CONVERSATIONS WITH A SKEPTIC: SURELY YOU ARE ONE OF THEM

This is a sermon summary of the sermon presented at Prairie Chapel (Fulton, MO) on February 16, 2014.

Peter must have been uncomfortable being identified with Jesus at least in the face of conflict and criticism.  Remember he denied Jesus three times before the cock crowed.  Are we comfortable with our faith in a time that Christianity is under attack?  Are we able to comfortably engage our friends who are skeptics? Or are we afraid we will be identified as “one of them?” 

Forty percent of 16 to 29 year-olds have rejected the Christian faith.  It may not be Jesus they reject, but Christians.  Eighty seven percent of them say we are too judgmental especially of their homosexual friends (Had we approached many of Michael Sam’s friends on Saturday, shielding him from the Westboro Baptist Church haters, we might have been labeled “one of them.”  Eight-five percent say we are hypocrites saying one thing and doing another.  I wear my Christianity on my sleeve.  I wonder if my secular friends label me when topics about creationism, or judgmentalism, or bigotry are in the news.  I wonder.

Jesus was critical, in fact judgmental, of those within the faith, tough on the Scribes and Pharisees, but dealt gently with those beyond.  In Matthew 7, he tells us to not judge, least we be judged, to not judge the speck in our neighbor’s eye before we remove the log from our own.  In other words, “nudge, not judge.”

He tells us to not throw our pearls before swine lest they trample them under their feet and turn and maul us.  In other words, don’t force our ideas on others when they are just not ready.

He tells us come along side others, develop relationships with other, respect others, coach others by asking, seeking, gently knocking instead of foisting what we consider sacred on the “dogs.”  He tells us to “ask not cast.” Lastly, he sums it all up saying, "Therefore, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the law and the prophets."  In other words, "Be Gold not cold." Be sensitive, be warm. Build relationships, walk in the other's shoes.  Treat others with the respect that we expect "for this is the law and the prophets."

CONVERSATIONS WITH A SKEPTIC: IN THE BEGINNING GOD

This is a sermon summary of the sermon presented at Prairie Chapel (Fulton, MO) on February 9, 2014

We’re being followed by a generation of skeptics.  Forty percent of 16 to 29 year-olds have rejected the Christian faith.  They are fueled by a new breed of evangelical atheists who would like to rid the world of religion believing is the cause of all things bad: war, violence, hatred, bigotry, all in the name of religion.  They make good arguments.  Some that science has all the answers and they cringe when “creationists” claim the world is just 6000 years old and want to replace the science of evolution is the classroom with creationism. 

I believe that science and religion can exist in harmony, side by side; that science does not have all the answers.  Francis Collins, head of the human genome project, scientist, medical doctor, Christian (and believer in evolution), and 
author of The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief  says that science makes no attempt to answer how the universe got here (we have a Creator God), what is the meaning of life (we are called to love God and neighbor sometimes in sacrificial ways and that gives life meaning), or what happens after we die (Jesus tells he goes to prepare a place for us and that give us hope). 

Rather that being a science book, the Genesis story tells about God (who created us, loves us, wants us to love him in return, to calls us to care for creation and our neighbor).  And it tells us about us: “The Lord God formed the man out of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”  And it tells us about our relationship with God.

There is room for the Big Bang and evolution in our understanding.  Wesley said “for those things that do not strike at the root of Christianity, think and let think.”  Creator God, Jesus, and the Great Commandment are the roots of our faith.  We can comfortably welcome the skeptic to explore that faith with us.

WHY PEOPLE NEED THE CHURCH

The Big “C” Church, the gathering of Christ’s followers (Greek “Ecklesia”) is the Body of Christ, the ongoing incarnation: the hands, heart, hands, feet and voice of Christ on Earth.  The Church is essential to God’s plan.  Can you imagine Christianity exploding from the twelve to half the world’s population without the Church?

We need the Church!  And each church must understand the reasons: 1) In being his incarnation, we become his followers, his hands, heart, feet and voice.  2) The Church is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is uniquely present when two or three are gathered in ways we cannot experience alone.  3) When we meet, we encourage one another.  There would be no Christianity today without the gathering people.  4) We can do far more things, greater things together than we can apart.  We’ve created schools, hospitals; we’ve met crisis and flood; we’ve attacked poverty and injustice, all in the name of Christ.  We could not do it alone.  5) We receive unique gifts of the Holy Spirit, not for our purpose but for building up others.  If we want to realize those gifts, we must be part of the Church.  6) Finally, there are things we cannot learn alone.  We cannot learn to love alone, to forgive alone, compassion, mercy, gentleness.  We need others to learn these things.  We cannot reach our potential as Christians by ourselves. 

In other words (GECKO) (We had a little fun with Church, Ecklesia, and Gather (CEK--Sounds too much like a brew keg) and GEK (which reminded us of the Geico Gecko and helped us remember the reasons we need the Church):

G: To Gather and do Greater things.  

E: To Experience Christ.  

C: To be a Community Commanded to gather and enCourage one another.  

And KO: (Kristos Overall) Because Christ is the head Overall, we are able

to be his deeply committed followers, to be individually members of his

body.  “We are the Church together.”

WHY WE NEED JESUS

This is the sermon summary of the message presented at Prairie Chapel, January 12, 2014.

 

 

We are all subject to the human condition.  Some may operate closer to the edge and experience it more acutely.  Some may experience it in the pain of love for others; but we all feel rejection, loss, abuse, depression or we have an equally hurtful list, maybe dozens long.  Economic status, social status, status high or low has nothing to do with it.  We have needs that need to be filled.  We all suffer from the human condition

Jesus met a woman at a well.  It was a divine appointment.  She didn’t know she needed Jesus until she came to know him, to know him as a prophet, to know him as Savior.  She didn’t know she needed Jesus until her needs, her social impoverishment, met “who Jesus is.”  We find we need Jesus when “who we are” intersects with “who he is.” 

At the well, Jesus crossed all sorts of boundaries in talking with a women, a Samaritan, a woman of questionable lifestyle, a person of another denomination.  Jesus crossed all sorts of boundaries because all sorts of people need Jesus.

But we don’t know we need Jesus until we come to know him, “who he is”: Son of God, Creator, Image, Good Shepherd, Savior, Resurrection Lord who gives us hope, King, Grace, Friend. 

Then we find what’s at stake in accepting him: Salvation, relationship, joy, happiness, freedom, life-together.  Do you want to miss that?  Do you want your friends to miss that?

And the last thing at stake is transformation, change.  Yes, Jesus loves us just a we are, but he doesn’t leave us there.  He fills our needs and leads us forward.  Bottom line: We need Jesus because Jesus is the answer to the deepest longings of the human heart.*  We need Jesus.

*Adam Hamilton.  Leading Beyond the Walls.  pg 22

 

HUMILITAS: LOST KEY TO LIFE, LOVE, AND LEADERSHIP

Sermon Shadow from Prairie Chapel UMC (Fulton, MO) 12/29/13

 

Luke set out to write an orderly account in which he emphasized the Nativity and within that included the “shepherds.”  We’ve mythicized them over the centuries when they were at best the hired hands, really of no account.  Not the kind you would invite to your Christmas party directly from work, or call to come the hospital to see and hold your new born.  Yet God chose them to be the first to hear the good news. 

We find throughout the Gospel that God favors the poor the oppressed.  What is it? What virtue do they have that we must emulate to gain God’s favor?  Author John Dickson, Humilitas: The Lost Key to Life, Love, and Leadership would suggest “humility”; not groveling, not humiliation, but humility.  In fact, there must be a certain element of self-worth to love others, to do so humbly.  We define humility as “holding one’s power loosely for the sake of others.”

And there is a practical aspect of humility in our relationships, in our businesses, within our families.  A man was beset on a bus by three youths but did not react.  On departing the bus, he handed them a business card reading “Joe Louis, Boxer”; holding his power loosely for the good fortune of the three.  Compare that to Mohamad Ali.  Which do you find more attractive? 

In business, Stanford professor Jim Collins, Good to Great, finds that the leaders of great companies universally marked by a paradoxical mix of professional will and personal humility.  In many cases they are self-effacing, reserved, even shy.  They deflect praise from themselves to their subordinates but stand ready to take the blame. 

In personal relationships we have the power to hurt those we love the most.  Good partners hold their power loosely for the sake of others.  Humility is a treasure in our relationships with one another.

How is it we become humble? It must be a desirable goal, thought of as a thing of beauty or it will be just another un-kept resolution.  Then we should “act as if.”  It is the only way to exercise our humility muscle.  Finally, we learn to be humble by spending time serving the shepherds among us.  In person, if possible, but if not, with thoughtful charity.

Do you see the trait of God here, holding his power loosely for our sake?  Do you the trait of Jesus here, holding his power loosely, in fact nailing it to a cross, for our sake?  Do you see the traits of those God chooses and uses?  Make humility a beautiful thing.  Act as if.  Serve the shepherds among us.

 

LSM BROCHURE BLOG 4: Lay Servant Ministries’ Relevance to the Mission and Ministries of the United Methodist Church

(Previously, “Missional Results of Lay Servant Ministries: Transformational Congregations”

The purpose of this blog is to provide narrative to the “LSM Briefing Brochure” introduced at the ACDLSM convocation in January 2013.  The brochure is intended for use by Lay Servants who want to fully inform their pastors, DSs or other church leaders about the Lay Servant Ministries program.  It’s a great brochure, please use it.  Please be an advocate for Lay Servant Ministries.  The brochure is available at http://tiny.cc/LSM4PNLBROCHURE

 (If you are using the brochure along with this narrative, time to open to the inside then fold over the left hand panel putting  “Missional Roles and the Four Areas of Focus” on the left and “MIssional Roles and the Call to Action” on the right)

Now I want to address one crucial issue, that is “Is Lay Servant Ministries still relevant to the ministries and mission of the United Methodist Church?” and the answer is emphatically, “Yes.”  First, the church has chosen “Four Areas of Emphasis” as its means of fulfilling the vision of John Wesley in the 21^st Century:

1.       Developing principled Christian Leaders for the church and for the world.  If I were to go to the umc.org website, in addition to the emphasis on developing ordained leadership for the future church, I would find the statement that the church must “Offer leadership training to laity who are in ministry in countless ways.”  That training is the core of Lay Servant Ministries.  Further, one of the primary avenues for or ordained clergy has been and will continue to be the Lay Servant Ministries program.  Church leadership is one of our principle means of service.

2.       Creating new places for new people by starting new congregations and renewing existing ones.  While few lay servants are involved in new church starts, there isn’t a lay servant out there who should not think about ways to renew and revitalize his or her church every time they walk up the front steps.  Trained and effective laity are key to congregational renewal.

3.       Engaging in ministry with the poor.  Engagement does not occur without engaging leadership and without champions.  LSM can provide the champions and leaders in local congregations leading them to engage in ministry with the poor both near and far.

4.       Stamping out killer diseases by improving health globally.  Again, congregational involvement requires leadership and champions.  We believe that laity called, equipped and sent through the Lay Servant Ministries program can provide the champions and leaders in ministries like “Imagine No Malaria” and clean water projects that will motivate and engage congregations to play a significant role in stamping out killer diseases.  Involved laity provide the connecting pieces to the "connection," the church that is so powerful in making a difference world-wide.

If the Four Areas of Focus are the church’s answer to living Wesley’s vision of "doing no harm, doing good, and loving God," then the way the church will fulfill its vision will be to engage equipped United Methodist Laity in all facets of lay ministry, and it will do it best by taking full advantage of  the Lay Servant Ministry program. 

And it will do it best through vital, fruitful congregations resulting from the focus of the Council of Bishop’s “Call to Action.”  The “Call” has a long-term focus of building effective practices in local churches.  The local church is the primary arena for disciple-making, and Lay Servant Ministries is positioned to equip laity to work in collaboration with clergy and laity to build up the local church.  Every church should strive to have a team of Lay Servants who are called, equipped and gifted in key areas contributing to the congregation’s vitality as listed in the key drivers below:

Key Drivers of Vital Congregations (As noted in the “Call to Action”)

1.       Vital Congregations have effective Pastoral Leadership and Preaching.  Lay Servant Teams can complement and supplement pastors, working in cooperation with them, in ways that allow them to reach their maximum effectiveness.  It should be a goal of the Lay Servant teams to do those things that make their pastor the best he or she can be. 

2.       Vital Congregations have multiple small groups and programs for children and youth.  Lay Servant Ministers can lead small groups and are effective teachers and leaders.

3.       Vital Congregations have a mix of traditional and contemporary worship.  Again, multiple worship services require significant additional resources to happen.  Lay Servant teams can be equipped to work in all areas of worship to make them passionate and enthused.

4.       Vital Congregations have a high percentage of spiritually engaged laity in leadership roles.  Equipping spiritually engaged laity is a primary purpose of Lay Servant Ministries.

In answer to the question, “Is Lay Servant Ministries relevant to the twenty-first century mission and ministry of the United Methodist Church?” the answer is an emphatic, “Yes!”  Lay Servants and clergy should be working hand in hand to develop teams of equipped laity of a variety of gifts to make congregations vital and the denomination fruitful in addressing the issues of humanity today, in being the Body of Christ in a world of need.  That is the call.  That is what we are drawn to.  So may it be with us all.

(This the final blog providing narrative to the "LSM Briefing Brochure."  Go and spread the word.)

LSM BROCHURE BLOG 3: Missional Results of Lay Servant Ministries: Transformational Congregations

(Previously, “The New Role of ‘Lay Speaker’”)

The purpose of this blog is to provide narrative to the “LSM Briefing Brochure” introduced at the ACDLSM convocation in January 2013.  The brochure is intended for use by Lay Servants who want to fully inform their pastors, DSs or other church leaders about the Lay Servant Ministries program.  It’s a great brochure, please use it.  Please be an advocate for Lay Servant Ministries.  The brochure is available at http://tiny.cc/LSM4PNLBROCHURE

(Inside Matrix)

We often confuse input with output since we don’t have an objective test to evaluate results.  When asked how our training is going, we say “We had twenty in training this past session,” or “The really enjoyed it.”  Both are inputs.  Rather outputs would be how Lay Servant Ministries is contributing to the vitality and fruitfulness of local congregations. 

As a director, when I am fortunate to be part of a clergy gathering, Annual Conference or district events, I often ask clergy “How are your Lay Servants doing?”  While an occasional blank stare occurs, the response I strive for is (actual response) “O, nothing happens in my congregation without my Lay Servants.”  That’s output.

This Matrix (Brochure inside panels) is intended to portray the desirable missional results of the Lay Servant Ministries program.  Our course work is intended to “call” Lay Servants through the “Basic Course” and aid them in exploring it through “Discovering Spiritual Gifts.”  Note that these courses are open to all laity and would be beneficial to all congregations to have a significant team of laity who have taken these courses.

The second column lists categories of equipping Advanced Courses available in the Lay Servant Ministries program.  It is not intended that Lay Servants take them all since most gravitate to their areas of gifts, however a team of Lay Servants in the local congregation can be equipped to address nearly every facet of lay ministry need to make congregations vital and fruitful.

That brings us to the Missional Impact column, the third column in the matrix.  Wouldn’t it be great if we would ask that pastor mentioned above about how the team of Lay Servants in her congregation was doing, that he or she would say, “O, because I have a team of Lay Servants my congregation

·         “Is more outwardly focused, welcoming, hospitable, invitational and effective in witnessing.

·         “Has worship services that are more enthused and passionate leading people to encounter Christ and hear a call on their lives.

·         “Has more spiritually deepened people, becoming more Christ-like and obeying his call to love God, one another, serve the world, changing lives in Jesus Christ.

·         “Has more hands, feet and heart serving the community and the world in more risk-taking ways.

·         “Is a more generous congregation in terms of time, talent, and treasure to transform the world, near and far.”*

*Some might recognize these five categories of impact as the “Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations” from Robert Schnase’s book of the same name.  (Abingdon Press, 2007)

Again, the emphasis of the Lay Servant Ministries program is ministry in the local congregation working in cooperation with pastors and other laity.  It is most effective when teams of Lay Servants and called, equipped, sent, and effectively deployed to achieve the missional impact of creating vital, fruitful, transforming congregations.

(Next: Lay Servant Ministries and Denominational Emphasis)