You can hear an audio recording of the second scripture reading and my sermon entitled, “ The Road Less Traveled By ...with compliments to Robert Frost ” being preached, by CLICKING HERE.
You can hear an audio recording of the second scripture reading and my sermon entitled, “ ...Out-Waiting the Darknesses and Chaoses of Creation ” being preached, by CLICKING HERE.
Dear Jesus-Followers and Jesus-Believers,
This year the calendar matches perfectly. December 1st is the first day of
ADVENT! …And Advent is the first season
of the liturgical year. And the first
word of the first season is …* WAIT *.
…Do not pass “GO” …do not collect $200 …do not put up your Christmas
decorations!
—Oh WAIT …some of us already have!
The city of El Dorado’s public lighting was
November 21st!
Restaurants have been blaring Christmas carols
since before Halloween!
And Hobby Lobby …has Christmas aisles that NEVER
go into hiding!
But before you label me a “Bah humbug-er” …
· Consider
that Advent …is not Christmas. When Christians
began celebrating Advent, it was a time of spiritual preparation for
celebrating the incarnation. Like Lent which
preceded the celebration of Easter. Some
patterns of Advent were 6-9 weeks of “spiritual (and other) preparation.”
· Just
because the secular celebrations of Christmas have shifted from 12 days
following December 25th, to 6-8 weeks BEFORE December 25th,
doesn’t mean we should readjust how we spiritually move through the seasons.
· The
Bible reminds us of what it means to wait in hope for what God is doing. In our world, it’s easy to get caught up in
our certainty about the birth of Jesus, that we busy ourselves with the
preparation for that event, rather than preparing ourselves to discover the ongoing
manifestations of God’s incarnation!
Advent …is not just a counting down of the days until Christmas! It’s not a season in which we “check off” the
things that must be accomplished for our annual celebrations (shopping lists,
meal preparations, and parties). Advent
is a time to notice our world, and align ourselves with the ways of God …that
almost always are a surprise (like opening a gift on Christmas morning)!
If you’ve already put up your Christmas tree and redecorated for the
holidays …you’re not doing it wrong. But
how well are we anticipating God’s surprises when we’re simply about locking
ourselves into the rhythms of every other Christmas? How ready are we to receive the realities of
God’s incarnation if it must follow the familiar pattern? Can we really see what God has in mind for us
and others, insisting that familiarity decides how we should feel?
When the angel appeared to Mary …it was a surprise. When the angel appeared to Joseph …it was a
surprise. When the angels showed up for
the Shepherds …it was a startling surprise.
And while we are fairly certain that the “good news” of Jesus’ birth is “the
reason for the season,” ADVENT invites us to ask some different questions.
We believe that God is still coming …and not like the first time. Do we know what to look for? Or will we miss opportunities to witness it
because we’re engrossed in sales and wrapping paper and getting it all done
early? What about the peace of God which
passes all understanding—are we pursuing that?
What about invitations to share, to be ready, to live into HOPE, to have
worry salved because God is afoot and coming to us—are we pursuing this?
This Advent we will sing familiar songs. We will observe familiar rituals. We will anticipate Christmas, even though it is already happening for some people. We will try to imagine again what it is like to wait and hope, to anticipate but not jump too soon. We will tell the stories once again and invite ourselves to not be so urgent about the ending. We will walk by faith, and not by sight, until the angels say, “All is calm and all is bright.”
Dear Believers,
Fall is my favorite time of the year.
Along with cooler temperatures, a change in seasons, college football,
and harvest …should be “rest.” In the
fall and winter, earth gets a kind of sabbath rest. The land and soils literally rest, having
given themselves in growing produce. And
I love the celebratory festivals and the gratitude that comes with the
penultimate celebration of this season—Thanksgiving.
But before we get to the “rest,” there’ll be a lot going on! October begins with World Communion Sunday—a
celebration of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper that spans the globe, a sign
and practice of our Christian understanding that we are all made one in
Christ.
The second Sunday in October will be marked by a congregational
meeting to elect a new class of Session members, who will join session to lead
our congregation next year. It’s also
the Sunday when we will gather following worship, to share a meal provided by
“Chef” Martin, and receive the challenge budget for 2025.
The first Sunday will be a reminder of how God offers God’s self to
sustain us and our world. God, we might
say, gives the entirety of heaven to ensure human salvation—that God so loves
the world, that God gives us Jesus. The
second Sunday is a reminder about how we can give in ways that help give God’s
kingdom a foothold on earth. We should
be encouraged that we have many ways to support the life of faith—in what we
have to give, or even in our own service—and that each of them, or all of them make
a difference in transforming the world, in building the Kingdom of God.
God gives.
We respond.
God
calls.
We
act.
God
loves.
We
love.
The rest of the weeks of October won’t have special observances, but
each Sunday is the constant reminder that is calling us out of nothingness and
insisting we are loved and valued. …It’s
a message I wish the world understood, and would hear, better! That we are loved and valued even when the
world seems to be on fire with all the things not of God—greed, violence, oppression,
worldly power and glory.
That’s right. We live in a
world on fire with all the wrong kind of things, and we are still loved and
valued by God who insists and invites us to claim other ways of living. A God who gives us Jesus, who loves us, and
whom we’re invited to share with others.
Something we share sacramentally, and something we share in the ritual
of breaking bread with one another.
This season in which we share warm meals, remind one another about the
hard work we’ve participated in and given, we share not only the promise of
God’s love, but also the grace that there’s more work to do. So join us in celebrating God’s love in the
next few weeks, and then being mindful of sharing the celebration with those
around you!
Dear Believers,
I’m returning this month to one of my favorite places! Not really a “place,” but more of a
“reality.” The “place” moves each year,
so it’s never the same “space” even. I
could say, “it must be the people,” but each time, many of the people change,
too. Yes …one of my favorite places is
Stewardship Kaleidoscope—an annual conference grounded in stewardship education
and generosity, giving and fundraising, where the topics almost always come
closely akin to the difficult financial realities churches and church leaders
are facing …but each conference always traffics in unmitigated joy!
Most of the time, when someone says, “stewardship,” most people
(especially church people) think, “money” or “conservation"—or sometimes,
the conservation of money! Which leads
church people to thinking about the lack of members …and decline …and sadness
or even shame. Put a bunch of these
folks in the room and you can’t imagine there’d be much joy—but you’d be
wrong! Because stewardship is God calling to us to share in what God
provides; where there’s no lack of resources, no shortage of love, no
absence in the face of need, where we’re met with an abundance rather than
enough. For conference-goers, who may
register for and show up all down in the mouth, worried and scared, afraid of
not having what they need for their congregations, the conference becomes a
lived in promise of the Psalmist decree—“weeping may endure for the night, but
JOY comes in the morning.” For most,
simply showing up will end long nights of worry and anxiety!
Most of us often think we know “JOY.”
But I’ve found over the years that JOY—born of gratitude—often goes
missing in our lives. Yes, most of us
would say we experience times of joy; but I’ve learned by experience and with
others, that these are like puddles after a rain, arriving and departing again,
leaving us …wanting. That even though we
maintain lives rooted in worship and spiritual practices among a supportive
community of fellow believers, our Joy is not always deep or abiding …and I’ve
been shocked to find you may not even notice it! You won’t even wonder where all your joy
went; then, you’re hanging out with people who understand gratitude …when you
realize your lack.
Stewardship people know that JOY is almost always born of
gratitude. And gratitude is like a
muscle that needs to be built up and exercised.
One of the easiest ways to begin is adopting language of gratitude—asking
yourself: “What am I most grateful for?”
And “What am I lease grateful for?”
Simply talking “gratitude” begins to reveal the reliably JOYFILLED
crevasses in every day. But when you
begin talking about gratitude, you more easily discover how to live IN gratitude;
and when you LIVE IN gratitude, you can have different responses. Like, having car trouble—you can be “least
grateful” for the trouble, but “grateful” for a friend who can give you a
ride. “Least grateful” about having to
find money for a repair; but grateful your store of riches includes someone who
can give you a ride to Wal-Mart. Stewardship
people see differently, somehow knowing a deep, abiding sense of God’s
presence, love, and joy.
Stewardship people realize the whole economy of gratitude works the
other way, too. You hear stories like,
“I didn’t want the waitress to be happy with a 15% tip for good service; I
wanted her to feel ecstatic and know the joy of real appreciation.” Or “That man might have been just fine with a
$20 bonus for going out of his way, I just wanted to see the look on his face
when it was a $50 bill instead!” And …it’s
never about the money; it’s always about passing around JOY! …Joy that somehow always finds a way back to
the one who gives it.
It’s been one of the great privileges (and joys) of my life to serve
on the planning team for the conference for nearly a decade. It’s taught me that joy is almost always
right in front of me. And that’s surely
been true, at First Presbyterian Church in Camden, too! I’m so incredibly grateful for your
witness and all that God’s love has provided for us!
Empty Tomb Witnesses, Resurrected Jesus
Seekers, Good News Bearers, Faith-Sharers,
Some of you may be wondering …what is General
Assembly? And why was the preacher
spending two weeks in meetings online and in Salt Lake City? The short answer is that General Assembly is “the
highest council of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)—a deliberative, discerning
body, responsible for leading and guiding the whole church in ministry and
mission. And though I was not elected,
and didn’t have a vote, I also serve as the Presbytery’s Stated Clerk for the
Presbytery of the Pines, and presbytery staff have supportive roles at the
assembly.
1,340 people registered on-site in Salt Lake
City, Utah. The Assembly gathered in one
of the large plenary venues at the Salt Palace convention center downtown. 166 Presbyteries sent nearly 500
commissioners from across the country; additionally Presbyteries were
represented by mid-council leaders and stated clerks who observe, but who don’t
have privilege of voting. Each Presbytery
could also send a Young Adult Advisory Delegate. 11 PCUSA seminaries were invited to elect a Theological
Student Advisory Delegates. There are
also a handful of Ecumenical Advisory Delegates and Missionary Advisory
Delegates. About half of the people
registered are commissioners and advisory delegates. The remaining participants are General
Assembly staff, presbytery and synod leaders and stated clerks, support
volunteers from the local presbytery, stage crew, musicians, resource persons,
agency staff, and visitors/observers. It’s
a little bit like watching CSPAN …except there’s always about 1,000 people in
the room, half of which are actively making decisions.
Most days at the assembly are structured
similarly. Each day begins in worship;
exciting preachers, rich liturgies, special music, and full-throated
singing. Plenary meetings often began
with special greetings from ecumenical representatives, or greetings from
churches across the globe. And then
sessions of listening to committee reports and voting on committee
recommendations. There’s a break for
lunch, usually a group meal for commissioners, before a long afternoon
session. There’s a break for dinner,
usually another group meal of predictable hotel kitchen fare, followed by an
evening session where meetings lasted until about 9pm.
The first day of the Assembly, the Assembly
elects co-moderators from among the commissioners. There’s a process for standing for moderator,
so you have to declare your intention to stand many weeks before the Assembly;
this assembly chose between two co-moderator teams and this Assembly elected Reverends
Cece Armstrong and Tony Larson, Minister commissioners from South
Carolina.
What’s all the excitement about? All assembly committees are responsible for
action items for the General Assembly to take bold, prophetic action in
response to issues and concerns. A lot
of this year’s work centered around different proposals to direct invested
funds away from companies who make and use fossil fuels. Another proposal seeks to change descriptions
in part of the Book of Order, to more explicitly address forms of
discrimination by adding some new language:
“God unites persons through baptism, regardless of race, ethnicity, age, sex, [gender identity, sexual orientation,] disability, geography, or theological conviction. There is therefore no place in the life of the Church for discrimination against any person.”
Still other proposals addressed gun violence,
climate change, the unification of 2 national church agencies, a new unified
budget for those agencies, and a host of new church initiatives.
The exciting part—seeing, feeling, and witnessing
to the presence and work of the Holy Spirit.
Seeing old friends and making new ones.
Spontaneous hymn sings, and dance breaks. Feeling the joy and love of Jesus manifested
with, in, and through so many people.
It’s life altering and faith-changing.
And I’m so grateful
for the opportunity to participate and be of service.
Empty Tomb Witnesses, Resurrected Jesus
Seekers, Good News Bearers, Faith-Sharers,
During my recent travels, someone asked me,
“What do you like to do?” …which was
really a way of asking me what my hobbies were.
What’s been true for me for quite some time is while I’m a pastor
serving a congregation, I’m also immersed in the work of the Church. “Church” is my vocation and my calling …and
it’s what I do for fun! I’ve traveled
for several church-related meetings recently and more meetings are up
ahead:
This coming month a lot of unique “Church” meetings
and things are happening!
W June 2nd
there is a CONGREGATIONAL MEETING for the congregation to take actions related
to the sale of church property (a proposal to sell the manse), to elect a
member of the nominating committee, and to continue or dismiss the Pastor
Nominating Committee.
o
There will be a proposal to sell the manse.
o
There will be the election of a member of the nominating committee
(Bill Bacon has agreed to serve)
o
The congregation will decide to continue or dismiss the PNC.
o
If you have questions or concerns related to these action items,
please contact members of session or the pastor!
W June 8th,
the Presbytery of the Pines meets together in Ruston, LA. A part of this meeting will be the
presentation of 6 ruling elders who have completed the commissioned pastor
program and are ready to be commissioned to serve congregations. The Presbytery will be examining these
candidates and certifying them ready for service. The Presbytery will also hear a report on the
Presbyterian Church in Chile, from George Wortham, who has recently taken a
trip to Chile, with updates and ways that the work of the church there might
inspire the work of the Church in our own country.
W June 29th
through July 4th, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.) will be meeting in person in Salt Lake City, Utah. Presbyterians everywhere are invited to
follow the work of the Assembly, much of which will be live-streamed.
o
The General Assembly is the highest Council of the PCUSA. It is made up of minister and elder
commissioners from 166 Presbyteries; there are also Young Adult, Theological
Student, and Ecumenical Advisory Delegates who participate. Executive Presbyters, Stated Clerks, and
observers also attend, but don’t participate.
o
The Assembly will vote on proposed amendments to the Constitution,
approve reports, and respond to business items from Presbyteries and Synods or
commissioners, or proposals from General Assembly entitles.
o
Assembly news and information is available at www.ga-pcusa.org. There
will be links to the live-feeds and news reports.
Welcome to my vocation
AND my hobby! …The Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.) and its expression of God’s love in the world! God invites us to all to fulfill our calling
in sharing God’s love with the world! A
part of that can be the work and witness of the Church at every level!
Empty Tomb Witnesses, Resurrected Jesus
Seekers, Good News Bearers, Faith-Sharers,
The end of this year’s Easter season is
coinciding with a lot of travel for me.
In April I traveled to Portland, Oregon and Denver, Colorado; and in May,
before we get to Pentecost, I’ll be going to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pentecost—which we celebrate on May 19th,
this year, was a celebration that brought Jews back to Jerusalem from
various parts of the world. For Jesus’
disciples, the stories of Jesus’ resurrection appearances include a journey
from Jerusalem to Emmaus; and at least in John’s gospel, the days following
Jesus’ resurrection finds many of the disciples back in Galilee. …So I guess, Easter-done-right, has believers
on the road?
One of my favorite Easter images is that the
meaning of the resurrection is that Jesus is “loosed in the world.” Though Jesus was crucified and died, God
raised Jesus. He is not held by death,
but is given back to life and Jesus feely appears …well, anywhere! And now, like children at an Easter-egg hunt,
believers are put to looking for Jesus …well, everywhere!
Most of the New Testament contains writing and
stories that come AFTER Jesus was raised.
There are a handful of stories about the few weeks following the
crucifixion and resurrection, but most of the New Testament is in the form of
letters and stories that come YEARS after, and much of it, from believers who
are traveling far and wide from Jerusalem.
Whether it’s Paul, racing to set up “outposts” of faithful believers
first in Asia and then in Europe, or Peter who is visiting other communities of
Jewish believers and opening them to the fellowship with Christians, to the
hints of other nameless witnesses who are the readers of these letters and the gospels
as they get written down and distributed.
In fact, we are representatives who have received these same words and
stories and are still looking for Jesus today—separated not only by geography
but also time. We’re still chasing
Jesus.
The gospels share with us that for several
years, a group of believers followed Jesus, traveling from place to place,
witnessing acts of kindness and miracles.
In Galilee, in Samaria, along the Jordan, around the Sea of Tiberias
(the sea of Galilee), to Tyre and Sydon, Nazareth, Bethlehem—all the places
Jesus’ story visits. And then, Jesus is
resurrected—and he’s freed from the usual “confinements” of human life, he
passes through walls and doors, he’s able to move straight to different places
over distance, and it seems clear that Jesus is out in front of us, and we’re
always trying to catch up …finding the places he’s been already and appeared to
people and done thing …as if there were a Jesus trail of good news and good
works. We’re still chasing Jesus!
Pentecost usually marks the time in our culture
when we take to the open road, traveling to and fro to visit family or to
re-create ourselves by way of rest and relaxation. …Don’t forget to look for Jesus! And whether you’re traveling, or you’re in
the same place for a while …don’t forget to look for Jesus! He’s not stuck only in the things we’ve known
him to be, before—he’s loosed! He’s
slipped the bonds of human limitations and finds ways to enliven and
enlighten. So when you see him, make a
note, share the news, tell others!
“Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look! You will see him! …Go …and tell!”
It is my privilege
to remind you that Jesus loves you. So
do I. God wants the best for us and is
inviting us to fulfill our calling. Jesus
dies; but God raised Jesus in the Resurrection, and that changes
everything! Get ready. The tomb was empty. Christ is risen! And so are we! Find Jesus and tell your stories, of all the
places where you’ve seen and heard him.
So we can be amazed and encouraged and transformed together!
Cross Seekers, Empty Tomb Finders, Good News Bearers,
These days we celebrate Easter like
clockwork. While the date for Easter is
fluid …tied to the moon phases in relationship to when the Passover is—we look forward
to it every year. We count the days of
Lent (forty, plus Sundays); we anticipate Holy Week, lost eggs, marshmallow
peeps, Reese’s eggs, Cadbury eggs, and an empty tomb—as if all these things are
“normal.” We mark Easter, as if it’s
NORMAL!
As I shared with you last month, Biblical
scholar and preaching guru Thomas Long would remind us that Easter changes
everything!
“ …Easter …is instead the end of this word. Easter destroys the perceived world at hand, and before we sing about the joy of Easter’s new reality, it is crucial to feel the shock and to see the destructive power of the Resurrection on the old reality. ”
Everything about resurrection is disorienting—or
should be! From the fact that the dead
are raised, to Jesus’ walking through walls with real wounds from his
crucifixion, to expectations about our own demise and rising. In our world, the dead are supposed to remain
dead—the walking dead, is only a TV show!
But what are we to do when little seems to
really change about our lives? When the
“difference” in resurrection is mostly a story for us about the one who was
raised? When what we hope for, isn’t
what is seen? When Long declares that
the world was CHANGED BY GOD who does resurrection, what are we supposed to
experience? What should we be looking
for?
Death doesn’t win. This year marks 4 years of COVID. So many died.
But death isn’t the last word.
War in Ukraine drags on and on; there’s war in Gaza; there’s violence in
Haiti; drought and starvation and gang violence and broken government hold much
of Africa’s nations hostage it seems; there’s terrorism; violent rhetoric and
dehumanization …yet, death doesn’t win.
Sin, cannot triumph. The
victory—is God’s!
Honestly …I don’t know “how” this works. I must believe God’s promises, and what God
has done. God raises Jesus. God declares, we are raised, too. None …are lost. And yet, so many are lost in this life.
But this allows us to live our life for
others. This allows us to give fully of
ourselves as Jesus does. This allows us love
…with reckless abandon. This allows us to
live freely with the Kingdom of God in our heart, in our minds, in our
hands. So, this is not just Jesus’
resurrection …it’s our resurrection. It’s
our laying down the life of the world and taking up the life of the Kingdom of
God.
For Easter, God says: This world is finished;
our life together isn’t! …Goodbye old
world. Easter’s come and gone. Now it’s time to live like it.
It is my privilege to remind you that Jesus loves you. So do I. God wants the best for us and is inviting us to fulfill our calling. Jesus dies; but God raised Jesus in the Resurrection, and that changes everything! Get ready. The tomb was empty. Christ is risen! And so are we!
Jesus Followers, Cross Seekers, Good News Bearers,
Well known preacher and teacher, Thomas Long,
begins a recent article in a preaching journal with a story about the gathering
of scholars who wrote the Westminster
Confession of Faith. He reminds readers
of this moment when one of the members of the Westminster Assembly raised the
question, “What is God?” But when none in
the Assembly had enough sand to try and offer an answer, they turned to the
youngest person in the room to give a formal answer, a young 30-something
Scottish Pastor named George Gillespie.
Unlucky enough to be called upon, “I need God’s wisdom,” he said, his
voice surely cracking. “Will you join me
in prayer?” And then he prayed:
“ O God, thou art a spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in thy being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. ”
Though Gillespie’s offering was simple and
majestic, the Assembly did what assemblies often do, beefing up the words,
piling on the descriptions, and trying to include every possible definition in
what seems like a William Faulkner-esque sentence. Good for them!
Long simply recalls that when Moses spoke to
the burning bush and asked who it was that was there, all he received was the
reply “I am who I am.” And then goes on
to quote theologian Robert Jensen’ s answering the question, “Who is God?” this
way: “God is whoever raised Jesus from the dead, having before raised Israel
from Egypt.”
Easter is coming—arriving before your next
newsletter! Easter is coming, and
Jensen’s radiant definition implies we need a new definition of God—that we
must refashion our understanding of God in light of what God did in the
Resurrection! What is God? God is what raised Jesus from the dead! This is Long’s way of saying, “Easter changes
everything!” He writes:
“ …Easter is not a way to get along better in the world as it is but is instead the end of this word. Easter destroys the perceived world at hand, and before we sing about the joy of Easter’s new reality, it is crucial to feel the shock and to see the destructive power of the Resurrection on the old reality.
“…The Resurrection …is instead the unmasking of the present reality, the world we assumed was permanent, the world of business as usual, the world of inevitable death. Easter is an earthquake destroying the reality we thought could never change, a world in which dead people stay dead and in which some little tyrant is always placing guards in the cemetery to make sure it remains that way. Easter is a lightening -bold illuminated flash forwarded to that time when “The Kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever.” That joyful good news of Easter is an obituary and a birth announcement combined: the old world has passed away and the new has come. ”
“ …Easter calls for a change of citizenship. The frightening demand, the more-astounding-than-can-be-imagined invitation, of Easter, is to leave the familiar but dying world behind and to enter the new, unexpected, and uncertain world revealed in the Resurrection. ”
Long suggests we cannot look at Easter in the
way we’ve been used to celebrating it.
It’s not a moment in which to cheer, “Up from the grave [Jesus] arose!”
or, to simply exclaim, “the tomb is empty,” as if, once again, “Jesus were the
reason for the season.” No. Instead, the world was changed by the God who
does resurrection. It is no longer the
world to which we are accustomed; it is the world God would make it to be
because …RESURRECTION!
That takes some getting used to. And …well, we’re not used to it!
It is my privilege to remind you that Jesus
loves you. So do I. God wants the best for us and is inviting us
to fulfill our calling. Jesus dies; but
God raised Jesus in the Resurrection, and that changes everything! Get ready.
Gird your loins. Easter is
coming. The journey was already started!
