e-Soundings

God's Love Letter 3) "U-Turns Allowed Here"

Part three of our series on the Bible explored one of the most (if not the most) important theme of our scripture: Sin.

 

Sin can be defined many ways, but is most simply put as "anything that distracts, discourages us from or pulls us away from God."

 

This means that even good things could be sinful if we hold them above God and consider them more important than God.

 

In the Bible, we find this pattern over and over again: 

    Sin –> Repentence –> Forgiveness –> New Life. 

 

  Sin is part of our human nature.  We want it our way.  We have a 'bent to sinning' that John Wesley wrote about in the famous church hymn: "Love Divine All Loves Excelling."

 

  God gives us the opportunity to repent, which allows the full force of God's Forgiveness to come into our lives, offering us new life.

 

  The 12-step tradition has this as their first step to recovery: 

We admitted we were powerless over our addiction,

that our lives had become unmanageable.

 

And so we all need to say:

"Hi, I'm Terry.  I'm a Recovering Sinner."

 

And follow that up by saying that we are relying on a higher power, the power of God through Jesus Christ.

 

This kind of repentance, honest and deep sharing of our darkest corners and crevices of our hearts allows God to heal us and make us whole.  Giving us a new life to live and an eternity to live it in.

 

Our church fellowship is a place where such "U-Turns" are not only allowed, but encouraged.

 

3^rd Week Homework:

1)   Read the Beatitudes: Matt. 5 (and perhaps Matt 5-7 too.)

 

2)    Read Psalm  51 (or 59)

 

3)    Question to ask of yourself:

"How could you be more like God wants you to be today?"

 

4)    Questions on card will be collected next week.

 

God's Love Letter 2) "Ordinary People with an Extraordinary Love."

In the second part of this series, we have looked at the honest but clearly flawed people of the bible.  

God has gone way out of the way to find the most ordinary people and fill them with an extraordinary love! 

And we learned that in addition to the Spiritual Truth of the Bible that we explored last week, there is a fundamental and important level of factual truth that we must also contend with.

1.  That there is One God, loving and creating the world and all the universe.

2. People in the bible were real, ordinary people, chosen by God for an extraordinary love.

3. Jesus lived, taught and died.

4. Jesus was resurrected from the dead and appeared alive to many witnesses.

5. The Holy Spirit of God is with us today.

Homework for this week includes:

1) Read Luke 15 (The Lost Chapter) and  Matthew 16 all the way through.

When you come to a puzzling or challenging scripture, stop and let it sink in.  Dwell on what it means to you.

2) Finish with an ending praise Psalm:  145, 146 or 150

3) Initiate a discussion with someone who is not close to you about their experience with the Bible.  

Has it been good or problematic?  Has it been helpful or hurtful.  What do they remember about the bible.  And just listen, don't argue with them or try to convince them about something.

Just listen.  Show them some extraordinary love.

4) And continue to jot down some questions you may have about the bible.  We'll be collecting them soon for an "Ask the Preacher" Sunday.

God's Love Letter: 1) "Wad'ya Know?"

Back to School:

God's Love Letter Sermon Series

"Whad'ya Know"

about the Bible?

• About it's "truthiness?"   

What we all can agree upon is that the Bible is clearly inspired by God and transmitted through human minds, hearts and hands. 

And that underneath every verse of scripture is a spiritual truth that sometimes needs more work than we think in order to get to its heart.

 

• That it's "God's Love Letter"

A.           The Bible is an encounter with God that reveals God's own loving heart (a revelation)

 

Last Minute Tips for the Hassled and Harried

Did you realize that Mary and Joseph had hassles and problems on that first Christmas?  (Read Luke 2:1-20)

Their life was filled with scandal, a difficult journey, crowded conditions, troubling dreams, smelly shepherds and alien interlopers from a land "far away."

Their lives required something that we have in short supply these days:  trust/faith in God.  We need to find ways to obtain the same kind of trust/faith that Mary and Joseph had.

So in order to provide some help during this Christmas season, here are a few tips to keep our trust, to keep our focus.

1) Identify a favorite Scripture verse, memorize one if necessary, and remember it often.  (You can also do this with a Christmas Carol.)

2) No matter how badly you see people acting, look at them the way God sees them: with love of where they are, but with hope of where they can be.

3) Remember the resurrection every time you see a manger and the infant Jesus.

4) Every time you need it, take a deep breath, and say the prayer: "Lord, I trust you to see me through, no matter what."

5) Take Jesus where ever you go, let him be you best friend.  Listen to him.

"A Multi-Media Jesus" - 10 Suggestions to change Christmas

On Sunday, I shared a list of ways to present Jesus in a commerce-crowded culture.  Here they are for your further reflection and prayers...

1)    Attend all of our church celebrations and bring new friends with you.

2)    Start a spiritual discipline for the next 30 days: 10 mins of prayer, read the upper room daily, write a journal or a letter to God, fast a meal a day (and give the money you save to charity), write a letter a week to someone around you about your faith in God.

3)    Avoid debt, pay cash for everything.  Give "Alternative" gifts that share love three ways.

4)    Put only Christ centered Christmas decorations on your Christmas tree.

5)    Set up your Nativity Scene (Creche) in

Soul Survivor: 1st Century Style

Today starts a series based on the Book of Acts and focuses on how the early church was built.

It's called Soul Survivor in that I've always been intrigued by the "Survivor" TV show and it's "mirror" of how the church works.

I'm not claiming to be orginal about the title: Soul Survivor. Many church leaders have used it recently.

In fact, Philip Yancy wrote a book entitled: "Soul Survivor: How Thirteen unlikely Mentors help my faith survive the church."

I recommend that book as a companion for this series. Not only does Mr. Yancy credit such church leaders as Martin Luther King Jr., Henri Nouwen as individuals who led him back to the church, but he also includes people such as poet John Donne and Mahatma Ghandi.

It's a very interesting book!

Post Modern – Pre Christian…

I'm intrigued by the fact that sociologists are calling our age the "post modern – pre Christian age.

Post modern in that all the things of the modern age are being questioned in a non-linear, anything goes kind of way.

Pre-Christian in that the society today looks a lot like the society the early Christians found themselves in: surrounded by idols, people searching for meaning but not being satisfied.

A very hedonistic, self-centered time that was also very economically successful.

Which is why the Survivor series is so fascinating.

It's our society in a nutshell, all competing for one million dollars.

For me, the church is different from the Survivor TV show in that instead of getting rid of people, the whole purpose of the church is to

"Happy are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." (Matthew 5:5)

Sometime ago I ran across this poster of Jesus. What do you think?

Jesus Christ: meek, mild: as if!

The Sunday School Jesus just isn't biblical.

If we look at the Greek word for meekness: (Praus) we find Aristotle describing it as the golden mean between out of control anger (rage) and excessive angerless-ness: rampant apathy.

To be "meek" meant to have the appropriate anger, even "righteous anger."

It also meant a person who was "under control." And in our context that would mean under God's control.

A meek person was someone who listened to God first, and then followed God's direction.
Numbers 12:1-3 describes Moses as "very meek."

Now we certainly wouldn't call Moses ineffectual or spineless. Instead you would say he listened

Lord, Teach us to Pray...

When can you find time to pray more deeply? more meditatively?

Here are the books I mentioned in my sermon this week.

"The Diary of a Country Priest," by Georges Bernanos.

"Creative Prayer", by E. Herman.

"The Case for Christ", by Lee Strobel

"The Jesus I Never Knew", by Philip Yancey

"The Genesee Diary", by Henri Nouwen

And how deep do you go with the "Lord's Prayer?"

Actually it should be called the "Disciple's prayer," for Jesus gave it to us, his disciple's so that we could learn how to pray properly:

Luke 11: 2-4

"He said to them, ‘When you pray, say..."

"Father," actually "ABBA" in aramaic, translated more like "Poppa/Pops/ DAD", a VERY intimate form of greeting.... for GOD!

A New Year's Commitment

This last weekend we spoke of making commitments and the power of God through Jesus Christ to "do great things" in our lives. (John 14:1-17)

Here is a Covenant Prayer in the tradition of John Wesley to help us recommit our lives and allow that power of God's Holy Spirit to lead us.

I am no longer my own, but thine.

Put me to what thou wilt,
rank me with whom thou wilt.

Put me to doing,
put me to suffering.

Let me be employed by thee
or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee
or brought low for thee.

Let me be full,
let me be empty.

Let me have all things,
let me have nothing.

I freely and heartily yield all things
to thy pleasure and disposal.

And now,
O glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine,
and I am thine.

So be it.

And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven.

Amen.

To make this covenant a reality in your life, listen to these admonitions by John Wesley...:

1) First, set apart some time, more than once, to be spent alone before the Lord;
in seeking earnestly God's special assistance and gracious acceptance of you;
in carefully thinking through all the conditions of the covenant;
in searching your hearts whether you have already freely given your life to Christ.

Consider what your sins are.

Consider the laws of Christ,
how holy, strict, and spiritual they are,
and whether you,
after having carefully considered them,
are willing to choose them all.

Be sure you are clear in these matters,
see that you do not lie to God.

2) Second, be serious and in a spirit of holy awe and reverence.

3) Third, claim God's covenant, rely upon God's promise of giving grace and strength, so you can keep your promise. Trust not your own strength and power.

4) Fourth, resolve to be faithful.
` My Brothers and Sisters,
You have given to the Lord your hearts,
you have opened your mouths to the Lord,
and you have dedicated yourself to God.
With God's power, never go back.

And last, be then prepared to renew your covenant with the Lord.
Fall down on your knees,
lift your hands toward heaven,
open your hearts to the Lord, and pray.

It is my prayer that this covenant will become a weekly and even daily part of your devotions.

Hope in an Anxious World

The 100 year winter in the land of Narnia is under control of the White Witch, and it has the appearance of death even while it is so beautiful.

And so, through C.S. Lewis' imagination, we come face to face with evil wrapped in beautiful clothes.

Edmund, the headstrong one in "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" is enticed by the Turkish Delight offered by the White Witch. (This was a special Christmas treat that was virtually impossible to get in wartime England.)

It turns him in an addict who betrays his family. Such is the power of evil.

It aims at our normal desires and needs: hunger, curiosity, variety, intimacy, touch, pleasure, …and it can begin by satisfying us and then entrapping us.

Evil, fear, jealousy and hatred can all can appear at first so innocent, but then grow into a raging monster within us that is never satisfied and always demands more.

The recent events our world has shown us that we are no longer as secure and safe as we thought we were. 9/11, the war on terror, the overwhelmingly bad news on TV all conspire to bind us up in fear and anxiety.

On top of that we have been surrounded by an entertainment culture that panders to our need for instant gratification and distraction...

In our search for security, our world has lost its reality in the realm of entertainment.

And if we're not careful, there will be no room for God. Jesus will drift out of our consciousness slowly but surely until we wake up one day and wonder where the meaning went in our lives, were the love went.

Isaiah lived in a time like this.

He cried out:
"Woe is me! I am lost,
for I am a man of unclean lips,
and I live among a people of unclean lips!" (Isaiah 6:5)

But then the unthinkable happens.

For no other reason than that God has a heart of his people and will not leave them orphaned, even when they deserve it,
a light dawns,
a path through the valley is carved,
an escape from their own self-inflicted mortal wounds is offered.

"The people who walked in darkness

 have seen a great light;

 those who lived in a land of deep darkness—

 on them light has shined. 


You have multiplied the nation,
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as people exult when dividing plunder." (Isaiah 9:2-3) 


We hear those words and we think of Jesus.

The world has faced cold, dark and frozen times before. The world faces such times again.

We are in danger of believing that our true freedom and our very human identity and purpose lies in the extravagant enjoyment of all the senses, in hiding from reality, in becoming entertained by the talents of others, in exploring everything we can physically explore.

And we are told that Christ, the docile, Sunday School image of our recent past, wants to rob us of joy, life and all the pleasures of living…. a cosmic killjoy, a larger than life Puritan.

The grand moral of "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" is just the opposite.

That like Turkish Delight, all the pleasures of the body and the world, while there for a purpose and offen pleasure, all of them have within them the property to kill off the true joy and deepest magic of all: true love.

For they are all at heart self-centered, focused on personal satisfaction, and in the end simply creates a never-ending, impossible need for more and more of the same.

That's addiction. That's sin. Our pride demands an ever intense reward.

But then a powerful and life-changing Christ breaks all of that.

With the roar beyond all roars, the stone table is broken just as the stone of the tomb is rolled away.

A child is born, a son is given… and RIGHTEOUSNESS, an ability to live in a terrible, inspiring, "new-birth" presence of God, is made possible.

That's what Christmas is really all about. That's our challenge today.

Questions:
"How do you keep this transforming power of Christmas ever real in your life?"

"How do you recognize the times you have slipped and fallen into the agenda of the world?"

"What 'counter-culture' Christmas activity will you participate in this season that will make a difference to your spiritual life and to the spiritual life of those around you?"