Easter, Holy Week, Preschoolers & Dogs-how do we tell them?

Easter, Holy Week, Preschoolers & Dogs-how do we tell them?

She asked, “Is she going to come alive again too?” Her four year old face looked up at me with those large wondering eyes as if I could provide the answer she was seeking. Her hopeful question struck me and I was staring at her dumb and fumbling for an answer.

We, standing together on the back deck, watched as daddy buried our faithful dog in our pet cemetery yards away. It was Holy Week and of course she had heard about Jesus’ death and resurrection. She wanted to know if the dog we loved so much was going to come back to us in the same way Jesus who loved us so much came back to us. And I stood there not knowing what to say.

How do we share the news of the death and resurrection of Jesus to our little ones?

My mistake was assuming that since she had been raised on a farm she was familiar with the natural cycle of life and death. What I didn’t realize was that when the family pet died it was different from the animals that provided food for the table. The family pet was part of us. The family dog had been the one who snuggled close to our little girl. Our precious dog Sasha had allowed our daughter to dump sand on her, to put hats on her and had allowed her to tumble and roll all over her. It became clear that we had lost a member of our family. Sasha’s death hurt deeply. And to a four year old she wanted to make sense out of this loss. Don’t we all?

I think we all want to make sense out the loss of our loved ones. And in our hope to understand we turn to the story of Jesus. We look to his death and resurrection in the hope that this will bring us comfort. We assure ourselves that our loved ones are resting in the arms of our resurrected Lord.

So, here we are in Holy Week and as adults we too struggle to understand the death of our Lord Jesus. How do we share the news of the death and resurrection of Jesus to our little ones?

Probably the best way is the way in which we share all kinds of information with our children, a little bit at a time. Or as the experts call it-in age appropriate chunks.

For tiny toddlers, they know about happy and sad. They can hear that it was a sad day when Jesus died. They can hear that some people are very mean and do hurtful things. They can hear that Jesus died on a cross (which we do not need to show any gory pictures at this age) because people didn’t understand about love.

Carolyn C. Brown has written an entire book for educators on how to teach children about Lent and Easter. Her work is excellent and it holds many details of different tangible activities that can be done to help children put a grasp on this idea of death and resurrection. One suggestion she has for tiny toddlers is to play with plastic Easter eggs by opening and closing them and being surprised at the empty egg. This surprise is a happy event. Connecting the empty egg with joy and saying, ‘Happy Easter, Jesus is alive!’ is one small way to begin the journey of the Easter story with the little ones.

I think back to my four year old and the sadness she felt. I think about the reality in her mind of the power of God to raise up Jesus. She understood the power of God to bring life. She grasped that concept. So, if God could do that for Jesus wouldn’t God also do that for Sasha, the dog? It was the strongest statement of faith! The trust in God’s strength and love and power proclaimed by a little one!

When a parent hears these words they need not be afraid. They need not think, ‘how cute.’ But, they need to acknowledge the faith that comes from the child in these moments. If a parent fails to witness these questions as declarations of faith then we do harm to the furthering of their faith in the future.

A response to a child who asks this question would be, “Yes, God’s love for us is so strong that God can raise up and bring new life to all of God’s creatures. Isn’t that a blessing? Our Sasha isn’t with us anymore but I trust that God loves all of the creatures God has made. I trust that she is truly in God’s care now and forever.”

The importance of telling preschoolers about the death of Jesus is to connect his death directly to God’s love and power to overcome death. In other words they need to hear that God wins. God has power that is greater than all the bad and all the meanness in the world. They can understand at this age that flowers die in the winter and come alive again in the spring. They love to hear the same story over and over again. Choose to tell them about joy of Easter and the wonder of God’s love. We are all on a journey of faith.

Don’t be surprised at the questions your little ones ask, because in them you will discover a mighty depth of faith. Praise God for this Holy Week and the power of God to give us strength to parent, to tell the story and to be surprised on Easter as we say, Christ is Alive! Alleluia, Amen!

Along the Way…Hosanna!

Sermon Mark 11:1-11 March 29, 2015 Palm Sunday

Along the Way…Hosanna!

There are some things we want to hang on to for a while.

The taste of a delicious pastry.

The smell of freshly brewed coffee.

The feel of the warmth of the sun on our cold bodies as it beams through the window. The joy in our souls as we hear the children singing.

We want these things to linger and stay with us because we know they do fade away and we don’t want to lose the power of these moments on our lives.

These moments can move us into new directions and set us on new paths. They can because these moments bring us hope.

They fill us with wonder.

They renew us in spirit.

Good things feed our bodies and our souls!

Today we can hang on to the moment of the crowd.

Jesus entered into Jerusalem for the feast of Passover. This was the time that many pilgrims came to the city and the whole place erupted every year as the parade of visitors came to celebrate and remember all that God has done for them throughout history.

                       

                            It was not unusual for shouts of hosanna-“God save us”-to take place.

 It was not unusual for to shout blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Because as these pilgrims made their way to the city the people lined the streets excited to see their coming and they shouted and cheered much as we do when we have our town parades and we cheer from the sidelines. the crowds and pilgrims were preparing to celebrate Passover, God rescuing them from Egypt, so Hosannas meaning God save us were filled with remembrance of God’s love and power to save!

But this year, there is one that comes and enters riding on a donkey. One who comes ceremonially, regally, and as a king. Jesus gets on a donkey that has never been ridden and everyone there knows that this means he is serious about claiming kingship!

The crowds burst forth with hosanna not as they have in the past-singing, “God save us” but his time they shout to the One, this Jesus, “God save us.”

The crowd is blessing Jesus!

They are recognizing him as the One who can change the course of the way life is for them. Even if they are not sure how this will happen or what will take place for him to lead them, they seek him and praise him with shouts and cries and worship.

We can shout hosanna.

We can be caught up in the moment of awe and wonder at the One who enters ceremonially, royally, riding on a donkey.

We can be witnesses to this moment as if it is happening today.

Who is this?

We might not know how to answer this if someone waving a branch next to us asks us. We might be the one asking the question.

Who is this? This is Jesus!

Perhaps that is all we know.

This is Jesus and we and the crowd are calling out, “blessed is he.”

And perhaps for today that is enough.

For tomorrow is Monday, Holy Monday and we know what happens next, we’ve read the text. Holy Week happens next and those days are the rest of the journey along the way to the cross and to the empty tomb with Jesus.

So, for today, let us hang on to the hosannas.

We can, sing, cry, worship, prepare and invite this moment into our lives.

We can sing out to God.

We can raise our voices in ways we never have before. Could you imagine your neighbor hearing you sing? Ok, so maybe some us of wouldn’t want our neighbors to hear us sing-but then again why not? We don’t mind if they hear us shouting cheer for our sweet sixteen basketball teams, or for college football teams, for our kids little leagues. We can even wave our palms as visibly as we wave our team banners!

We can cry out to Jesus, “Hosanna-God save us!”

We can cry out in loud voices of adoration. We can recall all the psalmist’s words through the ages of how God has heard the cries of God’s people and guided them to safe haven.

We can worship.

We can bow down in prayer, sit in silence, and stand in praise.

We can prepare.

We can prepare our minds and our hearts for the rest of the journey, all the way to Easter. We can prepare because we’ve held on to the hosanna today knowing the God of our salvation has entered in.

We can invite.

We can invite ourselves to participate in the gift that these hosannas bring. Even if we don’t have all the answers. Even if we are not quite sure of who this is. We can invite the one who we call blessed to be part of our life along the way. Who is this?

This is Jesus!

So, as this poem reminds us…

Hold on to the Hosannas

(inspired by the events in Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11,

Luke 19:29-44, John 12:12-19)

Let us stay with the Hosannas for a while

Let us let them keep on ringing in our ears

Hosanna!

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord

Instead of rushing on to hear the cries

that came later in the week

Let us stay with the Hosannas

Maybe once we have heard those

in a new way

we will be ready

to make the rest of the journey

A journey that was hastened

and given new purpose

by those Hosannas

For those Hosannas were not

simply the innocent cries

of palm branch waving children

Those Hosannas were the war cries of adults

tired of the oppression

of occupying forces

Those hosannas

were the hopeful cries

of a nation seeking liberation.

Those Hosannas

were an investment of hope

in one they thought would deliver.

Those Hosannas

that we have sanitized over the years

rang out in clear insurrection

sealing the fate

of one who rode on a donkey.

so, let us stay with the Hosannas

Let us wrest them from the lips of children

and allow them to ring in our ears

and spew from our mouths

as a call to action

a call to justice

a call to love.

Let us stay with the Hosannas

even as we journey

with the Christ

who carried those Hosannas

all the way to the cross

and ensured their fulfillment

as the justice and love of God.

Let us stay with the Hosannas.

— written by Rev. E. Crumlish of Castlehill Church, Ayr.

Amen. 

Compelling Love

Sermon 2 Corinthians 5:6-20 March 11, 2015 Ecumenical Lenten Meditation

Compelling Love

I’m fascinated by the simple things. Magnets are amazing. Have you ever played with one? When I was a kid I used to dump out the box of paper clips and use the magnet to see how many could fit on it. That magnet trick entertained me for hours. Recently I got one of those cool iPhone magnet holders for my car dashboard. Once again I returned to my fascination with the strength of a magnet to attract. The power in that thing just ripped the phone out of my hand and stuck it to the mount. I’m impressed with the strength of this thing to draw something unto itself.

It caused me to think about other things that have a compelling nature.

We are blessed to be people who live on the land between two waters. And the sea has a compelling nature of its own. Mike (my husband and I) are drawn to sound of waves and the smell of salt air just as strong as those paper clips are drawn to the magnet.

As you think about the things that have a compelling nature on you it is that vein that Paul is talking to these church goers in Corinth. He has been compelled by the love of Christ to turn his life around. He unfortunately is having to prove himself to these believers. They are not too sure that his faith and belief in Jesus is real. Most of this second letter is his defense not to the crowd out there but to the people within. That’s a tough position to be in. Has that ever happened to you? People judge whether or not you are a believer in Christ and you feel like your whole conversation is all about proving your faith to them? It’s a tough thing especially inside the walls of the church when everyone is supposed feel the bonds of love and the compelling strength of Christ that draws all together.

But, Paul isn’t fazed by this behavior. He uses it to fuel his proclamation about the compelling nature of the love of Jesus Christ. It is so strong and so powerful as to completely turn one’s life around. “Look at who you are!” He exclaims, You are a new person, you are a new creation, you have a new life!

And the reason you are changed is because of the power of God in Christ to reconcile and draw you unto himself! God has drawn us all like magnets into the ministry of being made whole and new and stuck us so tight to Christ that there is no letting go!

He agrees that this life in the real world is hard. He shares that he would rather be away from the body than face the struggles this world gives. But, we live in the real world and are to be workers in it. We are called to be ambassadors for Christ sharing the good news of his love with others. That is our challenge even today. How can we as new creatures in Christ move into being ambassadors for his sake?

Perhaps part of it is to remember this new creature way of life is a process. Gegonen in Greek is in the perfect tense. It signifies ‘the continuance of a completed action.’ In other words it is a work of God through Christ that moves in us day after day drawing us ever closer to the purity of Christ. It is a notion of “God isn’t finished with us yet.” It is a process that even Martin Luther claimed, “We are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing toward it, the process is not finished but it is going on, this is not the end, but it is the road…” As people of faith in this community we have realized that Christ is our plumb line. We have been drawn to Christ through faith in him. We are God’s people working together in this life.

These are words of encouragement and strength and power! Together we are God’s instruments called out to be ambassadors, people who represent the Good News. Together we can grow in the love of Christ. Together we can work in the community side by side showing how the love of Christ compels us to seek justice and peace for all. Together we can answer the call of Christ and be drawn to each other as we are drawn to Him. As we are reconciled to Christ we are reconciled to one another and this is the ministry and the message the world will see and hear.

Let us be drawn to the irresistible magnet love of Christ and say yes, Lord Here I am. Amen.

My Confession: Yes, I Was One of Those Moms

My Confession: Yes, I Was One of Those Moms

My kids grew up with a mom that didn’t do much for them.

Yes, I was that mom who didn’t make breakfast; the kids had to make it themselves. But, I was up with them before school started and I was there to kiss them goodbye as they walked to the bus stop. Oh, yes, I was one of those moms who made her children ride the school bus too.

I was also that mom who didn’t help them with their homework, at least not the way they let me know other moms did. Their homework pages were filled with smeared eraser marks and scratches of where they made their own corrections. I let them go to school with pages showing how they arrived at the answers all by themselves.

It was clear I didn’t help them with their science projects either. They had done it all by themselves even down to the crooked lettering on the poster. But, every A on their work and every A on their report card was completely earned all by themselves.

I was the unhelpful mom when it came to scouting too. My son’s Pine Wood derby cars always looked like a kid made it. The wood was never smooth and sleek like his buddies, it had an odd shape to it and often his cars look lopsided. However, there were times when he won the races and came home proud of his blue ribbon. Today, he has no trouble working with tools, getting dirty or daring to learn a new skill.

Now don’t get me wrong I did help some. I went with the girls or my boy to the store to pick out the paint or the poster board. We bought the glitter and the glue together. But they were the ones in basement pulling the long hours trying to make their projects perfect. I remember during those years feeling like a crummy mom at times. Because when I would show up at school my child’s project clearly looked like a kid had done all the work. Sometimes I felt guilty because I was one of those moms.

Today my kids are amazing adults. They take the initiative to tackle all kinds of projects and they aren’t afraid to do the work. And the work in their jobs has earned them financial perks and awards of recognition.

By the time my girls reached middle school they wanted clothes their friends had and I knew we couldn’t compete. They received a clothing allowance at the beginning of the school year. They could buy whatever they wanted with that money. But, when it was gone it was gone until the next school year. One year one of my daughters had to have an expensive pair of jeans. She used most of her allowance to have that pair. She had a tiny wardrobe that year. I was not a very fair mom. But, my girls learned at an early age how much things cost. Today those girls can stretch a dollar better than anyone I know.

I was also one of those moms who made her kids do chores. Every Saturday was a routine of bathroom cleaning, bedroom cleaning and sheet changing. Vacuuming, dusting and mopping had to be complete before anyone could go out with friends. Time management skills became an essential part of life and leisure.

My children were working in the kitchen as early as three years old. By the time my oldest was five she could make a grilled cheese, fry an egg and bake brownies. When she was eight she was cooking an entire dinner of baked chicken, vegetables and pudding for dessert. Some people thought this was careless or irresponsible but I thought it was normal. But, I guess that’s because I was one of those moms. They learned to cook from scratch and continue to cook that way today.

All of my children are amazing cooks now! Each one of them can open a cupboard and create a meal from what is there. They learned early to love and appreciate the creativity of making meals.

Yes, I confess, I was one of those moms!

But, years later I’m starting to feel pretty good about having been one those of moms.

And pretty proud of my kids too. 

Along the Way…the Blind Man

Sermon John 9:1-17  (18-41) March 8, 2015 Lent

Along the Way…the Blind Man

I love hearing and reading about miracle stories. I’m amazed at the stories of survival from incredible circumstances. I must not be the only one since a television series called ‘in an Instant’  just started this week on ABC.

But, the miracle stories of healing are the ones that still catch me with a lump in my throat.

Maybe I’m cued into these stories because of all my years working as a nurse. And as a nurse I became acquainted with the wonder of healing from disease, illness and accidents. So, when I hear about the healing stories in the Bible, the miracles that Jesus performed, my ears are tuned a little closer to what is said.

SO when I started into the study of these verses (which by the way go a lot further than verse 17-the story doesn’t get close to ending until verse 41).

I discovered that the story doesn’t start with a person asking Jesus for his help.

It doesn’t start with Jesus taking pity on someone who he encounters along his way.

My eyes and ears got a jolt because

                     it starts with the disciples debating the question

                                        of why do bad things happen to people,

who is at fault for all the things wrong in the world.

They witness a blind sitting on the roadside

                                           and all of a sudden

                                 this man is the object of discussion.

       The man never asked to be part of the debate about sin

                                                           and yet

                                  he was entered into this encounter at

                                                no request of his own.

Has that ever happened to you?

Have you ever been somewhere sitting by yourself minding your own business and the next thing you know you overhear people talking about

                                                               you

                                                  and your situation

                            and you wonder how you ever got into their conversation

                                                   without an invitation?

I think we do this more often than we realize.

We witness all around us circumstances and conditions that make no sense to us and we ask the questions,

                        “Whose fault is it that there

                                               are poor and suffering,

                                               homeless and diseased,

                                               unemployed and disabled,

                                               abandoned and addicted,

                                               imprisoned and prejudiced,

                                               angry and hurtful, hateful

                                               people in this world?”

We, like the disciples, walk along the way and ask Jesus (and each other) these very questions.

We ask these questions as if we can find an answer through the process of debate and discussion. We assume there is a moral solution to all of these situations that still exist today.

Jesus looked at his disciples as they asked the question about sin and let them know that looking at this man on the side of the road was not a question of morality.

                        This man’s disability had nothing to do with any moral dilemma.

        Nor, is this man’s disability a purpose of God.

That’s right.

 I said this man’s disability is not God’s purpose.

We have too often used it that way.

Our modern translations make the words of Jesus awkward.

        And the words of Jesus weren’t meant to come out that way.

What is the purpose of God is the need of the moment for God’s works to be made known.

God must be revealed!

And God is to be revealed through Jesus’ act of healing.

Jesus takes the initiative and performs a pure act of grace.

Jesus astonishes the crowd and the leaders, once again, through the miraculous signs he performs.

The man does what Jesus says and washes the mud from his face in the pool of Siloam and he receives his sight. His eyes have been opened and he has experienced healing. When he is questioned by the crowd he lets them know it was Jesus who gave him his sight.

The rest of the story that doesn’t make it into our reading this morning is in the rest of the chapter. The man becomes the subject of debate again!

This time among the religious authorities.

They question him and his parents.

They want to know who is responsible for this man’s sin.

They want to know who the sinner is, is it his parents, Jesus or this man.

They are caught in the moral dilemma of defining sin for the world. According to the understanding of the day, sin was anything that was bad, any act that was against the commandments, any disorder that was not perfect was defined as sinful.

Yet, the writer of this gospel makes it known from the beginning that Jesus has come into the world to take away the sin of the world (1:29).

Jesus has come into the world to give access to the Light of God and the Love of God. That love and light has come through the very act of grace given to this man through his healing.

His ability to see goes beyond the gift of physical sight. As the story progresses he comes to the realization that Jesus is more than a prophet, or a man that comes from God. By the end, through all the pushing and shoving and challenging that he gets from these authorities he comes to the point where he sees Jesus as the son of God in verse 38 and says to him, “Lord, I believe.”

The disciples witness the power of God at work through Jesus as he brings healing to this man. They witness the grace and love of God revealed as the blind man receives the sight of faith in Jesus. They receive their answer to the question about sin as they witness this man restored to new life and made whole.

Sin is not about actions or moral behavior,

 it is not about conditions of birth or looks.

Sin is about a person’s relationship to God.

Through God’s incarnate Word revealed in the life of Jesus one is able to see the Light of God come into the world.

When the eyes of those who witness God at work through the presence of Jesus come into the Light they move away from darkness.

They move away from judgment, they move away from blind accusations.

Now you might be sitting there thinking, ‘that’s a lot of lovely fluff you just spilled out.’ You might be asking me how any of what I said can make sense today. So let me share a story of my own experience.

 I remember being blinded by my judgments when I worked as a nurse in the Burn Intensive Care Unit. One of our patients had a 90% burn injury. She was a young woman in her 20s. I worked night shift and often in the middle of the night she asked me to read the Bible to her. I did in those wee hours and it brought comfort to both of us. She eventually recovered after about 3 months in our unit. Back in the 1980’s this was a miraculous recovery.  She was discharged to go home and begin life out there in the big wide world.

However, this woman was badly disfigured.

I remember begin angry at God. I remember telling God how unfair this was for this woman. I argued with God about her return to the ‘real world’ and wondered how she could have a productive life and a full and rich life knowing she would always have trouble facing the public looking the way she did.

A few years later I was working in the hospital clinic doing examinations of children.

A woman walked in pushing a stroller.

I saw her via my peripheral vision. I caught a glimpse but that was all.

She walked with confidence.

Her voice was cheerful.

She recognized me before I realized who she was.

She came to me and told me all about her life over the past few years since her discharge from the hospital.

She talked all about the grace and kindness of her family and friends.

Her eyes were full of light and life.

She talked about how she was accepted in her community and how the children in the neighborhood were scared at first but then they fell in love with her. She said she knew God loved her because love was all around her.

Because of the circle of love surrounding her she became a childcare worker and was now in charge of caring for children. That is how she came to the clinic that day.

                                    My eyes were opened that day!

                                    I saw the Light of God at work.

                              I saw God revealed to me in that moment.

In that moment the work of God healed my spiritual blindness and gave me sight again.

As she talked with me I no longer saw a disfigured face.

I saw a woman full of joy.

I saw a woman fully restored to new life.

And her story of relationships and new life restored my relationship with God and brought me into new life.

Our questions and comments to Jesus can change

                                                          from

                    wondering whose fault it is, who is the one with sin, who’s to blame

                                                              to

                                                  show us God’s love,

                                          reveal to us the glory of God,

                                             shine your Light so we may see!

Yes, I love to hear about miracle stories.  

Our God through the presence of Jesus offers us new life and an opportunity to be made whole in his Light.

May we see what God has for us today. Amen. 

10 Reasons why the Small Church is and always will be BIG!

10 Reasons why the Small Church is and always will be BIG!

I have heard enough bad news and I just can’t take it anymore. I want to share some good news for a change about the church. And this time it is to bring attention to a little known fact about small churches. They get a bum rap for being small and they are picked on for being outdated or passé. But in reality denominations should be looking at the small church and learning from them. These churches will surprise many because they will still be there when the megachurches have faded away. What is so special about small churches and why are they still around today? Here are ten reasons why the small church is and always will be BIG.

The small church is:

1.      Personal

The old TV show cliché is true-the small church is a place to go where everyone knows your name. Perhaps that’s uncomfortable for some who want to slide into a pew unnoticed, do their worship thing with God and then go home. It is impossible for that kind of church experience to happen in the small church. You will be noticed and people will know your name. And what greater Biblical blessing could there be than to walk into worship and know that the people, just like God, know you and love you. We have a God who through the incarnation is very real and very present with us. The small church is an example of the social nature of God-truly one on one, and in the midst of community. The people in the small church know your hang ups and your greatness. And they love you know matter what. (The redemptive work of Jesus at work). You are needed. You are wanted. You are valued. In the small church it is very personal and that makes all the difference.

In the small church:

2.     Patterns are important

Small church members are committed to showing up. They are the faithful that realize their faith in God grows from week to week as they are present in the pew and present with one another. Small church people know that when they are not there it makes a difference and it is noticed.

They are people of patterns.

Small church people believe God has a job to do and so they fulfill their part of the job by being consistent, giving of themselves and their gifts (talents & financial) regularly. They know that they are a small part of the puzzle of Christ’s Kingdom. Therefore when it looks like small churches are insignificant to the big picture, small churches know they are making a difference day after day, little by little, one step at a time, consistently generation after generation, and in the long run this IS significant.

3.     Stories count

The small church knows how to use God language and Jesus language and it’s not afraid to do so. Because of the personal relationships and the intimacy of the group, people openly share testimonies of how God has moved in their lives. They remember the people who made a difference from generation to generation. In other words, the saints of the church who have gone before them are still present in the life of the church through the stories told about them. The stories told about growing up in the church and how Aunt Martha made a difference in the life of the children through her one on one Sunday school lessons. Or, how a teen’s life was changed because everyone in the church knew his name and they were present when he went through a tough time in school. The stories bind the Body of Christ closer together than any megachurch relationship could ever hope to do.

4.     Linked to the community

Small churches are often in small towns. And the small towns rely on the missions of the small churches to help those in need. The soup kitchens, afterschool activities, clothing and food pantries, assistance to the homeless could not be done in these small towns without the diligent work of the volunteers of the small churches. The mayor, police chief, the judge, and the fire chief fully support the actions of the small churches to build up the community. There is a positive and strong relationship between the church and the community and its officials.

5.     Resilient OR in other words they have Spiritual vitality-

Small churches have seen plenty of tough times. Most of them will recite a time when they almost had to close. But, they held strong in faith and gave every last ounce of what they had to either, ‘go out with every last effort’ or to ‘bounce back stronger than before’. They will openly describe how prayer made a difference in the resurrection of new life in the congregation. They will talk about how God wanted them to stay open and how through some miracle activity it happened. They will openly talk about other tough times that caused them to draw together and rely on each other more than ever before. They will talk about how these connections created stronger ties to one another. These times helped them become fully reliant on God and therefore they trust God in all circumstances. Being part of a congregation with this kind of spiritual vitality is BIG.

6.     Intergenerational

Small churches take Baptismal vows seriously. When the congregation vows to raise up children in the Lord, they are there every step of the way. The children grow up looking to each member as a parent, cousin, aunt, uncle, and grandparent. The whole church is involved with each other. The covenant vow is a perpetual commitment to all God’s people. Children who grew up in the church will continue to worship there with their own children even if they have to drive 30 miles or more. The connections among the members last a lifetime. Church fellowship activities involve the whole church. There aren’t singles groups or young married couple groups. There aren’t senior groups either. Small churches have fellowship activities that involve the whole church and the elderly get to know the little ones. The young adults know the retired folks and they can relate well to each other. The intergenerational church grows up as well rounded and versatile people. And in a world today where people are so isolated because of their electronics and jobs this is refreshing news. Be part of a small church and be enriched by these diverse relationships.

7.     Size counts

In the small church size counts a lot. You may wonder what I mean by that. People matter more than numbers, so in that respect size counts. Also, the attitude that bigger is not always better goes a long way in the small church. A lot of creativity happens in the small church. For a few dollars a Christmas pageant is put together even with just three children! Tears flow as the little ones sing in front of a congregation of twenty people. The event, the moment, is marked and etched in the forever story of the church.

A parishioner can stand up in church on a Sunday to say there is a need (a neighbor’s fence blew over in a storm) and before worship is ended a crew is ready to go and help.

Size counts and often more is done in less time than in a large church setting. I remember a small church hearing about the need of shoes for children in an orphanage. This congregation took to mission like ducks take to water. Within three weeks this tiny congregation came forth bearing 500 pairs of shoes!! Size counts because powerful things happen in and through small churches.

8.    Flexible

Small churches have learned how to be flexible, adaptable and risk takers in all circumstances. Because of the small size flexibility is possible to work with individual needs. An elderly member unable to climb the stairs to the sanctuary goes through the back door where the ramp is. Sometimes he is unable to be on time for the service to start. The congregation leaders alert the pastor that he is on his way in and the pastor waits a few extra minutes to start the service. How powerful it is as this member senses God’s love surrounding him as he is included because the congregation has adapted to his needs.

Small churches also take risks, sometimes big ones that large churches would never dare to do. Their stewardship is of the Kingdom and often they are more willing to let go of funds and empty their pockets for a spontaneous need or mission. They have amazing trust in God in these things because they have witnessed first-hand how God has brought them through troubled times and troubled waters.

9.     Know how to have fun

Small churches know how to be spontaneous and go out together for lunch. They know how to call people together for a last minute game night or a BBQ. It doesn’t take a lot of planning to put together a hayride or a bowling afternoon. Small churches take their fellowship coffee hour seriously and use it as a chance to catch up on the news of those they haven’t seen during the week. The simple things are the moments that make lasting memories.

Announcements in church about the birth of a new grandbaby are big news and a moment of rejoicing for all. Anyone can stand up at prayer time and ask for prayers. People willingly and openly weep and laugh with each other. The joy of the Lord is fully present and the overtone of the people is happiness.

10. Small is BIG in every way.

In summary, the small church is BIG in every way! “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body though many, are one body, so it is with Christ” The small church lives this out every day! Paul was clear about the need to rely on one another for the ministry of Jesus to continue, and the small church ‘gets it’! They are fully aware that the Church of Jesus Christ and their corner of the world of His Church is dependent on them to do their part as the hands and feet of Jesus.

So, take a look around you. Take a second look and remember if you are looking for a church home, the small church might be the very place you will find your true home. 

Along the Way…Peter

Sermon John 21:1-19 February 22, 2015 Lent 1

Along the Way…Peter

There are times in life where we find ourselves at a loss for direction. There are times when the situations around us call into question our purpose for life and how we should go forward. We find ourselves looking at our past and wondering if we have made the right decisions or if we should or could have done things differently. We look to the future and wonder what do we do next? How then shall we live? What or who will be our guide?

Perhaps that’s why I attach myself to this story of Peter in the 21^st chapter of John.

It is after the resurrection.

Jesus has appeared to the disciples twice already.

And Peter, clearly, along with the disciples finds himself without direction, and wondering about the ‘what next?’

They are struggling with the concept of this raised Jesus.

What does it mean?

Their lives as disciples seem to have taken a new direction.

Things don’t look the same as when Jesus first called them to follow him.

And in this struggle,

Peter announces that he is going fishing.

He returns to the one thing he knows best.

He returns to the job he had before he was ever involved with this fella Jesus.

When the future is a cloud of mystery isn’t that what we all do,

we go back to what we know?

We return to our comfort zones.

As the church of the 21^st century finds itself in a cloud of mystery about the future,

it too wonders about the choices and wonders if there is a future for followers of Jesus. Many people say,

“It will take a miracle to turn things around.”

Many people have gone back to what they know-

which is doing things other than being part of church.

Churches have gone haywire trying to find the right connection to bring young families and the next generation into the church.

There are contemporary services with screens , there are Saturday services and meetings in bars and at racetracks, there are all kinds of new ways of seeking to bring the church to the people of God.

There are amazing imaginative ways out there all trying to do what is right and all trying to answer this mystery of what next?

Which one of these ways is the miracle that will turn things around?

How do we as disciples today respond?

Perhaps the story of Peter can guide us.

Peter is the disciple we read about the most in Scripture. Peter and John are mentioned over 150 times compared to Thomas whose name is only mentioned 11 times.

We like Peter.

He seems human to us.

John is the beloved disciple and he doesn’t appear to have any flaws and so we struggle to relate to him.

But, Peter on the other hand is full of humanness.

He is reactive. He is loving. He is passionate. He is committed. He is jealous.

He is courageous. He is fearful. He is a risk taker. He is a betrayer.

He is faithful. He is confused.

                                                            He is a disciple.

It was Peter’s brother Andrew who introduced him to Jesus in the first place. Jesus saw something in Peter that he didn’t see in himself. Jesus called him the rock and it wasn’t until the second chapter of Acts that we see him rise to the occasion of his name.

There he stood boldly and gave the speech to the people of Jerusalem that the Spirit of God had descended on the crowd and that Jesus was and is both Lord and Messiah.

In that moment of Pentecost Peter was able to proclaim his faith like never before. In that moment, it became clear who Jesus was and how his life would take shape for the future. The mystery of the future unfolded in the midst of the present.

I think of the young woman Kayla Mueller who lost her life as a hostage by ISIS. She was an aid worker and crossed paths with the Presbyterian Church USA and shared her story. She knew the risks. She knew she could do other things. Yet, she chose to be an aid worker and peacemaker. “I find God, in the suffering eyes reflected in mine. If this is how you (God) is revealed to me, this is how I will forever seek you.”

She was sure about her faith and her desire to be a disciple of Christ.

For her the future of serving God unfolded in the midst of her present ministries. She learned within the moment of her doing how God would use her. Even as she faced her captors and as she faced in the uncertainty of her future she witnessed God in the present of her circumstances. She even wrote a letter to her captors about her assurance of God’s presence even in prison.

The loss of her life saddens us all yet,

the power of her witness and her faith

live on into the future with us all.

For us as 21^st century Christians the challenge is before us to wonder how we can articulate our faith. Are we able to hang on to the foundation given to us in Scripture?

I believe now more than ever we can and will

have the courage to declare

that we are followers of Jesus.

Jesus told his disciples that they would do greater things than he could do. Jesus told his disciples that what they agreed on in prayer, God would do.

We are those disciples today!

Peter is our example of the ordinary becoming extraordinary for the sake of Christ. He proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah before others did. He got out of the boat and walked on the water and in the same moment sank.

He like us could focus on Jesus and then in the same instant lose sight of him.

Each time he stepped out on faith and then faltered,

Jesus was there lifting him up,

holding him close,

restoring him to wholeness.

In his story we discover how God took this ordinary man and molded and shaped him, so that God would shine through.

The story of his life gives us hope. If God can take a fisherman with all of his quirks and use him to turn the world upside down and build the church, then God can do the same miracle with us today.

There on the seashore while Peter and the disciples are out fishing trying to make sense of this new direction, Jesus shows up.

He always does!

And when Peter recognizes him he goes passionately running to the seashore to be with him. Jesus restores Peter to himself and sends him out with words to love.

We may wonder if miracles still happen and we may have set out to go fishing because this thing about the future of the church is confusing. Yet, even as we face a new direction and a new way, Jesus shows up. He is standing on the seashore and we like Peter will go running passionately to be with him.

We don’t know exactly what the miracle is that God will do for the church to carry it into the future. We do know that we can and will be faithful disciples. We can like Peter become grounded in what we believe about God and learn from the Master the stories of Scripture.

I believe when those are solid in our lives, the rest will follow, the church will grow! Because in the midst of our doing in the present, the mystery of the future will unfold!

(Because when people see love, when people see joy, and when people experience God’s presence in the midst of God’s people they too become part of the fellowship and so it goes and so it grows.)

As we enter into this season of Lent

we will meet the people that Jesus encountered along the way to the cross.

We will be amazed to discover his love for them all and his joy in them.

We will seek Jesus and know him.

We will fall in love all over again or for the very first time.

We will discover that as disciples of Christ we have the power to affect great things.  

And Jesus is there guiding us on our way and sending us out to love. Amen.

resources: http://www.pcusa.org/news/2015/2/20/kayla-mueller-remembered/

       Unbinding the Gospel series-Martha Grace Reese.

Living into an Inheritance

Sermon 2 Kings 2:1-12 February 15, 2015

Living into an Inheritance

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day and many took the time to share from their heart the truth of their love for the one with whom they share their life. What a gift it is to have one day a year set aside for the purpose of bearing our hearts to others. Many young loves take advantage of the day to propose in marriage in hopes that the answer will be yes, and they can carry on together for the rest of their lives.

Love changes lives. 

Love unites people. 

And love, when shared, grows and builds families and communities.

The intimate relationship between Elijah the prophet and his apprentice Elisha is a lesson of love given, love shared, loved that transforms and love passed on.

When we receive the gift of love it changes our lives and we are richer for it. The moment shared in Scripture of the transfer of leadership from Elijah to Elisha is a powerful story of friendship, of faith, of partnership and continuity of leadership.

Elijah was a prophet to the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 9^th century B.C., during the reign of Ahab and his Sidonian wife Jezebel (1 Kings 16:29-34). His journey as a prophet was like other prophets before him, a challenging one to say the least. Elijah was not alone in his calling. Along the way he called Elisha out of a field to come and follow him and be his servant. Elisha was an apprentice to the vocation of being a prophet.

A prophet’s call is to bring the message of God to the people. The message he brings is the truth of God’s unfailing love and desire for the people to turn to God and live according to God’s ways.

Elijah’s departure in a fiery chariot has been a favorite of song writers and artists. His departure without a sign of death has left many hoping for his return through the clouds in the same manner that we hope for the return of Jesus.

After Elijah makes his fiery departure, Elisha is left holding the bag, so to speak. He is left with the mantle, the cloak of his mentor. He has asked that if he is to continue in the footsteps as a prophet at least for that mission to be double of what his predecessor had.

Would or could we have the courage to live into the inheritance we’ve been given to request and to move towards a double portion?

If any of us have received an inheritance from our parents or from long lost loved ones, what have we done with it? Did we bury it, did we spend it quickly, did we give it away, did we manage it in a way it could be carried into the future?

Our inheritance is one such as Elisha has received. It is an inheritance of love and it is double what we could ever have imagined. We like Elisha are true heirs of God’s love.

What we do with it and how we live into to it is what will make the difference for future generations. Elisha and Elijah are prophets living their lives fully dependent upon God. They place themselves vulnerable before God as they fulfill their ministry given to proclaim the mercy of God to the people. Their calling and their living it out is similar to the life of Jesus. Jesus gave up his life on the cross fully trusting God’s mercy for the world.

We are recipients of this mercy, this love and we like the disciples have the inheritance richer than we could imagine to take it and live into it.

We can wonder how we do that. Perhaps it’s with the audacity that Elisha had, to ask for more. Perhaps it is to take what we have received with determination and courage to serve with greatness and honor.

But, (as so many doomsday articles have been written and continue to be written about the church) we as mainline Christians in the 21^st century sit in the pews and are afraid of what living with audacity and courage looks like. Why, we might ask are we afraid? It is because most mainline Christians today (so the articles say) are unable to express their love of God and unable to express what they believe.

Since yesterday was Valentine’s Day I wonder how many of us who love others were able to demonstrate that love? Was it through flowers, cards, food, words, hugs, kisses, or acts of kindness? Were we able to express the difference this person makes by being part of our life? Was it difficult to describe what we love about the other?

In that same vein, what are the things we love about God, about church, about living in a community of faith?

What difference does it make that God is part of our life?

For many Christians growing up in the church has been so natural that they say it is like breathing, it is just who they are. This is wonderful news. Imagine growing up in a family where love is such a strong way of life that it too is like breathing and it becomes difficult to express because it is a way of life. This is a powerful inheritance.

But, I would challenge us today to say we have this inheritance

not to sit quietly by

but to take up the mantle

and carry it into the future

for the sake of the church of Jesus Christ!

We can do this together and we can do this as families and we can do this as disciples of Christ.

‘Do not be afraid’ is the mantra of Scripture.

DO not be afraid is what gave Elisha ability to go forth in God’s name.

We will live into this inheritance by learning how to speak our faith story.

We will learn how to share our joy of knowing God’s love in the way we live and speak.

Today is a good day to write down all the things in your heart about God.

We as mainline Christians are really good at the hands of faith part.

But, can we,

are we,

able to share the heart of faith part?

Can we articulate what gets us excited about being part of a church family?

Are we able to invite others to join with us?

Are we able to dance in the wonder and rejoice in witness of others who come to know God?

Are we excited when we see the children pray and show their relationship with God?

The purpose of Lent is to intentionally spend time developing a deeper relationship with God.

This year we will walk together as we worship on Sundays.

We will engage with our brothers and sisters in Christ for midday worship.

We will come together and learn from the Bible our heritage in Jesus Christ midweek in the evenings.

We will encourage one another and become comfortable with our own story.

And we will recognize how God has transformed us and called us to live into this marvelous inheritance of grace, mercy and love.

Come as guests invited and be part of the marvelous heritage.

Come, as followers of Jesus.

Come and live into the love God has for you.

Amen.