Pastoral Prayer, Nov 30 2008

If you ever prayed to God out loud where others could hear, you probably know how hard it is to let others hear your words to God. And if you ever wrote a prayer to God and let someone see it, you probably also know how hard it is to share it.

Stanely Hauerwas published a book of his prayers and lamented in the preface about how difficult it was to make these prayers so public. I understand his plight. I write out my prayers quite often but I rarely share them except on Sunday morning during Pastoral Prayer time or on the occasion when I pray out loud with my dear and close friends.

But this particular prayer, the one I have written here, is a pastoral prayer for Nov 30, I believe others may want (or perhaps even need) to read. Although it is hard for me to hit "publish post" on a prayer, I am doing it because I care more about you and God's plan to draw all of creation towards redemption than I do how I feel about making it public.

So disclaimer, lament, and whatever else aside... Here is the pastoral prayer I wrote to God, to be prayed out loud during the pastoral prayer time, for the First Sunday in Advent, 2008.

Lord of all hope- hope that shines like light in darkness. We come before you, thankful for the hope you bring us- in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

If you are powerful enough to overcome death, to raise Jesus from the dead, certainly we can have hope in any situation we face. Certainly we can hope you have the power to breathe life into our painful moments, into our trauma, and into our suffering.

It is you, Lord, who gives hope in suffering.

And we pray for those in our community who may be suffering- who need your breath of hope this First Sunday of Advent.

* Prayers for my people and their loved ones *

Lord God, give us hope, even in suffering. Help us to see your tears, your love for us- in the midst of our suffering.

Help us to feel your arms around us when we cry, and when we hurt.

Change our misconceptions of a God who wills our suffering.

Change our misunderstandings that see you as a strict and angry God who might care about others-- but certainly not me.

Transform our false beliefs of you... that we might see you for who you really are- a God of love- a God who is fond of us, a God who sheds tears alongside of us, a God who suffers WITH us.

Make this change in us, dear Lord, that we might become people with your eyes of love. People who see our neighbor and love them as you love them.

Help us to see and love our neighbors physically next door to us.

Our neighbors in the buildings closest to us.

Our neighbor farmer in Kansas.

Our neighbor who grew the wheat overseas that made our bread (that touches our lips and makes us strong).

Our neighbor overseas who grew our coffee beans (that keeps us awake and alert even now).

Our neighbors we see and the neighbors who's life work feeds and sustains us... and we do not even know personally.

God help us to love all our neighbors. The visable ones and the invisable ones.

And help our lives to reflect your love to all of them, even the ones we cannot see; especially the ones we cannot see, who are easy to ignore and forget about in daily life.

God, we love you- with a love that is returned to you, a love that came from you- gracious, mercy-filled love, that you've penetrated our very being with even today.

Thank you for loving us.

Amen.

Coming of Our Lord Advent Devotions, WEEK TWO

Week Two: Preparing for the Lord to Come, November 30th - December 6. Written by: Rev. Kazimiera I.H. Fraley and Rev. Christy Gunter-Leppert

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Meditation One: Isaiah 40:1-11

Read Isaiah 40:1-11

Throughout the Old Testament, God's people are compared to a wayward bride who turned away from her husband to find fulfillment in other places. Far too often, it is easy to get caught up in the culture of this world and allow it to lure us away from the things of God. But even in our unfaithfulness, God is still a loving, faithful, and committed husband who speaks kindly to us and calls for us to return. In this season of preparation for the Lord's coming, we need to hear God's voice as we are called to return to God.

Reflection for the Day:
In what ways have you wandered away from the habits of God? Take time to allow God to gather you back into God’s loving arms, so you will be His, and only his; whole and complete once again.

Daily Prayer:
Lord God, all too often we are like the wayward spouse, finding pleasure in the things of this world instead of being faithful to you. Forgive us for our unfaithfulness. Forgive us for turning our backs on your glory, beauty, and light. Thank you for loving us. Thank you for being committed to us, no matter what we've done or who we've allowed ourselves to become.

Weekly Action:
Find one person in your life who needs forgiveness, reconciliation, or restored hope. Go to that person and allow God to work his actions and speak his Word, through you, to them.

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Meditation Two: Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13

Read Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13

As we prepare ourselves for the Lord to come, cry out with the Psalmist. Hear what God says. Too many times we try to speak for the Lord and act on God’s behalf in our own whole-hearted and misguided attempt to change God towards what we think is best.

Mary allowed her son, Jesus Christ, to be born in her and change her. In this same way, allow God's actions to shape and move us instead of attempting to shape and move God towards us. Being prepared for God to come means we are ready to allow God to change us and be born in us.

Reflection for the Day:
How do you attempt to force God's hand instead of allowing God to be the mover and changer? Do you ever pray simply to move and change God to your will? What can you do about these misguided attempts?

Daily Prayer:
Lord God, change us. Forgive us for the times we passionately thought we were acting as you would act but were so wrong. We are simply putty – play dough - the clay. Mold us, so that we would be shaped by you.

Weekly Action:
Find one person in your life who needs forgiveness, reconciliation, or restored hope. Go to that person and allow God to work his actions and speak his Word, through you, to them.

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Meditation Three: 2 Peter 3:8-15a

Read 2 Peter 3:8-15a

How many Christmas cards do you see with the phrase "Peace on Earth and Goodwill to Men?" As humans we often feel peace and goodwill are beyond our reach and control. Knowing God is coming at a time God alone is preparing; and God is the Alpha, Omega, beginning and the end, allows God to create two things within us. First, it unleashes God to change us in ways that prepare us to receive Christ in all his fullness, which brings goodwill to all of creation. And second, it also allows us to be agents of God's peace in a chaotic and backwards world.

Reflection for the Day:
Where do you see God's peace and goodwill changing your life and those who pass through your life? How does seeing the peace of God allow you to prepare for the Lord's coming?

Daily Prayer:
Lord God, as you prepare us for your coming- show us how your plan for peace and goodwill on earth involves us. Show us how your peace and goodwill are within our reach and control because it is you who is in us.

Weekly Action:
Find one person in your life who needs forgiveness, reconciliation, or restored hope. Go to that person and allow God to work his actions and speak his Word, through you, to them.

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Meditation Four: Mark 1:1-8

Read Mark 1:1-8

In the same way Santa Claus calls for children to prepare themselves for his coming by asking them to live exemplary and perfect lives, John the Baptist hollers from the desert for us to prepare for the coming Christ. We need to be like children heeding Santa's call and turn, as John calls for us to do, away from living to please ourselves alone and live as ones given over to the goodness of God.

Reflection for the Day:
Look at the way the children around you are changing the way they live to be prepared for the fictional coming of Santa. Think of ways you can allow God to change you as you prepare for Christ's coming.

Daily Prayer:
Lord, we want you to change the way we live and act so we might be prepared for you. We want to be the kind of people who are formed by you to change the world with you coming light and life.

Weekly Action:
Find one person in your life who needs forgiveness, reconciliation, or restored hope. Go to that person and allow God to work his actions and speak his Word, through you, to them.

Expectations for God, Isaiah 64:1-9

Notice the picture for this week's sermon is taken from "The Shack," by WM Paul Young (see the previous blog for a book review). Notice in this picture that it is snowing, the shack is covered with winter, except on little leaf patch; still green, still living. This is quite symbolic. In the midst of horrible tragedy, hope peaks it's head out in the love of God.

This is the sermon for the first Sunday in Advent, November 30, 2008 at Trinity Church of the Nazarene.

Horrible things happen.

In today’s world, horrible things happen. Not many people will be in line to dispute this claim.

War creates havoc for countries. Violence is committed in the name of justice, innocent people are slaughtered, the unjust die. Families are torn apart as their sons and daughters go off to war.

Genocide is even worse. People die because of the color of their skin. Or like in Rwanda in 1994, people die based on the name of their ethnic group. Bodies are left strewn in the streets. Blood is shed.

Horrible things happen.

Families are torn apart by divorce. One spouse cheats on the other. Families crumble, children are lost.

People go hungry. They find themselves on the street, wishing someone could help them, desiring to eat anything; dirt even. They get worms. They get sick. They die.

Horrible things happen.

People we love die. We watch people we love suffer. We watch our loved ones become depressed. We watch them wish for things they cannot have. We stand at our loved ones caskets and cry out in horror and pain.

Horrible things happen.

There is deep suffering in the world. And it’s horrible. It’s awful. It’s horrendous.
Let’s call it what it is; it’s horrible.

I have a very dear pastor friend who was all excited about the birth of his baby girl… until she didn’t have a heartbeat one day.

People’s responses to this horrible event in my friend’s life were quite stupid. Many people said… “God needed another angel in heaven.” Or, “it must have been what God wanted.” As if God wanted or willed the death of his baby girl.

But this was not my response to him.

I called it what it was. Horribly tragic.

I called it “a tear in the very heart of God.” It’s horrible. God did not like or want this either. I responded to this tragedy by calling it what it was; horribly tragic for them, horribly heartbreaking for me as their friend to suffer alongside of them, and it was horribly sad for God.

Horrible things happen.

I read a book this week (yeah, I know. This week I read a book, go ahead and make fun of me, I’m used to it, and I actually read more than one book this week). Anyway, after you finish poking fun…

This book was called “The Shack” by WM Paul Young.

Young tells us the life story of Mack. He is raised by a father who abuses him, runs away as a teenager, and eventually goes on vacation with three of his youngest children without his wife Nan. Through a series of events out of Mack’s control, his youngest 6 year old daughter, Missy, is kidnapped and presumed brutally murdered. It is very real, it is descriptive, and may be worse to read than watching an episode of CSI.

Mack cries out to God in anger, not understanding why God allowed such a horrible thing to happen to his baby girl. He does not trust God. He is frustrated in the midst of trauma.
And sometimes we cry out to God in our own horrible situations just like Mack or when we see horrible things going on in the world saying, “God, where are you?” And we say things like, “Weren’t you the God who did something so great before… for others? Where are you now that I want something?” We cry out to God, “Why don’t you just crack open the heavens and show us yourself? Why don’t you prove yourself to us, show us who you really are?”

And sometimes what we really mean is, “Do what WE want and save this suffering. Who are you anyway, God, all powerful or non-existent?”

When we feel like God is silent or absent even, we box up God. We get angry God is not acting in miraculous and extraordinary ways. We stop trusting a God who does not act in extraordinary ways, exactly the way we want God to act.

We get mad, just like Mack, for not stepping in and saving our Missys.

Mack cries out to God, “If you couldn’t take care of Missy, how can I trust you to take care of me?” (92).

How true does that ring? How often do we utter the same exact words?

Much like our passage in Isaiah today. The people cry out to God to reveal, like God did in the Exodus event. They cry out for a symbol, like fire, to see God revealed in the world in the midst of their extreme pain and suffering.

If this is not a request for proof of God’s power, I’m not sure what is. “Tear open the skies,” “let your enemies know who you are.” These are all requests to see God’s power—crying out to God to show a great revelation in the world.

They even blame God for hiding. Verse 5 in the NCV translation did not quite hit the depth of the actual language. It is better translated in the NRSV (which is the version I used to check my Greek homework; make sure I translated it right). J It is better translated, “because you hid yourself, we transgressed.” In other words, because you were absent, God, we sinned. They are blaming God for being absent, for not being there, for leaving them alone. They are blaming God for their sins.

But a few verses later… we see the real problem, and apparently Isaiah, speaking on behalf of the people, knows the real problem.

Verse 7 says, “no one worships you or even asks you to help us.”

Ah, see. This makes sense, here. This is the real problem. “No one worships you or even asks you to help us.” Well, duh. Maybe it’s not God who’s absent. Maybe it’s the people who are not worshiping God or asking God for help. Maybe this is the real problem for the people of Israel.

Hmmm, how often are we just like the people of Israel? How quick are we to blame God when the real problem is we turned away from God?

When we look at Mack, he had dropped away from God too. He was blaming God for his 6 year old, Missy’s death.

And the cool thing about this book is that God does tear open the heavens in a revelation.
Once you make it through watching the horrible tragedy unfold (or “The Great Sadness” as the book calls it), you walk with Mack to the shack where Missy was killed.

You watch the blood stained floor transform into the stage where God shows Mack how valuable he is and you watch Mack shed his previous view of God for a relational, loving God he can trust.
When Mack asks God how could he expect God to take care of him when God obviously did not take care of his Missy who was brutally murdered, God says, “Mack, I’m so sorry” and tears stream down God’s face.

Because God was hurt by what happened to Missy too.

Mack sees God's pain. God is hurt and broken because of Missy's death too. No child should suffer like that. And Mack watches as God redeems the horror of his daughter’s murder to draw him closer to God. Not that Missy died in order to bring Mack closer… but that God is so good, God can redeem the most horrendous things, the most horrible things, to bring glory.

Which brings me to ask:

How often do we, right alongside the people of Israel, cry out to God for miracles? How often do we cry out and say, “Do what we want, save this person, stop the suffering, do what we expect in huge, dynamic ways.” How often do we scream out to God for the extraordinary, for the miraculous, just like the people of Israel in this passage in Isaiah?

How often are we like Mack, painful things happen to us and we cry out to God… “How can I trust you?”

We are desperate for hope, desperate to trust our Creator, desperate for answers on how a good God could allow such horrible things to happen in the world.


Today is the first Sunday in Advent, the Sunday where we focus on Hope. We lit the first candle in the advent wreath to remind us of the hope we have in Christ.

And in Isaiah 64, verse 8, is where we see the real hope begin. After verse 7, where they figure out what the problem is—(that THEY are the problem, not God)…. Verse 8 offers hope.

They say, “Lord, you’re our Father.” And they cry out, “we’re clay- you are the potter.”
Basically, the people are finally getting the right perspective. Instead of screaming out blame on God in the midst of horrible, horrendous things and instead of crying out for huge miraculous signs and wonders that involve fire and mountains shaking… they declare God as their Father and make themselves moldable to God.

This is a huge shift.

This is a huge reallocation in thought process.

This is a huge change in perspective... To go from trying to mold God to saying they can be molded by God.

Mack makes this shift in the book too. Mack goes from not trusting God to blaming God for his pain… to learning how to return love to God.

Mack makes that huge shift. Mack has a huge reallocation in thought process. Mack has a huge change in perspective.

Mack begins to be molded like clay in the hands of the potter.

See, the great hope we have, is embedded deep in the perspective that we are to be molded by God.

We are to be molded by our potter, the one we can trust. The one who loves us even when we blame God for not intervening on behalf of our Missys in extraordinary ways.

Our hope this Advent season is found in the God who is present and active in EVERY moment. Whether it is huge and we call it miraculous, extraordinary even. Or even if it’s small, and ordinary…. And we call it common.

Whether it is EXRAORDINARY AND the heavens are torn apart, whether the mountains quake, whether our enemies are proven wrong, whether fires comes… Whether God comes in three persons who sit down to dinner with us, like God does for Mack.

Whether it is COMMON and we gather for worship like we do every week, whether we put a bandage on our finger, whether we breathe, whether we eat… and any other common thing we do.

Whether its an extraordinary moment or a common moment, God is present and active. God is not absent.

This is amazingly hopeful, even in the midst of horrible things we see around us. God is still present and active… in the common times, in the horrible times, and in the extraordinary times.


And the exciting thing about Advent… is that the heavens WERE torn open. The mountains DID shake. God DID come in an extraordinary way.

God became human, became a little, poor baby who gave up power, strength, and control… to show us a better way. To show us how we might BECOME the kinds of people who move mountains and BECOME God’s agents of redemption for all of creation.

The people of Israel asked God to come shake things up and God DID shake things up.
Here we are, today, all shook up… even in the midst of tragedy.

This is the meaning of “Emmanuel,” God with us. God tore open the heavens, gave us a huge, miraculous, extraordinary gift of Jesus Christ.

And the hope, this Jesus Christ brings, is what we celebrate today- on the first Sunday of Advent.


No matter what you are facing today. No matter what horrible things you are going through. No matter what you see around you that makes you cry out.

No matter if you, like Mack, scream… you didn’t break through and act in this moment… how can I trust you? No matter if you blame God, like Mack did.

Remember… God is a God who is present and active in EVERY moment. God is a God who is present and active in the ordinary and in the extraordinary. God is present even tragedy, loving humans, crying alongside of us when babies die (like for my pastor friend) or we lose people we love.

God is just as present in your common moments as God is present in the extraordinary gift of Jesus Christ.

God desires to cradle us in God's arms, as a mother does her child, and heal our wounds.

And God is holding your hand, with tears streaming down God’s face… as you suffer and are in pain… crying out for God to tear open the heavens.

God never left you.

Just open your eyes and look.

God is speaking to us in the same way God speaks to Mack in this book:

God says: “I’m very fond of you.”
God says, “You are special.”
God says, “My love can go beyond even your stupidity.”

Close your eyes as we pray… and let God’s loving arms envelop you.


Prayer:
God of all hope, even in the midst of tragedy, we come before you and confess how we really feel. Sometimes we blame you for our pain. Sometimes we think you don’t care. Sometimes we fear you’re not even there. Forgive us.
Help us to see the tears streaming down your face as you hate the tragedy and pain too. Help us to feel your love for us, even in the midst of trauma and horror. Help us to see you for who you really are, a God of love who’s open arms extend to us.

Help us to feel your arms, cradling around us- loving us for who we are, and help us to feel your love in the midst of thepain we face.

And help us to see you're present in every moment, extraordinary and miraculous like Jesus' birth or even in our common and pain-filled moments.
We love you, Lord.
Amen.

Book Review of "The Shack"

“The Shack: Where tragedy confronts eternity” by WM Paul Young tells the story of Mackenzie Allen Phillips, more commonly known as Mack. This book was published in 2007 by Windblown Media.

If I could sum up how I feel about this book in one sentence, I would say: I love to hate this book. I hate it because it is so real, so painful, so filled with the human suffering we try to avoid. And at the same time, it is filled with love, acceptance, and compassion from God.

There were several times I put the book down saying I hated it. And there were even more times I put it down for just a minute because I needed to collect myself together before tears streamed down my face as I suddenly felt whole in the arms of God.

Young tells us the life story of Mack. He is raised by a father who abuses him, runs away as a teenager, and eventually goes on vacation with three of his youngest children without his wife Nan. Through a series of events out of Mack’s control, his youngest 6 year old daughter, Missy, is kidnapped and presumed brutally murdered. It is very real, it is descriptive, and may be worse to read than watching an episode of CSI.

A wise friend advised me if I could make it through the first 4-5 chapters I would not regret reading the book. I would give the same advice in this review. If you can make it through those 4-5 chapters where you watch Mack loose his baby girl, you will not be disappointed you continue to read the book.

Once you make it through the horrible tragedy (or “The Great Sadness” as the book calls it), you walk with Mack to the shack where Missy was killed. You watch the blood stained floor transform into the stage where God shows Mack how valuable he is and you watch Mack shed his previous view of God for a relational, loving God he can trust.

God comes in three persons. God the Father is a huge black woman. God the Spirit is an Asian woman who appears to float off the ground, and God the Son is a Middle Eastern, not very attractive man. He also meets Sophia, at some point, who personifies wisdom.

Mack comes to the shack alone, not sure if the murderer was enticing him to come back to do more damage to his family. But it turns out God asked him to come, to provide hope and healing in his life so that he might be transformed to make a difference.

Mack’s understanding of the Church and religion is turned upside down. Everything he (and the rest of us) ever held tightly to is released for a God of love to wrap arms around him. Mack is allowed to question how he could trust a God who allowed his Missy to die. Mack is free to release his “Gandalf” view of God. He is invited to give up his quest for independence in order to be truly free. And Mack watches the relationship between the Trinity, how the care for each other deeply, without power over the other.

Most significantly, Mack sees God's pain. God is hurt and broken because of Missy's death too. No child should suffer like that. And Mack watches as God redeems the horror of his daughter’s murder to draw him closer to God.

I would not call this book entirely theologically accurate. But it is a novel. It is theological fiction and one does not expect fiction to be entirely truthful and accurate. For the genre of fiction, it is phenomenal and worth reading.

The book is a theodicy (way to deal with tragedy and a good God) that, I believe, does quite well to answer how a loving God could allow such horror. My minor issues are not worth typing. The fact that Young places responsibility in the hands of humans who choose themselves (who choose to be selfish) over being in relationship with God covers a multitude of tiny errors.

In fact, as you read, I would not be surprised if you hear God say some of the same things to you that God says to Mack. You may hear God say, "I'm particuarly fond of you," "You are special," and "My love is bigger than your stupidity."

Coming of our Lord Advent Devotions, WEEK ONE

These devotions were written by: Rev. Kazimiera I.H. Fraley and Rev. Christy Gunter-Leppert after several days in B&N. :) And these are the devotions to be handed out Sunday, November 23 to prepare for the first Sunday in Advent, November 30.

This week we focus on the CALL FOR THE LORD TO COME. There are four devotions a week, pointing and preparing us towards Sunday.

The picture is from "Art in the Christian Tradition."

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Meditation One: Isaiah 64:1-9

The people’s hearts are breaking for God to come, “Tear open the heavens and come down,” they cry. But do they really want God to come? The words flow from their mouths but nothing else they do attest to this desire. They blame God for their sin and call for miraculous deeds while claiming God did the unexpected. They only wanted God to do what they expected him to do and they only wanted him to act in ways they wanted him to act. How often do we pray expecting God to do the things that we want him to do, and then get upset when his actions do not mirror our desires? Instead of calling for God to act in our expected ways, we need to pray we will do what God wants us to do; that we will allow God to work in us so that our actions mirror God’s desires for us.

Reflection for the Day:
In what ways are you expecting God to do what you want him to do? How can you allow God to show you what it means for you to be a godly person who is waiting for him to come?

Daily Prayer:
My Lord and my God, take from me everything I want that separates me from you.
My Lord and my God, show me everything you want that brings me closer to you.
My Lord and my God, separated me from myself and my wants so I might give my all to you.
Amen

Weekly Action:
Give up one beverage, or snack item this week and set the money that you would have spent on this item to your church’s Christmas Giving Emphasis.

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Meditation Two: Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19

This Psalm cries out for God to save and proclaims the ways God saved Israel in the past. As we wait for our Lord to come we may find ourselves crying out along with the Psalmist for God to come and save us, to restore us. We need to call for God to save us from our own destructiveness, the things we do everyday that we know are hurtful to ourselves and our relationships with God. Let us allow God’s face to shine upon us, so we might (like a mirror in the sun), reflect his saving grace to the people in our daily lives. For it is only by reflecting who God is that we are able to truly be saved.

Reflection for the Day:
What ways has God saved you from your destruction in the past? Make a list of them. Think about that list and what it means for God to restore you as you prepare yourself for Christ’s coming throughout this advent season

Daily Prayer:
Lord, as we call for you to come, we remember the ways you saved us in the past. You are the great, powerful, and kind God who fed us, fought for us, and took us back, even when we did not deserve this. We know, as we look to your face, that it is you who is reflected in us so we might shine your light to the world.


Weekly Action:
Give up one beverage, or snack item this week and set the money that you would have spent on this item to your church’s Christmas Giving Emphasis.

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Meditation Three: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Advent is a season of waiting for our Lord to come. Paul tells us we are waiting for God’s revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ in a new and powerful way. Each day we should be looking for God to reveal Jesus to us when it is huge (and we call it extraordinary) or when it is small (and we call it common). When we allow God to reveal Christ to us in these ways, we allow him to strengthen us to the end. In this way God is eternally faithful to us.

Reflection for the Day:
How can you look deep enough to see God working within the common ordinary moments of your life and in the lives of those around you? Take time today to purposefully see how God is working and how you may have missed it before.

Daily Prayer:
Lord, God we are getting more anxious and more excited as we call for you to come.
We believe you are working in every single moment and so we look for you to reveal yourself in both the extraordinary and the common things of life.
Please come. Please reveal yourself to us.

Weekly Action:
Give up one beverage, or snack item this week and set the money that you would have spent on this item to your church’s Christmas Giving Emphasis.

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Meditation Four: Mark 13:28-31

As we are preparing our hearts and minds for the coming of our Lord, let us learn a lesson from the culture and life around us. When the Holiday music can be heard in the stores and your neighborhood houses are lit up with a thousand twinkling lights, you know Christmas Day is near. These are the signs we see which allow us to anticipate the coming of the Christmas season. In the same way let us always be alert so that we may see the work of God around us that reveals to us Christ’s coming is near.

Reflection for the Day:
In what ways can you see the work of God in this world that prepares you for the coming of Christ? How do you allow your heart and life to be ready for Christ’s coming?

Daily Prayer:
Father God, make us alert so we may see your glorious light around us in our weak and feeble sight.
Prepare our hearts and draw near to our lives so we will be ready for the coming of your son divine.

Weekly Action:
Give up one beverage, or snack item this week and set the money that you would have spent on this item to your church’s Christmas Giving Emphasis.

God Our Shepherd, Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 and Matt 25:31-46

So much of what I am preaching this Sunday, November 23 2008 I learned from Rob Bell, pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids Michigan. He has no idea who little Pastor Christy, senior pastor to 50 people is... but if anyone deserves credit and thanks for influencing who I am becoming as senior pastor to those fantastic 50 people, Rob Bell is among the top.

The book quoted in this sermon is "Sex God," (I know, interesting title, but not nearly as dirty as it sounds for this book is about how the entire world yearns towards God's intention for creation and how we, the people of God, take part in the ongoing creation in becomming who we were meant to be), published by Zondervan in 2007. This book has changed my life and influenced this sermon in the most profound ways.

* * * * *

A common theme in movies and literature these days involves someone taking on the cause of the weak. We love this theme. It makes us feel good.

Take for example "The Christmas Story." We see Ralphie and his brother being chased by mean boys. They are oppressive and horrible. But then we see Ralphie go and defend his brother and himself as he takes on the bullies.

Those who oppress the boys will be avenged.

Or what about a more classic and sophisticated story like, "Le Miz?" We see someone unworthy of being avenged, ValJean, be given mercy by the Bishop.

Even those who do not deserve avenging, are given justice in this story. We love the theme of someone taking on the cause of the weak.

Or what about comedy? Like "Bruce Almighty?" Bruce sees a homeless man being beat up by some bullies and goes to help the man. And in a comedic (and quite crass scene) we see Bruce use his power to defend the weak, and care for the oppressed.

Or what about the new comedy "Drillbit Taylor?" This story has a group of boys who are beat up by a couple of mean bullies in high school. So they go together, pool their money, and hire Drillbit to be their bodygaurd. This hired friend, through a series of crazy events, defends the weak.

Those who opress the boys will be avenged. We love this theme.

Ezekiel tells us God believes in this common theme too. Those who were oppressed by kings and people in power will be avenged.

Israel will be avenged by Yahweh their God.

In the verses preceding our Old Testament reading for this week, God is angry with the leaders, kings, and people of power who were the shepherds of the people. These shepherds mistreated the people and oppressed them.

And so we find ourselves in Ezekiel Chapter 34, ready to see what God will do for the oppressed ones. God speaks passionately towards God's sheep. God tells the people of Israel, you were abused. You were mistreated. You suffered. But I will be your shepherd now.

I will be your Drillbit Taylor, your Bishop, your Ralphie, your Bruce Almighty.

I will cast out the bullies from your life. Those who are the weakest will be given great mercy.

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Think for a moment. Take a second to reflect back on your childhood. Can you remember a time when you were picked on? How old were you? How did you feel when someone was hurting you? Beating you up maybe?

Imagine Ezekiel came to you and said something along the lines of: God says you will not be oppressed anymore. You will get a new shepherd, one who can get it right this time. The people in power have messed up. They did not care for you, their sheep. But God will bring a shepherd who will "search for my sheep," "take care of my sheep," "save them," "bring them to their own land," "feed my flock," "search for the lost," "put bandages on those that were hurt, and make the weak strong." God will BE your Shepherd.

This is what it was like for the people of Israel. They had been oppressed by their kings (those who were supposed to be their shepherd) and God says, I will be your Shepherd. I will love you like you should be loved.

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And now, as we rapidly approach the Christmas season, we remember who our Great Shepherd is, the one who loved most fully. God gave us a Shepherd, God himself, to come to us... and save us in our oppression.

This Shepherd was intentional with his sheep.

This Shepherd became vulnerable and allowed himself to bleed and die.

This Shepherd's very life (as Rob Bell says in "Sex God") was "about the stripping away of power and control. Jesus always chooses the path of love, not power" (100).

Jesus is the one who chooes... "inclusion, not exclusion" (unlike the Kings and Shepherds did before him).

And this Jesus chooses "connection and solidarity rather than rank and hierarchy" (unlike the Kings and Shepherds did before him).

And this Jesus chooses "touch rather than distance" (unlike the Kings and Shepherds did before him).

And this Jesus chooses "compassion rather than control" (unlike the Kings and Shepherds did before him).

And this Jesus, this Jesus, chooses to come on a "donkey, not a horse" (unlike the Kings and Shepherds certainly did before him).

And this Jesus, chooses to come "weeping and broken, not proud and triumphant" (101).

And this Jesus uses his "vulnerablity for a purpose" because his weakness is "actually a strength" (102).

Jesus acts lovingly, (unlike the Kings and Shepherds did before him).

God becomes our Shepherd. God comes and avenges those who are oppressed and gathers them up in God's great big arms and says, "I will take care of my sheep. I will be the Shepherd."

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Which brings me to the next passage, our Gospel passage for today.

I have not seen Jesus' body physically walking around lately. I have not seen Jesus, the Shepherd grab up the oppressed in his arms, right before me. I have not seen the physical Christ stand before me.

Or have I?

Is the Church of Jesus Christ not called the BODY OF CHRIST?

We are to be the hands, the feet, the mouths filled with kind words, the warm eyes, the body of Christ.

WE are to be the ones who, alongside Jesus, give up power. We are to be the ones who refuse to exclude. We are to be the ones who deny rank and hierarchy. We are to be the ones who do not stand at a distance and we are the ones who give up control. We are to be the ones who abdicate pride and riding triumphantly.

Because, alongside Christ, we are the ones who focus on inclusion the ones who care about connection and solidarity. The ones who are about touch. The ones who live by compassion. The ones who come weeping and broken.

Our Gospel passage today comes from Matthew chapter 25. This is the passage where Jesus separates the sheep from the goats and the sheep say, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you... or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you unclothed and clothe you or sick and visit you?" And Jesus says, whatever you did to the least of these, you did to me.

Whatever you did for my oppressed sheep, you did FOR me. You did TO me.

Whatever you did for my hurting sheep was for me.

Whatever you did for the boys getting beat up and terrorized, you did for me.

Whatever you did for ValJean, you did for me.

Whatever you did for the homeless man, you did for me.

Whatever you did for your brother, youd did for me.

AND HERE'S THE REAL KICKER. It's not with returned power and prestige we vindicate and avenge the weak. It's not always with a greater rank that we care for the feeble. It's not with more control than the other person (or group) that we include instead of exclude. It's not with pride and triumph that we avenge the oppressed.

We act like Jesus.

We spend our lives "stripping away power and control." We choose the "path of love, not power" just like we saw Jesus do.

Because this Jesus teaches us to turn the other cheek, to love our enemies, and pray for those who persecute us. And (as Rob Bell says in "Sex God"), "it takes quite a spine to turn the other cheek. It takes phenomenal fortitude to love your enemy. It takes firm resolve to pray for those who persecute you" (103).

It takes a truly strong person, to be vulnerable, like Christ. For a purpose.

To have weakness on behalf of the oppressed, "that is actually a strength."

SEE THE TRUTH IS, everyone can DO charity. Everyone can throw money at a poorer person than them. Everyone can drop some change in a bucket in front of the store. Everyone can give to the World Evangelism Fund. Everyone can find ways to care for the weak. Everyone can DO charity.

BUT ONLY A PERSON TRANSFORMED BY THE LIFE OF CHRIST, CAN GIVE UP THEIR OWN LOVE OF STRENGTH, POWER, AND CONTROL... in order that we might embrace our own weakness, our own vulnerability, our own nakedness. To walk alongside of, to suffer with, others who are as weak, vulnerable, and naked as we are. They could be me, we could be them. And thus we give up our love of strength, power, and control to suffer alongside of them.

Everyone can do charity this Christmas. But I'm challenging you to do so much more. I'm challenging you to give up your LOVE of strength, power, and control. Give up your NEED for strength, power and control. Give up what protects you from other people who suffer. Give up what shields you from feeling your own vulnerability and weakness when you "DO" charity.

And I know it is not easy. But it's SO exciting! ... That little, weak, vulnerable, insignificant people like us get to take part in what God is doing to redeem the world... through the backwards power of inclusion, connection, touch, weeping, and brokenness.

Anointing Service

It came to my attention recently the importance and significance of anointing people with oil as a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Prior to these recent thoughts I did not spent much time thinking about anointing people either as there is not an abundance of Anointing Service materials and resources available. However, what you see below is the anointing service for Sunday evening, November 16, 2008 at Trinity Church of the Nazarene. I must express tremendous gratitude to several people for helping me think through this, especially Dr. Richard Wilson (my childhood pastor). And as many of my posts give credit, this picture is from scripturepics.org.

What is Anointing and why do we Anoint?

Anointing has been a practice of the church for a long time. We see various examples in scripture of anointing. We see kings anointed for service. We see the woman (a sinner) anoint Jesus with oil and her tears. Anointing has been a vital part of the Christian faith and the people of Godf for ages.

Today we become a part of the story of anointing as we bring our lives to God, believing and hoping God has the power to work within history, now. We believe God has the power to make us God's people for God's glory.

When we come before the minister to be anointed with oil, we know it is God who heals, not us. We do not come before God hoping to bend God towards our will or make God do what we think is best. We simply bring our petitions to God, knowing that sometimes God gracious chooses to heal, other times God uses medical professionals and procedures, in other times God heals in ways beyond our understanding or comprehension, and sometimes we wait for ultimate healing as we look towards the hope we have in Christ.

We come before God for many types of healing. We come before God to ask for healing of our physical bodies, healing for relationships, healing for our emotional well-being, and even healing for our spiritual life with God. And sometimes, we come before God to be anointed on behalf of another; someone we love.

We anoint because we have faith in God. Not faith that we know and understand how God should and does work but instead we anoint because we have faith in God, regardless of how God works. When we come before God to be anointed, we submit our lives to God beside the elders of the church, our friends, to support us with whatever may happen in future days.

When we come together for anointing, we pray for each other, we hug each other, and we love one another as we ask God's will to be done in whatever may need healing.

Anointing is a time where we focus on the God who has the power to heal and we look forward to and hope towards the resurrection. In the same way God raised Jesus from the dead, we look forward to the hope that death will not be the final enemy. No matter what happens, even if God does not heal in the way we hoped God would heal, we anoint because it looks forward to the hope that EVEN death will be conquered.

We also anoint because we believe God cares about us in our suffering. We believe God cares about our physical bodies, our relationships, our emotional health, and our spiritual well-being. Anointing is a physical act where we submit all of who we are to God and ask for God's will to be done, in all our brokenness. We believe God cares about us and we look around to see all the people praying for us, realizing they care about us too.

Perhaps you have something wrong with you physically. Perhaps someone whom you love has something wrong with them physically. Perhaps you need healing from a broken relationship or you need emotional healing. Perhaps you need healing in your spiritual walk with God. But whatever healing your body and life might need, know God cares and the Church of Jesus Christ cares.

Let's Pray Together (based on the Book of Common Prayer):

God our Father, the one who had the power to raise Jesus Christ from the dead, we come before you even now and ask for your healing touch. May your Spirit sanctify this oil, so that in the same way your disciples anointed the sick and healed them, so also may we gather here in faith and repentance to be made whole through the healing of Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, and the Spirit, one God forever and ever, Amen.

Instruction:

In just a moment I will invite all who desire to be anointed today to come forward towards the altar with our Associate Pastor, Pastor Ray, Darin Goodwin (our resident licensed minister), and myself. And I would ask that as each person is anointed that you, the community of faith, would gather around your friends to love and support them. Show them with your physical presence, you are surrounding them with the love of Christ. Show them with your touch, you are touching them with the love of Christ. And show them with your prayers, you are petitioning to the Father on their behalf.

Remember that as we bring our requests before God, it is God who heals, not us. The pastors who gather around you do not heal. The people who love you and surround you do not heal. Only God heals us and makes us whole.

I would invite you to come forward if you wish to be anointed.

Prayer for Each Person Being Anointed (Based on the Book of Common Prayer):

(name), I anoint you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (with oil making a cross on the forehead).

As you are outwardly anointed with this oil, may our heavenly Father grant you the inward anointing of the Holy Spirit. In God's great mercy, may God forgive you of your sins. May God release you from your suffering. May God restore you to wholeness and strength. May God deliver you from all evil, preserve in you goodness, and bring you to everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

(specific prayer for that person, with their needs, asking God to intervene on their behalf for God's glory). Ex: Relieve pain, carry them close to your heart, guard from danger, restore your gifts of gladness and strength, comfort in suffering, fill their heart with confidence, strengthen them.

Lord God, we submit ourselves to you and your soverign will. No matter what happens, we confess you alone are God and to you alone do we trust and give our faith.

"Twilight" Book Review

I picked up the book "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer to check out what teens were reading these days and felt an urgency to do so since this story is due to hit the theaters in a couple of weeks. I expected to start reading it and get bored with it thinking, "Uh, vampires- how good could it possibly be?" However, as soon as I read the preface I could not put it down. Quite literally. I read the nearly 500 page text in two sittings. I began reading this text when I put my son down for a nap and I finished the remainder of the book when he went to bed that evening. If given the chance, I quite possibly could have read this book strait through to the end without stopping.

The book is exciting. There is always a constant possibility for human life to be tampered with or end entirely. However, there is also a supernatural element that gives way to boundless hope. Anything can happen. When you add the supernatural element to any story, it makes the narrative thrilling. Normal rules for dying, being saved from death, and sustaining in existence are thrown out the window. And thus lovers of the supernatural turn each page quickly to see how this well-articulated story might end.

Almost instantly, you fall in love with the main character "Bella.” She is vulnerable and humble. You see her weakness and love her for it... because she is just like all of us.

And if you cannot instantly fall in love with a century old yet perpetually 17 year old who is strong, fast, and a super hero, you were never a 17 year old girl yourself. He is charming, almost celestial, and although Edward is a vampire, he feeds off animals. He desires to be good, pure, and rise above who he is although Bella makes it very hard for him. He adores her, loves her, and saves her life seemingly every other page except being around Bella causes deep turmoil for him. Bella is the very essence of Edward’s desire for blood.

My favorite theme in this text is the message about temptation. Paul's message in Romans 7 that says, "I do not understand the things I do. I do not do what I want to do, and I do the things I hate” seems to jump off every page of "Twilight" (NCV, verse 15).

This book’s plot revolves around the temptation to do the things we hate. There is temptation for Edward to harm Bella. There is temptation for Edward's adopted family (the Cullens who are all vampires, of course) to hurt people. There is a temptation for Bella to loathe herself. However, we also see continuous examples of people mastering their temptations. The Father (Carlisle) controls his temptations and becomes a surgeon. What greater story of overcoming temptation than a vampire who is around blood all day long in order to save the humans he craves?!

It seems the whole story revolves around keeping from doing the things we do not want to do (or the evil that dwells within). And the Cullens, together, are able to master and control the seemingly unquenchable desire to cause human suffering. They are able to keep from letting the temptation master them and instead master it (Romans 7-8). They find a way to shed who they really are to become someone greater than they should naturally be.

Almost as exciting as the theme of overcoming temptation was an element of resisting what you really want to give it up for another. Within the first few pages Bella goes to live with her Father and thus gives up the security of living with her mother in order to allow her mother to live and travel with her new husband. Bella is even willing to give up her own life, in the end, to save another person’s life. She seems to care more about those she loves than preserving herself.

Bella could be the character who most deeply understands the concept of “loving your neighbor” making her perhaps the real hero of the story… even if she is vulnerable, clumsy, and merely a human. One cannot help but wonder how her ability to love so deeply will develop (or if it has potential to develop into her own supernatural quality) in subsequent books.

I found the author, Stephenie Meyer, to not lack in her ability to give details. If you want to know exactly what Edward's house looks like, you can picture it almost in its entirety from her description. If you want to know exactly how Bella feels when Edward treats her like she is diseased, you will feel it for yourself. Details are not lacking in this book.

And one cannot help but be extremely impressed they are able to make it through a book with a permeating romantic element and not read anything about sex. It was doubted to be possible that one could read a romantic story about temptation without a temptation for sex. But since it seems Bella could easily die every time they kiss, perhaps sex may not be much of an issue; at least yet. We will see if this good quality lasts in the next few books.

And although I, obviously, enjoyed this book I am not sure what age I would not recommend one should be to read this book. There is blood involved (and of course, with a lot of detail), romance, and superheroes. So if you are a parent reading this review to see if you should allow your child to read this text, proceed with a little bit of caution. It may not be appropriate for the youngest of eyes.

I already have the second book, "New Moon" in hand. I am hoping to stretch reading this book out a tad more and enjoy it for a little longer. :) Although if this sequel is as good as the first, I have high doubts this is possible.

Worship and let justice roll and goodness flow, Amos 5:18-24

Again, this picture is from scripturepics.org, a great resource for my friends to bookmark! :) I must give thanks to Mike Yost, my friend in Alaska for helping me think through my favorite prophet, Amos, again.

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Has anyone started listening to Christmas music yet? I HAVE. It is a Gunter family tradition to start listening to Christmas music in September. Yes, I said September. But this year, we started in October when I went home for a visit.

When I went to Virginia a couple of weeks ago we were about to take a trip to the mountains and Mabry Mill… and I told my Dad I had a surprise CD for him. He rolled his eyes at me, thinking I had brought one of Jayden’s annoying CDs that repeats “John Jacob Jingle Himer Smitt” over and over… and his face lit up when he heard his parent’s tradition (Vernal and Madeline Gunter’s tradition) of playing Christmas music way early.

What about Christmas trees? Anyone have a Christmas tree up yet?

What about movies? Has anyone started watching Christmas movies yet? My little boy, Jayden, has watched the Grinch about 14 times already.

One of the funny Christmas movies that is played over and over again is “Jingle All the Way” with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad. Has anyone seen this movie? It’s pretty funny.
The story goes that Howard Langston (played by Arnold) is too busy at his job for his family. So he decides he will make up his absence to his family by getting his son the greatest Christmas present of all time, the Turbo-Man doll. However, much to Howard’s dismay… there are no Turbo Men to be found.

So because Howard does not want to disappoint his son- again, he finds himself in a huge, massive quest to find the last remaining Turbo-Man in the city.

Unfortunately, there’s another Dad on quite the same quest, Myron (played by Sinbad) who is also looking for the perfect gift for HIS son… also the Turbo Man.

Throughout the whole movie we feel like screaming—JUST SPEND TIME WITH YOUR SON! Your toy without spending time with him, is really nothing!

Turbo-Man without justice is nothing.

Hmm, kind of like our scripture today.

Our scripture today comes from Amos chapter 5. Amos was a prophet… but before he was a prophet he was a shepherd in Tekoa, in Judah (See, Israel had split by this point and Judah was the southern Kingdom). And God called Amos to go out of Judah to be a prophet to Israel (the northern kingdom).

Israel had persons who were becoming more affluent and stable. The rich were getting rich but at the expense of the poor.

The Church in Israel (As Mike Yost says): “had the best worship band around. The services were a seamless blend of music, liturgy, sacrifice, and voices all melded together giving thanks and praise to YHWH God of Israel. Each sacrifice was meticulously inspected. The coffers were overflowing with offerings to the LORD. They followed the Torah to a ‘T’ each feast meticulously observed. They celebrated with elaborate meals at the right time and worshipped in solemn assemblies just as they had been taught through the generations. They tithed. They sang. They gave to the buildings of temples and advancement of the priesthood. They were rich, they were wealthy, they were prosperous. By all accounts YHWH God had been blessing them time after time.”

BUT… our passage today says something very different. God was not blessing them, in fact, God was angry with them.

Amos tells the people of Israel, you think the Day of the Lord will be great- HA, it’s not. You think God likes you’re worship. HA. God doesn’t. Your worship without justice to the poor, weak, brokenhearted, and those who suffer… IS WORTHLESS WORSHIP.

Then I will read to the congregation from Amos, chapter 5, verses 18-24.

Ouch. That’s harsh.

Just like in our story, “Jingle All the Way,” Turbo-Man without justice is nothing. A hollow toy without participating in the young boy’s life was nothing.

And in the end, when Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character BECOMES Turbo-Man in a parade… and lifts up his son into his arms… we think- THAT’s JUSTICE. Become Turbo-Man, spend time with your son. Because a Turbo-Man doll without justice, is nothing.

And worship… no matter how beautiful, no matter how perfect, is nothing… without justice. Worship without justice is nothing. Worship without justice to the poor, weak, brokenhearted, and those who suffer… is nothing.

Amos says, “Let justice roll and goodness flow.” You thought the day of the Lord’s judging would be a good thing for you- but you are very, very wrong! You think you want this day to come, you’re wrong. You think it will be light, you’re wrong. And Amos tells the people of Israel God hates and rejects their feasts and every part of their worship.

OUCH.

Amos, that sounds harsh. But we get it. Worship without justice is nothing.

Worship without justice is nothing.

So really, there are two words we need to think about for the rest of our time here. Worship and Justice.

Let’s start with worship.

What is worship?
A. Worship is what we do here, on Sunday mornings. Right?
B. But worship goes SO much farther beyond Sunday mornings. Worship involves the entirety of our lives. (As Mike Yost says), there are another “164 hours in a week!”
C. Worship is about how we orient our lives. It is how we adjust our entire lives (beyond Sunday morning, Sunday night, and maybe Wednesdays) to be centered on God’s love for other people.
D. True worship- makes justice roll and goodness flow every single moment!

What is justice?
A. Justice sometimes is a word we think of in relation to the legal system. And although it is true… God’s justice can NEVER be separated from God’s mercy.

I had an Old Testament prof in college, Dr. Laurie Braaten, who said… “You can forget everything I’ve taught you- but don’t forget this. God’s mercy and justice go hand-in-hand and can never be separated.” And so I tell you today, remember what Dr. Braaten taught me. God’s mercy and justice cannot be separated.

B. Justice (combined with mercy) has so many pieces (see Kathleen and James McGinnis: Parenting for Peace and Justice, Spirituality Today, Spring 1984, Vol 36, No 1, pp. 34-.
46).

1. It could involve visiting and participating in people’s lives who are suffering. And not just thinking about someone’s suffering and saying, “Ah. That’s sad. I feel for them.” But actually participating in suffering. Henry Nowen says compassion is hard- because it requires you participate in the suffering of another person. Justice is about compassion—it is about participating in the suffering of another.

2. Justice involves so many things. Like giving older people a great sense of giftedness—and helping older people feel they have something to share, something to offer.

3. Justice involves so many things. Like perhaps helping children and youth have a voice by participating in making decisions about things they are concerned about. It is about helping children and youth participate in decisions about activities, fun, and even service projects so they develop their own sense of mercy and justice.

4. Justice involves so many things. Like paring up with a 3rd world country and this can be done in a variety of ways. Nazarene Compassionate Ministries helps us do this. They have a variety of programs including child sponsorship (see http://ncm.org/) where world poverty is not simply an idea floating around… but when you sponsor a specific child—world poverty affects someone you know. A person who has a name, and usually a face you can see in a picture in your hand. And this person colors you pictures. That’s a taste of justice that rolls down and goodness that flows.

5. Justice involves so many things. It could involve helping children and teens have a healthy view of themselves through performing public plays and songs.

Then I will ask the people, "You all didn't know our kid's Christmas play was all about justice, did you?" But it is. Our kid’s Christmas play will be this community’s way to help justice roll and goodness flow in our kid’s lives!

6. Justice is about so many things… and when we leave out justice… when we don’t give people a voice, we when don’t love the poor, the weak, or care for the suffering, and love people as God loves them… our worship (on Sunday mornings… and our worship as how we orient and adjust our lives)—is nothing.


Amos teaches us (As Mike Yost says) “that it is impossible to truly love God without loving others.” The people of Israel oppressed the poor while simultaneously putting on a good show in worship. And so it made God angry—and Amos said, your worship without justice is nothing.
BUT, of course we never, ever do anything like that. We would never assume our worship is limited to the time we spend here on Sunday mornings. Or do we?
And we never cause prophets to remind us that our show in worship is nothing without also loving people as God loves them.

Or do we?

(As Mike Yost says), The truth is, this could be just as easily read to the church in America as well as Israel, 3000 years ago, couldn’t it?

What are the ways God wants us to help justice roll and goodness flow in our world?

What are some ways we can love others as the Christmas season rapidly approaches?

What are some ways this family of God, in this place, can love others with the love of God, in the coming weeks?

As Advent, and Christmas rapidly approach and ALL of us start listening to Christmas music… and not just the Gunter family… Let’s together think about justice and mercy… and how we can help justice roll and goodness flow by participating in others lives.

Let’s hear the call to the Church, through the mouth of Amos, today—and not DO Christianity on Sunday mornings. BUT BE CHRISTIANS every single moment, formed in the image of Christ.

Let justice roll and goodness flow in your life.

All Saints Sunday 2008

This this sermon is leaning HEAVILY on the wisdom and geniusness of Kazimera Henson Fraley. What you will read here is 7 years of Kaza's All Saints Sunday work with a slight flare of Christy. :)

There was a young man who was born on a farm in New York in the 1800s. He was raised in the Methodist Episopal Church and gave his first sermon there in 1856.

He moved to Iowa in 1957 and was a pastor there until 1883 when he moved his family to the west coast. Has anyone figured out who's story I'm telling you about yet? Does this story sound familiar to you? Someone who preached from New York to Iowa to California?

His story continues... in 1894 this man withdrew from his ministry at the Methodist Episcopal Church to serve as the pastor to the Peniel Mission, and independent ministry to the homeless of Los Angeles. He served there until he started to become convinced the best ministry for the urban poor was to create strong churches that ministered to entire families.

Have you figured out who this man was yet?

This man then joined Dr. Joseph Pomeroy Widney, a leading Los Angeles physician and former president of the University of Southern California. Widney suggested they call the church (that would minister to the urban poor families), the Church of the Nazarene- because he said it identified with the ministry to the masses of common people for whom Jesus lived and died.

This mystery man was pastor of Los Angeles First Church of the Nazarene until 1911 when he retired. He also edited a weekly paper, the "Nazarene Messenger." And his goal with this paper was to rally people together and knit strong familial bonds among Nazarenes.

WHO WAS HE? Phineas F. Bresee.

Phineas F. Bresee was a saint in our Church, the Church of the Nazarene. And today, on All Saints Sunday... we remember the saints who went on before us.

Here is another story... about a woman. See if you can figure out who she is as I tell her story.

She was the last great female Nazarene scholar to date. She was born September 9, 1905 in Seattle Washington and she received a degree from Pasadena College (now Point Loma Nazarene University) in 1931.

She and her husband were copastors of Glassell Park Church of the Nazarene in Los Angeles. She was ordained in 1934 as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ and her husband was not ordained until a year later, in 1935.

She received several graduate degrees, including a ThD (like a PhD with a theology emphasis) from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1955.

Have you figured out who this lovely lady was yet?

Her story continues. She was a professor of Theology at Western Evangelical Seminary in Portland Oregon from 1956 to 1961. Then from 1961 to 1966 she taught in Japan where she was the founding President of Japan Nazarene Theological Seminary. From 1966 to 1976 she served as the Professor of Theology and Director of the Department of Missions at Trevecca Nazarene. And then from 1976 to 1979 she was the Theologian-in-residence at Nazarene Theological Seminary (where I went to school about 2 years ago).

She wrote several articles for the Herold of Holiness and the Seminary Tower. She also wrote one of my favorite books (one of the most influential for the Church of the Nazarene, even today, "Theology of Love").

She served as the president of the Wesleyan Theological Society (of which I am a part- and who's last meeting in March I attended), but she was president long before my time in 1973.

She died, before I could meet her, before I even graduated from High School... in May of 1997 in Lenexa Kansas.

Who was this phenomenal woman? Dr. Mildred Bangs Wynkoop.

Bangs Wynkoop was a saint in our church, the Church of the Nazarene. And today, on All Saints Sunday... we remember the saints who went on before us.

So many saints have lived lives of faith before us. We are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses.

Hebrews chapter 11 goes through saints of the faith. By faith, Abel offered to God a sacrifice. By faith, Noah built an ark to save his household. By faith, Abraham when put to the test, offered up Issac. By faith, Moses refused to be called a son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to share ill treatment with the people of God.

This is the reading from scripture for today from the New Century Version, Hebrews Chapter 12:1-3, "We are surrounded by a great cloud of people whose lives tell us what faith means. So let us run the race that is before us and never give up. We should remove from our lives anything that would get in the way and the sin that so easily holds us back. Let us look only to Jesus, the One who began our faith and who makes it perfect. He suffered death on the cross. But he accepted the shame as if it were nothing becasue of the joy that God put before him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God's throne. Think about Jesus' example. He held on while wicket people were doing evil things to him. So do not get tired and stop trying."

Because of the faith of all those who went before us, we can see what faith in Jesus is. Because of the faith of Abel, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Phineas Bresee, Mildred Bangs Wynkoop, and so many more... they are our great cloud of witnesses.

All Saints Sunday celebrates the great cloud of witnesses who showed us the way to Jesus. They were lights for us. Christians who lived a life that served as an example of Christ's love. All Saints Sunday celebrates the life of thsoe who went on before us- and as Hebrews says, we remember those who's life told us what faith means.

Then I will tell my congregation... In a moment we will take part in a testimony to the wtiness of saints we have known, personally in our own lives. I wish I knew Mildred Bangs Wynkoop, but I was only 16 when she died... and I never got to know her.

But I have known others who passed on, and were saints of the faith. My Grandfather Jacobs was a great man of God. I can remember sitting next to him in church... especially at Christmas Eve services when we would bellow out the Christmas carols together. He died 3 years ago in August. He was the first person I ever burried. I went to visit his grave and lay flowers down, when I went back to Virginia last week.

My Grandfather was a saint of the faith, to show me Jesus. And on All Saints Day, I remember him.

And then I will say... In just a moment, I would like everyone who knew a saint of the Lord (that is a good Christian) who passed onto glory, to come to the front, pick out a candle for each person that passed and light the candle (or candles), in memory of the Christian witness that this person (or persons) had in your life. When you light the candle, light it from the Christ's candle (that is the candle from our Advent wreath- that symbolizes the light of the world), because the light of that person's witness came from the light of Christ. It is okay if several of us light a candle in remembrance of the same person, because the light of their witness shone in many people's lives.

We light candles because the light from the flame is a visable reminder of the light of Jesus in the person's life.

This is a time for us to remember people in our church and in our lives who have shown us Jesus light, the saints of the church.

It is All Saints Sunday and this lighting of the candles is a way for all of us to remember the saints who went on before us and made a difference in who we are today.

I will light a candle for my Grandfather.

Brenda will be lighting a candle for Sister Nash, Dr. Nash (our DS)'s Grandmother for being a spiritual mentor and prayer warrior. She was a saint of the faith in Brenda's early 20's. And on All Saints Sunday, we remember her.

Cecil will be lighting a candle for Brother and Sister Parker (people who were foundational in our church) as well as Helen Phillips. All three of these people were great with hospitality, witnessing, and they were prayer warriors. These three people were a saint of the faith- who showed us Jesus. And on All Saints Sunday, we remember them.

Lanna wants to light a candle for Dr. Ballein for being an amazing woman of God. She loved children and was a prayer warrier. She was a saint of the faith. And on All Saints Sunday, we remember her.

Derek wants to light a candle for his Uncle Richie. He watched him transform from a drug addict to a religion major at ENC where he died.

Who do you want to remember?

Who do you want to light a candle for?

Then I will say... If you are going to light a candle, take the blank page on the back of your responsive reading and quicly jot down the name of the person and one thing they taught you about Christ. Bring that paper to me, and I will read it to the congregation as we are lighting candles.

Then I will invite the congregation to come forward and light candles. Following this, my friend, Dr. Cristina Goodwin will sing "I See Jesus in You."

Following this song, we will take communion. But first... I will ask the congregation to look around at all the candles lit around us. We will be QUITE LITERALLY surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. People who taught us about the Jesus we are going to celebrate in communion. People who showed us the love of the Jesus we meet in communion. People who's life tell us what faith means.