I am a worrier. It took me a long time to admit that. On the outside I try to be the super confident person that everyone thinks has everything together…but really, I’m not. I still am a worrier, but I especially when I was in high school.
I agonized over almost everything. What to wear each day became terrifying. I rehashed conversations constantly to see if I embarrassed myself. Not embarrassing myself became my highest priority.
Anxiety, I think, is one of the emotions with which all of us identify. At some point in our life, somewhere, we have worried about something. And so we read from this part of the sermon on the mount in Matthew, and it causes even more anxiety in us…ironically. We become anxious because Jesus is telling us not to be anxious, and that makes us even more anxious than we were before!
I’ve seen this scripture on posters, coffee mugs, and tshirts; and every time I think to myself…are we trying to convince ourselves of something? Are we trying to convince others that we have everything together?
We used to play a game at Camp Glisson called “What If.” And it was meant to freak yourself and others out right before bedtime. We would sit around the campfire and make up “what if” scenarios. And it was a practice of imagination, but for some reason the only what if scenarios we came up with were always bad. It had to do with being left alone in the woods, or encountering something you deeply feared. We would make up these things and then tell campers to go to sleep!
But What If questions are constantly on our mind. You can think of your own What if. You can drive yourself crazy thinking of all the what ifs in your life.
I think the primary sources of anxiety is fear. We are afraid. And it says constantly in the Bible, don’t be afraid. So we strive for security in an uncertain world. Just in Case.
And if we try to puff out our chests in defiance saying we aren’t afraid of anything…take a step back. We are all afraid of something.
But what Jesus is talking about is when we live our lives serving our fears rather than serving our God.
We serve the things that hold power over us. And fear is a powerful thing.
That is why the weapon of terror has become so prominent in our modern day. The main weapon of terrorists is fear, and they use it well…because many of us are afraid.
And an answer that was present in both Jesus time and our own is that wealth can take away fear. By being able to get whatever you want whenever you want takes away your anxiety. People put their trust in land and titles in Jesus day, much like our own, but Jesus is offering a better way. Because land and titles don’t bring the absence of anxiety, if anything they just bring different fears.
Instead, Jesus is asking us to imagine the world as he sees it. And he sees it as God provides. Even your salary and your income are provided by God. And if you would trust in that…then your worries don’t seem as important anymore. Because it is out of your hands, and it is in God’s hands.
But let’s be realistic. The worries are still there. Because our society isn’t based on how God sees it, it is based on how we see it. So it is tempting, just like with a lot of things Jesus says, to write it off. Yeah, that’s great Jesus, but you don’t have a mortgage, kids, car payments, equipment fees, taxes, papers to grade, tests to take, relationships to find, bank accounts to monitor…and the list could go on and on. But I want us to rethink this passage, especially as we are approaching the season of Lent that begins in a week and half. Before we write it off as an ideal that can never be attained, lets think of what this might mean to our life of discipleship, our life of following Christ. The disciples are the ones Jesus is talking to after all.
Jesus is inviting us to turn the tables, just like he did in the temple, and inviting us to turn the tables during Lent.
Yes, imagine what ifs, but instead of them being bad things where everything falls apart, imagine them being what God sees with God holding everything together! It is much better! We have license to do this, I mean, that is what God sees. That is what God created us for. To imagine the world as he sees it. And Jesus is inviting us to think with him.
What if your worries and concerns about your life disappeared. That you realized that you are doing okay. That vices do not have control over you, and you are equipped to make a life in this world. What if?
Or, what if your kids turn out great? They are loving, responsible citizens of the human community? What if that happened?
Or, what if we were a church that was known for embodying the love of Christ? That in everything we do we are striving for the Kingdom of God and his righteousness.
Now the question we ask ourselves once we catch that vision that Jesus casts for us is…what are we going to do to help make sure this vision happens?
First, I think, we must trust God. We can no longer look with skepticism at what God has provided us in scripture, reason, tradition, and experience.
And second, our seeking and imagination must become natural.
That is why, I think, Jesus says to look to lilies and birds as our example, because they are doing what they are naturally created to do, which is why they are absent of worry and live the vision God has for them. But somewhere along the way, we lost that natural ability. So it is no longer natural, but with Jesus’s love we are able to gain it back.
This past week when I was coaching at the high school, one of the girls accused me of focusing on the little things too much. I tend to focus on the little things in soccer. Like proper form in shooting, proper technique in passing. Trapping the ball with the correct foot. Getting yourself in the right position. I am even concerned with which you foot you start running with because that will get you in the right position for your next move.
And I told her why I did this. Because if she can learn how to do these little things as if they were second nature, then the game would come easier to her. If she naturally carries out these little things, if this is her primary mode of operating on the field, then she will be successful.
And I think this is what Jesus is saying to us. If we can shake off the negative what ifs to turn them into possibilities to the point where it is our natural mode of operating…then fear cannot stop us.
We will naturally love the poor. We will see a place where there is pain and suffering and we will know that God has called us to be an answer to prayer. Our prayers will have power and meaning because they flow forward from the imagination of God and not from our own desires.
We will naturally give generously, simply because it is a part of who we are. We do not have to struggle into the mode of being Christ’s disciple, we naturally are, which is why we talk of Christianity as being free. We are free from those self-doubts and vices, and free to love as God loves.
So how do we get there? How do we get to a point where this mode of operating in life is natural to us? Well, like with anything, we have to practice. And that is what Lent is about. Practicing spiritual disciplines so that they might become natural. Practice reading scripture. Practice giving to the poor. Practice feeding the hungry. Practice giving yourself. Practice so that the words of Christ are naturally on our lips in whatever we see. And the world might be interpreted through that lens.
Removing those obstacles, and focusing on Jesus and what he did to make us free. Removing all of the allegiances that we have so that our allegiance to Jesus and each other is the only one we have.
Lent is coming in a week and a half. We will gather to impose ashes on our foreheads in our preparation. It is my hope that God’s imagination will take over our own in this church and this community. Removing fear and anxiety, but especially removing worry.
There is a story out of Southeast Asia that talks of this.
Once upon a time, a boy traveled with his father through a jungle to sell produce at a market. It was a long day, and as the father was traveling home at the pace of a tired child he knew that they would have to spend the night in the jungle, which was dangerous.
The father picked a spot, and told the boy to lie down, and the boy said, I want to sleep in the middle! Put me in the middle! The father didn’t know what he meant. So the boy snuggled in on top of the father’s chest, and fell asleep, as did the father with his son sleeping, “in the middle.”
Later in the night a tiger came to their camp, and intended to do them harm, but when he saw the boy and his father he was taken aback. What was this creature with four arms, four legs, and two heads? And when the father awoke the tiger became frightened and ran away.
When they got home, the mother asked how their trip was, because she was concerned about where they slept, the father told the story about their son sleeping “in the middle.” And the mother knew that the child was safe, because he slept in “the middle” of his father.
We are the beloved children of God, worth more than many sparrows and many lilies. And we know we are safe and secure in the middle of our heavenly Father. Lent will put us there, as when we live in the middle of our Father, we imagine as he imagines. Seeking his kingdom, and his righteousness.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
How Firm a Foundation
You wouldn’t know it to look at me, but for a little bit while I was in college I worked construction. It was one of those things where I had a little bit of time, I needed to make a little bit of money, and a guy in the church put me to work.
I didn’t really get to do some of the fun things. And I didn’t really get to learn maintenance skills that would help me later in life whenever I needed to fix a drain or renovate a bathroom. I didn’t get to frame the buildings or put a roof up. I didn’t get to crawl around and do electrical or plumbing. What I did was build foundations.
If you’ve never done it before, foundation work is hard work. And it takes a long time. Because you have to get EVERYTHING right. There is no wiggle room when it comes to the foundation because if you do any part of it incorrectly, the building won’t last. If you don’t test the ground to make sure it is able to be built upon, the ground might shift and your building will fall. If your concrete isn’t level or of good quality, you can’t build on it.
I remember one day, we spent HOURS setting posts in the ground to guide the backhoe that was going to dig our footings. An entire day. Making sure every corner was level and square. And this was just to set the guides for the backhoe, it wasn’t even permanent, yet it would still take an entire day of work.
We’d tap with a hammer here or there. Check the leveling machine, tap again, check the machine, tap again. Hours. And then, after three months of setting foundations…the building would be up in no time. Because when you build on a solid, strong, and sound foundation: you are free to creatively build and are less worried about it falling.
I’m glad Paul uses this building metaphor, because there are a lot of buildings in our lives. So it is easier for us to see ourselves in this story and understand what Paul is saying.
You live in a home, you understand the maintenance that goes into that. You work in a school, and understand the maintenance, or lack of, that goes into that. You have chicken houses, and understand all that goes into that. We are in a sanctuary, another building that I hope is important to you as well. Buildings, and how they are built and cared for are a part of who we are.
And in knowing what we know about buildings, foundations are so key. The foundation sets the tone of the building. How strong it is going to be, how big it is going to be…all of it.
But Paul isn’t talking about physical buildings here, though the parallels are highlighted…he is talking about the building that is our faith. Our spiritual house. And he goes ahead and sets the tone that Jesus Christ is our foundation.
This is tremendous news!
Jesus Christ, the one who gave up his divinity out of love of us, his creation, became like one of us so that we might be able to become like him.
Jesus, who taught against the status quo of the world, cared for the poor, and ate with sinners.
Jesus, who faced the cross. An element of torture and execution, used by an oppressive system to strike fear into the masses. Jesus who faced it and when facing it faced all of the things in our lives that strike fear into our world…fear of loss…fear of the other, fear of death…Jesus faced it and took away its power with his love. And rose again, giving his love to us.
That is our foundation. Jesus, who is solid, sure, and strong. And sometimes we have to be reminded of that.
When the people of Israel were wandering in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt, do you remember what their biggest problem was? It wasn’t food, because God provided manna and quail. It wasn’t water, because God had Moses strike a rock and water burst forth. Their biggest problem wasn’t even that they melted down their gold jewelry to erect a golden calf in honor of Baal. No, their biggest problem was that they forgot.
They forgot who God was. They forgot what the foundation of their faith was. That they are created and loved by God who will provide for them.
They forgot their foundation…the foundation we know as Jesus Christ. A strong, solid, sure foundation. And so a lot of what we do in our churches is remind people.
And so the question we ask ourselves after being confronted by Paul this morning is…have we forgotten?
Because in the physical world, unless there is a problem, we don’t tend to think about our foundation. Unless there is a shift in the building or a cracked wall…
Another term we used when laying the foundation for building is “footing” and “footprint.” We were setting the footprint of the building. Because you can’t build outside of the foundation so we were establishing what it’s footprint would be on the land.
So in making the shift back to our spiritual building, what kind of footprint has Christ left on your life, upon which you build?
I know people who have only felt the footprint of guilt. Jesus being in their life is only about conviction that they aren’t worthy. They feel disheartened and unworthy to approach God because that is the footprint on them. I knew a man who joined the church when he was 88 years old, and that was the first time he took communion, even though he had attended his entire life. When I asked him why he waited so long to actually join…he told me that he never felt worthy, and it took the message from a friend that to express faith in Jesus Christ makes us worthy, because that is all we need.
But Jesus’ footprint is stronger than that! It is convicting, sure, but it is also forgiving and life giving! Jesus is our foundation so that we might be empowered to be his disciple. Not cower at his presence, but boldly follow. Jesus wants us to know him, not be afraid of him. Be convicted…its healthy, but be sure that Christ as our foundation is stronger than a conviction and can give us strength to change.
I know others who have felt the footprint of arrogance. That knowing Christ as their foundation makes them better than everyone else. But in looking at Jesus actions that doesn’t seem to be the case. Christ shows tremendous humility and even though he is God, he still does not treat others as though he is “better” than them. I think that is another aspect of strength of Christ as our foundation. It is sure, but not showy. I think that is one reason I look with a little bit of skepticism at religious tracts that are left on my car or given to me on the sidewalk. You’ve been to UGA games, you have seen the folks handing these things out as they go from tailgate to tailgate. To me, it is people saying, we are better than you, and you should be like us. When we should really be saying, I’ve found something that I want to share with you. It is the subtle and crucial shift from mandatory to invitational.
So when we are building our spiritual lives on the foundation of Jesus Christ, we don’t build a mansion that is flaunted, but we build a house big enough to let all people in. There is a difference there. It is not your house…it’s God’s house. And God’s house is more concerned with how many guests it can hold than how impressive it is.
And upon this footprint on our souls, the church is built.
We sing a song growing up that may help us understand this a little bit better.
I am the church, you are the church, we are the church together.
The church is not a building, the church is not a steeple, the church is not a resting place, the church is the people.
You are the church that is built on the foundation of Jesus Christ. Not this sanctuary, not any sanctuary. It is you! You are the church.
And our foundation is so strong that every single one of us with all of our talents and weaknesses can come together to be the church together!
Now there are things we must do to build up on our sure foundation.
It takes our presence. Your church is not another extra curricular activity or social group to which you belong. Your church is the people who are sitting next to you. Your church is the people gathering together to praise God. It always happens in community. We gather at this place on Sunday, but when we say we are a part of Bold Spring United Methodist Church we are saying that we are part of each other’s lives. So, if you think about it, every single person you interact with is having contact with this church. And we want them to be a part of this church, so we want you here, when we gather to praise God and serve our neighbor.
And I know, you are busy. With shuttling children and grandchildren, with sports and clubs, with jobs and family. You are all busy people. But I hope you know by now in this point of the worship service how important it is to have a strong foundation, and that foundation is strengthened when you are here.
When you are present with the church, participating as part of the body of Christ.
Church is not, just another thing…it is THE thing. It is life-giving.
Because something that is amazing about the foundation of Jesus Christ is that the more you build on it, the more you know its strength.
When your life seems out of control, and your church is there, you witness a strength that you didn’t know was present in your life.
When you hear news from the doctor that you weren’t expecting, you fully know the strength that is present in your life.
Because later in Corinthians it says that God will come to test your house…so there will be times where it is tested…but it is so you will know how incredibly strong your foundation is.
I hope you know what kind of footprint Jesus has on your life. I hope you build on that footprint so that you know the heights and depths of Christ’s love. And I hope that we continue to build. We continue to build our church by being here, by showing up, by participating, by giving.
And to quote Lowe’s home improvement stores…lets build something together. Let’s build in the full assurance and knowledge and faith of Jesus Christ as our foundation, and our strength. Knowing with full confidence that the more we build together, as a church, relying and supporting one another, the more we will know the wonders of God’s hand. The more we will know just what it means that Jesus Christ died on a cross for us. The more we will know just what is means that we are called to be his disciples.
I didn’t really get to do some of the fun things. And I didn’t really get to learn maintenance skills that would help me later in life whenever I needed to fix a drain or renovate a bathroom. I didn’t get to frame the buildings or put a roof up. I didn’t get to crawl around and do electrical or plumbing. What I did was build foundations.
If you’ve never done it before, foundation work is hard work. And it takes a long time. Because you have to get EVERYTHING right. There is no wiggle room when it comes to the foundation because if you do any part of it incorrectly, the building won’t last. If you don’t test the ground to make sure it is able to be built upon, the ground might shift and your building will fall. If your concrete isn’t level or of good quality, you can’t build on it.
I remember one day, we spent HOURS setting posts in the ground to guide the backhoe that was going to dig our footings. An entire day. Making sure every corner was level and square. And this was just to set the guides for the backhoe, it wasn’t even permanent, yet it would still take an entire day of work.
We’d tap with a hammer here or there. Check the leveling machine, tap again, check the machine, tap again. Hours. And then, after three months of setting foundations…the building would be up in no time. Because when you build on a solid, strong, and sound foundation: you are free to creatively build and are less worried about it falling.
I’m glad Paul uses this building metaphor, because there are a lot of buildings in our lives. So it is easier for us to see ourselves in this story and understand what Paul is saying.
You live in a home, you understand the maintenance that goes into that. You work in a school, and understand the maintenance, or lack of, that goes into that. You have chicken houses, and understand all that goes into that. We are in a sanctuary, another building that I hope is important to you as well. Buildings, and how they are built and cared for are a part of who we are.
And in knowing what we know about buildings, foundations are so key. The foundation sets the tone of the building. How strong it is going to be, how big it is going to be…all of it.
But Paul isn’t talking about physical buildings here, though the parallels are highlighted…he is talking about the building that is our faith. Our spiritual house. And he goes ahead and sets the tone that Jesus Christ is our foundation.
This is tremendous news!
Jesus Christ, the one who gave up his divinity out of love of us, his creation, became like one of us so that we might be able to become like him.
Jesus, who taught against the status quo of the world, cared for the poor, and ate with sinners.
Jesus, who faced the cross. An element of torture and execution, used by an oppressive system to strike fear into the masses. Jesus who faced it and when facing it faced all of the things in our lives that strike fear into our world…fear of loss…fear of the other, fear of death…Jesus faced it and took away its power with his love. And rose again, giving his love to us.
That is our foundation. Jesus, who is solid, sure, and strong. And sometimes we have to be reminded of that.
When the people of Israel were wandering in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt, do you remember what their biggest problem was? It wasn’t food, because God provided manna and quail. It wasn’t water, because God had Moses strike a rock and water burst forth. Their biggest problem wasn’t even that they melted down their gold jewelry to erect a golden calf in honor of Baal. No, their biggest problem was that they forgot.
They forgot who God was. They forgot what the foundation of their faith was. That they are created and loved by God who will provide for them.
They forgot their foundation…the foundation we know as Jesus Christ. A strong, solid, sure foundation. And so a lot of what we do in our churches is remind people.
And so the question we ask ourselves after being confronted by Paul this morning is…have we forgotten?
Because in the physical world, unless there is a problem, we don’t tend to think about our foundation. Unless there is a shift in the building or a cracked wall…
Another term we used when laying the foundation for building is “footing” and “footprint.” We were setting the footprint of the building. Because you can’t build outside of the foundation so we were establishing what it’s footprint would be on the land.
So in making the shift back to our spiritual building, what kind of footprint has Christ left on your life, upon which you build?
I know people who have only felt the footprint of guilt. Jesus being in their life is only about conviction that they aren’t worthy. They feel disheartened and unworthy to approach God because that is the footprint on them. I knew a man who joined the church when he was 88 years old, and that was the first time he took communion, even though he had attended his entire life. When I asked him why he waited so long to actually join…he told me that he never felt worthy, and it took the message from a friend that to express faith in Jesus Christ makes us worthy, because that is all we need.
But Jesus’ footprint is stronger than that! It is convicting, sure, but it is also forgiving and life giving! Jesus is our foundation so that we might be empowered to be his disciple. Not cower at his presence, but boldly follow. Jesus wants us to know him, not be afraid of him. Be convicted…its healthy, but be sure that Christ as our foundation is stronger than a conviction and can give us strength to change.
I know others who have felt the footprint of arrogance. That knowing Christ as their foundation makes them better than everyone else. But in looking at Jesus actions that doesn’t seem to be the case. Christ shows tremendous humility and even though he is God, he still does not treat others as though he is “better” than them. I think that is another aspect of strength of Christ as our foundation. It is sure, but not showy. I think that is one reason I look with a little bit of skepticism at religious tracts that are left on my car or given to me on the sidewalk. You’ve been to UGA games, you have seen the folks handing these things out as they go from tailgate to tailgate. To me, it is people saying, we are better than you, and you should be like us. When we should really be saying, I’ve found something that I want to share with you. It is the subtle and crucial shift from mandatory to invitational.
So when we are building our spiritual lives on the foundation of Jesus Christ, we don’t build a mansion that is flaunted, but we build a house big enough to let all people in. There is a difference there. It is not your house…it’s God’s house. And God’s house is more concerned with how many guests it can hold than how impressive it is.
And upon this footprint on our souls, the church is built.
We sing a song growing up that may help us understand this a little bit better.
I am the church, you are the church, we are the church together.
The church is not a building, the church is not a steeple, the church is not a resting place, the church is the people.
You are the church that is built on the foundation of Jesus Christ. Not this sanctuary, not any sanctuary. It is you! You are the church.
And our foundation is so strong that every single one of us with all of our talents and weaknesses can come together to be the church together!
Now there are things we must do to build up on our sure foundation.
It takes our presence. Your church is not another extra curricular activity or social group to which you belong. Your church is the people who are sitting next to you. Your church is the people gathering together to praise God. It always happens in community. We gather at this place on Sunday, but when we say we are a part of Bold Spring United Methodist Church we are saying that we are part of each other’s lives. So, if you think about it, every single person you interact with is having contact with this church. And we want them to be a part of this church, so we want you here, when we gather to praise God and serve our neighbor.
And I know, you are busy. With shuttling children and grandchildren, with sports and clubs, with jobs and family. You are all busy people. But I hope you know by now in this point of the worship service how important it is to have a strong foundation, and that foundation is strengthened when you are here.
When you are present with the church, participating as part of the body of Christ.
Church is not, just another thing…it is THE thing. It is life-giving.
Because something that is amazing about the foundation of Jesus Christ is that the more you build on it, the more you know its strength.
When your life seems out of control, and your church is there, you witness a strength that you didn’t know was present in your life.
When you hear news from the doctor that you weren’t expecting, you fully know the strength that is present in your life.
Because later in Corinthians it says that God will come to test your house…so there will be times where it is tested…but it is so you will know how incredibly strong your foundation is.
I hope you know what kind of footprint Jesus has on your life. I hope you build on that footprint so that you know the heights and depths of Christ’s love. And I hope that we continue to build. We continue to build our church by being here, by showing up, by participating, by giving.
And to quote Lowe’s home improvement stores…lets build something together. Let’s build in the full assurance and knowledge and faith of Jesus Christ as our foundation, and our strength. Knowing with full confidence that the more we build together, as a church, relying and supporting one another, the more we will know the wonders of God’s hand. The more we will know just what it means that Jesus Christ died on a cross for us. The more we will know just what is means that we are called to be his disciples.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
The Edge Effect
1 Corinthians 3: 1-9
On NPR this week I heard an interview with one of Hollywood’s original stunt men. His name is Hal Needham and he literally wrote the book on doing stunts. He gave an interview and talked about how he had to stand on the wing of a bi-plane and grab the bottom of the wing of another and climb up. He talked about how he had to jump off a horse onto a moving stagecoach, and jump from helicopters and land on the ground 250 feet below. He was the originator of using rocket power in Hollywood stunts. But when he was asked how he felt about the special effects that are in movies nowadays, with computer generated graphics and everything else. He became furious.
"I hate it! ... A guy jumps off of a 250-foot dam, and it cuts to the water and he bobs up, like he's a duck. And you go, 'Wait a minute. Give me a break. A guy would kill himself doing that. There's no way he could do it.' And it just — with cars and motorcycles and all kinds of things. To me, it takes all of the reality out of the show. I just can't stand it. Even as a director, I never did that stuff. We did it for real. I can look at it onscreen and go, 'That don't work. You can't do that.' And so I lose all interest in the film."
And, as a result, he has walked out. Because they have given up the real thing, simply for the effect.
He is speaking to something that I think many of us have begun to do, especially in churches in that we have lost touch with the physical. We have numbed ourselves to violence and loss because we see it all the time on TV. We forget how things are real and tangible. We lose our perspective because we have distanced ourselves.
A perfect example of this is in how get power to our homes. It has to come from somewhere, and we need to start paying attention to where it comes from. Two of my favorite authors are camped out in the governors office in Kentucky right now with other protestors to get him to stop Mountain Top Removal mining in their state. Mountain Top Removal destroys nature, communities, and ecosystems, poisoning the land, but as long as the people get their power…and coal companies make money…who cares? Paul is saying in Corinthians…we should because God does.
Now, I am well aware that I don’t have to say this to many of you. You have chicken houses, and posts to mend, and hay to bale, and cows to look after, and everything else. But we are insulated against Christian perspective in other ways. Like our interactions with people who are different than us. Like in our contact with other churches. Like in our decision making about our own church.
Paul speaks to the Corinthians about this very thing in this passage.
Make no mistake, he is angry with the Corinthians. But he says it in such a lovely way that many of us look fondly on passages of scripture not seeing its immediate impact in our lives. But what he is angry with them about is that they have lost perspective on what it means to live Christian lives…and so he continues to have to treat them with kid gloves as a result, when they need to be full grown in their faith.
The first thing that they are doing is that they are following the messenger and not the message. They are putting more value in people who are more talented than they are in their neighbors.
We live in a society that rewards talent. Aaron Rogers was the super bowl MVP, so he was given a car. Yet the person who cares for students every day teaching them how to learn and be a productive citizen is rewarded with longer days and budget cuts. Because it is difficult to reward a large group of people who are doing the right thing. So we reward only those we can individually identify, and it leads to jealousy and bitterness.
This was happening with the Corinthians. A few people had been singled out, Paul and Apollos. People claimed they were better than the other group because of the person they followed. But Paul reminds them, continuously, that they are acting like child.
Almost like he is saying the phrase…if you want to act like a baby I will treat you like one!
They have lost touch with what it means to follow Christ. They have given up the real thing, for the effect. They follow the leader, rather than the author of life. And the result is that they are fighting with each other over who is better, rather than striving to be like the one who is best.
And the second thing that Paul reminds us, is that it is God who blesses, not the leader.
We have a lot of ministries that we do here at Bold Spring. We have a wonderful children’s ministry, we have opportunities for fellowship, we have a growing choir, a growing congregation, and a growing youth group. Our facilities are on track to grow as well, which will afford even more opportunities for ministry.
And it is so easy to think it is because of our work that these things have happened. About two years ago, Georgia was experiencing one of its worst droughts. Famously, Governor Sunny Perdue lined up clergy and laypeople on the steps of the capital to pray for rain. A few folks in my congregation expressed to me that they would like for me to do that in our church…to include it in the prayer of the people. I did, and for the entire next week, it rained and rained and rained.
And it was so easy to take credit for it. People were thanking me. And the temptation was there to think that it rained because I prayed for it.
No, Paul says, that is childish. That is like thinking you tied your shoes when your parents clearly did all the work. Children think that way, not mature Christians. We plant, and we water, but God provides the growth. Never forget that. Our pride and vanity come in to play, and we want to be recognized, but through it all, we should recognize God.
So when we begin thinking through all of the steps WE have to make for something to happen, we leave God out of the conversation. When we begin to think that for a ministry to be successful in our eyes we need money, space, volunteers, and effort; that’s all true, but the one thing we are leaving out is the one thing we most desperately need, and that is God. All of our efforts won’t come close to what God is doing.
This is not license to do nothing, but a call to be in partnership with God. Not insulating ourselves off from the world, but entering into where God is calling us to go. Breathing in the real thing, and not settling for the effect.
Because when God is in a place you just know.
When we heard that I was being appointed to Bold Spring United Methodist Church in Carnesville, GA; I did what a lot of people do, and looked up the address and came up for my own “windshield tour” of the place. I saw the church, saw the parsonage. I worried about how I would be accepted because I’m not from here nor had ever lived in a place quite like this. But there was something here that called to me. God is in this place.
And I now know that part of my job as your minister is to say to you, you do a wonderful job in your ministries, but it is God who receives all of the credit.
You are called to give, and to be present, and to question, and to learn, but all of the credit goes to God. Because we plant, and we water; and we will continue to plant and water because that is who God calls us to be, but it is God who gives growth. I will constantly remind you of that, as I must constantly remind myself of that…as the temptation to think that we did it all on our own will always be there.
But a proper faith. A life lived that is pleasing to God is the one that accepts graciously the opportunity given to it, but always understands who is the primary source of life.
There is a term in ecology called the “edge effect.” It says that when two ecosystems come together, for example a forest and a meadow, that along the edges there is tremendous opportunity for life and for growth.
Our ecosystems of faith are our personal devotion, and God’s action. Where we do what we are called to do, which is to profess our faith in Christ, share our life and our gifts, and to constantly mirror the life of Christ in all of our actions…and we are assured that we come to the edge of God’s control.
The edge effect of our faith always happens in community. And always in love of neighbor. And, it is my hope, that the edge is here.
The edge where life and eternity meet, and we have the praise on our lips whenever we see the faces of the children that are learning, when we care for the poor and the sick, when we see a vision of a new building, and new ministry…To God be the Glory, for great things he hath done.
On NPR this week I heard an interview with one of Hollywood’s original stunt men. His name is Hal Needham and he literally wrote the book on doing stunts. He gave an interview and talked about how he had to stand on the wing of a bi-plane and grab the bottom of the wing of another and climb up. He talked about how he had to jump off a horse onto a moving stagecoach, and jump from helicopters and land on the ground 250 feet below. He was the originator of using rocket power in Hollywood stunts. But when he was asked how he felt about the special effects that are in movies nowadays, with computer generated graphics and everything else. He became furious.
"I hate it! ... A guy jumps off of a 250-foot dam, and it cuts to the water and he bobs up, like he's a duck. And you go, 'Wait a minute. Give me a break. A guy would kill himself doing that. There's no way he could do it.' And it just — with cars and motorcycles and all kinds of things. To me, it takes all of the reality out of the show. I just can't stand it. Even as a director, I never did that stuff. We did it for real. I can look at it onscreen and go, 'That don't work. You can't do that.' And so I lose all interest in the film."
And, as a result, he has walked out. Because they have given up the real thing, simply for the effect.
He is speaking to something that I think many of us have begun to do, especially in churches in that we have lost touch with the physical. We have numbed ourselves to violence and loss because we see it all the time on TV. We forget how things are real and tangible. We lose our perspective because we have distanced ourselves.
A perfect example of this is in how get power to our homes. It has to come from somewhere, and we need to start paying attention to where it comes from. Two of my favorite authors are camped out in the governors office in Kentucky right now with other protestors to get him to stop Mountain Top Removal mining in their state. Mountain Top Removal destroys nature, communities, and ecosystems, poisoning the land, but as long as the people get their power…and coal companies make money…who cares? Paul is saying in Corinthians…we should because God does.
Now, I am well aware that I don’t have to say this to many of you. You have chicken houses, and posts to mend, and hay to bale, and cows to look after, and everything else. But we are insulated against Christian perspective in other ways. Like our interactions with people who are different than us. Like in our contact with other churches. Like in our decision making about our own church.
Paul speaks to the Corinthians about this very thing in this passage.
Make no mistake, he is angry with the Corinthians. But he says it in such a lovely way that many of us look fondly on passages of scripture not seeing its immediate impact in our lives. But what he is angry with them about is that they have lost perspective on what it means to live Christian lives…and so he continues to have to treat them with kid gloves as a result, when they need to be full grown in their faith.
The first thing that they are doing is that they are following the messenger and not the message. They are putting more value in people who are more talented than they are in their neighbors.
We live in a society that rewards talent. Aaron Rogers was the super bowl MVP, so he was given a car. Yet the person who cares for students every day teaching them how to learn and be a productive citizen is rewarded with longer days and budget cuts. Because it is difficult to reward a large group of people who are doing the right thing. So we reward only those we can individually identify, and it leads to jealousy and bitterness.
This was happening with the Corinthians. A few people had been singled out, Paul and Apollos. People claimed they were better than the other group because of the person they followed. But Paul reminds them, continuously, that they are acting like child.
Almost like he is saying the phrase…if you want to act like a baby I will treat you like one!
They have lost touch with what it means to follow Christ. They have given up the real thing, for the effect. They follow the leader, rather than the author of life. And the result is that they are fighting with each other over who is better, rather than striving to be like the one who is best.
And the second thing that Paul reminds us, is that it is God who blesses, not the leader.
We have a lot of ministries that we do here at Bold Spring. We have a wonderful children’s ministry, we have opportunities for fellowship, we have a growing choir, a growing congregation, and a growing youth group. Our facilities are on track to grow as well, which will afford even more opportunities for ministry.
And it is so easy to think it is because of our work that these things have happened. About two years ago, Georgia was experiencing one of its worst droughts. Famously, Governor Sunny Perdue lined up clergy and laypeople on the steps of the capital to pray for rain. A few folks in my congregation expressed to me that they would like for me to do that in our church…to include it in the prayer of the people. I did, and for the entire next week, it rained and rained and rained.
And it was so easy to take credit for it. People were thanking me. And the temptation was there to think that it rained because I prayed for it.
No, Paul says, that is childish. That is like thinking you tied your shoes when your parents clearly did all the work. Children think that way, not mature Christians. We plant, and we water, but God provides the growth. Never forget that. Our pride and vanity come in to play, and we want to be recognized, but through it all, we should recognize God.
So when we begin thinking through all of the steps WE have to make for something to happen, we leave God out of the conversation. When we begin to think that for a ministry to be successful in our eyes we need money, space, volunteers, and effort; that’s all true, but the one thing we are leaving out is the one thing we most desperately need, and that is God. All of our efforts won’t come close to what God is doing.
This is not license to do nothing, but a call to be in partnership with God. Not insulating ourselves off from the world, but entering into where God is calling us to go. Breathing in the real thing, and not settling for the effect.
Because when God is in a place you just know.
When we heard that I was being appointed to Bold Spring United Methodist Church in Carnesville, GA; I did what a lot of people do, and looked up the address and came up for my own “windshield tour” of the place. I saw the church, saw the parsonage. I worried about how I would be accepted because I’m not from here nor had ever lived in a place quite like this. But there was something here that called to me. God is in this place.
And I now know that part of my job as your minister is to say to you, you do a wonderful job in your ministries, but it is God who receives all of the credit.
You are called to give, and to be present, and to question, and to learn, but all of the credit goes to God. Because we plant, and we water; and we will continue to plant and water because that is who God calls us to be, but it is God who gives growth. I will constantly remind you of that, as I must constantly remind myself of that…as the temptation to think that we did it all on our own will always be there.
But a proper faith. A life lived that is pleasing to God is the one that accepts graciously the opportunity given to it, but always understands who is the primary source of life.
There is a term in ecology called the “edge effect.” It says that when two ecosystems come together, for example a forest and a meadow, that along the edges there is tremendous opportunity for life and for growth.
Our ecosystems of faith are our personal devotion, and God’s action. Where we do what we are called to do, which is to profess our faith in Christ, share our life and our gifts, and to constantly mirror the life of Christ in all of our actions…and we are assured that we come to the edge of God’s control.
The edge effect of our faith always happens in community. And always in love of neighbor. And, it is my hope, that the edge is here.
The edge where life and eternity meet, and we have the praise on our lips whenever we see the faces of the children that are learning, when we care for the poor and the sick, when we see a vision of a new building, and new ministry…To God be the Glory, for great things he hath done.
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