Part Three: Easter – “God Found a Way!”
This is probably a partial sermon. I "ad-libbed" a good bit of it. As is usual in preaching, the energy of the service (especially high on Easter) led to more of a sermon than is on the printed page. The gist of it is the same, but I think it was better "live" than in print.
Luke 24:1-12
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' " 8Then they remembered his words.
9When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
If there is a theme for Holy Week, it has to be this: “That’s impossible!”
One week ago, amid a raucous and triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Jesus uttered impossible words, “If these children are quiet, the stones will shout!” God will find a way to get his message proclaimed, even if He has to use a bunch of rocks!
On Thursday, at their last meal together, while still hoping it was all some cruel joke, the disciples heard more amazing words, “This is my body . . . this is my blood.” Is this really what God intended for His Messiah? No way! Its not possible!
On Friday, Jesus was dead. Three years of following and teaching and miracles - over! Its impossible that all that the Kingdom of God could be wiped out so fast!
On Saturday, the hard reality was sinking in. Evil had won. The hopes the disciples had for the Kingdom of God really were over!
On Sunday, three women were about to discover they didn’t know the meaning of the word “impossible.” Mary Magdalene, Joanna (whoever she was) and “Mary, mother of James” went to the tomb out of obligation; they didn’t go expecting to see a miracle. They went to finish preparing Jesus’ body – dead for three days, wrapped in linen – not a job many of us would volunteer for!
It was an unpleasant job also because it was their friend, their teacher, their Savior in that cave! They were as sad as the 11 remaining disciples, but they got up and did what they had to do.
This is the first place I find a point of identification in this story. These three women had reached their lowest point, but still found the strength to go on.
How many of us have been there? Working for 40 years only to find your retirement funds drained . . . losing friends and loved ones . . . waking up and wondering what happened to the joy of life? I’m sure we know what the three women were feeling.
They had the basic ingredient for faith – perseverance, pure, dogged determination to put on foot in front of the other. Without that perseverance, they never would have seen the greatest miracle of all time!
By their actions, they remind us of another truth: there is no resurrection without death, no Easter without Good Friday. We cannot experience the heights of glory without the depths of despair.
When, like Mary, Joanna, and Mary, we feel defeated, we sometimes get to glimpse into God’s mystery.
I wonder, if on that Easter morning, the women remembered Jesus’ words from Palm Sunday, because one more stone had something to say.
One more stone had a shout of praise. Sitting over there, beside the empty tomb, that great, big stone, shouted the news – Jesus is alive!
Truly, nothing is impossible for God. God found a way! God finds a way! God will find a way to reach us, to help us, to encourage us, to love us!
Sunday, April 04, 2010
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
"God Will Find a Way:" Part 2
Maundy Thursday – “April Fools!”
Luke 22:7-20
7Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover."
9"Where do you want us to prepare for it?" they asked.
10He replied, "As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, 11and say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' 12He will show you a large upper room, all furnished. Make preparations there."
13They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.
14When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. 15And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God."
17After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among you. 18For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."
19And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."
20In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
Once again, we find the mysterious Jesus acting mysteriously. Just like Palm Sunday, he seems to know what will happen before it happens. On Sunday, there was a donkey waiting. Today, there’s a room ready for thirteen men to celebrate Passover.
You’d think by this time, the disciples would realize that when Jesus says something is going to happen, it will happen! After two occasions like this, they might have put a little faith in statements like, “The Son of Man will be killed and on the third day rise again.”
But here they are, gathered in a borrowed room, on the most holy night of the Jewish faith. It’s the last time they will be together, though they don’t know it yet.
They’ve reached the end of the feast. They’ve eaten the bitter herbs and unleavened bread. It’s just about over when Jesus lifts the bread. “This is my body . . .” Then he lifts the cup. “This cup is the new covenant . . .”
It hasn’t really sunk in yet. The twelve don’t really “get it,” that when Jesus says something is going to happen, it happens! Somewhere in the back of their minds, they’re hoping that Jesus is wrong. Maybe they’re waiting for Jesus to shout, “April Fools! I just was just messin’ with you!”
The meal ends in drama, with Judas named as the betrayer. Three disciples follow Jesus to Gethsemane. Still, it hasn’t sunk in because Peter, James and John fall asleep while Jesus sweats blood.
Then, on Friday, as they watched their friend and teacher die, maybe they were thinking they were the fools! Fools for thinking Jesus was different. Yet, he ended up like all those other pseudo-messiahs – dead at the hands of Caesar.
So sure were they that the last three years had been a fool’s errand that all but John deserted Jesus. Peter made a fool of himself by cursing at a servant girl who recognized him as a disciple of Jesus.
You’d think by now, they would know – when Jesus says something will happen, it happens!
They dispersed, thinking themselves the greatest of fools. Little did they know that, on Sunday morning, they really would feel like fools, though not for the reason they expected.
Little did they know, they God would find a way to defeat even death!
Luke 22:7-20
7Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover."
9"Where do you want us to prepare for it?" they asked.
10He replied, "As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, 11and say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' 12He will show you a large upper room, all furnished. Make preparations there."
13They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.
14When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. 15And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God."
17After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among you. 18For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."
19And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."
20In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
Once again, we find the mysterious Jesus acting mysteriously. Just like Palm Sunday, he seems to know what will happen before it happens. On Sunday, there was a donkey waiting. Today, there’s a room ready for thirteen men to celebrate Passover.
You’d think by this time, the disciples would realize that when Jesus says something is going to happen, it will happen! After two occasions like this, they might have put a little faith in statements like, “The Son of Man will be killed and on the third day rise again.”
But here they are, gathered in a borrowed room, on the most holy night of the Jewish faith. It’s the last time they will be together, though they don’t know it yet.
They’ve reached the end of the feast. They’ve eaten the bitter herbs and unleavened bread. It’s just about over when Jesus lifts the bread. “This is my body . . .” Then he lifts the cup. “This cup is the new covenant . . .”
It hasn’t really sunk in yet. The twelve don’t really “get it,” that when Jesus says something is going to happen, it happens! Somewhere in the back of their minds, they’re hoping that Jesus is wrong. Maybe they’re waiting for Jesus to shout, “April Fools! I just was just messin’ with you!”
The meal ends in drama, with Judas named as the betrayer. Three disciples follow Jesus to Gethsemane. Still, it hasn’t sunk in because Peter, James and John fall asleep while Jesus sweats blood.
Then, on Friday, as they watched their friend and teacher die, maybe they were thinking they were the fools! Fools for thinking Jesus was different. Yet, he ended up like all those other pseudo-messiahs – dead at the hands of Caesar.
So sure were they that the last three years had been a fool’s errand that all but John deserted Jesus. Peter made a fool of himself by cursing at a servant girl who recognized him as a disciple of Jesus.
You’d think by now, they would know – when Jesus says something will happen, it happens!
They dispersed, thinking themselves the greatest of fools. Little did they know that, on Sunday morning, they really would feel like fools, though not for the reason they expected.
Little did they know, they God would find a way to defeat even death!
Challenging Complacency
I found out recently that it really is true what they say about the internet - never put anything on there that you don't want someone to read, or read in the future. So, I've tried to keep the embarrassing college photos off facebook! I can't control all the crazy people I went to college with, though.
Anyway, I was meeting some people from my new church (so new that I won't be their pastor for another 2+ months). One of them said, "I read your blog, the letter to the Bishop." Outwardly, I responded, "Oh, really?" Inwardly, I was "Oh, crap!" It turns out he was impressed with the letter (Whew!) - more impressed, actually, than the "Bish" himself.
That event inspired me to return to "persisting." I started this thing as an effort to express myself in light of some of the changes within my Annual Conference, as a way of resisting the change. I later realized that I would be better served to persist in defining myself, writing in answer to the question in the tagline: In what will I persist, no matter the place, no matter the time, no matter the circumstance?
Persisting is always better than resisting. Persisting is better because it helps you stay on course. In pastoral ministry, there's always things that draw you away from what is most important. Admittedly, what is "most important" may change from church to church, or from time to time in one's tenure. If you persist in what you determine to be God's direction for you, then you will be more honest, more open to God, and a better leader.
An example: At my current church, I (along with my wife) discerned that God was calling us to do something for the teenagers of our community. They were lost, confused, lacked healthy adult influence and spiritual direction. We also believed that by working with and through the kids, we might open doors to reach the parents. All signs indicated that my church could be convinced to join with us.
After a year and a half of this venture - youthspace - we've had varying success. Some kids have found a church home, and more importantly a Savior. Their parents haven't. We've learned that most of these parents are so overwhelmed by poverty, drugs, general "Jerry Springerish" drama, that they've pretty much opted out of a lot that has to do with their kids. The church turned out to be more alarmed by the presence of "out of control" kids than we predicted. It is astounding how much most of these kids didn't know (We gave many of them their first Bible, and their first Communion).
Because it didn't meet with outstanding success, because it didn't change the community, or change the church's relationship with the community, is it a failure? Were we wrong? Did we hear God wrong? The answer to all questions is "No." We did something. We were not satisfied with the status quo. We tried!
That all leads me to say this: I will always persist in challenging complacency.
There is always more to do, always something new to do, in ministry. That's because God is always more than we can concieve! God is always creating something new!
Anyway, I was meeting some people from my new church (so new that I won't be their pastor for another 2+ months). One of them said, "I read your blog, the letter to the Bishop." Outwardly, I responded, "Oh, really?" Inwardly, I was "Oh, crap!" It turns out he was impressed with the letter (Whew!) - more impressed, actually, than the "Bish" himself.
That event inspired me to return to "persisting." I started this thing as an effort to express myself in light of some of the changes within my Annual Conference, as a way of resisting the change. I later realized that I would be better served to persist in defining myself, writing in answer to the question in the tagline: In what will I persist, no matter the place, no matter the time, no matter the circumstance?
Persisting is always better than resisting. Persisting is better because it helps you stay on course. In pastoral ministry, there's always things that draw you away from what is most important. Admittedly, what is "most important" may change from church to church, or from time to time in one's tenure. If you persist in what you determine to be God's direction for you, then you will be more honest, more open to God, and a better leader.
An example: At my current church, I (along with my wife) discerned that God was calling us to do something for the teenagers of our community. They were lost, confused, lacked healthy adult influence and spiritual direction. We also believed that by working with and through the kids, we might open doors to reach the parents. All signs indicated that my church could be convinced to join with us.
After a year and a half of this venture - youthspace - we've had varying success. Some kids have found a church home, and more importantly a Savior. Their parents haven't. We've learned that most of these parents are so overwhelmed by poverty, drugs, general "Jerry Springerish" drama, that they've pretty much opted out of a lot that has to do with their kids. The church turned out to be more alarmed by the presence of "out of control" kids than we predicted. It is astounding how much most of these kids didn't know (We gave many of them their first Bible, and their first Communion).
Because it didn't meet with outstanding success, because it didn't change the community, or change the church's relationship with the community, is it a failure? Were we wrong? Did we hear God wrong? The answer to all questions is "No." We did something. We were not satisfied with the status quo. We tried!
That all leads me to say this: I will always persist in challenging complacency.
There is always more to do, always something new to do, in ministry. That's because God is always more than we can concieve! God is always creating something new!
Monday, March 29, 2010
"God Will Find a Way:" a three-part Easter sermon
Part One: Palm Sunday – “Shouting Stones”
The intensity that accompanied the following of Jesus was “amped up” in the days preceding Passover. It seemed Jesus was purposely causing trouble:
- He healed people on the Sabbath – twice.
- The Pharisees approached him with a warning: “Herod wants to kill you!” Doing his best Clint Eastwood imitation, Jesus replied, “He knows where he can find me. Make my day!”
- He told fabulously deep parables: The prodigal son, the lost sheep, the rich man and Lazarus
- He talked about the end of the world and the destruction of Jerusalem.
Worst of all, he kept saying that he was going to die!
He did all of this while he was walking toward Jerusalem.
Jerusalem was a “hornet’s nest.” It was the Jew’s holiest city. The time was Passover, the holiest feast of the Jewish faith. Crowds of people poured into the city from all over the known world. Some of them were disgruntled people; Rome ruled the city of their temple. If the wrong mood got started, it would be like throwing a match in a powder keg. If the wrong sort of leader started causing trouble, Rome would not be happy.
The Jewish leaders were understandable on edge. They ruled only because Caesar let them rule. They were allowed a modicum of power as long as they kept “the Jews” in line. Rome liked its subject people to be compliant. They weren’t afraid to enforce that compliance with violence – even death, if necessary.
Luke 19:28-40
28After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30"Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.' "
32Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?"
34They replied, "The Lord needs it."
35They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.
37When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 38"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"[a] "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
39Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"
40"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."
The stuff about the colt only seemed to heighten the mystery – “Who is this man and how does he know such things?” He heals lepers, isn’t scared of Herod, and knows the future!
People gather to praise him – shouting and singing as they walk beside Jesus on his borrowed donkey. John tells us that “a large crowd of Passover visitors took Palm branches and went down the road to meet him.” Matthew and Mark say the people threw their coats on the road, along with the palm branches – a sign of reverence. They didn’t even want his donkey’s feet to touch the ground. The truth is probably a combination of the four reports.
Whatever it was, it was a huge commotion! Just exactly what the High Priests and Pharisees didn’t want to see! Too great a commotion, and Rome might silence them – permanently! Too much trouble and their heads would be on the chopping block.
But what’s the big deal? It was Passover, after all. Didn’t they expect a celebration? The Jews were celebrating the day when God delivered them from an unjust ruler named Pharaoh. Its not too big a leap to imagine that they might, with Jesus the rabble-rouser in the lead, decide that God wanted to deliver them from another unjust ruler – Caesar. They might take matters into their own hands!
Here they were, waving palm branches, a symbol of royalty. Here they were, shouting for Jesus, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, just like the Prophets foretold. Any good Pharisee that valued the status quo, that valued the sensitive state of affairs that granted them jus a little bit of power would know: this means trouble!
So, in a well-meaning effort to save their own necks, and the necks of the pilgrims who have come to Jerusalem, they approach Jesus with a command. “Tell these people to hush! They’re gonna get in trouble acting like this!”
“Mr. Pharisee,” Jesus replies, “Don’t you know? You can’t hush the praise of God! If we stop, the stones on the road will pick up the cheer!”
“Don’t you know, Mr. Pharisee, that no earthly power – not you, not even Rome – can quiet the true praise of God?”
God doesn’t care who wants his people to hush, when there is praising to be done, He will find a way to make it happen, even if He has to use a bunch of rocks by the side of the road!
2000 years later, there are still Pharisees in this world who would just as soon hush all Christians who want to praise God. Sometimes we want it to hush because it makes us uncomfortable. Sometimes it embarrasses us. Sometimes it even might make the “powers that be” think we want to cause trouble.
Jesus’ reply tells us that God doesn’t care if we’d rather have things quiet. If there’s praising to be done, He’ll find someone or something to do it!
So great is God’s power that no effort of human will can stop it. No political party can stop it! No earthly ruler, no well-meaning “church person” can silence the true praise of God!
If there is praising to be done, if there’s “rabble” to be “roused,” God will find a way to do it!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
harder than I thought!
I'm discovering something about myself - I'm much better at resisting than I am at persisting. I really fired off lots of stuff when I first starting this blog. That's when I was resisting nearly everything. Now, that I am trying to discover "that at which I would persist, no matter where I am" the ideas are much harder to come by.
So far, here's what I've got:
So far, here's what I've got:
- Music - I love playing guitar, though I am only almost good. I love iTunes. Is there a 12-step program for downloading music? I need it, because I am powerless to control my habit.
- Crossword puzzles - I've done one every night for the last 7 years. washingtonpost.com has my favorites. Where else can I use my knowledge of the arcane? Heck, nobody around here will play Trivial Pursuit with me! I can only shout answers at game shows for so long before I'm carted away. For instance, where else can I show I know the name the Nick and Nora Charles' dog? Asta. I also know who Nick and Nora Charles are.
- God's arms are open wider than we can ever imagine - Seems like churches always want to limit who God reaches. No, I promise not to bash my church! I think it's just human nature to want to share a faith with someone who is like you in other ways - dress, politics, football, skin color, etc. Often, the ones who are the most exclusive forget to read the Gospels. Jesus did not make any disctinctions, in fact, he went out of his way to tear down ALL distinctions.
So, I think, no matter where I go as a pastor, I would always play guitar, do crossword puzzles, and try to reach out. Sounds wierd, huh?
more to come . . .
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Whoa! What happened?
Yeah. I changed it. My guru (Stewart Jackson) posed a question - again! Dang him! "How much have you said about who you are?" he asked, between clouds of incensce.
"Everything!" I answered.
"Ah, my child, but isn't 'Resistance' just telling everyone what you are not? Instead of what you are?"
Like I said - Dang him! He was right. That's good, because you don't want gurus to be wrong.
So, the question remains - In what would I persist, no matter the time, the place or the circumstance? For those of you into Family Systems theory, it's a matter of Self-Differentiation (defining self, staying connected to others).
Who am I? How does who I am help me minister to my congregation? I suppose that's the biggest question of all.
So, those of you who have navigated here hoping to hear me rant about one thing or another, will have to keep browsing. From now on, I will be exploring persistence rather than resistance.
"Everything!" I answered.
"Ah, my child, but isn't 'Resistance' just telling everyone what you are not? Instead of what you are?"
Like I said - Dang him! He was right. That's good, because you don't want gurus to be wrong.
So, the question remains - In what would I persist, no matter the time, the place or the circumstance? For those of you into Family Systems theory, it's a matter of Self-Differentiation (defining self, staying connected to others).
Who am I? How does who I am help me minister to my congregation? I suppose that's the biggest question of all.
So, those of you who have navigated here hoping to hear me rant about one thing or another, will have to keep browsing. From now on, I will be exploring persistence rather than resistance.
Friday, April 24, 2009
What Are You Afraid Of?
Here's my sermon for April 26, 2009. After re-reading, it's obvious I was preaching to myself!
Luke 24:36-48 (New International Version)
36While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."
37They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have."
40When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" 42They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43and he took it and ate it in their presence.
44He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."
45Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things.
What was it like for the twelve between Good Friday and Easter, between the moment they knew Jesus was dead and the moment they knew He was alive?
Were they hurt? Probably. Jesus was dead. Their hopes were dashed. They were most likely sad; not only had they lost a Messiah, they had lost a friend. Spend three years with someone and you’re bound to feel close to Him. His death changed all that, and there was loneliness to their gathering.
They most likely began to doubt everything they believed when Jesus was with them. Maybe God wasn’t as powerful or loving as they thought? Rome had won the battle and probably the war. Jesus just “clammed up” and took on the cross. Where’s the power in that? Jesus argued with the Pharisees; where was that Jesus when his life was on the line?
Luke tells us clearly that they were afraid. Afraid of what? An uncertain future? Could you go back to fishing or tax collecting after three years like they experienced? Afraid of punishment? If Pilate could get Jesus, he could surely get them!
I doubt you could find a more confused bunch of folks than these twelve men (and maybe a few women) – unless you look around our sanctuary this morning. We often find ourselves stuck in the same sort of “funk” that the disciples were in. We’re in that “in-between” time, too. For 40 days of Lent, we looked forward to Easter; we talked about how great it would be. It was! We got a glimpse of what a full sanctuary looks like, families were reunited, both nuclear families and spiritual families. We felt God’s glory through the worship at sunrise, the fellowship of breakfast, and the beauty of the lilies.
But now? Where’s the Easter Jesus when you need him? A couple of weeks later and its back to the same old grind. Kids go back home. Lilies wilt. We struggle to make it to pay day. There’s work to do. Glory never lasts!
Are we hurt? Scared? Lonely? Sad? Could be. But, then, there’s a knock on the door, and into our rooms of drudgery and disappointment comes Jesus – the Risen Lord!
His first word to us is the most important – “Peace!” In the midst of turmoil, he brings peace. “Don’t be afraid,” he says, “Touch me. Shoot! Go ahead and hug me! I’m no ghost!”
His second word is just as important, “Got anything to eat?”
In these two statements, we hear a remedy for the lost and lonely times in which we find ourselves:
Luke 24:36-48 (New International Version)
36While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."
37They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have."
40When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" 42They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43and he took it and ate it in their presence.
44He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."
45Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things.
What was it like for the twelve between Good Friday and Easter, between the moment they knew Jesus was dead and the moment they knew He was alive?
Were they hurt? Probably. Jesus was dead. Their hopes were dashed. They were most likely sad; not only had they lost a Messiah, they had lost a friend. Spend three years with someone and you’re bound to feel close to Him. His death changed all that, and there was loneliness to their gathering.
They most likely began to doubt everything they believed when Jesus was with them. Maybe God wasn’t as powerful or loving as they thought? Rome had won the battle and probably the war. Jesus just “clammed up” and took on the cross. Where’s the power in that? Jesus argued with the Pharisees; where was that Jesus when his life was on the line?
Luke tells us clearly that they were afraid. Afraid of what? An uncertain future? Could you go back to fishing or tax collecting after three years like they experienced? Afraid of punishment? If Pilate could get Jesus, he could surely get them!
I doubt you could find a more confused bunch of folks than these twelve men (and maybe a few women) – unless you look around our sanctuary this morning. We often find ourselves stuck in the same sort of “funk” that the disciples were in. We’re in that “in-between” time, too. For 40 days of Lent, we looked forward to Easter; we talked about how great it would be. It was! We got a glimpse of what a full sanctuary looks like, families were reunited, both nuclear families and spiritual families. We felt God’s glory through the worship at sunrise, the fellowship of breakfast, and the beauty of the lilies.
But now? Where’s the Easter Jesus when you need him? A couple of weeks later and its back to the same old grind. Kids go back home. Lilies wilt. We struggle to make it to pay day. There’s work to do. Glory never lasts!
Are we hurt? Scared? Lonely? Sad? Could be. But, then, there’s a knock on the door, and into our rooms of drudgery and disappointment comes Jesus – the Risen Lord!
His first word to us is the most important – “Peace!” In the midst of turmoil, he brings peace. “Don’t be afraid,” he says, “Touch me. Shoot! Go ahead and hug me! I’m no ghost!”
His second word is just as important, “Got anything to eat?”
In these two statements, we hear a remedy for the lost and lonely times in which we find ourselves:
- Touch – Have you ever felt as if the touch of a loved one’s hand is all you need to feel better? When emotion is welling up inside of us, the touch of a hand is all we need to feel supported and loved. Holding a hand is often a “release valve” for all those emotions. Touch lets us know another’s presence is real, that their love is tangible and warm.
- Food – I’m glad I serve a church that knows how to eat together. In a few minutes, we will go into the Fellowship Hall and share a meal. Never underestimate the importance of eating together! That’s where we talk, where we laugh. While our bodies gain nourishment, so do our spirits.
Yet, when times get hardest, these ways of connection are often the first casualties. Some of us withdraw from others when bad times hit. When we are overwhelmed by bad feelings, we shut ourselves off from friends and family. When things get rough, more often than not, we refuse to let others know. We stay home from church. We don’t go out. We certainly don’t invite anyone to a meal. The very thing we need is the very thing we avoid.
After Jesus reminds them about presence and the fellowship of a meal, he gives them a purpose: “repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”
It’s not enough to feel the loving touch of a fellow Christian or to share a meal together. To truly defeat the sadness and confusion of hard times, we must have a purpose. We must be about the work that Jesus has given us to do. Repentance and forgiveness must be proclaimed, starting right here! Starting with us! The Great God of Life needs the Good News to get out and we are just the ones to do it!
Even though we suffer, even though we might be sad, we are the ones called to proclaim the Good News. We are the witnesses of the Living Lord!
Even though we are filled with shortcomings and failures, even though we doubt, we are the perfect messengers because we know the power of the Risen Christ!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
My Wife, My Daughter, and Jesus
Last week, I was sitting at the feet of my Family Systems guru, Stewart Jackson. Between fetching him cups of herbal tea, I said, "O Master, help me to understand these people to whom I minister."
"Ah, Grasshopper," came the ever-calm reply, "I see you as a missionary to another culture."
"No, I'm not," I thought, "I'm a Methodist Preacher!" He was right, of course. He always is. Upon further reflection, I realized that I am a missionary caught between two cultures.
For the past seven years, I have served small-town churches. Reform and Carbon Hill are each the size Birmingham-Southern was when I graduated. Before that, the smallest town I lived in was Gadsden, AL. I come from a genteel people whose lives centered around cocktail parties and the country club. Fortunately, I have attended, and earned degrees from, two of the finest educational institutions in the South (probably why I use words like "genteel" and "institution"). I know that sounds "snooty," but it has given me a very different set of values than the "hard-livin'" folks who surround me (to borrow Tex Sample's apt title). Here are a few examples:
"Ah, Grasshopper," came the ever-calm reply, "I see you as a missionary to another culture."
"No, I'm not," I thought, "I'm a Methodist Preacher!" He was right, of course. He always is. Upon further reflection, I realized that I am a missionary caught between two cultures.
For the past seven years, I have served small-town churches. Reform and Carbon Hill are each the size Birmingham-Southern was when I graduated. Before that, the smallest town I lived in was Gadsden, AL. I come from a genteel people whose lives centered around cocktail parties and the country club. Fortunately, I have attended, and earned degrees from, two of the finest educational institutions in the South (probably why I use words like "genteel" and "institution"). I know that sounds "snooty," but it has given me a very different set of values than the "hard-livin'" folks who surround me (to borrow Tex Sample's apt title). Here are a few examples:
- Not long after I arrived here, I was in the Jasper McDonalds. I over-heard two girls talking about a mutual friend. One said to the other, "You know him! Brittany whooped his ass at Maw Maw's Christmas party last year!" We need not even analyze that one to see on how many levels it is "just plain wrong!"
- One day, we were shopping at JC Penney's. One of my daughter's friends said, "I don't usually shop anywhere this nice." I didn't tell her that I once bought a tie that cost as much as her whole back-to-school wardrobe.
- Before Walker County was "The Bingo Capital of West Alabama," it was known as the place to hire an affordable hit man, or to hide the body when he was through.
In my church, and among their friends, it is a different story. As is typical, the United Methodists (and the Presbyterians and the "First Baptists") tend to be on the high end of the economic ladder. They don't attend Christmas parties that degenerate into an "ass-whoopin'." They don't play Bingo, though one of them owns a Bingo hall. They are lawyers, business men and women, professionals. I find it easy to relate to them. That's not the problem!
The problem is that I am called to relate to all these "other people" that my church would rather just ignore. Last week, a church member said to me, "Around here, it's always been 'the less you know, the better'." That not just a custom, its a survival tactic! When your neighbor might be a criminal (or know one who owes him a favor), it's safe to ignore.
About a month ago, a meth lab blew up in Carbon Hill, no big surprise for any of us who live in rural Alabama. Was is surprising and dismaying to me is its location - two blocks from the parsonage! It was just behind the home of everybody's favorite retired school teacher, a woman who is the epitome of genteel. The man who ran it, after the explosion, grabbed his step-kids and high-tailed it out of there. An amazing feat, considering he had third-degree burns over most of his body. One step-son had to cover his younger brother's face, so he wouldn't see the horror story behind the steering wheel. The other step-son called 911 on his cell phone before they got out of town, after the guy realized he couldn't drive anymore. The step-dad later died from his injuries. You can see why the good Christian people of Carbon Hill want to ignore things like this.
I think my church would like it if I ignored them, too. But, I have three people in my life who force me to deal with these things. They are my wife, my daughter, and Jesus.
First there's my 14 year-old daughter. When she was little, we had a club called "Puppy Protectors." It was small, only two members. Every time we saw a stray dog or cat, we would investigate. Over the years, we've probably helped about two dozen of them, four of which still live with us. She's still taking in strays (thank God she still feels that amount of care for others), only now it's teenagers instead of puppies or kittens.
Since March of '08, we've looked after dozens of teenagers. They eat with us, stay the night with us, and do many other things with us. "Can so-and-so stay the night?" That's how it starts. Even though I play the "Grumpy Dad" role, I never win. Before long, a night becomes a week. In one case a night turned into 6 months!
Then, there's my wife, Belinda. I suppose she is now the President of "Puppy Protectors" (I'm more like the Sargeant-at-Arms). She attracts teenagers like rappers attract gold chains, or flat-brimmed baseball caps, or whatever they're wearing these days. I walked in the other night and she was surrounded by 4 or 5 kids talking about sex. The things these kids were saying to her sounded like Seth and Evan in "Superbad" (if you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about - locker room stuff). The best part was that they were listening to what she had to say about it, encouraging them to think more highly of themselves, like God thought of them.
So, even if I wasn't on a first-name basis with the Savior of the World (Jesus. In case you weren't clear on that), I'd be forced to relate to this "other element" of Carbon Hill socciety. Mostly, I find myself acting more like Jesus cleansing the temple than Jesus letting the little children come to him.
- At a recent funeral at my church, after seeing a "mourner" pass some illegal prescription drugs to the widow, I took him outside and threatened to beat his ass like Brittany at a Christmas party! Illegal prescription drugs were what caused the funeral in the first place, so I was a little sensitive.
- I had to go all "Jerry Springer" on a teenager a couple of weeks ago. He tried to trap a kid on our church basketball court, to make it easier to catch him before he beat him up. He, just a week later, beat up a youth group member and stole his cell phone. I forcefully removed him from our church property. He, too, threatened to "beat my ass" (what is it with these people and asses?)
I know. That's nowhere near a Jesusy thing to do. WWJD and all that jazz! Just the week before, Belinda had confronted the same kid. She told him she prayed for him and his victims, that God loved him no matter how crappy his life was (said it just like that, too), and offered to pray for him right there on the church parking lot. She's a much better Christian than I am. But, we do work out our own sort of "Good Cop/Bad Cop" thing. Maybe "Good Jesus/ Bad Jesus"?
I wish I could ignore, like most of my church has learned to do. Life is easier with blinders on. So, O Wise Stewart, my question is, "Just who am I a Missionary to? My safety-conscious church members? or the "at-risk" teens?"
Help me Obi-Wan. You're my only hope!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Sorry, no pictures!
As for the diagrams, sorry. I thought they would transfer. Picture a roller coaster hill. It goes up a little bit to start on the left side of the page, then starts the downhill slope where all the negative emotions are. It hits bottom, and we decide to stick it out or leave. Then, it goes back up on the right side, and we move into a changed "world."
Saturday, April 18, 2009
A Letter to the Bishop
I post this now because I hand-delivered it to the "Bish" on Thursday. (There were even diagrams. I don't know if they will show up in this post, though.)
Bishop William H. Willimon
North Alabama Conference
898 Arkadelphia Rd.
Birmingham, AL
March 31, 2009
Dear Bishop Willimon,
As I finished reading your latest weekly letter (“The Sending of Pastors,” March 30, 2009), I was happy to see your request for feedback. There is an enormous need for communication between the leadership of this conference and the “rank and file” pastor. In the days following the Birmingham First appointment, I engaged in a flurry of e-mails with pastors in my district (Southwest). We all seem to have the same questions and complaints.
The first and foremost complaint can be summed up by my new “motto” – “Everybody wants to ‘start a conversation’ but nobody wants to sit down and talk anymore.” It seems “Start a Conversation” is the new catch phrase around the Cabinet table. I’m not sure what this phrase is “code” for; perhaps it means “I’d like to phrase a thoughtful response to your questions, so please put it in writing.” However, most of us are afraid it means something more sinister. There seems to be the fear that any feedback calling into question your decisions might reflect negatively on the pastor.
Throwing caution to the wind, I write in hopes that the phrase is code for something good. It has always been my experience (you may remember, I have sent you a few e-mails) that you do respond well to the written word. As a matter of fact, one of your e-mail responses I even considered an answer to prayer. I write this letter with the same spirit, and the same hope for response.
I whole-heartedly believe the changes you and the Cabinet seek to enact are positive ones. We have long needed criteria other than a “salary ladder” for making appointments. Placing the local church needs in front of the pastor’s need is also, I believe, the proper prioritization. While the ends may be better, the means leave something to be desired.
As we front-line pastors have discovered, wholesale changes cannot be made in a church (or even in a conference?) without much communication and information. While you send weekly e-mails, maybe what we need to do is just sit down and talk. I think some good two-way conversation, in which you and the Cabinet listen to the feelings of all us pastors in the 40-60 age range, would do wonders.
My feedback covers three areas: where we (your pastors) are in relation to the changes being enacted, the StrengthsFinder assessment, and salaries.
The Roller Coaster
In Gil Rendle’s book, Leading Change in the Congregation (Alban Institute, 1998), he describes the “Roller Coaster of Change” (Chapter 5, pp. 105-131).
You can see the downward slope is filled with all sorts of negative feelings. These are necessary, Rendle says, “The fact is that in order to make the transition into the new goals or plans of the congregation [or conference?], people first need to do the work of letting go of what has been.” (p. 114) As I hear my sisters and brothers in the ministry, I believe we are all on the downward slope. We may buy into the changes, but we have some mourning to do first. Many of us mourn the fact that just as we learn how to operate in the system, the rules change! Many of us mourn the fact that just as we enter what used to be the prime of our ministerial life, younger clergy are being given the appointments normally given to men and women our age. In short, lots of us just don’t know what’s going on anymore! It scares us and discourages us.
Here is the most important piece of feedback I could give you now – Rendle’s suggestion for the “Appropriate Leadership Response.” In responding, it is important to know which side of the roller coaster you are talking to! On the left is the “letting go” and all its negative manifestations. On the right side is all the hope, looking forward, and the positive manifestations the leader hopes for. So, which half are you and the Cabinet talking to?
A common mistake leaders make, according to Rendle, is to always speak from the right side of the roller coaster: “Leaders in congregations [and conferences?] quite often tend to hear the feelings and issues on the left half of the roller coaster and respond by talking to people about the hopes and actions on the right side of the roller coaster.” This is a problem because the two sides speak different languages – the left side speaks “feelings” and the right side speaks “logic”.
The appropriate leadership response to a congregation (or group of preachers?) on the left side of the roller coaster is listening. “Leaders and members who are on the left half of the roller coaster need to be listened to, not convinced,” Rendle says (p. 120). It is not easy for left-side people to deal with logical persuasion when they are dealing with feelings. I think perhaps the Cabinet has done a lot of talking and persuading, but how much listening have you done? It looks like your letter of March 30 was probably written from the right side of the roller coaster, but we left-side preachers won’t hear it! We just want you to listen to us!
This is Rendle’s diagram of the appropriate leadership response:
Rendle is careful to point out that “Listening is listening. It is not agreement. Listening means being able to be clear about the concerns people are raising and being able to demonstrate that the concerns have been heard, considered, and perhaps resolved” (p.120). I think, if you will take time to listen to us, hear some of our valid points, mourn with us over our losses, we might be able to help these positive changes come about.
Notice at the bottom of the slope is the “decision to stick with it (or leave).” We all must go through that point. If we are to climb the next hill with you, then we must decide to “stick with it.” In order to do that, we must be listened to!
StrengthsFinder
Much has been written about the StrengthsFinder. I just have one question about that: How will the Cabinet match a pastor’s strengths to the proposed church?
In Buckingham’s follow-up book, Go Put Your Strengths to Work (Free Press, 2007), he talks about how difficult it is to know how one’s five strengths translate into workplace performance. Indeed, that’s what the whole book is about! Yet, the Cabinet seems to think it is just a matter of matching one list to another.
For example, mine are: Intellection, Input, Learning, Competition, and Adaptability. What kind of church would be good for me?
We might be at the point Buckingham predicts: “When it comes to the strengths movement, we are stuck in the first stage. We know how to label. We don’t know how to move beyond a label and actually put our strengths to work” (p. 11).
The StrengthsFinder is probably as good a way as any to discover what our strengths are, certainly it is more quick and efficient than some other ways. But, while there has been a lot of “label” talk, there has been little talk about how this will be put into action.
Salaries
If you no longer consider salaries in appointment-making, shouldn’t we create some kind of system in which salaries don’t matter?
I agree that salaries are not the best way to make appointments, but, for years they have been the only means of rewarding pastors for a job well done. Could we find another way to reward pastors, if we are indeed throwing out the “salary ladder?”
If salaries are not considered, then a pastor is as liable, even if he or she has served long and well, to receive a pay cut as a pay raise. For instance, if my skills and fruits are needed one year at a $60,000 salary, and next year at a $40,000 salary, how am I supposed to understand that? Am I being punished? Rewarded? What?
It seems that, therefore, some sort of system should be worked out whereby those with those with equal experience make about the same (within a reasonable range, allowing for changes in church’s financial strength, pastor’s performance, etc.). That way, salaries really could be ignored in the appointment process.
I know this is an enormously complicated issue; but, is anyone working on it? Here’s an idea: What if the salary went with the pastor, rather than the church. “Pastor Sally,” with 10 years local church experience makes “X amount” wherever she goes, within a certain range. She might make more than “Pastor Joe” with 10 years local church experience because her churches (or the Annual Conference) have given her certain “performance raises.” Then, when she is appointed to a new church, they pay her the salary that she earns, rather than what they paid the pastor before her.
If there were such a thing, then salaries really could be ignored in the appointment process. I don’t pretend to know how it might work, but think about it!
There are a lot of feelings and ideas out there. If you take one thing away from this letter, please let it be this: stop ‘starting conversations’ and start listening! Please!
In Christ,
Rev. Earl Freeman
First UMC
Carbon Hill
chmethodist@bellsouth.net
(205)924-4409 – church
(205)924-4478 – home
(205)275-2545 – cell
p.s. – If I were writing by hand, I would sign as large as John Hancock signed the Declaration of Independence. I suppose all the phone numbers and the e-mail address above is the digital equivalent.
Bishop William H. Willimon
North Alabama Conference
898 Arkadelphia Rd.
Birmingham, AL
March 31, 2009
Dear Bishop Willimon,
As I finished reading your latest weekly letter (“The Sending of Pastors,” March 30, 2009), I was happy to see your request for feedback. There is an enormous need for communication between the leadership of this conference and the “rank and file” pastor. In the days following the Birmingham First appointment, I engaged in a flurry of e-mails with pastors in my district (Southwest). We all seem to have the same questions and complaints.
The first and foremost complaint can be summed up by my new “motto” – “Everybody wants to ‘start a conversation’ but nobody wants to sit down and talk anymore.” It seems “Start a Conversation” is the new catch phrase around the Cabinet table. I’m not sure what this phrase is “code” for; perhaps it means “I’d like to phrase a thoughtful response to your questions, so please put it in writing.” However, most of us are afraid it means something more sinister. There seems to be the fear that any feedback calling into question your decisions might reflect negatively on the pastor.
Throwing caution to the wind, I write in hopes that the phrase is code for something good. It has always been my experience (you may remember, I have sent you a few e-mails) that you do respond well to the written word. As a matter of fact, one of your e-mail responses I even considered an answer to prayer. I write this letter with the same spirit, and the same hope for response.
I whole-heartedly believe the changes you and the Cabinet seek to enact are positive ones. We have long needed criteria other than a “salary ladder” for making appointments. Placing the local church needs in front of the pastor’s need is also, I believe, the proper prioritization. While the ends may be better, the means leave something to be desired.
As we front-line pastors have discovered, wholesale changes cannot be made in a church (or even in a conference?) without much communication and information. While you send weekly e-mails, maybe what we need to do is just sit down and talk. I think some good two-way conversation, in which you and the Cabinet listen to the feelings of all us pastors in the 40-60 age range, would do wonders.
My feedback covers three areas: where we (your pastors) are in relation to the changes being enacted, the StrengthsFinder assessment, and salaries.
The Roller Coaster
In Gil Rendle’s book, Leading Change in the Congregation (Alban Institute, 1998), he describes the “Roller Coaster of Change” (Chapter 5, pp. 105-131).
You can see the downward slope is filled with all sorts of negative feelings. These are necessary, Rendle says, “The fact is that in order to make the transition into the new goals or plans of the congregation [or conference?], people first need to do the work of letting go of what has been.” (p. 114) As I hear my sisters and brothers in the ministry, I believe we are all on the downward slope. We may buy into the changes, but we have some mourning to do first. Many of us mourn the fact that just as we learn how to operate in the system, the rules change! Many of us mourn the fact that just as we enter what used to be the prime of our ministerial life, younger clergy are being given the appointments normally given to men and women our age. In short, lots of us just don’t know what’s going on anymore! It scares us and discourages us.
Here is the most important piece of feedback I could give you now – Rendle’s suggestion for the “Appropriate Leadership Response.” In responding, it is important to know which side of the roller coaster you are talking to! On the left is the “letting go” and all its negative manifestations. On the right side is all the hope, looking forward, and the positive manifestations the leader hopes for. So, which half are you and the Cabinet talking to?
A common mistake leaders make, according to Rendle, is to always speak from the right side of the roller coaster: “Leaders in congregations [and conferences?] quite often tend to hear the feelings and issues on the left half of the roller coaster and respond by talking to people about the hopes and actions on the right side of the roller coaster.” This is a problem because the two sides speak different languages – the left side speaks “feelings” and the right side speaks “logic”.
The appropriate leadership response to a congregation (or group of preachers?) on the left side of the roller coaster is listening. “Leaders and members who are on the left half of the roller coaster need to be listened to, not convinced,” Rendle says (p. 120). It is not easy for left-side people to deal with logical persuasion when they are dealing with feelings. I think perhaps the Cabinet has done a lot of talking and persuading, but how much listening have you done? It looks like your letter of March 30 was probably written from the right side of the roller coaster, but we left-side preachers won’t hear it! We just want you to listen to us!
This is Rendle’s diagram of the appropriate leadership response:
Rendle is careful to point out that “Listening is listening. It is not agreement. Listening means being able to be clear about the concerns people are raising and being able to demonstrate that the concerns have been heard, considered, and perhaps resolved” (p.120). I think, if you will take time to listen to us, hear some of our valid points, mourn with us over our losses, we might be able to help these positive changes come about.
Notice at the bottom of the slope is the “decision to stick with it (or leave).” We all must go through that point. If we are to climb the next hill with you, then we must decide to “stick with it.” In order to do that, we must be listened to!
StrengthsFinder
Much has been written about the StrengthsFinder. I just have one question about that: How will the Cabinet match a pastor’s strengths to the proposed church?
In Buckingham’s follow-up book, Go Put Your Strengths to Work (Free Press, 2007), he talks about how difficult it is to know how one’s five strengths translate into workplace performance. Indeed, that’s what the whole book is about! Yet, the Cabinet seems to think it is just a matter of matching one list to another.
For example, mine are: Intellection, Input, Learning, Competition, and Adaptability. What kind of church would be good for me?
We might be at the point Buckingham predicts: “When it comes to the strengths movement, we are stuck in the first stage. We know how to label. We don’t know how to move beyond a label and actually put our strengths to work” (p. 11).
The StrengthsFinder is probably as good a way as any to discover what our strengths are, certainly it is more quick and efficient than some other ways. But, while there has been a lot of “label” talk, there has been little talk about how this will be put into action.
Salaries
If you no longer consider salaries in appointment-making, shouldn’t we create some kind of system in which salaries don’t matter?
I agree that salaries are not the best way to make appointments, but, for years they have been the only means of rewarding pastors for a job well done. Could we find another way to reward pastors, if we are indeed throwing out the “salary ladder?”
If salaries are not considered, then a pastor is as liable, even if he or she has served long and well, to receive a pay cut as a pay raise. For instance, if my skills and fruits are needed one year at a $60,000 salary, and next year at a $40,000 salary, how am I supposed to understand that? Am I being punished? Rewarded? What?
It seems that, therefore, some sort of system should be worked out whereby those with those with equal experience make about the same (within a reasonable range, allowing for changes in church’s financial strength, pastor’s performance, etc.). That way, salaries really could be ignored in the appointment process.
I know this is an enormously complicated issue; but, is anyone working on it? Here’s an idea: What if the salary went with the pastor, rather than the church. “Pastor Sally,” with 10 years local church experience makes “X amount” wherever she goes, within a certain range. She might make more than “Pastor Joe” with 10 years local church experience because her churches (or the Annual Conference) have given her certain “performance raises.” Then, when she is appointed to a new church, they pay her the salary that she earns, rather than what they paid the pastor before her.
If there were such a thing, then salaries really could be ignored in the appointment process. I don’t pretend to know how it might work, but think about it!
There are a lot of feelings and ideas out there. If you take one thing away from this letter, please let it be this: stop ‘starting conversations’ and start listening! Please!
In Christ,
Rev. Earl Freeman
First UMC
Carbon Hill
chmethodist@bellsouth.net
(205)924-4409 – church
(205)924-4478 – home
(205)275-2545 – cell
p.s. – If I were writing by hand, I would sign as large as John Hancock signed the Declaration of Independence. I suppose all the phone numbers and the e-mail address above is the digital equivalent.
What have I got to resist?
If you are reading this, "Welcome!" If you are a friend, you've likely been "priveleged" to hear some of my many pontifications on any given subject - Conservative Christians, Walker County (where "Jerry Springer" is just another talk show!), the state of popular music, etc. As you can see, I love to vent!
Maybe it's because, at 45, I am creeping up on Crumudgeon age. I've always aspired to be that old man in the neighborhood who is crusty but loveable once you get to know him, the "Good ol' Mr. Wilson" to 21st century "Dennises."
I think, if you'll excuse any haughtiness you might read into my words, that I just expect more of people than they seem willing to give. This isn't entitlement, I don't expect them to give more to me. I just expect them to give more to living in general - give more to their own education, give more civility, give more care to their children, give better customer service (don't get me started!), give more to their faith.
So, I'm going to use this space to call us to more!
What have I got to resist? Resist the mediocre crap that most people settle for these days! I mean, why listen to rap when you can listen to people who actually know how to play an instrument (like bluegrass)? Why read People Magazine when you could at least read Newsweek or Time or, dare I say, The Economist? Anything that makes you think more than wondering what Lindsay Lohan is up to!
If you are one of my brothers or sisters in the ministry, you know we have a lot to resist. We are being subjected to the oppression of "Effectiveness." Granted, I want to be a good pastor; and, I think I am. But, the powers that be define "Effectiveness" so narrowly that only a lucky few can ever achieve it. God has so much more in store for us! God has such a huge definition of "Effectiveness" (maybe so huge as to render the word meaningless?), that our feeble attempts reek of Pharasaical judgement and idolatry.
If you read this, know that I love you. Thank you for reading. Respond, comment, share it on facebook, do whatever you youngsters do with this infernal thing! See, I've got this crumudgeon stuff down!
Earl
Maybe it's because, at 45, I am creeping up on Crumudgeon age. I've always aspired to be that old man in the neighborhood who is crusty but loveable once you get to know him, the "Good ol' Mr. Wilson" to 21st century "Dennises."
I think, if you'll excuse any haughtiness you might read into my words, that I just expect more of people than they seem willing to give. This isn't entitlement, I don't expect them to give more to me. I just expect them to give more to living in general - give more to their own education, give more civility, give more care to their children, give better customer service (don't get me started!), give more to their faith.
So, I'm going to use this space to call us to more!
What have I got to resist? Resist the mediocre crap that most people settle for these days! I mean, why listen to rap when you can listen to people who actually know how to play an instrument (like bluegrass)? Why read People Magazine when you could at least read Newsweek or Time or, dare I say, The Economist? Anything that makes you think more than wondering what Lindsay Lohan is up to!
If you are one of my brothers or sisters in the ministry, you know we have a lot to resist. We are being subjected to the oppression of "Effectiveness." Granted, I want to be a good pastor; and, I think I am. But, the powers that be define "Effectiveness" so narrowly that only a lucky few can ever achieve it. God has so much more in store for us! God has such a huge definition of "Effectiveness" (maybe so huge as to render the word meaningless?), that our feeble attempts reek of Pharasaical judgement and idolatry.
If you read this, know that I love you. Thank you for reading. Respond, comment, share it on facebook, do whatever you youngsters do with this infernal thing! See, I've got this crumudgeon stuff down!
Earl
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