Body Life

Two Sundays ago, it happened during the invitation.  A gentleman made his way to the altar to pray, obviously hurting.  He stopped and knelt there, seeking maybe comfort, maybe answers.  A moment passed as he prayed and wept.  Then quietly, without prompting - save from God Himself - one of our senior ladies walked to him, stood with him and took up the prayer.  It wasn't long before others joined them.  By the time I really noticed what was going on, there were 10-15 people gathered around him praying, supporting, loving.  It was beautiful.

Last Sunday, it happened in the middle of the service.  I asked for people to share what they were thankful for.  After several had shared, a young woman stood to speak.  While I knew her story - and we all have a story - I wasn't sure how many others did.  So she started her story, except she spoke Spanish.  While it was the language she felt best able to express herself in, very few could understand.  But just a couple of seats away, a young man started translating, without prompting - save from God Himself.  Phrase by phrase, they told of God's goodness and faithfulness.  It was beautiful.

As part of the series we are in on Christian theology, I plan to preach on the doctrine of the church, or ecclesiology, the first Sunday in December .  I will try to say the things the Bible says about what the church is and should do.  But I am not sure anything I say will be more effective than actually watching the church - this church, our church - these past couple of weeks.

About Yesterday's Sermon

I have received several requests for more information about the article I read to begin my sermon yesterday that dealt with the Colorado theater shootings.  It actually comes from a personal blog of a mother called “A Miniature Clay Pot.”  Seems she had a total of 11 regular readers before, but over a million views since.  If you would like to read it yourself, here is the link:.

http://aminiatureclaypot.wordpress.com/2012/07/20/so-you-still-think-god-is-a-merciful-god/


Also, you may want to read the next post she wrote to respond to the thousands of comments she received.  That one is here:

http://aminiatureclaypot.wordpress.com/2012/07/21/a-response-to-the-overwhelming-number-of-responses/

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite lines from her post:

“God is always good.     Man is not.     Don’t get the two confused.”

Amen!

Of Death and Taxes

“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Benjamin Franklin in 1789

Today, like many others judging by the insufferably long line at the post office, I sent my check to the IRS. But then I just heard that about half of Americans do not pay any income tax. So maybe one is more certain than the other. Which is why I have been thinking more on the fact of death lately. Or rather, I should say the death of death has been on my mind.

It strikes me how much of our lives are impacted, and really even shaped by pain and sickness and even death. Two of the most vivid memories of childhood for me involve them. There was my baby sister, about a year old, lying in a hospital crib connected to all manner of tubes. Missing Thanksgiving. Undergoing major abdominal surgery. Sporting a scar along her belly that seemed half as long as she was. Making the medical text books because of the rarity of her illness.

There was my Granddaddy, who owned a local gas station and garage. My brother and I fighting to go to work with him to watch him work on cars. Who taught me how to use his Gravely mover, which was a monster to this boy learning how, my Granny’s shorn geranium bed proving it. I remember exactly where I was when they told me the ambulance took him to the hospital. Next thing I remember is visiting the funeral home. I will never forget the smell of the flowers from that place.

These things also impacted the earliest days of my ministry career. Three months into my first pastorate, after church on a Sunday evening, something happened. I wasn’t sure what, only that there was commotion in the parking lot and people saying we needed to pray. Somehow a 12 year old young man from our church was hit by a car and was tragically killed. This was to be my first funeral service. What do you say in a situation like this? And how do you comfort grieving parents, who I would see in the months after the accident sitting in their car in the parking lot looking over the place where their son died?

There was Caroline’s 1st birthday party. Before they left, my parents told me that my dad had a problem in his shoulder that doctors were worried about. “Nothing to worry about, just wanted you to know.” A few tests later and it was cancer. Surgery was scheduled. We waited in the hospital to hear from the surgeon. Bad news – it has metastasized and there is nothing that can be done. Radiation. Chemotherapy. Hospice. An early Sunday morning phone call and he was gone.

Six months later to the day, Thanksgiving Day to be exact, we find ourselves in another hospital. It’s Denise’s dad this time. A stroke. He has had more than his fair share of illness in his life — kidney failure, dialysis, a transplant, and heart surgery. But we didn’t expect this. Not that anyone ever does. Born on Christmas Day. Dies on Thanksgiving. We’ll never look at these holidays quite the same.

These are my experiences. You have your stories as well. Stories that have marked us, and even shaped our lives in very significant ways. What would our lives be like if we never experienced these moments? Some would be quick to say ‘better’. But all would admit they would be at least ‘different’. Which brings me to the most striking, at least for me, description of heaven. The apostle John has seen some amazing things in this vision we call the book of Revelation. But near the end, he sees the city of heaven arriving. And he hears the king of heaven declaring that in those days, “There will no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4). The very things that are huge in my life story now don’t matter. They don’t register at all. Things that were the ultimate certainties of life are now done away with.

I have heard many descriptions of heaven, and most talk about its streets of gold and many mansions. Nice things to be sure. But I’ve been in some amazing mansions. And while I’ve never walked a street of gold, I have seen some opulence than comes close. But “no more death or mourning or crying or pain” I simply have a hard time wrapping my mind around because of everything I have written already. But because of Jesus — the one who experienced the most horrible death imaginable on my behalf — I will get to try.

Happy New Year!

It’s that time when we start thinking about the future. Call them goals, resolutions, changes, hopes or dreams. Here are a few of mine for the church in 2011.

1. Cure the 'Keys Disease'
Or put another way, we are going to start services on time. The plan is to have some music playing by 8:45 to set the mood/tone as you arrive. Then we’ll start at 9 AM sharp. Even if there are only 5 of us there.

2. Begin a Time of Prayer Before the Service
For anyone who would like to be a part, we will meet in my office on Sunday mornings at 8:35 to pray prior to the worship service. Join me starting this week, January 2nd.

3. Prayer Meeting Will Be Moved to the Sanctuary
Right now, we are meeting in a classroom near the office. While I have enjoyed the intimacy of the smaller space, some have indicated it is too cozy for their taste. So starting Wednesday, January 5th, we will be in the sanctuary beginning at 6:30 PM.

4. Have One Activity Each Month NOT at the Church
We are going to take the first word of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) seriously – we are going to “Go!” We got a taste of it when we wrapped gifts at K-Mart before Christmas. Let’s break the ‘holy huddle’ of Sundays and get in the game. We’ll be looking for ways to reach into our community with the message of Jesus. January’s activity will be prayer walking the area. Stay tuned for more details.

5. Emphasize & Re-Engergize Small Group Bible Study
First, the bad news: our attendance on Sunday mornings this past year has slipped. But there is some good news: I have seen groups meeting at other times during the week stay strong. While corporate worship is great, there is no substitute for time spent with other believers in the Word of God. So I want to see us offer some new and unique opportunities to do just that. Expect short term studies, special events, and a few surprises as well.

A Bible Study "Pearl"

I am feeling a little better about something today. I would go so far as to say I am even feeling somewhat validated. And it is about something that has been bothering me for about two and a half years ago. Here’s the story.

It begins at youth camp in the summer of 2008. The theme that year was “Kilimanjaro: The Secrets of the Kingdom.” The Bible study that week was on the parables in Matthew 13 that discuss the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. All was well and good until we got to verses 45-46, which is often called the parable of the pearl of great price. I was familiar with it, had heard it taught on. The lesson was pretty straightforward, the discussion centering on the idea that the kingdom of heaven was like a priceless pearl that one would sell all he owned to have. And that is when I noticed something.

As you go through the parables in the chapter, they follow a sort of formula. Each parable begins, “The kingdom of heaven is like…” This phrase is repeated in verses 24, 31, 33, 44, 45, and 47. In each instance Jesus makes a comparison to something: “a man who sowed good seed”; “a mustard seed”; “yeast”; “a treasure hidden in a field”; “a merchant”; and “a net”. That is when I noticed something not on that list – the pearl of great price. Based on the pattern of the chapter, the kingdom of heaven was compared to a merchant looking for pearls, not the pearl itself. I mentioned this to our group, but it didn’t gain much traction.

I wish I could say I forgot about it, but I didn’t. It nagged at me the rest of the week at camp. When I got back home, I immediately pulled out a few commentaries on Matthew 13 to see what they said. I used my Bible software to look at a few others. I even looked up sermons on the internet on the passage. And everywhere I looked, I came across the common interpretation that the parable tells us that the kingdom of heaven is of inestimable value, to be pursued no matter what the cost. But it still did not satisfy me. Because it seemed to me that there was something else there, that the kingdom was somehow more like the merchant. But that left another question: if not the kingdom, then what does the pearl represent? And that proved just as troubling.

Over the next couple of years, I returned to these verses again and again. No matter where I looked or how much I studied, I could not find someone make the point about the kingdom being like the merchant. But in spite of all that, here is where I ended up: the kingdom is like the merchant. And what about the pearl of great price? That’s the church, you and me. God saw such a priceless pearl that He was willing to sell everything He had to acquire it, namely by sending His one and only Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. I may be the only one who saw it this way, but it was the only answer that seemed to fit.

I wish I could say that settled it. But since I still had not read or heard that particular interpretation anywhere, it bothered me. Until today. I was listening to my favorite preacher this afternoon, Dr. Adrian Rogers. And guess what passage he was preaching on? And guess what he said? (And I might add, said it very well, as he usually does.) So yes, I am feeling much better now!

By the way, here’s the link if you would like to listen to Dr. Rogers explain it far better than I can. http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/love-worth-finding/listen/the-strange-mystery-of-the-precious-pearl-148389.html

A Life Redeemed

I am a huge Star Wars fans. From the time the first movie came out when I was a kid, I was hooked. So it was a special treat last Friday when I got to attend "Star Wars in Concert" courtesy of some appreciative folks in the church. The main scenes of the six movies, arranged thematically, were projected on a massive LED screen while the John Williams score was played by a full orchestra and choir. And C3PO narrated the whole thing! Ok, it was Anthony Daniels, who played C3PO, but it was his voice and mannerisms, so close enough.

Now I know that not everyone likes Star Wars. In fact, it sort of has a reputation for appealing to the geekish among us. Those who dress up like the characters, and wait in long lines in the middle of the night so that they are the first to see the new movie when it comes out. {In the interest of full disclosure, I did see the last movie the day it came out. But a friend (who shall remain nameless to protect his dignity) and I waited until the late afternoon and were not dressed up. We did, however, have to wait in a bit of a line.} And when we arrived at the concert, I was reminded why. Walking toward the arena, I notice a group of 3 dressed as Jedi, complete with toy light sabers, over here. And another in a long black Sith cloak over there. I saw lots of Princess Leia buns on the sides of ladies' heads. And a few Amidala get ups as well. And one guy who absolutely nailed Darth Maul so much so that people were stopping him to take his picture. So I turned to Denise, who is much the opposite of geekish and was dressed quite fashionably for an evening in Miami, and told her, "I think you are overdressed!"

Perhaps one reason the movies have such a following is the powerful story that arcs across all six. In fact, the last segment of the concert highlighted the climax of the story and was titled "A Life Redeemed." Darth Vader, of the iconic black mask and heavy breathing, is confronted with a choice. His mentor, the evil Emporer Palpatine, is torturing his son, Luke. With Luke suffering and calling to his father, Vader is moved by love for his son to turn against the Emporer. He grabs Palpatine and throws him over a ledge to his death. In the process, Vader himself is mortally wounded and soon dies, but not without a last moment of reunion with his son.

A familiar theme, isn't it? One giving his life for another. It shows up in lots of stories, both in print and on film. And I think it resonates so much with us because it goes back to the greatest sacrifice ever made. Each time, it reminds us of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. The One who was so moved by love that He died in a most terrible way that we might live. Now that makes a great story!

Reality Check

I did it. I have registered for the Miami Half Marathon. I am willingly paying good money to go out and run 13.1 miles. I like to think of it as the next step in my running evolution. I have run several 5K races. Even placed 2nd in my age group in a race last year. (I'm not going to say which one because then you may go online and see how few there were in my age group, not to mention my time.) I have run the 7 Mile Bridge race 3 times. Which is over half of a half marathon. So I figure 13.1 miles is the next challenge. Another distance I can say that I have done.

To help me along the way, I am following a training program through the Nike+ website. It's kind of a neat gadget that works with my ipod to keep track of how far and how fast I run. I can look at the site and see neat graphs of my runs, set goals, join challenges, and the like. And this training program gives me specific workouts based on my goal time for the race.

And just when I start to think I am doing ok, making progress to my time goals, along comes an incident to keep me humble. Like the time I went into a local drug store to pick up a few things. Living in a small town, you get to know the people who work in the places you frequent. So as I was talking with the cashier, she mentioned she saw me out this week. More specifically, she said she saw me out "walking" one morning. I am admittedly no speed demon. When I say I run, I realize I am using the term loosely. But I think I at least look like I am doing more than walking. So I assuaged my ego by telling myself she must have seen me during my "I'm over half way done so I am going to catch my breath and take a couple of minutes to walk" break.

Then there was yesterday morning. I had run south along the bike path for a couple of miles and was taking my aforementioned walk break. I had turned around and started running again when a car stops in the bike path a few hundred yards ahead. Someone gets out and starts walking toward me who I think I might recognize. When I get close enough, I realize it is someone from church. I take off my headphones to say good morning and am greeted by concern. "I saw you walking so I turned around to check on you. Are you ok? Do you need a ride home?"

I guess I have brought this one on myself. My main response when people say they see me out running is, 'Sorry you had to see that.' Apparently it is not a pretty sight! But in spite of it all, I'll be back out there tomorrow. You might not see me as much, because I think I'll stay on the back roads for a while. But I'll stick to the program. After all, it's only 3 months to race day!