Reflections on "Tell It Again" Acts 2: 1-21; Ezekiel 37: 1-14

Two great biblical stories -- the imagery of rattling bones, tongues of fire and sweeping winds, not to mention people talking in multiple languages fill the listeners' minds.  

I had thought about having three or four people read the Acts lesson simultaneously to get a feel for how that might have sounded that Pentecost long ago, but I did not get that accomplished.  We have done that at least once hear, and it is a very vivid way of illustrating the text.  

I used the Ezekiel passage, but did not build enough on the hope that is found in that text.  I was trying, of course, to draw out the part of the passage that fit with telling our stories, but the passage's primary theme is one of hope.

In the sanctuary service I used the Time with Young Disciples to point out how silly it seems that the power the Holy Spirit brings is to speak.  I didn't really think about that much in the sermon preparation, but I would like to build a sermon around that more one day.  Think of the implications -- the power of God found in talking to each other -- instead of going to war, or ignoring, or holding in resentments.  

The connection to Genesis and the role of speaking in the act of creation came late to the sermon (about 8:10 Sunday morning).  That theme could have been explored much more as well.    

“Tell It Again” Telling the Stories series; Ezekiel 37: 1-14; Acts 2: 1-21; May 27, 2012; FPC, Troy, Pentecost

Introduction: Telling our stories: story of what God has done; our story; how those intersect.

Move 1: Celebrate Pentecost and remember that arrival of the Holy Spirit.

a. Christ had promised the Holy Spirit to his followers.

1. When Christ would tell his friends about what waited for him and how he would have to leave them, he comforted them by the reminder that they would not be alone.
2. The Holy Spirit would be with them.
3. With tongues of fire and sweeping winds, the Holy Spirit has made its grand entrance.

b. What does the Holy Spirit bring?

1. Imagine you are the early followers of the resurrected Christ.
2. What do you need from God to maintain your faith?
3. What do you need to do your work?
4. What do you need to calm your fears and concerns?

5. Would you want some kind of magical powers?
6. Or super strength?
   c. The Holy Spirit brings the gift of languages?
   1. I bet the gift of languages was not on very many people's lists of things they needed to follow Christ.
   2. But God gives the followers the ability to speaks all the different languages so that everyone around them can understand what they are saying.

100. The gift of languages reminds us of the power of telling God's story, of telling our stories.
     1. What do those early followers of the resurrected Christ need to be able to do – tell their stories.
     2.And tell them again and again. New language is given to them so that they can tell it again.
     2. What gift do we have to share with the world? God's story and our stories.

Move 2: The Holy Spirit equips us to tell stories that give life.

a. Ezekiel

1. Prophet is taken to a valley of dry bones.
2. Can you envision what Ezekiel sees in that valley – dry bones everywhere.
3. Dry bones that signify death.
4. In the movies when they have a desert scene and try to depict the how desolate and forbidding the desert is, what do they show? Dry bones laying on the sand.
5. Dry bones show no life...no hope.

b. The Lord asks Ezekiel – can these bones live?

1. Ezekiel punts that question back – you're the only one who knows!
2. The Lord tells Ezekiel to prophesy, to tell the word of the Lord, to tell the story, and then the dry bones can come to life.

3. Craig Barnes, the well-known Presbyterian preacher (married to one of Mark Hess' relatives, and prolific writers suggests that if had been Ezekiel, he would have asked God to bring the bones to life, then he would have preached. (Craig Barnes, The Christian Century, 2002 February 27-March 6, 2002, p. 20.)
4. But God demands that the story be told.
5. So Ezekiel begin to prophesy, and the bones begin rattling. Then they come together. As Ezekiel prophesies, the breath of life comes to the bones.

100. God makes the point that Israel will be saved.

d. God's story give life because it gives hope.

Move 3: What story gives you life?

a. Go back to Peter in the story from Acts.

1. Peter telling the story that gives life.
2. Story of God sending Jesus Christ.
3. Christ dying on the cross.
4. Christ being raised from the death.
5. The story of God turning death into life is the story that can breathe life into dry bones.
   b. I bet Peter also told his story.
   1. His leadership among the first disciples and what he saw Jesus do.
   2. but also his betrayal of Jesus at a critical time.
   3. And the opportunity the resurrected Christ gave him to put his betrayals behind him and go and serve God's people in the world.
   4. Peter tells the story of God's saving act in Christ, even as he tells his own story of how Christ saved him.
   b. What story gives you life?
   1. Ron Hall, the Caucasian business man from Ft. worth, TX, who became intertwined Denver Moore, the African-American street person, whom he met at the soup kitchen in downtown Ft. Worth, writes about how he has learned to tell his story.
   2. He describes how he used to have “verbal battles” with people as he tried to save them. But, over time he learned that he could not make people believe, nor could he legislate how they believed. All he could do is “tell the jagged tale of my own spiritual journey and declare that my life has been the better for having followed Christ.” Same Kind of Different, Ron Hall and Denver Moore, 60

100. What jagged tale do you have to tell?
     1. Maybe your story is about how God gave you hope hope in the midst of a crisis.
     2. Or perhaps your story is now a resurrection story – of how God turned something akin to death into new life.
     3. or maybe your story celebrates the joy you have discovered in following Christ.
     4. you can speak the language of the people because you know the challenges, joys, and fears of being human.
     Conclusion: We first discover God in the act of creation. As Genesis describes the act of creation, it begins when God speaks.
     God speaks a word of creation and their was light, and then life.
     You have a word to speak, a story to tell, a story that gives life. God and tell it. 

"Telling It Again" Acts 2: 1-21; Ezekiel 37: 1-14

Pentecost Sunday; Memorial Day week-end; graduation week-end in Troy; continuation of "Telling Stories" sermon series -- no one particular theme rose to the top.

I love the Ezekiel passage.  Looking at it in the context of "telling stories" makes me notice that Ezekiel had to prophesy to bring life to the dead bones.  Of course, it had to be the Word of the Lord.

The Pentecost story certainly focuses on the importance of telling God's story.  The gift of language was for the purpose of telling the story to all the world.  Reminder -- this is not the Pentecostal story where people talk in tongues, but the bestowing of the different languages on the followers so that they could communicate with people throughout the world.

Certainly, family gatherings have lots of stories told.  Think of all the stories being told at graduation parties.

Reflections on "Rewrites" John 8: 1-3; Exodus 2: 5-15

As I mentioned in the blog leading into the sermon, it was Senior recognition Sunday when we recognize our Seniors graduating from high school.  We had a Senior at the chapel service and the rest at the sanctuary service, so the living illustrations were in worship with us!

I liked this sermon, at least on paper.  It fell kind of flat in the chapel service, but had more life in the sanctuary service.  I sort of stumbled through the first part of the Moses section on the chapel.  I didn't have it sorted out in my head well enough.  By the sanctuary service, that section went better. One of the chapel members had a comment about being forced to make a rewrite due to economic conditions, which I included in the sanctuary service.  I had thought about it when writing the sermon because it seemed like an obvious fit, but then thought that I had made that comment in different ways quite a bit lately.  When someone asked about it, though, I figured it probably still needed to be said.

At the youth gathering last night, some of the adults made comments about the sermon.  they were making jokes about what they would "rewrite" in their lives, but apparently they had actually listened to the sermon.  I think the "rewrite" theme strikes a chord with many of us because we want to do better than we are doing.

As you can tell by the illustrations in the sermon, I was trying especially hard to make the sermon accessible to the students who were gathered there with us.  

Final thought -- should my daughter's English teacher give her extra credit for getting mentioned in a sermon?

“Rewrites” May 20, 2012; FPC, Troy, John 8: 1-3; Exodus Sr. recognition

Introduction: One of the English teachers at Troy High School includes as part of the final portfolio, rewrites of some of the papers or poems that the students have written through the year.

As the editor-in-chief of English papers at my house, I find this an interesting process.

The students can pick which projects they want to rewrite.

They can makes some corrections and changes based on the teacher's comments from the first time the paper or poem was graded.

Or they can basically start over on the paper

Rewrites.

As we continue reflecting on telling our faith stories – God's story and our stories – we are reminded that we can have rewrites.

If we do not like how our story is playing out, we have opportunities to change the story. Not just telling the story differently, but living the story different.

The rewrite does not replace the original story – that's already happened – but it gives us a change to correct or significantly change how our story goes..

Move 1: Moses

a. The Old Testament passage from Exodus 2: 5-15 references Moses at a pivotal time in his life.

1. Think about his rewrites:
2. born a Hebrew boy to Hebrew slaves in Egypt.
3. Rewrite – raised in Pharaoh's court;
4. He sees an Egyptian beating on a Hebrew slave – rewrite. He kills the Egyptian and then has to flee the country.
5. He moves to a strange land and begins life as a foreigner there – rewrite.
6. He encounters a burning bush with the voice of God calling him into leadership. Serious rewrite there as he becomes the reluctant leader of God's people.
7. When his story finishes, after all those rewrites, Moses' story is about one of the great patriarch of the Israelites, God's people.

b. Notice that Moses did not always get to pick and choose when to start a rewrite.

1. Sometimes the transition happened to him; he did not choose to have Pharaoh issues threats to Hebrew baby boys; he had no control over his being put in a basket in the bulrushes, only to be found by Pharaoh's daughter.

2. sometimes he chose the rewrite – when he saw the Egyptian beating up the Hebrew slave, he decided to act. He may not have fully understand the consequences of his actions, but he put the change into motion.

3. the hand of God was in all of it.

Move 2: In life, there are some obvious times of transition when we can do a rewrite.

a. This morning we recognize our Srs. In high school who are finishing one phase in life and moving on to the next phase. An obvious opportunity for a rewrite.

b. Friend in college.

1. Began as a pre-med student and very interested in the parties.
2. By the end of his freshman year, he had perhaps spent more time at parties than at study hall, so he was put on academic probation and kicked off campus.
3. Began to take pre-med classes a bit more seriously.
4. Still could not make the grades.
5. Takes an accounting class and finds his niche.
6. By the time he graduated, he was honored as the accounting student of the year based on his 4.0 GPA in his accounting classes.
7. Instead of a doctor, he became an accountant.
8. His personal rewrite.

b. Seniors

1. you have a wonderful opportunity in your life to do a rewrite.
2. You are going to be in new settings where many people to not know you or what to expect from you.
3. You have a chance to shape your life in any direction you want.
4. Your life is an empty page waiting for your story to be written and perhaps rewritten.
   c. Although our Seniors find themselves in a natural place to do a rewrite, all of us have that opportunity.
   1. can you think of a time when you have intentionally made a change in your life?
   2. Or a time when you were forced to make a change. Maybe your job disappeared.
   2. Better yet, If you made a change now, what would it be?
   3. We all have a chance for a rewrite.

Move 3: I suspect one of the most attractive things about Jesus for people was the opportunity he offered for them to rewrite their lives.

a. Disciples.

1. some of them gave up their fishing nets.
2. All of them gave up whatever they were doing in that moment to follow Christ.
   b. The women mentioned in Luke.

1. 1. They had known difficult times.

2. Filled with demons.
3. Christ freed from their past stories and invited to rewrite their stories as followers of Christ.
4. What a gift.

100. We have that opportunity as well.
     1. Christ calls us to a new way of life.
     2. Christ frees us to rewrite our story. To seize the new life waiting for us.
     3. If you do not like where your story is headed – rewrite!
        Conclusion: it may be easier to rewrite an English paper, than to rewrite our lives (sometimes it does not sound like that my house!), but think about the opportunities that wait for us as we rewrite our lives as followers of Christ.

"rewrites" Luke 8: 1-3; Exodus 2: 5-15

We continue reflecting on telling God's story and our stories.  this week we worship in the context of recognizing our Seniors in high school.  When I think about that transition from high school to college, I remember it being a time of opportunity.  most of the people I would come to know at college were did not know the high school person I was.  I could, in essence, become a new person and most people would not know anything different.

What are some times in your life when you had a time of transition and intentionally changed who you were?

The beauty of living our story is that we can rewrite the story as we go.

The Old Testament passage from Exodus 2: 5-15 references Moses at a pivotal time in his life. Think about his rewrites:  born a Hebrew boy; raised in Pharaoh's court; acted on his Hebrew heritage by killing the Egyptian beating the Hebrew slave; stranger working a foreign land; reluctant leader of God's people; and great patriarch of Israelites.  Sometimes the transition happened to him; sometimes he chose it; the hand of God was in all of it.

The women mentioned in Luke had known difficult times, but in Christ they were freed from their past stories and invited to rewrite their stories as followers of Christ.

there is freedom and opportunity in realizing that we can rewrite our story.  maybe rewrite is not the correct word.  Perhaps I should be saying add a new chapter.

Reflections on "Family Stories" 2 timothy 1: 1-5; Genesis 37: 1-4; 49: 22-26

I had fun with this sermon.  The definition of "family" shifted throughout the sermon -- it referred to immediate family; Israel; community of faith, and extended family.  Although it was not intentional, that fluid use of family may have been appropriate.

I do face the challenge of not repeating myself as I preach through this series.  Or perhaps it is okay to be repetitive to make the point (on the assumption anyone remembers the sermon from the previous weeks!).

“Family stories” May 13, 2012; FPC, Troy, 2 Timothy 1: 1-5; Genesis 37: 1-4; 49: 22-26

Introduction: At Christmas when my siblings gather, we always tell the story of the costumer who worked in the theater department at the University of North Texas who came over for Christmas Eve dinner.  We always did a Christmas puzzle and had it out that night.  She became consumed with the puzzle and became the dictator of the puzzle table. She decreed that no one could look at the picture of the puzzle on the box because that was cheating. She tersely gave commands about about how we were looking for pieces. She stayed to work on the puzzle while we all went off to church. To top it off, she stayed long into the night, welcoming the early hours of Christmas morning at the puzzle table as we (the last two siblings) had quit the puzzle altogether and napped on the couch while we waited for her to leave. Some stories get exaggerated over time; this one needs no exaggeration, and it never fails to elicit laughter as we remember that night.

Does your family have a story or two that they tell?

Move 1: As we reflect on telling our stories – both the stories about God and the stories of our lives, we are reminded of the power of story.

a. The Israelite self-identity grew out of the stories they told.

1. we read two passages from Genesis.
2. In the first passage, we are told that to know the story of Jacob, we need to know the story of Joseph.
3. And then the story of Jacob's son Joseph unfolds for the reader.
4. We read the story of Joseph and discover a fascinating tale – betrayal by brothers; time served in jail; Joseph and his dreams; Joseph being in Pharaoh's court at a time when he can save his family
5. This story became formative for Jacob's family and for the people of Israel.
6. Their understanding of the God who claims them and saves them is shaped by the story of Joseph.
7. In the second passage are the words of Jacob as he nears death. He mentions each son and the primary story about that son.
8. Again, the reminder of how the story shapes their understanding.
   b. what are your formative faith stories.
   1. The story that epitomizes what you believe about God.
   2. what story can you tell that gives the listener one of those “aha” moments when the go “aha, now I see God?”:
   3. When we tell our stories, we help others grow in the their faith as they discover new possibilities for how they can understated God at work in their lives.
   We have the powerful faith stories to share with others.
   Move 2: One story may lead to another story.

a. Christmas Eve traveling.

1. Story about breakfast in Memphis at an IHOP.
2. Waitress was going to miss her young kids wake up that morning.
3. Big tip.
4. Tell the story.
5. The next time we traveled on Christmas Eve, the girls remembered that waitress, so they packaged up good bags. Every

b. confirmation.

1. elder in the church I served in KY used to tell his confirmation story.
2. Back when he was confirmed, they had to memorize the Heidelberg Catechism.
3. On the day he was to meet with the Session, he was playing baseball in the neighborhood and got his on the head with a baseball.
4. Woozy from the knock on the head, he describes being dizzy as he met with the Session and not really knowing what he was saying, but somehow his rote memory kicked in and he was able to spit out the the first few answers of the Heidelberg Catechism, which was enough to satisfy the Session.
5. That story shaped how I began to view the confirmation process. For good (and some confirmands would say for bad), it occurred to me that the confirmation process ought to come down to more than the recitation of some memorized answers that a dazed Jr. high boy could handle.

Move 3: pass it on.

a. In timothy, we are reminded that his faith grows out of the faith of his mother and grandmother.

1. We are not told how it happened that Timothy came to have the faith of his grandmother and mother, but Paul draws a clear connection.
2. In the Southern Baptist tradition they had a saying, “there are no second generation Christians.”
3. There point being that each person has to claim their faith for themselves.
4. Last week's sermon theme about our faith story being an autobiography acknowledges that each of us has to claim our own faith story.
   b. But I bet Timothy heard some good stories from his grandmother and his mother.
   1. I can hear Timothy's grandmother now: “Timmy, did I ever tell you about the first time someone told me that Jesus was raised from the dead? My friend Louisa started telling me this story I could hardly believe. She said that this man Jesus had been crucified, but then raised form the dead. I could hardly believe what she told me. But she went on and on. It obviously meant so much to her. And it seemed kind of nice to me. So I decided to learn more about Jesus. My life has never been the same.
   2. Imagine the power Grandmother has when she shares her story of faith.
   b. Think about the rich stories you could tell.
   1. Have you told them about the person that meant so much to you in your faith?
   I remember Mr. Calhoun. He always gave kids peppermints after church. Whenever I see a peppermint I remember him. When I was a kid it may have been hard to understand it when the minister told us that God was always there for us, but Mr. Calhoun was there every week with a peppermint for me.
   3. Or your story about coming to faith later in life. “I never knew much about Jesus growing up. Never went to church or anything like that. But when I got to college my roommate asked me to go on a week-end retreat with the chapel program. They were going to hike and swim at a really cool camp and you needed a break from school, so I said yes.
   At the Saturday night vespers service the chaplain was talking about how the woman who had been bleeding reached out touched the hem of Jesus' garment and was healed. As I heard the story, it did something to me. Maybe because I was a woman it had extra meaning for me. Maybe I was just searching for something more in life. I don't know, but as I heard that story about Jesus some strange mix of desire to know more about Jesus and comfort in hearing how the woman was healed came over me and I found myself wanting to know more about Jesus.
   4. Or how about a Mother's Day gift – tell your mother the story of how she has impacted your life of faith.
   Conclusion: Recently reading about faith formation of kids, and the author noted that the “real faith incubators aren't paid professional church staff but parents and guardians who make a point every night to turn off the computer, put down the newspaper, set the cell phone on silence and engage with kids they love...” (“how Faith Is formed: Family Affair” interview with Rich Melheim; Christian Century Feb. 22, 2012. 22-25. 23.
   You have a story to tell. Tell it.
   
   
   

"Family stories" 2 Timothy 1: 1-5; Genesis 37:1-4; Genesis 49: 22-26

Does your family have a story they retell every year?  At Christmas when my siblings gather, we always tell the story of the costumer who worked in the theater department at the University of North Texas who came over for Christmas Eve dinner.  We always did a Christmas puzzle and had it out that night.  She became consumed with the puzzle and became the dictator of the puzzle table.  She decreed that no one could look at the picture of the puzzle on the box because that was cheating.  She tersely gave commands about about how we were looking for pieces. To top it off, she stayed long into the night, welcoming the early hours of Christmas morning at the puzzle table as we (the last two siblings) had quit the puzzle altogether and napped on the couch while we waited for her to leave. Some stories get exaggerated over time; this one needs no exaggeration, and it never fails to elicit laughter as we remember that night.

If you are a parent, have you ever shared with your children the circumstances surrounding the day you professed your faith in Jesus Christ?  Did you once upon a time meet with the Session to be examined for membership?

Have you shared with anyone about the person who embodied Christ in your mind when you were growing up?

Do you have a story of one of those "aha" moments when you knew God was in your midst?

Telling those stories again and again helps others grow in their faith and open others up to the possibilities of what God is doing now.

In timothy, we are reminded that his faith grows out of the faith of his mother and grandmother.  I bet they told him some good stories about how they came to believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Israelite self-identity grew out of the stories they told about people like Joseph.  We read his story and recognize a fascinating tale; but it also becomes formative to how the Israelites understand God to be at work in the world.

t

Reflections on "An Autobiography" John 4: 39-42

confirmation Sunday is always a great day.  the five confirmands were sitting on the second row, dead center.  They seemed to cower a bit as I preached to them!

The sermon was a bit different in the chapel service, because I changed (on the fly) the references that were specific to the confirmands to general statements about all of us reflecting on significant moments in our faith.  Since we did not have confirmands in that service, it seemed a bit silly to talk to the confirmands.

I didn't have a very good feel for how the sermon went.  I was so focused on the confirmands that I didn't notice how the rest of the congregation was responding.  I preached from in front of the communion table (like on Easter), and again struggled a bit because I had to use my notes.  I need to spend a little bit more preparation time when I am going to preach without a pulpit.  

"An Autobiography" John 4: 39-42; May 6, 2012; confirmation Sunday; Telling Stories series, 2012

Introduction: Series on telling stories; context of confirmation; day our confirmands profess their faith in Jesus Christ.

This sermon is preached specifically for Marc, Rachel, Claire, Grayson and Allie.  The rest of you can listen in, but this sermon is for the confirmands!

Move 1: the John passage is a snippet from the wonderful story of the Samaritan woman at the well.

a. The disciples have gone into town, and Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at the well.

1. Samaritan means she is an outsider.
2. She's also a woman.  Jesus should not speak to.
3. Jesus not only speaks to her, but know everything about her.
   b. She tells people about what Jesus said to her and did.
   1. Some believe.
   2. Then they hear Jesus and make that point that they believe, not just because of the woman's testimony, but they claimed their belief in Jesus Christ for themselves.
   c. Today you profess your faith in Jesus Christ.
   1. When you were baptized, your parents professed their faith.
   2. your mentors have shared with you about their faith.
   3. you have heard panels of members at different times this year share with you about their faith.
   4. You have read (or at least you were supposed to have read!) much of the Bible.
   5. You have outlined 16 sermons that speak to our God.
   6. You have lots of people and experiences that point you in the direction of professing your faith in God.
   7. but today you claim it for yourself.
   8. You get to write your own autobiography of faith beginning today.

Move 2: Today should be a day you remember.

a. An important chapter in your faith story.

1. When you stand up front and look out at the congregation.
2. When you answer the questions.
3. When you kneel to be anointed.
4. Commit these moments to your memory.
5. They become part of your story.
   6. In fact, your whole confirmation experience becomes part of your memory.

b. You will have times in your life when you are less sure about your faith.
1. maybe times when you forget.
2. you face difficult issues and wonder where God is.
3. Remember this day.
4. remember your mentors.
5. Remember the stories your read about God.
6.  Maybe find the stole you made for today somewhere or see your prayer shawl on the end of your bed.
7. And then remember your faith in Jesus Christ.

Move 3: God comes after you.

a. Our theology teaches us that God gives us the gift of faith.

1. God pursues us.

2. Like Jesus finding the Samaritan woman at the well. He found her there. He knew about her. He offered her the gift of salvation.

3. Charlie Brown – Snoopy is called by some the hound from heaven.
4. you are here because God has sought you out.

b. You live your own story, but God chooses to be a part of it.

1. You do not profess your faith in a God who goes and hides in the corner, never to be seen.

2. You profess your faith in the God who sends Christ to live among us and find us, even when we find ourselves hiding in the corner.

Conclusion: I am reminded a scene from the movie Tender Mercies. It takes places in a dusty, little TX town. Rosa Lee, the widowed owner of the Mariposa Motel has a down and out country western singer and songwriter arrive at her hotel. The movie tells their story and how they piece their lives back together. The day her son sonny and Mac are baptized at the local Baptist church, they find themselves riding home in the pick-up and they have this conversation.

Sonny says, “Well, we done it, Mac. We were baptized.”

“Yeah, we are,” Mac responds.

“Everybody said I was gonna feel like a changed person,” Sonny continues. “I guess I do feel a little different, but I don’t feel a whole lot different, do you?”

“Not yet.”

Sonny strains to check himself in the rear view mirror, “You don’t look any different. You think I look any different?”

Mac smiles and shrugs, “Not yet. Tender Mercies, Screenplay by Horton Foote, quoted by H. Virginia Jackson-Adams in Word and Witness, January 10, 1988.

when you wake up tomorrow you may not feel that much different than today.

But, what you do today will make a difference in your story of life and faith because today you claim Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

"an Autobiography" John 4: 39-42

This Sunday our confirmation class joins the church. They will profess their faith in Jesus Christ and commit to being his disciples.  I will anoint each of them as a response to their profession of faith.  In that context, I am reflecting on how the stories we tell of our faith are autobiographies -- they are our stories.  I cannot live someone else's faith; nor can I make someone else have faith.

I have been reading William Placher's book the Triune God.  In his introduction he describes the problem the Soren Kierkegaard had in introducing Christianity to peple who lived in a Christian world.  Placher noted that "Christian faith involves a personal process," and "faith has to impassion Christians, transform the ways they live their lives" (Placher, 26).  He goes on to describe three categories of Christians Kierkegaard uses:  the aesthetic life, which is always full of passion, but moves from moment to moment without making a commitment; the ethical life, which gives continuity and commitment, but ultimately breaks down because ethics cannot be the final word on human life (read Kierkgaard's work on Abraham and Isaac for a powerful analysis of that perspective); and religiousness A, in which believers work their way toward some spiritual connection to God (perhaps those who say they are spiritual, but not religious in our day fit this category), but cannot deal adequately with the persistence of human sin (Placher, 26-29).  I have been playing with those images this week as I think about preaching a sermon in the context of confirmands professing their faith.  What does it mean to them?  Or better yet, how can I help them lay claim to what it means for them?

Can you remember when you professed your faith?  Did you feel a change in your life?

I am reminded a scene from the movie Tender Mercies. Rosa Lee, the owner of the Mariposa Motel located on a deserted stretch of dusty road somewhere between Austin and San Antonio, watches as her son Sonny and her husband Mac Sledge, a formerly down-and-out songwriter into whom she had breathed new life through words of encouragement and acts of hospitality, are baptized in the local Baptist church.

On the way home in the pickup, a conversation passes back and forth between Mac and Sonny.

Sonny comments, “Well, we done it, Mac. We were baptized.” “Yeah, we are,” Mac responds.

“Everybody said I was gonna feel like a changed person,” Sonny continues. “I guess I do feel a little different, but I don’t feel a whole lot different, do you?”

“Not yet.”

Sonny strains to check himself in the rear view mirror, “You don’t look any different. You think I look any different?”

Mac smiles and shrugs, “Not yet.” Tender Mercies, Screenplay by Horton Foote, quoted by H. Virginia Jackson-Adams in Word and Witness, January 10, 1988.

the John passage is a snippet from the wonderful story of the Samaritan woman at the well.  I am struck by the fact that the people make the point of saying, "We do not believe because of what you told us.  We have heard Jesus for ourselves, and we believe it on our own."   In a way, that's what the confirmands are doing -- they were baptized as infants because of their parents' faith; now they claim it for their own.

I'm pretty sure quoting Kierkegaard will not impact the confirmands, but maybe there's s sermon here somewhere.  

Peace,


richard

Reflections on "A compelling Witness" Acts 4: 5-22;Isaiah 6: 1-8

Sorry for no blog last week while preparing this sermon -- I was out of town with limited time for Internet access.  

I thought the sermon worked very well.  It reminded me of how I used to preach more highly structured sermons.  Move 1 introduces and hooks the listener (hopefully); move 2 makes the biblical case; move 3 parallels move 2 from our current context.  I suspect if you like structure you prefer this style.

I am wondering a bit if is futile to preach on telling our stories when Presbyterians typically are not known for telling their stories!   I keep thinking the story-telling mode or testimony model provides a way for us to share our story that fits with our reticence.    I know that with confirmands it is hard to get them to talk about their faith when they meet with the Session.  I don't think it's a content issue for most of us, but a comfort issue.  

My liturgist (also my daughter) looked at me after the sermon and said, 'this would be the perfect time to sing 'here I Am, Lord.'"  I immediately noted that I had saved that hymn for this coming week when the confirmands make their faith profession, but her comment did remind me the importance of music to the overall theme of the sermon.

“A compelling Witness” April 29, 2012; FPC, Troy, Acts 4: 5-14; Isaiah 6: 1-8

introduction: We continue our series on telling our stories: both the stories of what God has done, and how the stories of our life's journey are impacted by God's stories.

Move 1: We reflect today on what makes a person a compelling witness?

a. In other words, if you were putting together the team to go out and spread the word of the resurrection, who would you pick?

1. Drama – When I was in high school, Austin College, a Presbyterian school in TX, had a troupe of singers/actors who would travel around to churches and youth gatherings and act out or do a musical type presentation of a Bible story. Part of the show was how that story might connect with our current life. It was pretty powerful. If I were putting together some witnesses, I might get some people with dramatic flair.

2. Or maybe a some Debaters – make a good case for the resurrection and for how God is at work. I've always been persuaded by the person who could argue the facts in a forceful, logical, powerful way.
3. Good Preacher – maybe it's just wishful thinking, but I might want a good preacher who could captivate the crowd and get them excited about the resurrection.
4. Person of Compassion –

5. Who do you think would make a compelling witness?

b. We do know that the religious authorities and scribes we read about in Acts are surprised that Peter and John make compelling witnesses.

1. After all, Peter and John are uneducated and ordinary men.
2. Eugene Peterson, in the Message translation, describes them as uneducated with “no training in Scripture” (Eugene Peterson).

3. Apparently they had no credentials that impressed the religious authorities.
4. They had no training in teaching about God.
5. But, there they were, talking about God in a compelling way that led people to want to follow Christ.

Move 2: What makes a person a compelling witness?

a. Filled with the HS

1. Throughout Acts and in this particular story, we are reminded of the role of the Holy Spirit to guide and direct.
2. Peter and john can speak and act in compelling ways because they are under girded by the Holy Spirit.
3. What they said and what they did was closely connected to God.

b. their actions match their words.

1. I find this a fascinating image described in Acts.
2. Peter and John are talking to the crowds.
3. There off to the side, but in plain view, is the man they have healed.
4. I have no doubt that their words were powerful and convincing, but I suspect that as the crowd hears their words while looking at the man they have healed, the image gives power to their words.

3. What God has done through them becomes a powerful witness.

c. Their willingness, no their desire, to speak.

1. AS we read of these followers of Christ who seem compelled to share their story, I was reminded of the prophet Isaiah's call story.

2. There stands Isaiah, who describes himself as being lost, being unclean, and living among unclean people.

3. not the model witness.

4. But when the celestial being touches his lips, Isaiah burns to speak.

5. When the question is asked, “whom shall I send?” Isaiah volunteers – “Send me.”

6. he is overcome with desire to tell God's story.

7. peter and John have that same sense about them. They want to tell God's story.

8. They have to tell God's story.

A compelling witness for God is not someone who has taken the right classes or has the right pedigree; no, the compelling witness is the person who is filled with the Holy Spirit, whose actions illustrate their words, who has to share the story.

Move 3: So what makes you a compelling witness as you tell your story?

a. Connected to God.

1. the behind-the-scenes part of telling our story involves being in conversation with God.

2. Reflecting and exploring how you have discovered God.

3. Inviting the Holy Spirit to fill you and guide you.

4. By the time we actually tell our stories, we have already been engaged and guided by God so that we have a sense of how God has been at work in our lives.

5. as many of you know, my father was a drama professor, which meant he directed lots of plays. Over the years, I was always amazed at how much work took place before the first rehearsal – research on the playwright; research on the time frame in which the play was set; in a storage shed he has several shelves of his 'black books,” for each show he directed. Each page contains the text of the script, but typically the handwritten director notes about those lines and that scene far outnumbered the actual words of the playwright. The preparation allowed the story to be told.

6. We prepare for telling our stories by being in conversation with God, the author of our stories.

b. Our actions need to illustrate our stories.

1. If we tell the story about the God of love, then those people listening to our story better be able to find examples of how we have shown God's love.

2. If we want to talk about how we have experienced God's forgiveness, than it will help if we have actually shown forgiveness to others.

3. To speak about the God of the resurrection who can turn death into life and transform us is just words, until we can show how we have been changed by God.

c. We also have to want to tell the story.

1. Imagine listening to someone telling you a story, and the way they tell it makes it clear that it is just some ho-hum event that took place that didn't really matter to them and they are just taking up time to tell the story to you. It does not take very long to figure out the person telling the story does not care so you do not care.

2. On the other hand, think about someone who gets excited about the story they are telling. It clearly matters to them.

Maybe their tone is excited and demonstrative; or perhaps they are soft-spoken, but intent on sharing the story with you. Either way, you can tell by their demeanor that this story means something to them. We pay attention to that person and their story.

When someone burns to tell their story, we listen.

Conclusion: Imagine for a moment this astonishing, imaginary conversation that Jesus might have had with the archangel Gabriel upon his triumphant return to heaven.

"Well, how did it go?" Gabriel asks Jesus. "Did you complete your mission and save the world?"

"Well, yes and no," Jesus replies. "I modeled a godly life for about thirty years. I preached to a few thousand Jews in one corner of the Roman Empire. I died for the sins of the world and promised that those who believe in me will live forever. And I burst from the tomb on the third day to show my circle of 120 frightened followers that my life and story are God's way to save the whole world. Then I gave the Holy Spirit to those 120 and left them to finish the task:'

"You mean," Gabriel asks in amazement, "your whole plan to save the world depends on that ragtag bunch of' fishermen, ex-prostitutes, and tax collectors?"

"That's right," Jesus replies.

"But what if they fail?" Gabriel persists with growing alarm. "What's your backup plan?"

"There is no backup plan," Jesus says quietly. Ron Sider's book, Living Like Jesus.

Jesus depends on you to go and tell his story.