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Forgiving the Unforgivable (9/22/2011)

2011-09-16T14:13:00.003-04:00

Weekly Pulpit -- Warren Sentinel -- September 22, 2011

I was particularly challenged by sermonon September 11^th. Now that's not as vain as it sounds.You see, I preached on the topic of forgiveness on a day that I (andprobably many others) were struggling with forgiveness.

While I don't normally preach accordingto the lectionary (an agreed upon schedule of scripture passages manychurches follow), it just so happened that the gospel text for thisparticular Sunday was on forgiveness. So even though I was temptedto preach on something different, the very fact that I myself wasstruggling with forgiveness led me to believe that this was the verything I should preach on. If I were to limit my preaching to thatwhich I've mastered, I'd be out of a job!

It can be hard to forgive even whensomeone apologizes to you for what they have done. But should weforgive when there is no apology offered? This isn't the specificquestion addressed in Matthew 18:21-35, but I think it is related. In that passage, Peter asks Jesus how many times we should forgive. Peter thought maybe seven times should be enough. That does seemlike a lot, right? Well Jesus responded that we should forgive 77times (or 70 times 7 times, depending on which translation youprefer). Either way, Jesus was saying that we should be willing toforgive many many many times – many times more than I normallywould want to forgive.

As part of my sermon I played a videoclip of Miroslav Volf, an evangelical theologian, answering thequestion of whether we should forgive when no apology has beenoffered. His answer was far more brilliant and convincing thananything I could have come up with. He responded that we definitelymust forgive even when an apology hasn't been offered. Why? Becausethe God that we worship does this. We worship a God who offersforgiveness to all and for all. There is no sin that is too greatfor God to forgive. And God offered us forgiveness, through thelife, death, and resurrection of his son nearly two thousand yearsago – long before we had a chance to sin, let alone apologize.

During my sermon I quoted some of thelast words of Jesus as he hung dying upon the cross. He said,“Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing.” Having been mocked, beaten, and nailed to a cross, Jesus prayed forthe forgiveness of the people who were in the very process ofmurdering him. Part of me wants to ignore these words because “I'mnot Jesus.” But the fact is that as a follower/apprentice ofJesus, I'm called to become more and more like him.

And so I asked the congregation thisquestion, “How did the events of September 11, 2001 make you moreor less like Jesus?” It is a challenging question but not anunfair one. Each of us who claim to be followers/apprentices ofJesus are, I believe, in the process of either becoming more like himor less like him.

So on a day set aside to remember thehorrific events of September 11^th – a day when weproclaim that we will “Never Forget” – I believe that we arecalled to never forget that we have been forgiven. Even more, I prayit will become a day on which we will never forget that we ourselveshave forgiven the unforgivable.

KJV, NIV, or HQV? (8/4/2011)

2011-09-16T14:12:00.002-04:00

Weekly Pulpit -- Warren Sentinel -- August 4, 2011

The Authorized Version, also referredto as the King James Version (KJV), was first published in 1611. This year marks its 400^th anniversary. While the KJVwasn't the first English translation of the Bible, it is for some thepreferred English translation to this day. I find it quite difficultto read and prefer to read and preach from the New InternationalVersion (NIV), first published in 1973. I recently purchased the2011 update of the NIV and am very pleased with it too.

400 years after the publication of theKJV, there's a new Bible in print. My parents, David and DianaWeber, have served as missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators(www.wycliffe.org)for the past forty years. They have committed much of their lives tohelping to complete a translation of the Bible into the HuallagaQuechua language. This Saturday, I will stand with them and withhundreds (possibly thousands) of Huallaga Quechua speakers inHuanuco, Peru as we celebrate the publication of God's Word in theirlanguage. What a joyous day it will be!

According to Wycliffe BibleTranslators, there are over 6,800 languages spoken in the worldtoday. Of these, over 2,000 still do not have the Bible in their ownlanguage. As of next week, there will be one less people group thatlacks access to the Bible in their own language!

I know that I often take having theBible in my own language for granted. Behind my desk sit nearlytwenty different English translations of the Bible. And with a fewkeystrokes I can access about twenty five English translations atwww.biblegateway.com. And I'm guessing that there are far more than twenty five Englishtranslations of the Bible.

Sadly, well meaning English speakingChristians still argue with each other about which is the “best”English translation. My own opinion, for what it is worth, is thatthe “best” translation is probably the one that you will readmost and understand best.

The KJV and the NIV may each be greattranslations, but neither of them are of any benefit to someone whodoesn't read English. Instead of arguing about which Englishtranslation is best, why don't we simply rejoice that we have so manyto choose from, and do whatever we can to help those in the worldtoday who still lack a Bible in their own language?

Jesus told his disciples that theywould do even greater things than he. (John 14:12) I've alwaysstruggled to believe this promise. But recently, as I beganpreaching through the book of Acts, I was struck by the fact that onthe first Pentecost after Jesus' resurrection that his disciplesactually did do something greater.

Empowered by the Holy Spirit, theymiraculously spoke about God in the many languages of those who hadgathered in Jerusalem for one of the annual Jewish festivals. As faras we know, Jesus probably didn't speak more than two or threelanguages.

When people from around the known worldbegan to hear God being spoken of in their native tongue, they were bewildered and utterly amazed. (Acts 2:6-7) Others made fun of themfor thinking they heard their own languages being spoken andsuggested that they must be drunk! (Acts 2:13) But the ApostlePeter boldly proclaimed that this was the work of the Holy Spirit.

I believe that God desires for allpeople to have access to his Word in their own language. This week Iwill celebrate that this is the case for yet one more people group. As the Bible is translated into the remaining languages that stilllack a translation, we can eagerly look forward to the day whenpeople “from every nation, tribe, people and language” will begathered together in God's presence. (Revelation 7:9)

Graduating Church? (6/15/2011)

2011-06-10T11:53:00.000-04:00

Weekly Pulpit -- Warren Sentinel -- June 15, 2011

High school graduation is a bittersweet rite of passage. Academic achievement is celebrated. Futures are anticipated. Family and friends prepare to say good-bye to graduates. Parties are held. Plans are made. Bags are packed. Jobs are started (or at least sought). And most churches begin to see a mass exodus of their youngest adults.

Studies indicate that between sixty and seventy percent of high school graduates who regularly attend church will stop doing so in the years following graduation. Around a quarter of them may eventually return when they marry and have children. Still others may return in moments of crisis. But many will never return.

These same studies indicate that most graduates don't plan on leaving church. But every year the exodus begins again. This doesn't mean that they have abandoned their faith, their churches, or their families. But I do believe that it means that they have lost an important point of connection in their lives. Or maybe it reflects that this point of connection wasn't all that important after all. It certainly means that churches have lost one of their greatest assets.

Some blame the exodus from churches on colleges or universities. But the church dropout rate isn't statistically higher for those who attend college. Others blame the media's coverage of the scandals of prominent church leaders. But relatively few of those who leave churches report that they did so because of this either.

Sam Rainer, co-author of Essential Church, writes the following: “This age group gives a variety of reasons for the departure: They wanted a break from church. They didn’t connect with the people in the church. They perceived existing church members as out of touch with current reality. The results boiled down to one simple reason: Church was not essential to them.”

What a tragedy! The reality is that many people – not just graduating seniors – no longer see church as an essential part of their lives. And who's to blame? I am. How have I helped others see that being an active part of a community of faith is essential? How have I shown that it is essential to me? And so I must ask myself, how will I live and parent and pastor in ways that will communicate that being part of a church is essential? And how will I seek to help engage youth – even my own children – in the life of a church so that they will come to see it as essential?

I am struck by Ecclesiastes 12:1, which reads, “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, 'I find no pleasure in them'” The sad reality is that churches seem increasingly composed of the youngest and oldest among us and are less vital as a result.

My plea to our graduates is that you stick with your church or join another church if you move away. You are essential to your church. Its very future depends in great part on you! May God bless you as you celebrate this important milestone in your life and may God guide you as set forth on the next part of your journey.

Holy Week In What Was Once Called Hell Town (4/14/2011)

2011-06-10T11:50:00.001-04:00

Weekly Pulpit -- Warren Sentinel -- April 14, 2011

The Psalmist wrote, “This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!” (Psalm 118:24) I believe that we should consider every day to be Holy because it is a day that God has made. But I also believe that it is appropriate for us to pause at special times during the year (and indeed each week) to reflect in special ways on all that should cause us to to rejoice and be glad.

The verses immediately preceding the one above read, “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.” While at Christmas Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus the Christ, during Holy Week we reflect on the rejection that our savior experienced from so many during his day …. and even in ours. In particular, we remember the events leading up to his death upon the cross.

While we don't forget that on the third day he rose again, for many Christians the Season of Lent, in general, and Holy Week, in particular, is a time of sacred remembrance and repentance as we prepare ourselves for the glorious celebration of Jesus' resurrection and the eternal newness of life we are offered in and through him.

Many churches throughout our county will have special gatherings in the coming days that provide opportunities for us to do this communally. I encourage you to visit the website of the church you attend or a church near you to learn what they are doing in the lead up to Resurrection Sunday. You can find many local church websites at www.frwcma.org.

In addition, I would encourage you to participate in the following events that are being sponsored by the Front Royal / Warren County Ministerial Association: On Palm Sunday, April 17^th, we will gather at the parking lot next door to the First Baptist Church on Royal Avenue at 12:30 pm to observe a dramatic reenactment of Jesus' “triumphal entry” into Jerusalem. From there we will walk to the Gazebo with stops along the way for other dramatic reenactments of events in the life of Jesus during the week leading up to his crucifixion.

On Good Friday, April 22^nd, we will return to the Gazebo at noon for a brief service of scripture readings, prayer, song, and reflection. If you work locally, we encourage you to join us over your lunch break.

Then on Easter Sunday, we invite you to attend the spectacular production of “Echoes of His Love,” a musical program that is being held at Riverton United Methodist Church and co-sponsored by a number of churches in our area. This musical program is a free, family friendly event. From what we have heard, it is also quite exceptional. The program begins promptly at 6:00 pm and we encourage you to arrive early as we expect this event will be very well attended.

And finally, we encourage you to worship at a local church on Easter Sunday. Many churches offer multiple worship services and a number of churches, including Rockland Community Church, also offer special Sunrise Services in case you want to get an extra early start at celebrating the Resurrection.

What's this check from the UST for? Why can't the UST tell me?

2011-04-26T16:43:00.003-04:00

I received a check yesterday from the United States Treasury for $41.34. The envelope in which the check arrived contained only the check. There was no letter of explanation included.

At first I was pretty worried, because my requested tax refund for 2010 was something like $3,441. For a split second I thought, maybe they mixed up the numbers and got the decimal in the wrong place ...

So today I tried calling the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 to ask them what the check was for. I'm hoping it has nothing to do with my 2010 taxes. Maybe its an extra refund from a previous year?

After being on hold for about 20 minutes, answering about 17 questions to prove that I am me, a kind agent tried to help me. She couldn't find anything to indicate what the check was for. Ultimately she told me to call 1-800-304-3107. This number is for a Regional Financial Center office in Philadelphia.

I called that number, sat on hold again, answered another bunch of questions to validate myself and spoke to another nice agent there. She told me that since the check was issued at the Austin Texas Regional Financial Center that she couldn't even look up the check on her computer to tell me what it was for. She kindly gave me the phone number for the office in Austin, which evidently didn't rate a toll free number.

So I dialed 412-242-7300. I was greeted by the longest voice menu I have ever heard, it just went on and on and on on. I finally found an option that sounded promises and punched the number. The recording then told me that if my check had the number "2310" near the top right corner that I needed to call the IRS at 1-800-829-0922 for more information.

So I called that number and hearing that I would be on hold for another 15-20 minutes I decided to blog about this adventure in bureaucracy. I found myself getting a little bit short with the last live person I talked to in the chain above, so I thought venting on my blog might increase the chances that I'll be civil when someone finally picks up the phone.

By the way, as I cradle the phone to my ear as I type, I'm being forced to listen to some repetitive music that must be designed to numb ones brain. I've now been on hold for 14 minutes and 48 seconds .... will the phone battery die before they pick up? Will THIS agent be able to tell me what this check is for?

Why does it take four phone calls and well over an hour of my time to find out why I received a check for $41.34? What if I sent it back to Philadelphia and asked them to send me a letter explaining what it is for?

17 minutes and counting on hold ...

19 minutes and counting --- yipee, I just got a beep saying I would be helped soon

22 minutes -- Just went through the 20 questions again to prove I'm me. I am! Hmm ... no record of this amount ... on hold again as the agent checks her computer ...

24 minutes -- I wonder, is she really checking her computer? Or maybe she went to get a cup of coffee. I want a cup of coffee. I wonder if I can run make myself a cup of coffee before I'm taken off permahold again ...

29 minutes -- OK, she can't find any information. She has looked at all my returns going back to 1999. I start to lose it ... She suggests that I should call the State as this may be a tax refund from my state. She gives me two numbers 1-804-367-2486 and 1-804-367-8031.

So I call the numbers ... the Commonwealth of Virginia's tax office is now closed for the day!

I wonder what I can buy at the ABC store for $41.34. I now have a headache as big as the federal deficit. Maybe I'll try calling again tomorrow!

Churches That Make A Difference (2/17/2011)

2011-03-30T14:44:00.001-04:00

Weekly Pulpit -- Warren Sentinel -- February 17, 2011

(Newspaper Editor Retitled my article, "Holistic Ministry is Whole Ministry.")

In the book, “Churches That Make A Difference,” Ronald Sider and his fellow authors call churches to “holisitic ministry.” Holistic ministry is whole ministry – it is ministry that takes place both in word and in deed. Sider describes holistic ministry as “a wholehearted embrace and integration of both evangelism and social ministry so that people experience spiritual renewal, socioeconomic uplift, and transformation of their social context.”

David Platt, author of “Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream,” writes, “Caring for the poor is one natural overflow and a necessary evidence of the presence of Christ in our hearts. If there is no sign of caring for the poor in our lives, then there is reason to at least question whether Christ is in our hearts.” The Bible consistently testifies to God's desire for us to care for the “least of these” and Jesus certainly had a lot to say about this too.

One of the criticisms that some have of Christians, in general, and the Church, in particular, is that they don't see us making any real difference in the world around us. And sometimes they don't see that our faith makes much of a positive difference in who we are or how we live either. And so, even if their perception is wrong, they aren't particularly attracted to our faith, let alone to our churches.

But I am happy to report that individual Christians and churches in Warren County are seeking to make a difference! Many support organizations such as C-CAP, Habitat for Humanity, Harmony Place, House of Hope, Meals on Wheels, and St. Luke's Community Clinic, to name just a few. They support them financially but also by volunteering their time and skills. Many also support the Salvation Army Church which actively seeks to minister to those in need in our community. Rockland Community Church and our neighbors at Nineveh Presbyterian Church support a number of these organizations.

Churches also work together together in ministries such as Teens Opposing Poverty's annual “Impact the Valley.” During this week teens and adults from our area and elsewhere work together to repair homes in our community. This past year teens and adults from God's Place, Marlow Heights, and Rockland had a great time serving our community together.

Individual churches also provide some very important services as well. Dynamic Life, the Rock, First Assembly, First Baptist, Riverton UMC, and Virginia Hills have food pantries through which they help those in need. And there are churches in our community (Calvary Episcopal, St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic, and Front Royal Presbyterian) that provide weekly meals to those in need.

First Assembly coordinates Angel Food Ministries for our area, has an annual coat/blanket drive, hosts a free yard sale, and is starting a “clothing closet.”

Riverton UMC has a particularly unique firewood ministry (especially important at this time of year) that receives, splits, and distributes firewood to those in need.

Front Royal Presbyterian has a ministry called “Backpack Buddies” which provides two healthy meals to kids in need at E. Wilson Morrison Elementary that they can take home each weekend.

First Baptist has a Youth Enrichment Ministry which is an after school program for 6-8th graders. It provides a place of security, support, and connection for these youth at a pivotal time in their lives.

The ladies of Buckton Presbyterian make and provide warm sleeping blankets for the homeless. Although these blankets are called “ugly quilts” there is nothing ugly about the love and hard work that goes into them or the warmth they provide.

Virginia Hills helps our local chapter of the Red Cross, participates in the annual Relay for Life, and provides back to school supplies and Christmas presents for foster children through DSS.

Our local Ministerial Association, with the help of many area churches, also provides emergency assistance to those in need.

One of my favorite stories about how churches are making a difference involves Marlow Heights. Instead of just raising funds to replace the church's steeple, they committed to raising a dollar for dollar matching fund they called “Inspiring Hope” to be used to help members of our community.

These are just a few of the ways in which churches and individuals in our community are making a difference! But there's a lot more that we can do individually and together. To connect with other Christians and churches in Warren County who are seeking to live out our faith in meaningful, tangible, and transformational ways, I encourage you to join us on Facebook (you can find a link at www.frwcma.org).

Counting the Cost from the Comfort of our Churches

2011-01-07T11:25:00.003-05:00

This Sunday I'll be preaching a sermon titled "Counting the Cost" as part of an eight week sermon series inspired in part by Dr. David Platt's book, "Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream."

Sitting in comfortable (relatively speaking, I guess) padded pews in a sanctuary that is heated in the winter and cooled during the summer, I wonder how many of us have actually counted the cost of following Jesus. I wonder if we really even think there is a cost to following Jesus.

Sure, being a Christ-follower won't necessarily get you invited to sit at the "cool kids table" but do we who live in the USA in 2011 really have to make any significant sacrifices to be a Christian? As Christ-followers, are our lives really all that different from anyone else around us? Sometimes it seems that we Christ-followers blend in to the world around us so well that it almost seems like we must be wearing camouflage.

I guess the real question is, Would we actually choose to follow Jesus if it involved danger or discomfort -- let alone persecution -- to ourselves or the ones we love?

Below are a few links to videos on youtube highlighting the cost of following Christ in many parts of the world. I wonder, would I continue to be a Christ-follower (and a pastor) if I lived in any of these places? Have I really counted the cost? I'm afraid if I did, I might find myself wanting.

(Or go to youtube and search phrases like "persecuted church", "persecuted Christians" to see MANY MANY more.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYyNrgkKf6o (This is the one I'll show in church on Sunday.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkBkO1DG_iA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXjlkaM-ikY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gE4v7rV8xA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GwEHibmCCk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWytX6Yr2LA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6wDbcq_Wfg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-9ez-hidhc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTgB_nqCZZM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVha1Lg_sY0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7W4sMKpd0Dg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p19FjfwAt1U

Irrelevant Relevance or Relevant Irrelevance? (11/3/2010)

2010-11-09T15:02:00.001-05:00

Weekly Pulpit -- Warren Sentinel -- November 3, 2010

There's a website called “Stuff Christians Like.” If you are a Christian who is easily offended by challenging questions or perspectives, you probably won't like it. But, if you are wired such that you want to really think about your faith, you may want to google it.

A March 2008 post, for example, starts like this: “If you ever want to really insult a Christian, say the following: 'I don’t think you’re relevant.' That is our kryptonite. The idea of irrelevance keeps us up at night. Seriously, if someone doesn’t find us to be relevant then we’re probably going to need to fire the worship leader or at the bare minimum get him a pair of white Pumas. Irrelevance is simply unacceptable.”

Blogger Jonathan Acuff goes on to point out that Jesus didn't seem too worried about being relevant. In fact, Jesus spent a lot of his time with the sorts of folks that society perceived as irrelevant. And much of what he taught was not only viewed as irrelevant by the most religious people around, but was quite contrary to what they believed and taught. Everything that Jesus said and did was relevant, but he said and did these things because they were true and right, not because they would get him a huge fan base on Facebook or Twitter.

I confess that as a pastor I desperately want to be relevant. I want my preaching and teaching to be relevant. I want my ministry in our community to be relevant. I want the church I pastor to be relevant. But what does it mean to be relevant? If it means being cool, I'm in trouble. If it means not clinging to certain beliefs, I'm really in trouble. And if it means never asking people to get out of their comfort zones, I'm doomed.

Often times what is meant by “relevant” in churchese (that strange language that some church-going folk seem to think everyone else speaks) has to do with the type of music used, the preaching style, how folks dress, and whether coffee can be drunk in the sanctuary or not. But such things probably have pretty little to do with relevance. I have encouraged our church to incorporate new music, I use PowerPoint and video when I preach, and I like to dress comfortably. But none of this on its own ensures relevance.

I'm convinced that even as fewer and fewer people in our country (and county) identify themselves as Christians, more and more people are seeking relevance. But when they look to our churches, and when they look to those of us who attend them (and pastor them), is what they see really relevant? Do they see people who's lives are different because of their faith? Do they see us making a meaningful difference in our community? Do they see what it means to tangibly live out the good news Jesus proclaimed and embodied? Do they see people whose lives demonstrate that they really believe that God's Word is still relevant today?

You see, how we live out our faith may seem irrelevant, but it may be the most relevant thing we can do. If you are interested in reading more about what a relevant Christian faith may look like, I suggest you pick up a copy of “The Next Christians,” a new book by Gabe Lyons.

Some Life Lessons from Ecclesiastes (8-25-2010)

2010-10-08T13:51:00.002-04:00

Weekly Pulpit -- Warren Sentinel -- August 25, 2010

Today is my 20^th wedding anniversary! It is hard to believe that 20 years ago today, less than a month after I turned 20, my beautiful wife and I committed to spending the rest of our lives together. I have now spent just over half of my life married to her. Before I go on, dear reader, I'd like to state for the record that I love my wife even more today than I did on August 25, 1990!

It seems fitting, having just turned 40, to take a moment (in the space that remains) to reflect. The Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes basically begins with these words: “Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” Not the sort of thing you'd read on a Hallmark card, right? Not very hopeful. Not very positive and encouraging.

I once had to read Ecclesiastes twice a week as part of a seminary course I was taking. I recall that after reading it the first time I was really depressed by it and thought there was no way I could do so another 19 times. But as I repeated the process, week in and week out, I began to discover that Ecclesiastes is actually an incredibly hope-filled book.

You see, the author of Ecclesiastes describes a life journey of seeking meaning and how meaning is not found, per se, in work, wisdom, pleasure, wealth, or even in the so called “golden years” of life. But when we come to Chapter 9:7-11, we are commended to “eat our food with gladness, and drink our wine with a joyful heart” and to “enjoy life with your wife, whom you love” and to “do whatever our hands find to do, with all our might.” Meaning is found … and maybe finds us … in the simple things of life.

Ecclesiastes also includes some of the best known Bible verses (thanks in part to Pete Seger's “Turn! Turn! Turn!”). Chapter 3:1-8 begins with these words, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: ...” And I've heard 4:9-12 read at countless weddings (it includes phrases such as “Two are better than one ...” and “If two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?) Life has its ups and downs. I know mine certainly has. But having one I love to journey through life with has made it far more than bearable for me.

The first verse of chapter 12 may be one of the most challenging verses in the entire book. It reads, “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, 'I find no pleasure in them'.”

Young people (I'm 40 now so some folks think I'm still a kid while others think I'm getting pretty old) tend to think that their relationship with their Creator can wait until much later in life. Many young people tend to think of church and matters of faith as something for the elderly among us. But the author of Ecclesiastes encourages us to remember our Creator while we are young because the golden years of life aren't necessarily all that golden. Nurture your faith now, we are told, as you are likely to need it even more later.

Life, I have found, is far from meaningless. And I thank God especially for my wife who has brought so much more meaning to the life God has given me.

And Social Justice For All (07-07-2010)

2010-08-06T15:14:00.001-04:00

Weekly Pulpit -- Warren Sentinel -- July 7, 2010

Am I a Conservative or a Liberal? I suppose it depends on where you stand. Was Jesus a Conservative or a Liberal? Again, I suppose it depends on where you stand. A pastor friend of mine in exasperation once said to me something like, “Sometimes you sound like a Liberal and sometimes you sound like a Conservative! Which are you? I just can't figure you out.” When I read Scripture, I often feel the same way about Jesus.

A couple of months ago an influential television and radio personality urged his viewers and listeners to check out their church's websites to see if they contained any mention of “social justice.” He went on to urge folks to leave their churches if they found such “code words” and to report their pastors to their denominational authorities.

You don't have to check out our church's website (www.rockland.cc) to find out if I believe in social justice. Let me be clear: I believe in social justice. And I believe that the Bible says a lot about social justice. And I believe that Jesus himself taught and practiced social justice. Please note, that's just my personal view and it doesn't necessarily reflect the views of everyone I pastor – but I hope it does.

Jesus was all about justice. And the Bible is too. It is nearly impossible to read the Bible without recognizing God's special concern for the “least of these” – the poor, the oppressed, the widows, the orphans … And Jesus' earthly ministry tended to focus on the least of these as well.

Just this past Sunday I preached on two parables of Jesus (found in Luke 14). Right between these two parables, Jesus said, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

I can't read those words of Jesus (or many others like them) and come to the conclusion that Jesus didn't proclaim social justice. Maybe he didn't use the phrase “social justice,” but he definitely understood and promoted the concept. If you don't believe me, take a look at Jesus' words in Luke 4:18-21 and consider the Old Testament concept of the “Year of Jubilee.” While some might interpret Jesus' words to mean that he was only concerned with the spiritually poor, imprisoned, and blind, I believe that Jesus' actual ministry demonstrated a much more holistic concern.

That being said, we must also be careful to not assume that all social programs are socially just. Some present day social programs may do more harm than good and may lead to bondage and dependence rather than liberation and freedom. But followers of Jesus should be careful to not throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater. In fact, the rise of the early Church may have had a lot to do with the willingness of early Christians to sell their possessions and to give to anyone who had need.

Change for Christ's Sake (05/20/2010)

2010-05-18T10:47:00.002-04:00

Weekly Pulpit -- Warren Sentinel -- May 20, 2010

Every so often I'll hear someone mention the country of Peru as if it is the most distant and foreign place on the planet. I find this strange since that is where I grew up. My parents are missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators and have spent much of the past forty years working there.

As a result, I grew up as a “multicultural kid.” I grew up knowing that different cultures do things and see things differently. And that what works well in one cultural setting may not work well in another. I had to learn to adapt how I carried myself, said things, and did things, depending on the particular cultural mix I found myself in. And I also learned to value different cultures and to be enriched by them – mine isn't better than theirs!

I learned even more about this while living in a dorm for international students while attending my first year at UCLA. There were literally students from all over the world. One day I took some dried laundry out of a dryer so that I could put my wet clothes in. A couple hours later I got a visit from the cousin of one of the female students that lived in the dorm. He was very upset that I had touched his cousin's clothes (which, unbeknownst to me, included some undergarments). Evidently this had caused her to feel tremendous shame and so I had to go and apologize to her for an offense I didn't even fully comprehend.

Why do I share all this? I share this because I believe it is relevant to the cultural shifts underway all around us. Not only are we becoming a much more multicultural nation, but the prevalent culture in which we live is also changing dramatically. I passionately believe that the ability of the Church to remain a relevant part of our society will depend in great part on its willingness to adapt to the changing cultural landscape.

Don't worry, I'm not suggesting that the Church change the Gospel. The Good News of Jesus is changeless! But how we relate to and communicate the Gospel – the tools we use, the way in which we communicate, and even the language that we use to communicate it – has to change in order for it to be heard, understood, and taken to heart.

A hymn written in the 1740's may be full of wonderful theological truths, but it may no longer touch someone's heart if it sounds even more foreign to them than Peruvian music. That is why I love hearing old hymns that have been updated with new music! And that is why I believe Churches should be increasingly open to music written today. And a sermon that is a lengthy monologue may have little or no impact on younger generations who are increasingly visually oriented and more accustomed to dialogue (just visit your local school or university if you don't believe me).

In our efforts to share the timeless truth of Jesus in a rapidly changing world, we should seek to incarnate (flesh out) the Good News of Jesus to everyone around us in whatever ways we can. Yes, change is hard, but it is not impossible. And change for Christ's sake is change followers of Jesus should believe in and be willing to make – whatever the cost. We should desire to be like the Apostle Paul, who wrote, “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”

The Provocative Power of the Parable (04/08/2010)

2010-05-18T10:44:00.002-04:00

Weekly Pulpit -- Warren Sentinel -- April 8, 2010

Jesus frequently taught in parables. Parables, simply put, are stories that define or describe something that is unknown with something that is known.

One of the most familiar is often called the “Parable of the Good Samaritan.” It tells of a man who was mugged and left for dead. Three people – a priest, a Levite, and a Samaritan – came across the man, but only the Samaritan stopped to help.

Jesus told this story in response to the question, “And who is my neighbor?” You see, the man asking this question wanted to feel justified that he was already loving his neighbors. But Jesus used the story to create a “teachable moment,” to help him have an “AHA! moment.” Jesus wanted him to understand that all people – even those he loathed – were his neighbors.

To say that Jesus was prompting him to get out of his comfort zone is an understatement. But that is what Jesus often did. The Gospel isn't about comfort, and it certainly isn't about preserving our prejudices or preferences .

Over the next few months I am going to be preaching the parables of Jesus. It has been said that, “Preaching a parable is a novice preacher's dream but often an experienced preacher's nightmare.” I'm neither, but I know it is going to be tough to preach Jesus' parables in a way that people nearly 2000 years later, who speak a different language, and live in a different setting, will have their own “AHA! moments” without having the provocative power of the parable domesticated by over explanation.

The first parable we are going to look at is found in Luke 5. Jesus tells it in response to being questioned about why his disciples don't pray and fast like other disciples. It speaks of taking cloth from a new garment to patch an old garment and of putting new wine into old wineskins. I can't remember the last time I saw someone with a patch on their clothing. In fact, torn jeans may actually cost more than untorn ones! And I don't know that much about wineskins.

But I do know that Jesus was communicating a very important truth and I'm going to do my best to help those to whom I preach to hear that truth. I'll give you a hint, I think it has something to do with change.

This parable ends with the curious statement, “And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, 'The old is better.' " I know enough about wine to know that old wine is usually more valued than new wine. But is it always better? Sometimes old wine goes bad. But I don't think Jesus is giving a Wineology lesson. Instead, I think Jesus is saying something about people who are unwilling to even give new wine a try! But I've given away too much already.

We at Rockland Community Church are trying something new. If you aren't part of a local church, I invite you to come worship with us. Beginning April 11, we will have a three-part worship service (see our ad or visit our website for more info). Come for the 30, 60, or 90 minutes that work best for you!

Test of Picassa Blog This Tool

2010-03-06T14:40:00.000-05:00

Reflections From a Snow Covered Driveway (02/18/2010)

2010-02-15T17:03:00.002-05:00

Warren Sentinel Weekly Pulpit

Snow. Snow. And MORE Snow. How many of you are with me in saying “Enough already!”? My back aches and my hands are blistered. I finally broke down and paid someone to plow out my driveway after the snow drifts had covered my previous day's work.

In the midst of all my shoveling I've had to pause to be thankful for how fortunate I have been over the last few weeks. Except for a few momentary outages our electricity stayed on. Many people around our area were without electricity for days on end. And when I got too tired or too cold I could go back inside to warm up.

And even though Walmart's stock of milk was all but depleted, I was still able to buy the expensive organic milk, and powdered milk was still an option. And we never lacked food. About the worst thing we experienced was a bout of cabin fever and the frustration of losing our satellite signal for a while.

So many times when I was starting to gripe about the snow, I found myself reflecting on the folks in Haiti who were buried, not by snow but by the debris of their own homes, workplaces, and churches. It struck me as I channel surfed that no one was talking about Haiti anymore. The media had moved on to “Snowmagedon” or whatever else they were dubbing it. Yet hundreds of thousands in Haiti (and millions, if not billions, of people around the world) are still far worse off than most of us.

Shortly after the Haitian earthquake, a well known televangelist declared that the earthquake was a punishment from God. I wonder if he'll make a similar declaration about this “Snowmagedon?” While I do believe that God can use natural disasters to punish people, I find such declarations to be unhelpful, at best, and downright unloving, at worst.

We live in an imperfect world where disasters and disease take their toll on both the “good and the bad.” In fact, Jesus said the following, “You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

I don't believe that God punished us by covering us with snow. And I don't believe God used an earthquake to punish Haiti. But I do believe that in the midst of experiencing devastation and hardship that we can either curse God or we can turn to God and recognize our dependence on God and need for one another.

There was a beautiful piece on NPR a while back describing people gathering in the streets of Haiti to pray and sing to God. In the midst of what we are experiencing can we pause to pray and sing to God? Can we pause to be thankful for what we have, even in the midst of our frustration and snow shovel induced backaches and blisters? And can we, demonstrate our love for one another by helping each other shovel out and to get through these difficult days?

The Riddle of the Sphynx (01/07/2010)

2010-01-14T09:10:00.000-05:00

Warren Sentinel Weekly Pulpit

This past week my mother-in-law was sitting at our kitchen table doing a crossword puzzle. For whatever reason, she thought I might be able to help her. She was looking for a three word answer that began with the letter “m.” The clue was something like, “The answer to the riddle of the sphynx.”

I'm really bad at crossword puzzles. And I know little or nothing about sphynxes (or is it sphynxae or sphynxum). Whatever the case, it would be a great word in a game of Scrabble. I had absolutely no idea what the answer was.

My wife, who was sitting nearby, didn't miss a beat and said, “The answer is man.” She didn't know how she knew the answer, she just did. I know I have a brilliant wife, but I still had to google this to be sure for myself.

According to Google, a mythological Greek sphynx (maybe I should have learned this in college or high school or by watching jeopardy) would ask each passerby, “Which creature in the morning goes on four legs, at mid-day on two, and in the evening upon three, and the more legs it has, the weaker it be?”

If the passerby didn't answer correctly by saying, “a man” (for some reason “a woman” wasn't an acceptable answer), she would strangle and devour the unclever person. Good thing it was my mother-in-law and not a sphynx who had asked me for help with her crossword puzzle!

You see, as children we crawl on all fours; as we grow older we walk on two feet; and as we age we may need the help of a cane and eventually a walker.

All this got me to thinking about the verse in first Corinthians 13 which read, “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.”

The last decade was a difficult one for many of us and certainly for us as a nation. So much to learn. So many new challenges. So many mistakes. In many ways it felt like the toddler and childhood years of the new millennium. But since the new millennium is still so young, I wonder if the coming decade will be known as the “tween and teen” decade. And given that I'm the father of both a tween and a teen I wonder what this will look like!

My prayer is that as individuals, as a community, and as nation we will have learned from the challenges, and especially the mistakes, of the past decade and continue to mature in the coming years. Tween and teen years can be among the most challenging, but some of my favorite memories and certainly many of my greatest dreams come from those years.

May God bless you and keep you in 2010 and throughout the coming decade, whatever we call it!

Prepare the Way for the Lord (12/10/2009)

2010-01-14T09:09:00.000-05:00

Warren Sentinel Weekly Pulpit

My daughter stated recently that I didn't like Christmas very much. I'm no Scrooge, but I do get a little grumpy as Christmas nears. I love Christmas! I just hate much of what Christmas has become.

I'm not really bothered when a checkout clerk says “Happy Holidays.” I usually respond “Merry Christmas” out of habit as much as out of hope. Sometimes they smile as if they wish they could say those words. Sometimes they stare at me blankly as if the words mean nothing. A few times they've responded, “Happy HOLIDAYS” as if I didn't hear the first time.

As a nation we are conflicted about Christmas. Almost everyone seems to celebrate it. I have friends of different faiths who have a Christmas tree and give their kids gifts from Santa. And it is relatively easy for them because Christ has become almost absent from our Christmas celebrations. Even many Christians celebrate Christmas with little or no recognition of the Christ's birth.

Sometimes it seems like Christmas is celebrated in name only. Traditions and decorations have papered over the sacred truths that are to be recalled, embraced, and celebrated. It's almost like Christmas has been hijacked.

Who is the central figure? Santa or Baby Jesus? What do we celebrate? Gifts to one another or God's gift to us? How much time do we spend decorating our Christmas tree; hanging lights and wreaths and stockings? Making our lists and checking them twice? How much do we have to spend before we feel “prepared” for Christmas?

The Christmas Season seems to begin with a day known as Black Friday. Think about it. The day after Thanksgiving – the very day, at least in theory, we pause to be thankful for God's blessings – we rush out to buy as much stuff as we can! Mobs of people will beat each other up just so they can get a “deal.”

Would you agree that Christmas has become one of the busiest, most hectic, even most stressful times of year? ... that Christmas doesn't feel quite as sacred any more? There's a problem when our shopping carts are fuller than our beating hearts.

Advent is a time of anticipation and preparation. What do we anticipate? How do we prepare? Luke 3:4 recalls the words of Isaiah, “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.” And we read in the previous verse about John the Baptizer preaching and baptizing, calling people to repent of their sins.

In ancient times, when a king came to visit a place, the people of that place would prepare the path the king would take. This is why Isaiah goes on to say “make straight paths for him” … fill in every valley, level every mountain … “straighten the crooked roads and smooth the rough ways.”

Preparing for Christmas should be a time of readying our hearts; making our paths straight and our ways smooth. This is done, not by filling our carts, but by repenting of our sins and by allowing our hearts to be filled with the forgiveness Christ offers; celebrating Christ's birth and the re-birth he offers us.

Your Church (11/05/2009)

2009-11-18T16:55:00.001-05:00

Warren Sentinel Weekly Pulpit

By my count there are over 50 church buildings in Warren County. Some are made of brick or stone; some of wood; some have steeples or bell towers; some are fit for postcards or calendars; some look like warehouses or office buildings; some are old, some are new; and the list goes on.

So how many churches are there in Warren County? The answer depends on how “church” is defined. Most people equate “church” with a building. Remember the rhyme that involved folding your hands and saying “Here is the church, here is the steeple, open the door, see all the people?” By that definition there are at least 50.

But for others, the word “church” refers to a particular institution or denomination. These people might say, “I belong to the _______ Church.” They might attend church at a particular building, but their ties are to the larger body of which their local church is a part. So maybe there are less than 50?

Still others attend “house” churches. These churches do not own buildings or rent space from others. These churches consist of believers who gather regularly for worship – they just happen to gather in homes rather than in church buildings. What does this do to our count?

Albert Einstein once said, “Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.” I repeat this quote not to imply that some churches in our community don't count, but rather to highlight the fact that not all of the Church can be easily counted.

So why even count? What if instead of focusing on all the different churches around our county (the different styles and sizes of buildings, the different denominational affiliations, the different worship styles, etc.) we were to focus on what we hold in common? Might we find that we are, in fact, just ONE CHURCH? What if we were to focus on what unites us rather than what divides us? Indeed, isn't this what Jesus prayed for when he said, “that they may be one” (John 17)?

It is exciting to see an ever increasing number of Christians seeking to build bridges between churches in our community. Yes, there are differences – even important ones – between churches. But what we hold in common far outweighs our differences. I pray that we can find ways to together serve God and our neighbors. I believe that we can do this without ignoring or minimizing our differences and that we might even find ways to celebrate them.

In an effort to help build these bridges, I will begin hosting a radio program called “YOUR CHURCH.” It will air Sunday mornings beginning November 29th at 9:05AM on WFTR AM 1450. Each week I hope to feature a different church. Be sure to tune in to learn more about the Church in Warren County. And let me know if you would like your church featured.

A Different 10/40 Window

2009-09-01T13:19:00.003-04:00

According to www.1040Window.org, "The 10/40 Window is an area of the world that contains the largest population of non-Christians in the world. The area extends from 10 degrees to 40 degrees North of the equator, and stretches from North Africa across to China."

According to www.joshuaproject.net, "The 10/40 Window is the rectangular area of North Africa, the Middle East and Asia between 10 degrees north and 40 degrees north latitude. The 10/40 Window is often called "The Resistant Belt" and includes the majority of the world's Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists. An estimated 4.08 billion individuals residing in approximately 7,029 distinct people groups are in the 10/40 Window. The 10/40 Window is home to some of the largest unreached people groups in the world ..."

For a number of years now the strategic focus of some mission organizations and churches has been directed at this particular 10/40 Window. Many good things have resulted because of this and will result from this.

But I wonder whether such a focus may take our eyes and hearts off of another important window. We have our own "10/40 Window" in our own back yards, in our own towns, and in our own cities. I'm not thinking here of the people from the 10/40 Window described above who now live nearby. Instead, I'm thinking about the 10 to 40 year-olds that live right around us.

Arguably, 10-40 year-olds are the largest un-churched and de-churched population group in the United States. They are also (depending on your definition) the largest un-christian or not-yet-christian population group in our country.

Most churches do a pretty good job at ministering to younger children and to older adults, but far too often the 10-40 year-olds fall through the cracks. Effective ministry to tweens and teens, Gen-Y'ers (Millenials/Bridgers), and Gen-X'ers (Busters) -- whether or not they are in the church, whether or not they consider themselves Christians -- is often lacking or weak.

What if churches began to also focus on this "generational" 10/40 Window? I'm not suggesting that churches do this at the exclusion or expense of their efforts for the "geographic" 10/40 Window. But what if we were just as passionate about shining the light of Christ through the generational window as the geographic window?

Crash Helmet Christianity (09/02/2009)

2009-08-31T11:31:00.004-04:00

Warren Sentinel Weekly Pulpit

All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:44-47, TNIV)

In writing about Christians and the Church in “Teaching a Stone to Talk,” author Annie Dillard writes, “Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies' straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews."

Ms. Dillard prophetically and poetically reminds Christians that we are called not to complacency, but to compassionate action; not to comfort and security, but to trusting God for our provision as we seek to help meet the needs of others; and not to caution, but to boldly living out the gospel (good news) that we claim to hold so dear.

As the leaves begin to turn to their brilliant autumn colors we face the possibility that we may suffer the scourge of a potentially deadly flu pandemic. I wonder what the response of Christian churches and of individual Christians will be. I wonder what my own response will be.

Will I be complacent? Will I seek to preserve my own comfort and security? Will I choose caution over boldly living out the very gospel I preach weekly and seek to live out daily? Or will I trust God with my very life as I seek to minister to those who may fall ill? Will I place my own well-being (and that of those dearest to me) above the Christian calling to love our neighbors as we love ourselves?

The Rule of St. Benedict states that the “Care of the sick must rank above and before all else, so that they may truly be served as Christ, for he said: 'I was sick and you visited me' (Matt 25:36), and, 'What you did for one of these least brothers you did for me' (Matt 25:40).”

The Church in its infancy understood this rule even before it was penned by St. Benedict. The early Church was not complacent, comfortable, or cautious. And though the early church was just as unfamiliar with crash helmets as it was with pews, it understood that to live out the gospel was a dangerous and risky thing that it was called to do.

Today's churches exist, at least in part, due to the legacy of these early crash-helmet-Christians. What sort of legacy will we pass on to the Church of tomorrow? What sort of difference will we make in the world around us today?

What if the Left Brain Right Brain Theory is a Myth?

2009-07-14T11:21:00.002-04:00

I was at a conference recently and one of the speakers based a lot of one of his presentations on the "Left Brain Right Brain" theory. As he spoke, I recalled a documentary I saw recently on television that called this theory into question. In fact, it went as far as to say that this theory has largely been discredited and that it is no longer accepted in the scientific community even though it still has broad acceptance in society. Unfortuantely, I can't remember the name of the documentary (is that a left, right, or whole brain problem?).

In any case, I've decided to do some reading on this theory as so many people refer to it and base their teaching (and preaching) methods upon it. What if the theory isn't actually correct? Should we still be basing what we do on it?

I've ordered a book that has what looks to be an interesting article about this topic. The book is titled Tall Tales about the Mind and Brain: Separating Fact from Fiction.

If you know anything else about this topic I'd love to hear what you know. If I learn anything interesting as I go, I'll try to post it here.

Marriage: A God-Sort-Of-Love (06/18/09)

2009-06-16T16:35:00.002-04:00

Warren Sentinel "Weekly Pulpit" (06/18/09)

It was a picture perfect Spring evening. The bride was beautiful; the groom looked dashing; the bridal party was dressed to the nines; and even the minister looked pretty sharp! The horse and carriage, and more importantly the bride, arrived without incident. The bagpiper played on the hillside beyond the pond. None of the bridal party fell off the dock that extended out into said pond. And even the ring survived being passed from the best man to the minister to the groom and was ultimately placed safely onto the bride's finger.

Everything went smoothly until it came time for me to share some words of encouragement with the bride and groom. I read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

I began by asking everyone whether they had heard a sermon recently at a wedding. Almost everyone raised their hands. I asked if anyone remembered anything from those sermons. All hands went down. I went on to note that Jesus had been invited to a wedding and that he either hadn't been asked to preach a sermon or, if he had been asked, it either wasn't remembered or recorded. But Jesus did use the occasion to perform his first miracle (according to the Gospel of John).

When they ran out of wine at that wedding, Jesus turned water into wine. I, for better or for worse, am incapable of performing such miracles. Performing a wedding may be as close to performing a miracle as I'll ever get. Weddings are pretty miraculous! But here's the thing, as I shared these thoughts, I suddenly became very nervous.

I wasn't nervous because I was speaking in public, I was nervous because I was officiating a wedding. I was putting the Church's and the State's seal of approval, if you will, on a miracle! The miracle of two lives becoming one. I did my best to steady my nerves and continue. What I then tried to share with the bride and groom is that love, and by implication marriage, is a “God-thing.” Don't believe me? 1 John 4 twice says that “God is love.” Still don't believe me? Go back to 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 and substitute the word “God” for the word “love” everywhere it appears (ie., God is patient, God is kind …. God never fails.).

The sort of love that binds us together in marriage should be a God-sort-of-love! Maybe this is why the New Testament describes the Church as the bride of Christ. So as I struggled with my own emotions and the awesomeness of the moment, I hope I conveyed to Matt and Meral (and to anyone listening in) that we are called to love each other in marriage with the God-sort-of-love that is patient, kind, … and which never fails.

Beyond Belief (05//07/09)

2009-04-28T12:30:00.002-04:00

Warren Sentinel "Weekly Pulpit" (05/07/2009)
Instead of asking the question, “If you were to die tonight, do you know where you will spend eternity?” What if we were to ask the question, “What if you knew you were going to live tomorrow?”

The problem with focusing on the first question is that it often has the tendency of making it seem like this life (this life that God gave us, by the way) doesn't really matter all that much; that as long as we believe—or say that we believe—we can live however we want. But most of us will, in fact, live tomorrow … and hopefully for many more tomorrows.

How we live actually matters. It matters, in great part, because how we live—what we do with our lives—reveals what we truly believe. In Christianity Beyond Belief: Following Jesus for the Sake of Others, Todd Hunter writes, "I used to think that eternal life was what we got after we died. (Today, I know better—new life, a different kind of life, starts at conversion and it never ends.)"

He goes on to write, "As 1 Peter 1 says, Christianity is about a 'brand-new life.' This new life does indeed have an unspeakably marvelous future. But that future starts now. ... that is exactly what Christianity is about: a certain kind of life—eternal life. It is about living in alliance with the gospel Jesus announced concerning the kingdom of God. Or as Peter says, it is a 'way of life shaped by God's life.' Christianity is a journey: following Jesus' model of life in the kingdom through the power of the Holy Spirit in the actual events of our lives."

According to Hunter, "The clearest statement in the Scripture regarding eternal life shows it is fundamentally about a type of life. In John 17:3, Jesus says that eternal life is knowledge of God and his Son. As important as good thinking is, the knowledge Jesus refers to is not merely thinking about or mental agreement with a certain set of doctrines. Eternal life is the quality life derived from and lived within the kingdom of God. It is personal, intimate community with the Trinity. It is the kind of life, which was lost due to sin, that God always intended for humanity. In fact, sin is the counterintention of humans to live outside of God's story, outside of a new kind of life."

The author of 1 John, for example, makes it clear that both orthodoxy (right doctrine: what we believe) and orthopraxy (right practice: how we live) matter. And they aren't mutually exclusive. In fact, they depend upon one another. How we live—how we put our belief into practice—demonstrates what we actually believe. And can we really believe something if we aren't living out that belief? The author of 1 John writes, "This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did." (1 John 2:5b-6)

Katelynn on the 4th of July

2009-03-10T16:30:00.000-04:00

Katelynn & Jonathan @ 4th of July Concert

2009-03-10T16:29:00.000-04:00

Jonathan Baptized in Shenandoah

2009-03-10T16:28:00.001-04:00

Katelynn Baptized in Shenandoah

2009-03-10T16:28:00.000-04:00

Grandpa, Dad, & Bobby on Slip'n'Slide

2009-03-10T16:27:00.001-04:00

Bobby All Ready for a Business Meeting

2009-03-10T16:27:00.000-04:00

Loving Jonathan

2009-03-10T16:25:00.001-04:00

My Kids and Baby Camel

2009-03-10T16:25:00.000-04:00

My Boys and a Baby Camel

2009-03-10T16:24:00.001-04:00

My Boys @ Zoo

2009-03-10T16:24:00.000-04:00

Zebra Stripes & Chain Link

2009-03-10T16:23:00.000-04:00

Jonathan in Fall!

2009-03-10T16:21:00.001-04:00

Jonathan on a Wintery Golf Course

2009-03-10T16:19:00.000-04:00

Bobby in the Fall

2009-03-10T16:17:00.000-04:00

Our New House

2009-03-10T16:16:00.000-04:00

God and Wachovia willing, this will be our new house on Friday, March 13th.

Some of our New Neighbors!

2009-03-10T16:15:00.000-04:00

The welcome committee was a little skittish at first ... but after a brief visit they were eating right out of my hands.

View from our Back Yard

2009-03-10T16:14:00.000-04:00

Here's our view, looking Southwest, of Massanutten.

Sinners in the Hands of God (03/19/2009)

2009-03-05T10:58:00.002-05:00

Warren Sentinel "Weekly Pulpit" (03/19/2009)

In 1741 Jonathan Edwards preached one of the most famous/infamous sermons ever preached, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” I refer to it simply to illustrate one of the great divides that exists within Christianity. On one side are those who think of God as the “Angry God,” and on the other side are those who think of God as the “Loving God.”

Those in the “Angry God Camp” tend to focus more on God's righteousness and wrath. Those in the “Loving God Camp” tend to focus more on God's mercy and forgiveness. Both tend to look down on the other and even call the other unChristian.

This, sadly, is true of many who affirm the statement that “Jesus … will come to judge the living (quick) and the dead.” That Jesus will be our judge is, I believe, a hopeful – hope-filled – statement that God is both loving and just. Though sin offends and angers God, God is not defined by that anger. God, scripture teaches is love.

Many have been taught that humanity is separated from God by sin. This I agree with. And that since God can not be in the presence of sin (often illustrated by a chasm between humanity and God) that the only way to be in God's presence (to be saved) is by the atoning death of Jesus (often illustrated by bridging the chasm with a cross). This I agree with and disagree with.

God CAN be in the presence of sin and sinners if God CHOOSES to be. One need only turn to the third chapter of Genesis to see this. In the midst of their disobedience, God seeks Adam and Eve out and gives them an opportunity to come out from hiding and to admit their failure. One need only look at the history of the Israelites to see that God dwells in their midst even as they remain a far from sinless people. The incarnation itself (the full divinity and humanity of Jesus) is also proof positive that God can and does choose to be in the presence of sin and sinful people.

God is love and God is just. While this may seem like a paradox, it is not. I think theologian Justo Gonzalez puts it well in “The Apostles' Creed for Today” when he writes,

“Clearly, such love and justice are so far above our own love and our own justice that we cannot comprehend them. Hence, the endless arguments among Christians, some contending that God's love demands that all be forgiven, and some insisting that God's justice must be fulfilled and that therefore there must be eternal punishment. On this score, perhaps all we can say is that our limited understanding of love does not permit us to understand how God's love can be fulfilled in conjunction with infinite justice, and that our limited understanding of justice does not allow us to understand how God's justice can be fulfilled in conjunction with infinite love. … Ours is a God of such love that is perfect justice, and of such justice that it is perfect love.”

Invocation Given at the 50th Anniversary of Integration in Warren County, VA

2009-02-26T09:36:00.002-05:00

"God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, thou who has brought us thus far along the way, thou who has by thy might led us into the light, keep us forever in the path, we pray, lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met thee, lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget thee. Shadowed beneath thy hand may we forever stand -- true to thee, O God, and true to our native land."

Lord, we thank you for giving courage and strength

to those who marched and were martyred to bring us to this day
to those who suffered at the hands of the angry, the ignorant, and the fearful
to those who were accused, abused, attacked, and assaulted
to those who stood alongside, supported, and interceded
to all those who worked together to loose the chains of injustice and oppression

Lord, we have come so far and yet we have so far still to go

Give us, we pray, our daily bread

the same measure of courage and strength you gave those who have gone before us and forgive us even as we forgive others
give us love, mercy, and compassion for those still filled with hate and fear

and lead us not into temptation

but give us the strength, faith, and steadfastness needed to march on

and deliver us from evil, for evil abounds

give us patience and perseverance when the day is long
give us encouragement and hope when the night never ends

for yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever

give us humility, we pray, for the battle belongs to You, O Lord
our yesterdays, our todays, and our tomorrows are in your hands

In the prayerful words of Mary McLeod Bethune,

Father, we call Thee Father because we love Thee. We are glad to be called Thy children, and to dedicate our lives to the service that extends through willing hearts and hands to the betterment of all mankind. We send a cry of Thanksgiving for people of all races, creeds, classes, and colors the world over, and pray that through the instrumentality of our lives the spirit of peace, joy, fellowship, and brotherhood shall circle the world. We know that this world is filled with discordant notes, but help us, Father, to so unite our efforts that we may all join in one harmonious symphony for peace and brotherhood, justice, and equality of opportunity for all men (and women). The tasks performed today with forgiveness for all our errors, we dedicate, dear Lord, to Thee. Grant us strength and courage and faith and humility sufficient for the tasks assigned to us.

I ask Lord, that your blessing be upon each person gathered here today. And that you will bless this time of remembrance and celebration.

Amen

Where were our churches!?

2009-02-26T09:17:00.004-05:00

I felt very honored to be asked to give the invocation a few days ago at the 50th Anniversary Commemoration of School Integration in Warren County, VA. I'll post the invocation I gave as a separate blog as a number of people have requested a copy.

The 2-plus hour service was absolutely wonderful. It was held in the state-of-the-art auditorium at Skyline High School. There were only 350 people in attendance. I say "only" because given the importance of the occassion and the incredible program that was put together, it should have been standing room only. But the 350 people that were there had a chance to experience a moment or racial reconciliation and healing that is still so needed in our county.

It also turned out to be the most amazing worship service I have been to in recent memory. The choir of Warren County Middle School, the combined choirs of Warren County High School and Skyline High School, the Annointed Voices community choir, and a particulary moving solo by Bo Flynn contained so much Gospel -- Good News -- that I could but worship as I listened.

A local Sociologist/Historian gave a restrospective of the events that took place 50 years ago and gave a hopefull mesage for the future. And the keynote speaker, Mr. Jack Gravely, spoke Truth to all who were there to listen. He didn't preach but he preached! I pray for the day that I might have an ounce of his ability to communicate Truth.

A number of the first 23 African American children to be integrated into Warren County High School were also present. Rev. James Kilby, the organizer of the event and the son of the late James Kilby, Sr. -- who led the efforts to bring integration to Warren County, at great personal sacrifice -- was accompanied by his sister, Betty Kilby, who also was one of the first 23. They each shared some of their personal experiences and reflects. They and the others that marched up the hill to Warren County High School fifty years ago are true heroes.

It was a wonderful afternoon. But there was one thing that saddened me greatly. There were very few churches in our area that participated in the service and even fewer pastors. It struck me that this would have been a perfect opportunity for churches to come together in the sort of unity that Jesus himself prayed that we would have (John 17). But where were the pastors and churches that decry that God, prayer, and the Bible are being excluded from our Public Schools? And where were the pastors and churches that decry that those other churches and pastors aren't doing enough to impact the world around them?

God's Word was proclaimed in word, in prayer, in song, and in deed this last Saturday afternoon at Skyline High School. It was Church, but where were our churches and pastors!?

Repent and Believe (02/13/08)

2009-01-17T19:27:00.001-05:00

Warren Sentinel "Weekly Pulpit" (02/13/08)

“The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the gospel!” Mark 1:15

With these words, according to the Gospel of Mark, Jesus launched his earthly ministry.

Repentance may be a strange theme to discuss the day before Valentines Day, but today, the day I'm sitting at my desk writing these lines, is actually Shrove Tuesday – also known as Mardis Gras or Fat Tuesday. At best, this day is known as a day of preparation and repentance. At worst, it is known as a day of anything butpreparation and repentance.

So what is repentance? Repentance isn't just feeling bad about our actions or intentions. Repentance is not just saying “sorry” or “my bad.” Repentance may start with this, but it doesn't stop there. True repentance requires action. Repentance, as described throughout the Bible, involves turning from our wrongdoing toward “rightdoing.” Repentance implies a change of heart, a change of mind, and a change of action.

Jesus said, “Repent and believe the gospel.” He didn't say, “Repent or believe the gospel.” You see, truly believing the gospel (the Good News of Jesus) implies that our lives are being transformed by that News. Believing something isn't just having head knowledge about it. Many people know what Jesus said –they have heard the gospel– but their lives haven't been transformed by his words.

To be a disciple of Jesus requires that we learn not only what he taught, but that we do what Jesus did. Most of us have been shaped by a Western worldview which teaches that “knowledge is power” and that “we are what we know.” In contrast, the Jewish worldview of Jesus' time taught that “we are what we do.” In other words, to really believe something is to live it out.

When a rabbi took on disciples, he fully expected them to live and act as he did. According to pastor and author Rob Bell, an ancient Jewish sage once said to disciples, “Cover yourself with the dust of your rabbi's feet.” You see, a good disciple would follow his rabbi so closely, going everywhere the rabbi went, and doing everything the rabbi did, that by the end of the day he would be –quite literally– covered with the dust of the rabbi's feet. (For more on this, see Bell's book, Velvit Elvis.)

To say that we are Christians –to say that we are disciples of Jesus– should mean that we have both learned the words of Jesus, and that we actually live them out. Sadly, according to pollster David Kinnaman, many people (and, especially, most younger people) in our country today “think Christians no longer represent what Jesus had in mind, that Christianity in our society is not what it was meant to be ...” (For more on this, see Kinnaman's book, unchristian.) So should it surprise us that church attendance is dropping?!

Jesus calls us to repent and believe the gospel. He calls us to turn from wrongdoing to rightdoing. He calls us to not only read the gospel, but to live it! These are words, not of judgment and condemnation, but words of promise and hope. Imagine what our churches, what our nation, and what our world would be like if we all took these words to heart and lived them out!

Disbelieving Didymus (04/04/08)

2009-01-17T19:24:00.001-05:00

Warren Sentinel "Weekly Pulpit" (04/0408)

This past Sunday countless sermons focused on one of Jesus' disciples, a guy we frequently refer to as “Doubting Thomas”. Such is this poor guy's reputation that even people who have never opened a Bible say things like, “Don't be such a Doubting Thomas!” You can read the full account of Jesus' post resurrection appearance to Thomas and the other disciples in chapter 20 of the Gospel of John.

Here's my quick summary: Thomas hadn't been with the other disciples when Jesus appeared to them following his resurrection. When they told Thomas about Jesus' visit, he told them that he would not believe unless he saw Jesus' wounds and touched them for himself. Seven days later, Jesus appeared once again to his disciples and when he did, he told Thomas to look at his wounded hands and to touch the wound on his side so that he would stop disbelieving and begin believing. The Bible doesn't tell us if Thomas actually did either of these things or whether he just immediately responded to Jesus' presence and words with his proclamation of faith, “My Lord and my God!”

You see, this story is not about doubt, but about transformation. Thomas was transformed from someone who didn't believe in the resurrection of Jesus to someone who proclaimed Jesus to be his “Lord and God.” Disbelieving was transformed into believing. Although many of our English translations quote Jesus as saying “Stop doubting and believe”, a more accurate translation actually is “Stop unbelieving and believe.” It wasn't that Didymus was a “Doubting Thomas” it was that he didn't believe!

But this story also isn't primarily about Thomas. By focusing on Thomas we risk taking our eyes off of the most important person in this story, Jesus. Jesus was aware of Thomas' disbelief. Jesus didn't chastise or punish Thomas for his disbelief. Jesus didn't shun or reject Thomas for his disbelief. And Jesus didn't mock or in any way belittle Thomas for his disbelief. Instead, Jesus met Thomas right where he was at and gave him exactly what he needed to believe. And Thomas believed.

Those of us who join Thomas in declaring Jesus to be “our Lord and our God” have a wonderful opportunity to do as Jesus did when it comes to dealing with doubt and disbelief. Like Jesus we have an opportunity to incarnate (flesh out) the Gospel so that those who doubt and disbelieve can see and touch it and be touched by it in meaningful ways. In so doing, and by God's grace, their doubting and disbelieving may, like Thomas', be transformed into believing.

I encourage you seek out opportunities to live out the Gospel in very tangible, life-giving ways. Talk to the pastor in your local church about opportunities to do this. Or visit the website of the Front Royal Warren County Ministerial Association (www.frwcma.org) for additional information about local organizations (such as C-CAP, House of Hope, and St. Luke's Clinic) who are actively serving our community.

Disciples Disciple or Disciple is a Verb (05/21/08)

2009-01-17T19:19:00.001-05:00

Warren Sentinel "Weekly Pulpit" (05/21/08)

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV)

Over the years I have had opportunities to worship in a wide range of churches. Some were very informal and everyone (including the pastor) wore shorts and t-shirts. Others were very formal and everyone dressed to the nines. In some an organist played hymns and at others there was a band that included electric guitars and drums. Some had sermons that lasted more than 45 minutes and some were finished in 15 minutes flat.

Here's the amazing thing: despite all their differences (and the ones I have listed are among the most superficial), each of these churches and the traditions and denominations they represent are part of the "body of Christ." And they all, despite their differences in doctrine and practice, gather on Sundays (or some other day of the week) to worship God.

This past Sunday (May 18^th) was observed by many churches as Trinity Sunday. On Trinity Sunday we are reminded that God isn't just an abstract notion of the Divine. God is not just a concept or just some supernatural power that we simply agree to refer to as "God." On the contrary, God is real and God is relational. Indeed, the doctrine of the Trinity reflects the understanding that God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) exists in perfect community with God's self. And God desires to be in community with us too!

The verses above are part of what is often called the "Great Commission" and are often used to encourage missions and evangelism. Sadly, some of us were taught that these words were meant only for Jesus' earliest disciples or for a select few today who have the "gift of evangelism" or who have been "called" to be ministers or missionaries.

That's not how I understand these verses. One of the things that most Christians share is that we have been baptized (or plan to be baptized) in the "name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Sure some of us were baptized as infants and some of us were baptized later in life and some of us were sprinkled and some of us were dunked. But we all are baptized in the same name.

And with these words Jesus commanded his disciples to disciple, baptize, and teach others to obey everything he commanded them. Did you catch that? Jesus' command was/is self-replicating: disciple, baptize, and teach others to disciple, baptize, and teach! Put quite simply, being a disciple of Jesus (a Christian) entails discipling, baptizing, and teaching others. And being a disciple entails remembering that Jesus will always be with us as we do this, even to the very end of the age!

The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity (07/02/08)

2009-01-17T19:14:00.001-05:00

Warren Sentinel "Weekly Pulpit" (07/02/08)

And Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38 ESV)

“What if God isn't easy to love?” This was one of the hardest questions I was asked this week by one of the kids in our Confirmation and Baptism Class as we considered the Ten Commandments and Jesus' summary of them in Matthew 22.

Even kids can see that not all is right with the world. In fact, very little seems to be. We hear about wars, floods, earthquakes, famines, and murder when we watch the news or even glimpse newspaper headlines. We see gasoline and food prices rising and housing and stock prices falling. We hear of more and more people losing their jobs and homes. We see and experience broken relationships and marriages. We lose friends to accidents, disease, and depression. If God is so loving and if God wants to be so loved, why does God allow all this terrible stuff to happen?

Theologians use the term “theodicy” or the phrase “the problem of Evil” to describe the issue that these questions address. If God is all loving and all powerful and all knowing and ever present–if God is really in control– why does God permit such horrific suffering and injustice? Even a fifth grader is smart enough to ask such questions! And such questions usually only increase as we grow older. Are we just meant to suffer in this life only to cling to the hope that somehow everything will be made right in Heaven?

A recent article in the June 9^th edition of the New Yorker, Holiday in Hellmouth, provides a less than hopeful response and concludes only with questions. In contrast,The Shack, written by William P. Young, offers one of the most hopeful responses I have ever read outside of the Gospel itself. The Shack is currently number 5 on Amazon's best seller list and with 680 reviews has received 4.5 stars from readers like you and me. It also has received some very negative reviews (with some calling it outright heresy).

It certainly isn't a perfect book, and as any book written by a human author, may contain more than a few flaws. But Young communicates so much truth and hope through this allegorical story of loving God in the midst of overwhelming pain and suffering, that I think it is a “must read.” Like me, you may find it to be incredibly healing and hopeful. Before you do, you may want to take a look at some recent YouTube videos about it (pilgrimprog, brianjdixon, mhcseattle, and official700club), or google “The Shack” to read even more reviews. But I urge you to read The Shack and to discuss it and maybe even share it with others. I think you will find that it will do much to strengthen your understanding of, love for, and trust in God.

In the Midst (08/28/2008)

2009-01-17T19:12:00.001-05:00

Warren Sentinel "Weekly Pulpit" (08/28/2008)

Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. John 8:6b-8 (ESV)

These verses are found in one of the most contested, and yet one of the most beautiful and powerful, accounts in the entire Bible (John 7:53-8:11). This passage is often referred to as “The Woman Caught in Adultery.”

Theologians have long debated what Jesus might have written on the ground that day. But the best they can do is speculate. But more importantly than what he wrote may be the fact that he bent down to write. Not just once, but twice.

Jesus had been teaching a crowd of people who had gathered in the temple courts. Teachers of that day generally sat down in the midst of the group they were teaching. And when the woman was dragged in, we read that she was placed “in the midst” of those gathered there.

The scribes and the Pharisees had dragged this woman in hoping to trick Jesus into saying something that they could use against him. They knew the Law of Moses well and they knew that Jesus knew it well. And they thought they could use this situation to trap him.

But Jesus knew their hearts and their minds and he did something absolutely astonishing. He bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. Singer/songwriter Michael Card beautifully describes what Jesus did with the lines, “It was silence, it was music / It was art, it was absurd / He stooped and shouted volumes / Without saying a single word.”

When Jesus bent down to write he was, I believe, acknowledging that he understood that it was he that they really sought to punish and not just this woman. He was making it clear to them that he was willing to receive not only the words that they hurled at him, but the stones that could soon follow.

Jesus was willing to die – to be stoned – right alongside this woman. And so Jesus knelt down next to her, right there in the midst of the crowd, and was willing to die an undeserved death right then and there. But the woman's accusers, now also Jesus' accusers, all immediately departed convicted of their own sinfulness by Jesus' words and actions.

It is only when the accusers had left that Jesus stood back up. Jesus, the Son of the Living God, was born into the midst of humanity. And Jesus lived and died in our midst. And as Jesus' disciples, I believe that we too are called to live (and even die) in the midst. As disciples of Jesus we are called to live out the gospel – the good news of Jesus – in tangible, life changing ways right in the midst.

Streaker Bees: Forgetting What is Behind, Straining Towards What is Ahead (10/08/08)

2009-01-17T19:10:00.002-05:00

Warren Sentinel "Weekly Pulpit" (10/08/2008)

Have you ever wondered how a swarm of bees is able to navigate from its old nest site to its new nest site? Its a minor miracle that several thousand swarming insects can stick together as they fly from one site to another, with relatively few of them even knowing where they're going. This past week scientists announced that they had made an important discovery about how swarms of bees navigate from one nest site to another.

It turns out that there are bees described as "streaker bees." The streaker bees are scouts who have a very strong sense of where the swarm needs to go. They don't fly at the very front of the swarm leading the way. Instead, they streak through the top portion of the swarm in a straight line, pointing the way that the swarm should head. Once they reach the front of the swarm, they make their way to the back and streak through again and again. Although streaker bees represent less than 5% of the hive's population, the seemingly random swarm follows their lead.

It seems to me that we all need some streaker bees in our lives. We need positive examples of lives that are headed in the right direction that we can emulate. And if this is true of us as individuals, it is certainly true for our churches. Now all analogies break down and I don't want to put too much weight on how bees navigate as a swarm, but I do think some lessons can be learned from them.

This past week the Lectionary Epistle reading came from Philippians 3. In verses 13-14 the Apostle Paul writes, "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

The Apostle Paul explained something very relevant to many of our churches in this chapter and that is this: We need to forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead. Sometimes we, as individuals and as churches, cherish our pasts more than our futures. This is particularly tempting in churches who have seen attendance and active involvement in the life of the church dwindle. It can be very tempting to long for the good old days of yesteryear.

But I believe that our best days are, in fact, ahead of us. Not our easiest days, but our best days. God isn't finished with us yet. He isn't finished transforming our lives and he isn't finished transforming our churches and our communities. Even though church attendance may be declining across our country, more people are actively seeking meaningful spirituality than ever before. Times of change and uncertainty tend to do this.

What our churches and our communities need are a few good streaker bees! We need people who are guided by prayer and the Word of God who are willing to "fly harder and straighter" to help us press on together.

Do Not Be Anxious About Anything ... Really (11/26/08)

2009-01-17T19:07:00.001-05:00

Warren Sentinel "Weekly Pulpit" Article -- Published November 26, 2008

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

How in the world can we not be anxious when there seems to be so much bad news every day? In fact, it seems like most days there's almost nothing but bad news.

Wall Street is tumbling and Main Street isn't far behind. U.S. automakers are on the brink of bankruptcy. Banks aren't lending, housing prices are plummeting, and there seems to be no end of foreclosures. Companies, big and small, are laying off more and more employees every day and the unemployment rate is rising. Sure, gasoline prices are half what they were just a few months ago, but other energy prices are barely budging and an increasing number of people are having difficulties heating their homes as winter quickly sets in.

I find myself avoiding newspapers, television, and even the radio. I've successfully put off opening my most recent retirement account statement for another few weeks knowing I wouldn't like what I'd see. In the midst of the mess that we find ourselves in, it is hard – seemingly impossible – not to be anxious.

We all know that "worrying gets you nowhere," but wouldn't you agree that it seems to be getting ever harder to NOT worry? The problem with worry and anxiety isn't just that they're unproductive, but that they can take a serious toll on you, body, mind, soul, and spirit.

Paul's words in Philippians remind us that we have a powerful alternative to worry and anxiety. In the midst of all the uncertainty that surrounds us, we can choose to pray and to cling to the hope and certainty that we have in God in and through Christ Jesus.

He doesn't promise that the economy will recover any time soon, or that stock prices will surge, or that our personal and national economic woes will be quickly resolved. Instead, Paul promises that if we bring our fears and concerns to God in prayer, that the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds. Paul is not advocating defeatism or inaction. Instead, he is calling on us to recognize our outright dependence on God, the sole Giver and Sustainer of life.

That being said, even as we bring our fears and needs before God, we must also recognize our dependence on one another. In the coming months, and possibly years, there will be no lack of opportunities for us to help one another. I strongly encourage you, dear reader, to pray for and to contribute in whatever way you can to the Salvation Army, C-CAP, St. Luke Community Clinic, Warren County Council on Domestic Violence, House of Hope, area food pantries, churches, and other organizations in our area that are on the front line of meeting the growing needs of our community.

A Prayer for Our (New) President (01/21/09)

2009-01-17T18:56:00.003-05:00

The following is an article I wrote (I was limited to 500 words, which is really tough for me) for the Warren County Sentinel's "Weekly Pulpit." It will be published on January 21, the day after Inauguration Day.

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 1 Timothy 2:1-2 (NIV)

I recently noticed a “Presidential Prayer Team” magnet displayed prominently on a friend's refrigerator. I later saw they also had a bumper sticker declaring they were a “Praying American.” Given what I knew about this person's political preferences, I wondered whether the magnet and bumper sticker would remain in place after Inauguration Day.

Followers of Jesus are called to be a praying people. In his words to Timothy, the Apostle Paul made it clear that we are to pray for “all those in authority.” Paul didn't instruct him to pray for “just those in authority with whom you agree” or “just those in authority who govern well.” Paul instructed him – and all, I believe who read these words – to pray for everyone in authority.

One of my prayers for our new president is that he be the Prayer-in-Chief. I believe it was Martin Luther who said, “If I don’t spend at least three hours in prayer daily, I would never get my work done.” Sadly, I far too often worry that if I spend more than three minutes praying each day that I won't get my work done.

In Abraham Lincoln – Man of God, John Wesley Hill recounts the following story told by a guest in the Lincoln White House.

“I spent three weeks in the White House with Mr. Lincoln as his guest. One night, it was just after the battle of Bull Run, I was restless and could not sleep. … The hour was past midnight; indeed it was getting near dawn, when I heard low tones proceeding from a private room near where the President slept. The door was partly open. I saw the President kneeling beside an open window. … For a moment I was silent, looking in amazement and wonder. Then he cried out in tones pleading and sorrowful: 'Oh, Thou God that heard Solomon in the night when he prayed for wisdom, hear me and save this nation.' [Then, the guest added]: I think from that time the clouds which had long lain threatening over the affairs of our Government began to roll away. The skies were brighter; the smile of heaven was upon our President; God heard his prayer and sent deliverance.”

Elton Trueblood, in Abraham Lincoln; Theologian of American Anguish, described President Lincoln's prayer life in the following way, “The evidence of Abraham Lincoln's own practice of personal prayer is so abundant that no thoughtful person can deny it. He prayed alone, and he called the nation to prayer; he prayed for guidance, and he prayed in gratitude; he prayed in defeat, and he prayed in victory.”

I pray that President Obama will emulate President Lincoln in this and many ways.

Credo: Reading List (Things I'm Reading as I Prepare)

2009-01-09T10:16:00.001-05:00

Gonzalez, Justo L. The Apostles' Creed for Today. Louisville: John Knox Press, 2007.

Johnson, Luke Timothy. The Creed: What Christians Believe and Why it Matters. New York: Doubleday, 2003.

Marthaler, Berard. The Creed: The Apostolic Faith in Contemporary Theology. Mystic: Twenty-Third Publications, 2005.

McGrath, Alister. I Believe: Exploring the Apostles' Creed. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1997.

Packer, J.I. Affirming the Apostles' Creed. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2008.

Pannenberg, Wolfhart. The Apostles' Creed: In Light of Today's Questions. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1975.

Pelikan, Jaroslav. Credo: Historical and Theological Guide to Creeds and Confessions of Faith in the Christian Tradition. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003.

Credo: Quid Tum? / I Believe: So What?

2009-01-09T09:19:00.001-05:00

Rockland Community Church

During the first three months of 2009 we will take a closer look at the Apostles' Creed. As an inter-denominational church we are composed of individuals from many different Christian backgrounds, traditions, and denominations. Many of of us grew up reciting the Apostles' Creed or the Nicene Creed on a weekly basis. But some of us grew up never hearing a creed ... let alone reciting one.

As a "Church of Christian Unity" can we find unity in the truths expressed in the Apostles' Creed? What can we learn by actually studying the Creed? Some of us have recited the Creed for years without ever asking ourselves whether we really believe or understand what it says. Some of us even question the truth of certain phrases in the Creed. And some of us are just plain uncomfortable with anything called a "Creed." But can we together come to understand and affirm the Truths contained in the Creed even if we aren't comfortable affirming the Creed itself?

We will go through the Creed, phrase by phrase, looking at the biblical and historical basis of each statement it affirms. And, maybe even more importantly, each week we will ask the question, "So what?" It's relatively easy to recite something that's only about 100 words long ... many of us probably even have it memorized. And it's relatively easy to explain the basis for each phrase. But it's much more challenging to come to grips with what the implications of espousing the truths contained in the Creed for our lives as individuals and as a church.

So you believe? So what?

Yet another attempt

2009-01-05T14:07:00.000-05:00

So it is 2009. Each year I've attempted to become a blogger and each year I've failed. Maybe this year will be different. I'm not quite sure what I'll blog ... probably some personal stuff (things going on with the family, etc.) ... probably some ministry stuff (things going on with the church I pastor) ... and maybe even some philosophical/theological stuff (things going on in my mind as I try to make sense of life) ... we'll just have to see what unfolds. Well, here's to hoping that I'll have better luck at blogging this time. It seems like anyone who is someone these days is an active blogger ... and I really want to someday be somebody ... so maybe this will help me get somewhere sometime somehow. (I once wrote a poem titled "Someday Somebody" ... but sadly I lost it.) Here goes!