Monday, September 28, 2015

Reflections on "Texting and Driving" Genesis 3: 1-13; Romans 7: 14-20

I picked the Romans text because of Paul's point that he does the things that he hates, which feels a lot like how many of us sin -- we know that we should not do it; we don't particularly want to do it if we think about it (sometimes we profess to be opposed to doing it); but then we do it anyway.

It was a fairly straight-forward sermon.  I had several good comments from people, so maybe straight-forward works well for some people.

I tried a different conclusion in both the Chapel and Sanctuary services.  Neither worked particularly well.  I tried to go back to the texting example, but it felt like the conclusion was that texting while driving was a sin, rather than the hope that the texting reference would draw the listener back to their thoughts on sinning.

Texting and Driving” September 27, 2015; FPC, Troy; iPhone theology series; Genesis 3: 1-13; Romans 7: 14-20

Introduction: Texting while driving makes it 23X more likely to have an accident;

To put that in perspective, dialing your cell phone makes it 2.8X more likely;

reaching for device makes it 1.4X;

listening or talking makes it 1.3X (http://www.textinganddrivingsafety.com/texting-and-driving-stats)

Even without the statistics, we know the truth that texting and driving is wrong – we know because we have fiddled with the phone ourselves, or seen other weaving down the road or staying stopped on a green light, and then looked over to see the driver texting.

Move 1: As I think about texting and driving, I am reminded of sin – that is, doing what we know we should not do.

a. WE know we should not text and drive.

1. 95% of people know that texting and driving is a serious

2. 35% have texted while driving in the last 30 days.

3. I suspect that on more than one occasion, drivers are committed to not texting while driving, until their phone buzzes. They cannot resist the temptation.

5.  We know better; we condemn others for doing it; and then we do it ourselves.

b. I am reminded of Paul's words to the Romans: "I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing that I hate.” (Romans 7:14)  

  1. Sin is like that.  We generally know better.
    1. In a quiet, rational moment, we tell ourselves we will not do it.  
      3. And then we do it.

     4. we know that internal conflict that Paul describes – both the temptation and our seeming inability to do anything about it.

c. When we turn to what Jesus has to say about sin, we find that Jesus ratchets up our understanding of sin.

       1. It is not just committing adultery, but thinking of committing adultery.

       2. Not just killing people, it is having contempt for any human being.
    1. not just texting while driving, but thinking about texting while driving!
It seems hard to avoid sin.

Move 2: Sin is about me.

a. I remember way back in confirmation class the minister defining sin for us in a very simple way – little s, big I, little n.
  1. sin is when I become more important than anything else.
    1. Lots of other conversations about sin, but that is a good a summary as I know.
b. Texting – why would you do what you know is dangerous.
  1. because we cannot resist the buzzing phone on the seat next to us.
    1. We know the message has information for us, or is about us, or somehow impacts us, and we decide that the message about us is more important than anyone else.
b. That's the Genesis story isn't it?

1. Adam and Eve become so focused on themselves and their desires, that forget, ignore, willfully disobey God's instruction that they not eat of the tree.'

2. Easy to blame the serpent.

3. we always find a serpent somehow, don't we?

4. someone else to blame for our sinfulness. Some circumstance that makes our actions necessary, instead of sinful.

5. Adam and Eve would have found something else to blame if not the serpent because they were focused on what they wanted to do, not what God wanted them to do.

b. Adam and Eve cannot resist the temptation to be like God.
  1. To have the same knowledge as God.
    1. To elevate themselves (there's that capital I) to the God's level
c. think about examples of sin.

      1. We can start with the sins of others (it's easier to see what other are doing wrong!).

       2.  People who perpetrate violence on others.

       3. Peel back the sin enough to get to the root cause, and I suspect you will find someone putting their understandings, or their desires, or their anger above annoying and anything else.

        4. Or think about your own sins.  

         5. Peel back the layers and you will discover, I bet, that you will find that your sin occurs when you place yourself and what you desire above anyone or anything else.

d.  Irony, that when we forget about God and others and think only about ourselves, we miss the opportunity to become the person God calls us to be.
  1. The one who created us has this vision for us; a vision for how we are to relate to one another; a vision for how we are to relate to our Maker.
    1. And God calls it good.
    1. But we turn away from that right relationship when we sin.
Move 3: Sin separates us from each other and from God.

a. Genesis story
  1. How quickly does Adam turn on Eve? “She is the one.”
    1. And then Adam and Eve find themselves both out of right relationship with God.
    1. When Adam and Eve decide they are more concerned about elevating themselves to God's level than living in the relationship they have with God, they disrupt that connection.
b. Back to sin is when we make it all about ourselves.
  1. when we do, there is not room for others.
    1. We harms someone else.
    1. We harm our relationships.
    1. We separate ourselves from them
c. The breaking of those relationship is ultimately a separation from God as well.

1. The Psalmist writes: “Against you, you alone have I sinned.”

                  2. the truth is – All sin is against God.

    3.  Presbyterians Today, “At the head of the table in the cafeteria of the church-operated elementary school was a large pile of apples. Next to the apples one of the cafeteria workers had placed a sign that said, “Take only one. God is watching.” Farther down the lunch line was a large bowl of chocolate chip cookies. Next to it was another sign, this one obviously written by one of the children: Take all you want. God is watching the apples.” 
  1. as if God only cared about the apples!
  1. God desires right relationship with God and with each other.

Move 4: Sin is not the final answer

a. Remember that Eve said if they ate of the tree they would die.

              1.  But by the grace of God another day awaits despite their sinfulness.

             2.  We also remember that after Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden God provided them with garments. 

             3. God's grace abounds, despite our sinfulness.

b. Eugene Peterson in Leap over a Wall notes that in Psalm 51 there are only four names for sin. Sin is boring because it is all reruns. What is fresh and new are the varied ways in which god's grace is seen.
  1. One of those ways is God coming in Christ.
            1. Christian Century, 6/27/2012; “A Hopeful Universalism,” Paul Jones (27): “My point is this: in light of Christ's person and work, sin no longer sets the terms for our relationship with God and God's relationship with us.”
    1. Christ takes on our sin and offers us a clean slate with God and with one another.
    1. Paul goes on to describe how only because of Christ and by living in the spirit can we stop doing the things that we hate.

Conclusion: There's the phone on the seat next to you. It buzzes. You have a text message. You know you should not pick it up.

But it could be important to you.

It probably won't take too long to read.

Will you reach for it?






Friday, September 25, 2015

"Texting and Driving" Genesis 3: 1-13; Romans 7: 14-20

When I think about texting and driving, I am reminded of Paul's words to the Romans:  What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise" (Romans 7:14, The Message).  I cannot not imagine anyone arguing that texting while driving makes sense or is safe, and yet, people do it all the time.  And if not text, they (we...I) do things with their phones that lead to distracted driving.  We know better; we condemn others for doing it; and then we do it ourselves.

Sin is like that.  We generally know better.  In a quiet, rational moment, we tell ourselves we will not do it.  And then we do.

Psalm 51 reminds us that all sin against anyone (or against anything like creation) is a sin against God.  

We read the story in Genesis and see how easy it is to blame the serpent.  We are generally good at finding others to blame for our sinfulness.  We would not have done it, except for....  I wonder if Adam and Eve would have sinned regardless of whether the serpent arrived on the scene. Would you they have found another way to do what they wanted, despite God's instructions?

I am reminded of the old saying that sin is spelled "sIn" because at the root of sin is the desire to make "I' (me) most important.  That fits with the idea that sin is when we try to be God.  

We also remember that after Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden God did provide them with clothes.  God's grace abounds, despite our sinfulness.




Monday, September 21, 2015

Reflections on "Maps to Anywhere" Genesis 12: 1-9; I Corinthians 1: 17-24

I spent too much time in the sermon on personal stories about iPhone map issues.  Still trying to find the balance between using the iPhone as a bridge to the sermon and the iPhone stories dominating too much of the sermon.  Did not find the correct balance this week.

I hope the segue into the predestination issue worked out ok.  I went ahead and added that point, in part because I have been in several discussions recently about heaven and who goes (or does not go) to heaven, Perhaps this point in the sermon was helpful.

I had a bit too much material for this sermon and did not find a tight focus for the sermon.  Each of the points could have been its own sermon.  In fact, each of the sub-points of the second move could probably have been a stand-alone sermon.

The song from "Big River" would have been better if it had been sung, but I was not working far enough ahead to make that happen, and I didn't think I could pull off singing that song as part of the sermon.

I mentioned my friend Cletus Johnson who took me when I was a Sr. High to San Antonio for a Synod Youth Workshop.  Remembering him brought back some great memories of church youth groups activities, games of Trivial Pursuit, and a New Year's Eve party with Cletus and other college students when I was in college.  Cletus taught art and seemed to know a little bit about everything, which always made life interesting.  I still fondly remember our conversation in the van on that particular trip, but also lots of other great conversations through the years.  I am reminded how blessed I have been to be surrounded by people who nurtured and challenged me as I have grown in my faith.

Maps to Everywhere” September 20, 2015; FPC, Troy; iPhone theology series; Genesis 12: 1-9; I Corinthians 1: 17-24
Introduction: There was a time when taking a trip meant getting out the Atlas, tracing the route to where we were going (sometimes tracing multiple routes), adding up the mileage, figuring out how long it would take to get to each stop along the way, and then writing up detailed directions complete with mileage between points for use on the trip.
I also had maps and an Atlas in my car to use in case we got lost (this proved particularly helpful when I realized we were in Delaware and Delaware was not on the mapped out route, but that's another sermon!).
Then, we moved into the time of Mapquest or Google maps, with the computer telling me the best way to get somewhere and printed directions to follow as we drove along.
Now, with my iPhone 4, I have a map function on my phone. It apparently always knows where I am, so all I have to do if put in the location of where I want to go, and soon I have step-by-step directions. No voice talking to me, but directions.
Gone are the days, well mostly gone are the days when I would try to find places based on feel and some sense of knowing where I was going.
Map function and discipleship.

Move 1: Hearing God's call means a journey.

a. We read this morning God's call of Abram.

1., we know God's call will be life-changing one as marked by Abram becoming Abraham and Sarai becoming Sarah.
2. The change is not just about who they are by name, or whose they are now by God's claim, but the hearing God's call involved packing up and heading out on a journey.

b. We in the gospels that following Jesus means going on a journey.

  1. When Jesus calls his disciples, he tells them to "follow me." “Quit what you're doing and let's go!”
  2. When the rich, young ruler is confronted by Jesus, Jesus tells him to sell his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor (that' the part we usually remember), but then adds, "and then come follow me.

         3. We focus on the selling of possessions and assume that's why the young ruler won't go, but maybe he was not willing to embark on the journey of following Christ.

           4.Ironically, as we live in what we consider to be a transitory time when people move a lot, most of us do not have a clear sense that when we hear God's call it means pack up and move.

    c.  Being a disciples means change.

          1.  A life of discipleship means a life of turning to God and allowing God to guide us

           2.  Discipleship ought to lead us to different places.

           3.  can you imagine turning your life over to God and following Christ and hearing God say, “Stay exactly like you are. Don't move, don't change?”

           4. Resident Aliens, Willimon and Hhauerwas, p. 5.2) When we are baptized, we (like the first disciples) jump on a moving train. As disciples, we do not so much accept a creed, or come to a clear sense of self-understanding by which we know this or that with utter certitude. We become part of a journey that began long before we got here and shall continue long after we are gone. FPC, mt. Sterling, Feb. 6, 1994

    1. As you look back over your life as a follower of Jesus, can you see how you have moved to different places in your understandings, in your approach to life?
      d. Map function on my phone gives me a series of steps to get from one place to the next.
      the life of discipleship is a series of steps, going in the direction God sends us.

Move 2: Lessons from the journey

a. Cletus Johnson –riding shotgun in the van on the way to San Antonio; “Getting lost in a new place is the best way to learn about it. If you go straight to where you are supposed to go, you don't learn anything!”

b. Important to have the correct directions.

  1. My wife Leslie, my daughter Noelle, and I were driving to College Station from Houston to do a college visit at Texas A&M
    mind you, this was not a new drive for either of us, although it had been several years since we had made the drive and we were in fact on a new highway since the last time we made the trip.
    Leslie punched in Texas A&M on her map app on the phone. M on her map app, and it kept giving us info that did not seem possible. I kept ignoring the requests to turn here or there. She kept asking me why I would not follow the directions. Finally, she discovered that her iPhone was giving us directions to some Texas A&M branch in Houston
    1. We cannot live into our calling unless we listen for the directions from God.
    1. we live in a world with lots of people willing to tell us where to go and what they think we should be doing.
    1. But we must listen for God's voice, we need to turn to God in prayer for guidance; we need to hear from those in our faith community who help us discern God's call for our lives.
               5. the directions God has for us maybe different than what the world tells us.

b. there may be detours along the way.

  1. Sidney at night.
  2. Two bridges out (or maybe one that I came to twice from different directions) and one other detour.
  3. As we live our lives, we find ourselves in unexpected situations or in places we had not anticipated.
  4. Those detours are not the places we abandon our faith, but the places where we especially need God's guidance and direction.
  5. Be ready for detours and see them as opportunities to learn and grow.

c. We learn along the way.
    1. Fast forward from Abraham to the Israelites leaving Egypt and heading to the Promised Land.
    2. The journey for the Israelites to the Promised Land was not the most direct route.

3. in fact, God led the Israelites “the roundabout way” (Exodus 13: 18)
    4. I looked – my iPhone map has an option for a walking route, a biking route, a driving route, staying off highways, but no roundabout way!
    5. God worried that the Israelites were not ready for the Promised Land.
    3. they might turn back out of fear if they went the most direct route through the land of the Philistines.
    4. They needed to grow out of people who understood themselves as slaves and grow into people who could claim the Promised Land.
    5. God led them on a journey through the wilderness to allow God time to work on them, shape them, prepare them for the Promised Land.
d. sometimes you need to stop.
  1. Rush of finding someplace.
    1. either trying to figure it out or having the navigator punch in directions.
    1. Still moving while having the map reset.
    2. Not reading the little map on the phone screen correctly (remember, I don't have a voice, so I have to read it and figure it out!).
5. I've learned that sometimes it's better to pull off to the side of the road and take time to figure out where I need to be going.
    6. Barbara Brown Taylor tells the story of a woman who was lost on the country roads trying to find Taylor’s house. She was eventually pulled over for speeding. She said to the officer, “I am sorry. I know that I was speeding, but I’ve been lost for the last forty minutes and I cannot find Tower Terrace anywhere on this map.” “Well, I’m sorry about that too, ma’m,” he said, writing up her citation, “but what made you think that hurrying would help you find your way?” (134) Barbara Brown Taylor, Leaving Church
7. Sometimes along our journey of discipleship we need to stop and collect our thoughts, renew that conversation with God about where we are headed, and then move forward.

Move 3: Sometimes we make our journey about getting into heaven.

a. I tried to map a journey to heaven. Got lots of choices, but not the one that comes with eternal life, although the option for Heavenly Ham seemed inviting.

b. if we make our journey to follow Jesus all about a journey to heaven, then I think we miss the point.

1. In the musical "Big River,": there's a song "Do you Wanna go to Heaven."  Huck Finn is told that he better learn to read or he won't be able to learn how to go to heaven.  Here are the lyrics:
DO YOU WANNA GO TO HEAVEN
FROM BROADWAY MUSICAL "BIG RIVER"
Writer Roger Miller
Looka here Huck, do you wanna go to heaven
Do you wanna go to Heaven
Well I'll tell you right now
You better learn to read and you better learn your writin'
Or you'll never get to heaven 'cause you wont know how
You may think that the whole thing is silly
But it ain't silly really and I'll tell you right now
If you don't learn to read then you can't read your Bible
And you won't get to heaven 'cause you wont know how

    1. Suggests that our life of discipleship is about finding the secret knowledge or path that gets us into heaven.

    1. God does not send Abraham on a journey to heaven. God calls Abraham to be a blessing to all the nations.

4. when Paul writes to the Corinthians, he does not describe how they can get to heaven. He calls them to the foolishness of the cross, to live out their faith as the follow the resurrected one.

b. Predestination.

  1. Reformed theology noted for that thought.
  2. The idea that every step of our journey is pre-ordained and mapped out, and all we are doing to following along the predestined path.
  3. Not sure that is biblical, nor an accurate understanding of John Calvin's argument.
  4. For Calvin, predestination was not about our journey of discipleship, but about not having to worry about salvation.
  5. Remember, Calvin is teaching people who had grown up Catholic with a high sense of having to do penance or give money to ensure salvation.  Without that model for how to get to heaven, they were unsure how to understand salvation.
  6. Calvin offers predestination as a way to rely on God's grace, rather than spending effort trying to earn one's way to heaven.

Conclusion: iPhone can provide you with maps to anywhere, but the faithful follow the path Jesus puts before them.







Thursday, September 17, 2015

"Maps to Everywhere" Genesis 12: 1-9; I Corinthians 1: 17-24

When I laid out the initial plans for the iPhone theology preaching series, I knew that one of the sermons would begin with the map app found on the phones.  At the time, I thought it would deal with predestination.  Now that I have arrived at that week (pun intended), I am thinking more about journeys than about predestination.  Certainly, the genesis passage is about journeys.  Not sure if I can fit the predestination point in the sermon or not.

Random thoughts about journeys:

1.  I remember before the iPhone having to call my brother on occasion so that he could find me on the his computer and tell me where I needed to go when I was lost.

2.  I also used to randomly try to find places based on feel and some sense of knowing where I was going.  It worked sometimes, but often did not.  Now, I just have to punch the address in my iPhone, although I have to make sure that the address is correct.

3.  My wife Leslie and I were driving to College Station from Houston to visit Texas A&M.  mind you, this is not a new drive for either of us, although we were on a new highway since the last time we made the trip.  She punched in Texas A&M on her map app, and it kept giving us info that did not seem possible.  I kept ignoring the requests to turn here or there.  She kept asking me why I would not follow the directions.  Finally, she discovered that her iPhone was giving us directions to Texas A&M, Houston.

4.  When God makes covenant with Abraham, God has Abraham pack up and move.  When Jesus calls his disciples, he tells them to "follow me."  When the rich, young ruler is confronted by Jesus, Jesus tells him to sell his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor (that' the part we usually remember), but then adds, "and then come follow me.  Ironically, we live in what we consider to be a transitory time when people move a lot, but most of us do not have a clear call to pack and move when we hear God's call.

5. one connection to predestination -- if we make our journey to follow Jesus all about a journey to heaven, then I think we miss the point.  In fact, I think predestination was part of Calvin's argument that people did not need to worry about salvation, Becca's God had already resolved that issue.  Remember, Calvin is teaching people who had grown up Catholic with a high sense of having to do penance or give money to ensure salvation.  Without that model for how to get to heaven, they were unsure how to understand salvation. Calvin offers predestination as a way to rely on God's grace, rather than spending effort trying to earn one's way to heaven.

6.  In the musical "Big River,": there's a song "Do you Wanna go to Heaven."  Huck Finn is told that he better learn to read or he won't be able to learn how to go to heaven.  Here are the lyrics:
DO YOU WANNA GO TO HEAVEN
FROM BROADWAY MUSICAL "BIG RIVER"
Writer Roger Miller
Looka Huck, do you wanna go to heaven
Do you wanna go to Heaven
Well I'll tell you right now
You better learn to read and you better learn your writin'
Or you'll never get to heaven 'cause you wont know how
You may think that the whole thing is silly
But it ain't silly really and I'll tell you right now
If you don't learn to read then you can't read your Bible
And you won't get to heaven 'cause you wont know how
Looka here Huck, now you better think it over
Do you wanna be a loafer like your pappy is now
You better learn to read and you better learn your writin'
Or you'll never get to heaven 'cause you wont know how
Hey, hey do you wanna go to heaven
Do you wanna go to heaven
If you don't go to hell
Looka here Huck, do you wanna go to heaven
Do you wanna go to heaven
Well I'll tell you right now
You better learn to read and you better learn your writin'
Or you'll never get to Heaven 'cause you wont know how
You may think that the whole thing is silly
But it ain't silly really and I'll tell you right now
If you don't learn to read then you can't read your Bible
And you won't get to heaven 'cause you wont know how
Looka here Huck, now you better think it over
Do you wanna be a loafer like your pappy is now
You better learn to read and you better learn your writin'
Or you'll never get to heaven 'cause you wont know how
Hey, hey here's the situation concernin' education aggravatin' and how
Do you wanna go to heaven
Well you better get your lessons or you won't know how
Looka here Huck, do you wanna be a feller
Like a feller really ought to be
I'll tell you right now
You better learn to read and you better learn your writin'
Or you'll never get to Heaven 'cause you wont know how

Read more: Roger Miller - Do You Wanna Go To Heaven Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

Lots of ideas that need to be narrowed down before Sunday.

Monday, September 14, 2015

Reflections on "The Pink Thing" Exodus 3: 13-15; Ephesians 4: 1-6

The goal of the new preaching series, "iPhone theology," is to engage the listeners by starting at a place which gets their attention, the iPhone and technology, and then moving from that entry point to some reflections on how we understand God and see God at work in our world.  The danger, of course, is that the attempt to get the listeners' attention will be so gimmicky that the listeners dismiss the sermon.  On top of that challenge, I read an article last week on preaching that suggested that one of the signs of poor preaching is how often the preacher tells a story about himself or herself.  Given that  my entry point to the sermon series is my own experience in using an iPhone, I am feeling a bit convicted by that author's comments.  

I turned to the story of the burning bush for this sermon.  Not sure if I did so because it fit or because it is often my go-to text when trying to describe the vastness of God.  Interestingly enough, when I went ot my notes fo the first class of confirmation that also took place yesterday, there was this same Exodus passage to describe the expansive nature of God that can never be captured by our human descriptions or understandings of God.  

The Pink Thing” September 13, 2015; FPC, Troy; iPhone theology series; Exodus 3: 13-15
Introduction: About a year ago, the hand-me-down phone that came to me was an iPhone 4.
That's how it works in my house. I get the phone of last resort that arrives used after my wife or one of my daughters has upgraded her phone. I'm not really a phone techie, so being a couple of years behind on the latest phone technology is OK with me.
We made the phone exchange at the kitchen table. I started to leave with my new/used phone, and I realized that it did not have a protective cover on it. It occurred to me that it would be a bit hypocritical of me to not put a protective cover on it immediately given all the lecturing I had done to my daughters about the importance of protecting one's phone.
Do you have an otter box?” I asked my daughter (an Otter box is one of those rubber protective coverings).
yes, but only a pink one.”
OK. I'll use it until I can get another one.”
But, then I discovered two things about the pink phone. One, it's easy to find, even on my messy desk. Two, I have lots of interesting conversations about my pink phone. Hardly a day goes by without someone asking about my pink phone.
As I learned how to use my new pink iPhone, it occurred to me that some of my lessons seemed almost theological.
This fall, the sermons will be about theological insights I have discovered while learning about my pink iPhone.

Move 1: The God of possibilities

a. The iPhone came with lots of of possibilities.

1. Some apps already loaded on it.

2.  Internet.

3.  Email.

4. some I could not imagine how I would ever use.

b. God of possibilities.

1. Exodus story.

2. Moses stares at the burning bush that will not be consumed, the burning bush from which he hears the voice of God.

  1. Moses hears God call him to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt.
4. as Moses considers that possibility, or perhaps it is more accurate to say that as Moses considers how to get out of that task, he asks God a question: “if the people ask me what your name is, what should I tell them?”
  1. God says tell them that my name is “I am who I am,” or “I will be who I will be.”
  1. A cryptic answer.
    1. but also a name that speaks to the endless possibilities of God is.
    1. a name that says “You cannot confine me to whatever box you have.”
      4. A name that says, “you cannot define me, especially if you try to limit me to what you think it possible.”
      5. a name that not only points to the God who is ever before us full of possibilities, but the God who calls us to live into that which we have never even imagined.
  1. God goes on to note that the name include the title “God fo Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob.”
  1. A reminder that when we speak of God, we speak of the one who has a history with us.
    1. We can point to times in our past when God has been present and at work among us.
3. But from the history, God calls us into the possibilities that wait for us.

Move 2: I discovered that it took time and effort to figure out how to use the iPhone.

a. It was one thing to have the iPhone with all of its possibilities; it was another to take the time to figure out how to make it work.
  1. In truth, I still don't use most of what it available on the iPhone.
    1. I choose not to take the time or the effort necessary to figure it out, unless I really need it.
    1. For example, as we begin our fall programming, I am helping out with communicating with our youth about their Sunday evening activities. I asked Kristyn, one of their leaders from last year what was the best way to communicate with them.
Instagram,” she told me.

Really?”

Yes,” she said, “and you can do it from your iPhone.”
    1. So now I have an Instagram app on my phone, an Instagram name, and I'm trying to figure out how how to use it.
b. It takes time and effort to follow the God of endless possibilities.
  1. Moses is called to lead God's people out of bondage and to the Promised Land.
    1. an incredible opportunity, a possibility he had never imagined, but it will take much effort on his part to figure out what God is doing with him and to live into his calling.
    1. Part of the challenge of discipleship is figuring out what God is doing with us, taking the time to listen for God, and making the effort to follow.
    1. We have to work at it.
5. Following God makes demands on us.
  1. Of course, when I get stuck trying to figure something out with my iPhone, you know what I do?
1. I ask one of my kids. Generally speaking, they keep the eye rolls to a minimum and help me out as best they can.

2. if help us figure out how to follow God, we have the example of God's kid, Jesus Christ, the one God sent to live among us, both as an example of us about how to live and as the one who saves us.

    3. when we speak of the God of endless possibilities, we do so with concrete example of how Jesus lived in the real world.
4. What Jesus asked real people like us to do.

Move 3: It's complicated

a. If all I wanted to do was dial a phone number on my iPhone, I suppose that would be rather simple.
  1. although I still haven't figured out why my phone sometimes seems to call people on its own.
    1. Not to mention all the pocket dialing I do.
    1. But to discover the possibilities my phone offers is complicated.
b. it can be complicated following God.

1. this morning in confirmation class we began talking about God by discussing the mystery of the Trinity.

  1. One God; three persons.
  1. Paul writes to the Ephesians, "God is above all, through all, in all..."  (Ephesians 4: 6)  Sounds great, but a little hard to explain when you think about it.
  2. Complicated theology.

b. If we believe God is engaged in our lives and our world, then it almost has to be complicated because we live in a complex world.

  1. When we face unexpected tragedy, or we ponder our world in which peace seems so elusive and violence and terror seem to carry the day, or when we how difficult it is for people to get along, or when we wonder how that person who we admire can hold beliefs that we do not admire, we recognize how complex our world and the people in it are.
    1. Likewise the God who is at work in our world, the God who calls us to new possibilities, that God is a complex God.
    1. But that is our calling – to give our lives over to this God who is revealed to us, this God who calls us to lives of discipleship; this God who we can never fully understand, but who continues to engage us.
Conclusion: The poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning, in her poem from “Aurora Leigh” writes, “Earth’s crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God; But only he who sees takes off his shoes, the rest sit round and pick blackberries, and daub their faces unaware.” http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/barrett/aurora/aurora.html







Monday, September 7, 2015

Reflections on "A Final Word" Malachi 3: 1-4

It felt like a good ending to the minor prophet series.  I actually think the sermon in the Chapel went a bit better than the one in the Sanctuary.  In both, I was freelancing quite a bit from the text that you see below.  I was trying to take what felt like a complicated concept -- the idea that the  prophets reveal the death and resurrection of Israel (See Donald Gowan,Theology of the Prophetic Books: The Death and Resurrection of Israel for more information on this topic) -- and make it accessible and pertinent to the listener.  I have enjoyed this preaching series because it has forced me to dig into the texts and study them in a way I have not done previously.

A Final Word” FPC, Troy; 9/2/15; Minor prophet series; Malachi 3: 1-4
Introduction: Every spring where I went to college there was a big show associated with Parent's Week-end. It was sort of a talent show.

Any group – service organizations, fraternities, sororities, etc. - could participate with some type of skit. Often they were musical reviews.
Some groups performed high quality musical numbers that revealed their talents.
The fraternity I was in always participated in this show with a musical skit that parodied some aspect of the life at college, typically offering a sarcastic view of a pressing issue on campus and always taking a jab or two at the administration. Our skits did not reveal much talent. Thankfully it was before the time of cell phones that could videotape.
But, every year the skit had a big finish. Somehow, regardless of the plot of the skit, we finished with a high kick routine. 50+ guys arms draped over one each other in a pseudo-chorus line high-kicking to the music.
We always had a big finish.
Not so with the minor prophets. Malachi, the last minor prophet chronologically, and also the last book of the Old Testament, finishes with not much more than a prophetic whimper.
\Malachi, which means “my messenger, is probably a collection of anonymous prophesies that take on the name Malachi because one of the prophesies uses the phrase “my messenger,” editors chose to give those prophesies that name when they put together the minor prophets.
Malachi picks up on a few of the themes we have already discovered, but does not really hit them very hard. A reference to the destruction of Edom, a mention of the day of the Lord that is coming, but really not much else.
In fact, (Donald Gowan,Theology of the Prophetic Books: The Death and Resurrection of Israel, 177)
Almost half of Malachi's verses ask questions, rather than pronouncing some grand prophecy.
As we finish our preaching series on minor prophets, I have a couple of thoughts on Malachi.
Move 1: Malachi represents the shift that has taken place in the life of Israel.
a. Although there are no historical references to date Malachi, it is generally assumed to be a post-exilic work.
  1. Pre-exilic prophets forcefully challenged the religion of Israel that had co-opted so much of the religious traditions of the pagan gods.
  2. Pre-exilic prophets exposed the disparity of classes that had developed in Israel.
  3. Pre-exilic prophets looked to the looming destruction of Israel and proclaimed doom and gloom and called on Israel to repent.
b. But after the exile when Malachi prophesies there is less less on outside agents and conflict with other countries and more on the role of leadership within Israel (Gowan, 177).
1. Malachi has a high view of the priesthood and its responsibilities, and the prophecies suggest that the priests were not living up to those responsibilities.

  1. In Malachi we discover the transition from dependence on tradition and the inspired words of prophets to the use of written scripture as definitive for the faith and life of the Jewish community.
3.  Malachi emphasizes the need for leaders and people to commit to faithfulness.

4. Malachi writes in the muted tones of someone who is part of the post-exilic faith tradition that has returned to Jerusalem and regained its focus on temple worship and the monotheism to which God calls them.

Move 2: Importance to Israel and to us is the discovery that that they, that we, can be be changed.

a. Gowan sees the overall theme of the minor prophets as a resurrection story.

1. The title of Gowan's book reveals the point he makes -- the prophets show journey that takes place in Israel as Israel moves from the religion of its pre-exilic world to the religion of its post-exilic world.
  1. He argues that there has to be a death of pre-exilic Israel's tradition to allow for the resurrection of the post-exilic faith tradition of Judaism.

4. The pre-exilic  religion of Israel was marked by synchretism, the blending of Israelite tradition with the Canaanite religions; its death is represented by the exile; the post-exilic religion of Judaism returns to a monotheistic understanding with God as the one God to be worshiped (Gowan, 188-200).

b. Death and resurrection, of course, is a theme true to the God we know.

1. In fact, we know Malachi a bit because the portion of the third chapter that we are reading Sunday morning is part of the Advent lectionary readings and gets read during Advent every third year.

    1. It is hard for us to read Malachi and not associate it with Christ, the one who shows most clearly God's power to resurrect, to turn death into life.
    1. Powerful witness for us.
    1. When we face tragedy, we can be people of hope because we know how God resurrected Israel and transformed them into a new people.
    1. When we recognize that we need to change our lives, we can be a people of hope and believe that we can be be changed.
    1. did Israel cry out in the midst of their fall and destruction? Yes.
    1. Did Israel ask “why?” many times over? Yes.
    1. Did God, in the midst of the destruction of Israel, rescue them from exile and transform them. Yes.
  1. During seminary I did a two year internship as an Intern Associate Pastor. As part of my work, I taught Jr. High Sunday School class for a year. It was a class with about 12 Jr. highs.
1. One of the kids was the typical statistic we read about in magazines, or hear about on the news.13, parents divorced in bad situation; mother a recovering alcohol; father a continuing alcoholic; reputed to join his father and step-mother as they smoked pot; history of petty thievery; sometimes brought his knife to Sunday School; reeked of smoke most Sunday mornings; in and out of counseling; known to lash out at others if they didn't do what he wanted;

2. he was also the smartest kid in the class; knew the Bible stories from SS better than any of them; he had two stepsisters who worshiped him and he them; he was a complex, contradiction, a scary person seemingly headed for jail or suicide; he was the oddball in the sea of middle-class suburban Presbyterianism in Houston.

He also happened to be there the Sunday this intern read the story about Christ washing the disciples' feet; he heard me tell the group that now we needed to find partners with whom to exchange this ritual; as could be expected, the Jr. highs weren’t sure they wanted to wash each other's feet, and it was clear none of them would be his partner. So there I was, left to be his partner.

It started out as a clash of wills. “We are going to wash each other's feet.” I told him.

You can't make me!” he was right.

Look, I'm not leaving here until we do this." As the others in the class giggles and hurriedly washed each other's feet, made jokes about the smell, as they probably missed the whole point of the lesson, I was in a battle of wills.

Whatever the reason, he finally gave up the stare down, tore off his shoe and very dirty sock, laughed and stuck his foot in my face.

Okay, wash me.”

In truth, there wasn't much to it. I took his foot, washed it, and then gently dried it off. he never did wash my foot. to this day, my lasting memory of him and foot washings, is the silence and the stare he gave me as I washed his foot. The insolence was gone; something in the moment quieted
him and caused him to stare as the intern/minister to be bowed before him.

I wish I could say that in that moment this kid's live was turned around. It wasn't. I wish I could say I made such a great impression on him, he changed his ways, but he didn't.

But I have a hope, I have a hope that he has been changed, or that God is still working on him.

I remember him and carry this hope for him because I know the God of resurrection, the God who can transform our lives.

Conclusion: No high kick routine to finish the sermon series on the minor prophets.

But we will come to our Lord's Table. The Table set by Christ’s death and resurrection.

The table to which we are invited to meet the living Christ, who continues to be at work transforming our lives and our world. Amen.