object that is stolen from your home, your car, your office, it makes you feel unsafe, violated, and exploited.  It seems strange to me to have this portion of the rules plopped down in the middle of language about angry, harsh words.  But then I think about how thieves have made me feel in the past and it begins to make sense.  As I continued to read through this passage I was also struck by the encouragement to forgive.  Being wronged is hurtful but in not forgiving, you only hurt yourself.  And, in a situation of being stolen from, I have to remind myself that hopefully the person needed that which was lost more than I did, that I was able in that moment to provide for someone in need. Being a Christian means living a life that you are proud of, one that is rooted in decency. One in which you use your gifts and talents not only to provide for your own life but to also share in the lives of others.

  “Do not make room for the devil and do not let evil come from your mouth, but only what is useful for building up,” verses 27 and 29 tell us.  Don’t let anger rule your life.  As a Christian we are called in this passage to let our words give grace to those who hear it.  In the midst of the debates about Chick-Fil-A last week, I heard far more anger and resentment coming from people on both sides of the issue rather than words that give grace to those who hear it. Perhaps we don’t understand that every time we speak it is an occasion for building up, an occasion for grace…perhaps we forget the power of words since we sling them about so freely. 

http://www.sodahead.com

Rev. Huey begs the question, “If we know ourselves as members of a body, how can we be at war with one another, outwardly or underneath the surface and behind one another’s back?  If we truly belong to one another and to the Body of Christ, how can we hurt one another with angry words and actions? When we act out of anger, we hurt ourselves, in a very real sense, as the members of a body should not and would not hurt each other.”[3]   It is true that we are humans and humans have emotions and those should be accepted and validated.  We also are called to take ownership of our emotions.  But the scriptures tell us that the emotion we must let go of is anger, it is poisonous to us if we do not. ?”   The author of this letter urges us to resist acting out of anger.    We have all seen anger simmering within congregation members from time to time.  Quiet angers simmer within us individually, in our homes or our workplace and yes, though we would rather not admit it, here in this church.  When this happens, when we hold on to anger, when we become passive-aggressive in our behavior, or when we chose to walk away from our Christian brothers and sisters rather than bother with the difficult work of forgiveness, we grieve the Holy Spirit.  We feed bitterness, a disposition that cherishes resentment.  We cling to former grievances, real or imaginary.  Our fury can build until we have violent outbursts or shouting matches.  All of these are harmful to the Christian community.    The church, whether it is a local congregation or a denomination at large, is always beset by conflict and anger.  The players and the problems vary, but the sins persist.   Today, we are called instead to forgive, to speak the truth in love and build one another up with our words!

Perhaps we have to ask ourselves if those people beyond our doors encounter us each day as gentle spirits and tender hearts.  Would our conduct and manner betray us as followers of Jesus?  Is our faithfulness authentic or is it more like a bumper-sticker band-aid that hides the dings and dent in the paint?  I can’t help but think of those lovely stickers we see so often in these parts that read, “not I but Christ.”  Oh I see, was that Christ that just cut me off in traffic?  Was that Christ who parked illegally in that handicapped spot?  Was that Christ who just shook his fist out the window at a stoplight?  Our faith should be revealed in actions, not just stickers and slogans.  Today we are reminded we are made in an image of God that is to be reflected as much as possible.

“If God has been generous and forgiving of us, how can we who belong to God be anything but forgiving, anything but kind to one another?”   The author of this letter urges us to resist acting out of anger.   We are called to forgive one another as Christ has forgiven us.  Do you remember when we took those health surveys months ago?  There were some questions on there about our spiritual health.  Guess what, the struggle that stood out the most from our results was that of forgiveness!   Each day, difficult as it is, we must try to forgive those who have wronged us, those who have angered us.  And we must remember that we have probably angered or hurt someone in the past and we would desire that they forgive us as well.  This may be an ongoing process for us, but thanks be that God is the ultimate judge not us, and thanks be that our God is a God of grace!

http://babblingflow.blogspot.com/2012/06/kindness-in-forgiveness.html

We are told here to be imitators of God.  Larry Patten wonders, “How can anyone claim to mimic God?” The truth is that rather than mimicking God we often end up limiting God.  Patten confesses that even though he as one person matters so little and that he will likely oftentimes fail, he will strive to imitate God by trying to “widen the circle of love.”[4] 

In truth, a passage as short as this one can make us feel very unworthy of God’s love.  How can we ever measure up to this, how can we think of imitating God?  We can look to Paul and other people in the Scriptures as examples.  Paul never hesitated to confess his own short-comings but he always strove towards perfection.  As he wrote in Philippians 3:14, “press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” If the world does not look upon us and see the One we claim to follow, then we have a problem.  I daresay with the way many Christians have been carrying themselves through the world these days, this is the case.  Ephesians urges us to avoid empty gestures and the sins of anger, greed, and malice, and to focus instead on the practices of kindness that faithfully reflect our belief in Christ Jesus.  Let us leave here today and seek to follow these rules for a new life. Amen.

---

[1] www.hbo.com/thenewsroom internet accessed 8/7/12

[2] Rev. Katherine Huey, www.ucc.org internet accessed 8/7/12

[3] Rev. Katherine Huey

[4] Larry Patten, www.larrypatten.com internet accessed 8/7/12

Authentic Worship

Photo by: Andy Locascio, Montreat 2012

 

1,000 people gathered together
in a large worship space
built from local mountain stone.
Wooden beams soared overhead
and lanterns dangled from the rafters.
The pews, we'd been told
were older than our grandmothers
and we should treat them with the same respect.  
Large windows were open to let in the breeze
from the cooling summer air. 
Electricity, I felt waves of it,
as if we touched our neighbors to the left and right of us
we would be shocked with a jolt of the Spirit. 
A hush fell over the congregation, 
bursting with silent expectation.
Then I heard it, 
a strong beat
on a solitary
djembe drum. 
As the rhythm grew,
stretching out like a  r i b b o n   u n f u r l e d
voices began to chant from various corners of the auditorium, 
they moved about us, 
rising up from our midst and 
joined together a dozen in number on the stage.
"Will you listen?" one side of the room would chant
"Come follow me" the other side would respond.  
They carried the beat in their feet, 
they matched the intensity of the rhythm with their voices, 
"I. Will. Make. You. Fish. For. People!"  
Final beat, actors froze, lights went out.
I was enthralled. 
I felt my heart pounding, blood coursed through my veins,
and the Spirit left me with goosebumps as she blew through the room. 


--LorenKemperTateMitchell  7/14/12


(I was fourteen years old when I attended my first conference at Montreat.  I had yet to be baptized but I knew in that moment that I would be. I had seen the Holy Spirit move and I was without a doubt, absolutely certain that this type of worship, this kind of faithful expression was exactly what I needed to do, where i needed to be.)

A Spoonful of Sugar

I woke up last night from the strangest dream.  I thought to myself, "well now that was profound, I must have been really asleep!"  In this dream my dear friend Katherine appeared to me.  We were in some sort of dim room, almost like a basement, but behind us was a huge picture window that looked out over a desert landscape with train tracks running past and far into the distance. Katherine asked me some sort of question that I know pertained to my personal and professional character. Something along the lines of, "How can you be a friend to us and a pastor at the same time?" My response to this seems like a riddle: "If I cannot be both, then I am neither."  What does this mean??


As I lay awake in my bed for a few brief moments the thought occurred to me that Katherine is like my very own Mary Poppins!  I laugh even as I write this for it seems so absurd but I thought, yes Katty is quite like Mary Poppins, she is witty and smart and her heart is full of love for people, bottomless as Mary Poppins' carpet bag!  And above all else, she is a lady in the very sweetest sense of the term, but also loves a good ride around the carousel!  I considered this dream conversation to be like Katherine coming to me in a musical and singing "Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down!"  What does this mean??
  
Here is what I gleaned from this late night epiphany dear reader.  I am more than just a one-trick pony, and let me never forget it!  I cannot be a friend and neglect my calling as pastor any more than I can neglect my friends and continue to be a good pastor!  I am a wife, a daughter, a niece, a cousin, a friend, a neighbor, a Christian sister, and yes yes a pastor.  It is all of these things that make up who I am and if I cannot authentically live into each of these roles which make up the whole of who I am, I cannot be anything but a knot on a log!  


The authenticity is the trick!  Katy Perry belts out in my mind "this is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me!"  As I think on so many of my friends in ministry who struggle this day to walk the fine line between full disclosure/self expression and that boundary where you protect yourself and your ministry so  it doesn't  become 'all about you', I pray that we can all find ways to skip along this tightrope to live fully into the being that God created us to be. If we say too much, we could lose our jobs, we could cause unnecessary pain in the life of our congregations.  But, if we say too little, we can become isolated and depressed without an outlet for our griefs and our triumphs.   God knows all about us, and yet he still called us, it is a miracle!  


So, after two years I hope that I have been true to myself in my little church here in Appomattox, just down the road from the railroad tracks!  I hope this congregation feels like they know me.  I am in truth a pretty liberal person.  I am in truth a snarky and sarcastic little woman with a penchant for blurting out comments at inappropriate times.  I am in truth one who loves to laugh and to make others laugh.  One who loves lazy days of laying around and reading. One who doesn't care if she gets cookie crumbs in the bed.  And one who delights in each of her friends and family and the particular ways in which they help her maintain her sanity in the midst of this crazy ride we call the ministry! But I am also in truth one who loves liturgical lines of praise and preaching from the lectionary.  One who gets excited about the possibilities of partnering with other churches in youth ministry.  In truth, I am one who geeks out every time I witness another connection of friends within the little PC(USA) family. I am one who still believes very much in the future of the PC(USA) and hopes in my heart of hearts that we can survive the punches that beat us down both from the outside and within.  Perhaps these are the little spoonfuls of sugar that help the distasteful medicine go down!


If I cannot faithfully be all of these things dear friends, then I am neither pastor nor friend. I thank God for the grace to continue to try.  Amen. 


"When trying to express oneself, it's frankly quite absurd,
To leaf through lengthy lexicons to find the perfect word.
A little spontaniaty keeps conversation keen,
You need to find a way to say, precisely what you mean...
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!"