Reflections on "Connected" Mark 12: 28-33

Someone in my Lenten group noted that if we are going to speak to other people about God, then bringing up the Trinity is probably a confusing thing to do.  I agree!  Perhaps I should have noted that the Trinitarian foundation for our connectedness is not the topic of conversation when sharing our faith, but it is provides the theological basis for us to understand the call to be connected.

I thought the author's story about the long-time member who knew she would be supported if she shared with others in the church, but never had shared spoke to the heart of this chapter.  In other words, how do we create places where we can share and grow in meaningful ways.  I could identify a few groups in our congregation where that happens, but there are many of us who do not have such a group.  That is the exclusive domain of the church, of course, but creating that space ought to be one of our goals.  

I also thought the point that we can enter into the connectedness from any of the three areas offered insight into how a church like ours (that focuses on mission) can see how that emphasis can also open to the door to deeper connections in other ways.

"Connected" Ephesians 4 Unbinding Your Heart Lenten series, 2011; March 27, 2011

Introduction: Unbinding Your Heart – this week's focus on connectedness

Move 1: Connectedness grows out of our understanding of God.

a. God is a Trinitarian God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit, which means by definition God is a God of connectedness.

1. To be made in the image of God means to be made to be in relationship with others.
2. To try and “be more like God” as our final hymn this morning suggests we do [“change my heart”} means, in part, to be connected with others.
   3.  Not new to us -- when Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, he shared a truth that had been part of the Israelite tradition:  first, love God; then love neighbor.  Not one without the other. Both.  Connected.
   
   
   b. The author describes our connected in three ways.

1. relationship with God;
2. relationship with those in the church community;
3. relationship with those in the world around us.
   c. When we grow in one area of connection, it makes us connect to others.
   1. Not enough to just be connected with God.
   2. Prayer journal – as you pray, you find yourself being sent to connect with others.
   3. Connected with others might drive you back to God in prayer.
   4. Not new to us – Jesus answered a question about it in his time; and his answer grew out of the Israelite understanding of the great commandment – love God and love neighbor. Connected. One leads to the other.

d. Important point – growth can begin in any of the areas.

1. Mission – Breakfast Club.
2. lead to prayer for the people and for guidance.
3. Volunteer with other people in our community of faith.
4. Connect with others and develop ongoing relationships.
d. Excitement in how you are growing leads to sharing with others.

Move 2: Connectedness is Real and life-giving

a. Author provides a vision of church where “church merges with real life”

1. Escape to church. Escape from our lives.
2. literally a sanctuary.
3. Do not dismiss that role.
4. But the power of church when it connects with our real lives.
5. Not just a place to forget, but a place to interpret and grow.
6. Bar vs. Church – Reformation; typically conversation is about how the church ought to be more like a bar. But, typically a bar is just a place to tell your story; therapeutic; but the church offers a place to interpret the story and be changed.

b. Story of longtime member who went every week.

1. I knew that if I ever had any problems, I could turn to others to support me.

2. Did you?

3. No, but I knew I could have.

               4. Good story – but author pushes us by asking the question – with whom do you share your challenges and struggles?

c. Prayer group/mail group/email group

1. I have been part of a group since 1988. We have experienced lots of things with each other: New calls; bad calls; death from ovarian cancer of one of our group; parent's death; kids dating people you are not happy with (that's not me yet!); retirement.

2. Maintained itself for over 20 years because it has provided real and life-changing connections.

Move 3: Church as a place to be connected, not as an institution to maintain.

a. Listen to the conversations at most any church coffee hour, and a fair amount of them – especially during this traditional stewardship season – revolve around how to keep our beloved institution going. The conversations are well intentioned and even necessary, to a point, and we can end up creating a place where it can feel as though you don’t want everyone to know your name because they will assign you to a committee. Don't Eat Alone, blog by Milton Cunningham-Brasher, Monday, 11/10/10, donteatalone.blogspot.com
1. We know those conversations.
2. More conversations about what is happening in our lives.
b. high school youth group.
1. Retreat in the dark.
2. We would turn out the lights and anything could be said and anything that was said was confidential and never mentioned once the lights came on.
c. where do you go to say the things that can only be said in the dark?
1. Lenten prayer groups
2. Choir?
3. Church school class.
We as a church need to grow into our role as a place where people can gather in groups to share. 
Conclusion:. Nevada Barr, Seeking Enlightenment Hat by Hat (191): Why church? “Because when Jesus said, ‘Wherever two or more gather in my name, I am there’ He wasn’t whistling Dixie. The mountain is for finding and adoring God in the wilderness. Church is for finding and adoring God in community: with others, through others, because of others, in spite of others..... Without community, how would I share. Who would I help? How would I learn to accept help? Would I learn to serve others without others to serve? And could I know how if I wasn’t taught? To what would I, a human being, belong to if not to a group of human beings?”

We worship a God of connectedness and hear the call to be connected.

"Connected" Mark 12: 28-33; Ephesians 4: 1-16

As I read this week's chapter on relationships in Unbinding Your Heart, I noticed that the author used Trinitarian language as the framework for the conversation on relationships.  When I first heard that application of the doctrine of the Trinity, I thought that the theology professor was really reaching!  Now, that concept has become foundational to much of today's conversation on connectedness.  Simply put, if we understand God as Trinity than by definition God is relational; if we are made in the image of God, we must be relational people.

As I have mentioned in other settings, when I meet someone on a plane or at a party and they find out I am a minister, I know they will have two questions/comments for me:  1.  Do you have to believe in Jesus Christ to be saved?  2.  Do you have to go to church to be a Christian?  I won't bore you with my normal answers except to note that somewhere in my answer to the "church" question I ask my own question -- Can you find me any example in the biblical text where God called someone to be alone?  To this point, no one has been able to give me an example (Jesus could be argued as the example, but that gets complicated by Jesus one person of three-person God, which means by definition he is not alone!).  For good and for bad, we are in relationship with one another.

As I read this chapter, I found myself also wanting to push back a bit on the author's assertion that anyone who is excited about their faith wants to share their faith with others.  While I would be willing to agree that most people who are excited about their faith act on it, the response could be different than bubbling over and telling people about it (of course, at this point I may be the mainline ministers she refers to who just don't get it!).  But, I also think we too often consciously choose not to tell others, even when we want to, because we are not sure how that conversation will unfold and we are afraid of being rejected.  Her story of not praying with the family gathered at the dying person's bedside at the hospital struck a chord with my own personal experiences as a pastor.

how is this chapter speaking to you?

Peace,

Richard

Reflections on "Opening the Window" Matthew 18: 15-20; Psalm 121

I am not sure I ever figured out the point I really wanted to make in the sermon, or at least I do not think I emphasized enough the challenge to make prayer and intentional, ongoing activity in our lives.  I continue to ponder what it would be like to pick an issue and be prayerful about it over an extended period of time and be willing to go where God leads me.  The most difficult part of that challenge is two-fold:  being able to stay focused and on-task for an extended period of time and begin willing to take the risk of doing what I hear God asking of me.

It is easy to point out the instances where we do not understand how God is at work in our prayers or where we seem to pray endlessly without seeing results (i.e. praying for peace each week).  Of course, it is also easy to point to those examples and use them as an excuse to not take prayer seriously in other aspects of our lives.

I suspect many of us have a story about how a prayer was answered in the a timely manner. Does anyone have a story to share about praying over an extended period of time about something and then seeing how that prayer was answered over the longer period of time?

“Opening a Window” March 20, 2011; FPC, Troy; Lenten series on Unbinding the Heart ; Psalm 121; Matthew 18:

Introduction: We continue reflecting on  Unbinding the Heart in our sermons and small groups this Lenten season.  This week the topic is prayer.  I am reminded that a few years ago I spent all of Lent preaching on prayer and did not think that was enough time.  Now, I'm doing it in one sermon!  Focus on how to be intentional in the discipline of prayer.

Move 1: Discipline of prayer.

a. Often, we pray like we text.

1. Texting: short comment or request; typically need based or when something occurs to us; sometimes we want an immediate response; other times, we send it knowing the person cannot answer, but expecting that we will get a quick response when they do answer (pick up milk for breakfast request)
2. Short, quick prayer to address the moment
3. Immediate response; or response that is isolated.
4. Or response that is isolated, dealing with our particular request, without implications.
5. We see this in crisis prayers.
6. But even when we pray while not in crisis, we typically want an immediate response on a particular issue.

b. Connect patience with prayer.

1. Author tells the story of a new evangelism team (Unbinding the Heart, Martha Reese, 29-31)
2. Four people raring to start.
3. Pray for three months.
4. Imagine the discussion that probably took place: “What, do nothing but pray?” “But we're ready to go know. Strike while the irons hots.” “My time is tight, I”m not sure I can find time to just sit in a room and stare at each other!”
5. Discovered that after three months, the ministry took off.
6. Nothing magical about three months.
7. Ongoing prayer life that this not built on immediate response, but allows God to work on us in the space.
8. Poet Scott Cairns recounts a Dan Rather interview with Mother Theresa in which he asked her what she says to God when she prays.” I don’t say anything,” she said. “I just listen.” Rather then asked what God says to her. “he doesn’t say anything,” she responded. “He just listens.” Crux, Winter 2006 as recorded in Christian Century.

Patient prayer.

c. Ongoing, intentional prayer sustains life.

1. Robert Trumbull, The Raft, 1942 three downed Air Force pilots spent 34 days at sea in a life raft. They began to hold prayer meetings on the raft. “We all did some praying on this trip, first because it worked a couple of times and we were willing to keep trying again, and later because it gave us something regular to do. IN fact our prayer meeting was to become the high spot of our evenings.” None of the three would have considered himself highly religious.

2. Immediate response got them praying.
3. Connection to God of hope kept them praying.
   d. Psalm 121
   1. From where will my help come? Not from the mountains? Not from skyscrapers or technology or what we can do.
   2. My help comes from God.

Move 2: Prayer in community

a. Pray with us.

1. Example of Presbyterian minister joins with colleagues for 2 hrs. of prayer each Tuesday morning (Unbinding the Heart, Martha Reese, 34-36)
2. Attributes that time of prayer to new life as he works in leadership with the congregation he serves and within the community.
3. Ongoing prayer, but also prayer with others.

b. Pray for us.

1. Praying with others: Nora Gallagher describing the power of prayer during the time of her brother's death: “I could not pray myself, or at least I could not formulate words or wishes. If I sat long enough to pray, I found only a room filled with a long scream. I finally began to see that I was living on other people's prayers, as if they were bread and water...Prayers were what I came to believe in; they were the glue that bound me to the living, and made it possible for me to remain upright and walk.” Practicing Resurrection: A Memoir of Work, Doubt, Discernment and Moments of Grace, Nora Gallagher, (38)
2. One of the strengths of this congregation is the ongoing prayers for others: lifting prayer concerns in worship; elink; confidential prayer chain. I regularly hear people talking about praying for others or nothing how the prayers of others have been felt.
3. Speak to the importance of being in a community of faith that gives us prayer partners.
4. Small groups – pray for each other.

100. Help shape us as we discern God's answer to our prayers.
     1. In Matthew's gospel, Jesus gives us something scary to contemplate – what we bind on earth will be bound in heaven.
     2. Power few prayer ought to scare us.
     3. We need people to help us discern; guide us; pull us back.

Prayer in community.

Move 3: Powerful image of prayer as opening a window.

a. Pope John XXIII, “Keep a window open for the Spirit” (Unbinding the Heart, Martha Reese, 37)

b. Thought a lot about stained glass windows.

1. each week they add to our beauty of worship.
2. Depict biblical images; visions of God.
3. Remind us of what God has done; who we worship.

4. In some ways, they present a static image of God. This is who God is. Here's an image of God the window shares with us.

100. But, to use the image of prayer an opening a window, think about opening our stained glass windows – letting a breeze race through our midst.
     1. Imagine that is the Holy Spirit, blowing into our lives.
     2. Not a static God, but a dynamic God.
     3. More than a biblical story we know; a living God who shares visions with us and invites us to discover new ways of following Christ.
     4. Kathleen Norris: ‘Prayer is not asking for what you think you want, but asking to be changed in ways you can’t imagine.’” from Grace (Eventually): thoughts on Faith, Ann Lamott, (11)

Conclusion: We hear loud and clear this week a call to the disciplined, shared experience of prayer.

Reflections on "Opening the Window" Matthew 18: 15-20; Psalm 121

The Matthew 18: 15-20 was suggested in this week's chapter of Unbinding Your Heart; Psalm 121 is this week's lectionary passage and I read it this past week at a memorial service (so it is fresh on my mind).  This week's chapter focuses on prayer.  More specifically, using the discipline of prayer to open us up to what God desires of us and then the power of prayer to undergird us as we attempt to do what we believe God calls us to do.

I found two of the stories of prayer particularly compelling.  First of all, the story of the evangelism team that met and prayed for three months before doing anything else -- no decisions, no actions, nothing but prayer for three months.  Their patience was rewarded with a burst of energy and excitement when they did begin to make decisions.  As I try to imagine implementing that model, I wonder how open I (and others) would be to taking that time of intentional prayer.  Typically, I find myself (and others) willing to pray, but preferring to have answers  immediately or acting immediately and praying that God will be part of what we are doing.

Secondly, the story about the ministers in a town who met and prayed for two hours every week hit home.  I cannot imagine spending two consecutive hours in prayer, particularly with others.  The local ministers who meet together do so for an hour or so a month, but we busily discuss issues or have guest speakers.  Two hours of prayer!  But, on Ash Wednesday the last two years I have spent quite a bit of time (4 hours cumulatively) in the sanctuary alone, or with others in silence, as I wait to impose ashes on people.  It takes a little while to adjust to the quiet and nothing to do, but I find myself refreshed by the extended time of prayer and reflection that takes place during that day.  I wonder how much time I could carve out each week for prayer, if I made that my primary commitment?

I also note that the author reminds us that we need a community of faith to hold us accountable and guide us as we discern what God is telling us in time of prayer.

How would you describe your most meaningful experience of prayer?

What does your ongoing life of prayer look like?

Peace,

Richard

Reflections on ""Unbinding Your Heart" Lenten series Isaiah 55: 1-5; Romans 5: 6-11

This was the first sermon on the Lenten series based on the book Unbinding the Heart.  I like the idea of preaching a series on a topic that many in the congregation are reading about on their own and/or sharing about it with a small group.  I also struggle a bit with trying to stick to a topic given to me!

This week's sermon spoke to the theme of the first chapter, as least in its suggestion that we reflect on what difference a being a Christian makes in our own lives.  I departed from the section of the chapter that focused on reasons we share our faith and why others need to know Christ.

I did not mention that I was doing it to model faith sharing, but I did include two personal stories (one about when faith was important to me and one about a negative experience of evangelism) in the sermon.  Without having written the rest of the sermons in the series and knowing what will actually be preached, I am thinking that each sermon will include a personal story about my faith to model faith sharing.

I believe that the recognition that the Reformed and Presbyterian tradition has a vision of a gracious God that the world needs to hear may have been the most important point of the sermon.

Even if I had not preached, just hearing Paul's powerful comments about Christ bringing us salvation was worth coming to worship!

“Does It Make A Difference” March 13, 2011; FPC, Troy; Unbinding the Heart Lenten series

Introduction: Everyone is invited to read Unbinding the Heart and participate in a weekly small group discussing and reflecting on each chapter.  

Move 1: Jr. year in high school, I was part of an ecumenical youth council in Denton, TX. Youth and adults from various churches in town. As I recall, our purpose was to organize activities for all the youth in Denton to do.

As the fall approached, we discussed doing something after the high school football games. We decided to have an ecumenical gathering after each home game with pizza, soft drinks and some type of entertainment.

The first week was going to be the big splash. After the game, all the high schoolers would be invited over to the auditorium across the street, a great band would play, and we would eat pizza.

I vaguely remember there being some conversation about the band and making sure the gathering was an ecumenical event.

I attended my first Session meeting to request and receive funds for the event.

Lots of effort and preparation went into the event.

Friday night arrived; I can't tell you whether we won or lost the football game, but I know that nearly every seat in the auditorium was filled as we ate pizza and listened to the band.

We were off to a great start. And then one of the band members shared his faith and how important Christ was to his life.

Being a Presbyterian, I confess that I was not used to hearing this type of conversation!

The faith sharing led to what I now know is an altar call, except it was the come down to the front of the auditorium to be saved call that night.

I guess not enough people came down to be saved because the band member told us he was disappointed that more people were accepting Jesus into their hearts. And, he noted that we were going to stay there until more people were saved.

Looking back, I don't think they actually locked the doors until the quote of people being saved was met, but I remember feeling trapped.

That night's event ended the ecumenical after football game gatherings; it ended the youth council in Denton; it began my dislike of anything called evangelism.

When the author of Unbinding the Heart says many people in our churches are uncomfortable with the word evangelism, I say “Amen.  I know how uncomfortable evangelism can be."

b. On the other hand, as we read Paul's letter to the Romans, we also say “Amen” to the good news that Paul shares.

1. God sent Christ to save the world.
2. Christ reconciles the world to God; Christ reconciles us to God.

3. Christ does not save only those who preach fire and brimstone; Christ saves us.

100. For me, that is what makes evangelism so compelling for us.

1. We Presbyterians have a story to tell the world of God's grace.

2. Not a story that coerces people with the threat of hell and damnation.

3. But a story of how we have encountered God's grace and love in our lives.

Move 2: I invite you to move past any negative thoughts you have about evangelism, and think about the difference God's love and the call to be a disciple of Christ makes in your life.

a. Changes the way we feel.

1. Confidence as we face the world.
2. Deal with issues of life and death in the assurance of God's love for us.
3. 4^th grade my Grandfather died; parents told us; went outside; crying; singing “Kum ba yah;” means “come by here;” in the face of death turning to the God who chooses to come by here and join us.

b. Changes the way we act.

1. Sara Miles, Take This Bread, “How could I take communion read the Bible and not feed people.”The Food Pantry was founded by Sara Miles in 2000. It currently provides free groceries to over 1200 hungry families around the altar at St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church n San Francisco.
   
   The food pantry buys between nine and twelve tons of food each week, for just pennies a pound, and offers it free to everyone who comes. Families select the food they need from a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, bread, rice, pasta, beans, cereal, and dry goods
   
   The Food Pantry is run entirely by volunteers, most of them people who came to get food and stayed to help out. It is supported entirely by donations.  http://saramiles.net/food_pantry

2. Mission trips – people want to give back; want to make a difference in other people's lives.

In your small groups, or in your own reflections this week, consider what a difference knowing God's love and following Christ makes in your life.

Move 3: Tell

a. Isaiah

1. We are a witness to all the people.

2. Telling is not trying to get others to believe a certain set of theological truths.

              3. Simply sharing what has made an impact in your life.

b. I ran into a colleague recently and noticed he had some new clothes.  

          1.  Which led to a discussion of how he has lost 45 lbs.

         2. He told a compelling story about how he has dieted, why he dieted, what he eats, howe he feels.  he told me when he walks he feels like a "gazelle."  Powerful imagery for a conversation.

         3. when I left him, I wanted what he had.  To feel like he did.

         4. We have a much better story than about a diet -- we tell of Jesus Christ saving us.

Conclusion:  In a few minutes we baptize Hadley.  On behalf of our community of faith and God's people, you commit to nurturing her and raising her in the faith.  As she grows up, what will you tell her about God's love and Christ's call to discipleship.