Monday, November 30, 2015

Advent readings, Day 2: Psalm 25: 1-10

Psalm 25

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
O my God, in you I trust;
    do not let me be put to shame;
    do not let my enemies exult over me.
Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;
    let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
    teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
    for you are the God of my salvation;
    for you I wait all day long.
Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love,
    for they have been from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
    according to your steadfast love remember me,
    for your goodness’ sake, O Lord!
Good and upright is the Lord;
    therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
He leads the humble in what is right,
    and teaches the humble his way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
    for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.

We used Eugene Peterson's translation of this Psalm (as found in The Messenger) as our Call to Worship yesterday.  In his translation, the "do not" phrase in vs. 3 is a question -- i.e. "You won’t embarrass me, will you? Or let my enemies get the best of me? " -- which gives a very different feel to the Psalm.  

The Psalmist wants God to remember from the past God's faithfulness, but the Psalmist also wants God not to remember the sins of the psalmists youth  That's an interesting play on God remembering/not remembering.  It certainly fits with the Advent theme of looking for when Christ will come again.  We want God to remember that God has come in Christ and come again, all the while hoping that God does not give up on us because of our history of turning away from God.

As we enter the holiday season, that sense of remembering might be helpful to us as we reflect on our relationships with others.  Can we remember our history of shared relationships and love while giving up the sins of the years past?

Reflections on "Thanks for Black Friday" Jeremiah 33: 14-16; Luke 21: 25-26

 A pretty good start to the Advent series.  It felt like a good sermon, particularly at the Sanctuary service.  In that service, we had the baptism, which was the "real-time" sermon illustration that gave power to that point in the sermon.  The visuals on the screens in the sermon were also particularly effective this week.  Black Friday, of course, is a phenomenon to which almost everyone can relate. 

I confess that my knowledge of Black Friday is mostly from stories told to me by others or articles I have read. Years ago when I lived in KY, I went to JC Penneys at 6:00 am on a Black Friday to receive the free ornament given out to the first "I can't remember how many" customers.  A 6:00 arrival at a store on Black Friday this year would have made me one of the latecomers! 

I didn't really utilize the Luke passage appropriately, but the focus on Jeremiah was effective.

Thanks for Black Friday” 1st Advent; 11/29/15; Jeremiah 33: 14-16; Luke 21: 25-36

Introduction: In the Luke passage, Jesus tells the people to look for signs. We begin Advent with that reminder that we are looking for signs of Christ coming again.

The preaching series this Advent is about the signs that tell us Christmas is coming. Admittedly, that has less theological punch than the signs of Christ coming again, but I want to begin each sermon during Advent with a sign that indicates that Christmas is approaching.

The moments I pick will be of my choosing, but it is an invitation each week for you to reflect on those moments that signify to you that Christmas is on its way.

                 Maybe a gathering with friends that includes a white elephant exchange;
                 Maybe some family ritual related to the putting up of the Christmas tree.
                  Perhaps that mid-December gathering with the extended family where everyone draws someone else's name to give a gift.
                 Or the Advent church dinner and program.

Reflect on those signs and how they help us prepare for Christmas. Maybe even re-imagine those events and give them more meaning..
We begin with the Thanksgiving week-end.

Move 1: Thanksgiving, of course, reminds us of gratitude.
a. Gratitude
  1. Thanksgiving week-end marked by family get togethers and shared food.
  2. A good way to begin our journey to Christmas, being reminded about the things in life for which we are grateful.
  3. Perhaps as you prepared to eat with family gathered around the table, everyone shared something for which they were grateful.
  4. Or maybe you had a moment Thursday afternoon when you had a chance to reflect on all the good things in your life for which you are grateful.
  5. Those moments of gratitude take us back to God, the one who gives us life itself and the many things for which we are grateful.
  6. The God to whom we gratefully look as we head toward Christmas and the celebration of God coming in Christ.
  7. Gratitude.
b. But soon Thanksgiving becomes Black Friday.

       1. Tinsel, by Hank Stuever, comments on Thanksgiving: "If not for Independence Day, it [Thanksgiving] would be the last of the pure holidays, replete with the remaining vestiges of Norman Rockwell advertising and mad-rushes of grocery spending. Slathered in upbeat, revisionist history (cheerful natives, robust colonists), Thanksgiving happily sidesteps the hyperactive retail machine and instead stakes its claim on reverence, retaining its aura of handmade construction-paper Pilgrim hats. it conveys a sense of national togetherness, gluttonous helping of iconic food items, and the moments we take to consider our blessings. Then all hell breaks loose" (78)

         2.  Black Friday arrives.

        3. Shift from gratitude to shopping.

        4.  shift gets earlier each year.

        5.  No more waiting for sunrise on Friday. Black Friday has morphed into Thanksgiving day.

         6.  people heading out after a turkey dinner. Not very far from the Thanksgiving dinner table to the shopping mall.

    c.  Note the conflicting tugs
      1.  The Thanksgiving pull to stop and give thanks and the Black Friday pull of shop till you drop.
  1. those conflicting tugs will follow us all through our journey to Christmas.
3.  Moments of peace and clarity about the meaning of Christmas intertwined with the rush to decorate, or cook, or buy gifts, or prepare for that next celebration.

4. As you weave your way through the pulls and pushes over the next few weeks, remember that it all began with gratitude.

Move 2: Black Friday

a. 2006 begins to break the protocol of Black Friday by opening at midnight. People begin getting in line on Thursday afternoon.

1. Stuever notes that Americans end of spending half a trillion dollars in 2006 (Tinsel, 3).
  1. Figures I can find indicate 600 million in 2013 - 700 million in 2014, including Kwanza and Hanukkah (https://nrf.com/news/the-long-and-short-of-americas-consumer-holidays; and http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/guess-how-much-americans-plan-to-spend-on-christmas-and-halloween-this-year).
b. Easy to find fault with Black Friday.
  1. consumerism.
    1. Materialism (at this point in the Sanctuary service I noted that the image on the screen was one of crazed shoppers racing to a store on Black Friday).
    1. True. But it also reminds us of gift-giving.
               4.  In Tinsel, one of the persons Stuever follows is Carroll – single mother; three kids; white-collar job; house paid off; doing OK.

              5.  she saves money all year for Christmas gift buying. She has money allotted for each child, her oldest daughter’s boyfriend; office workers, and friends. She will spend in 2006 a bit more than the average family, but it does not seem extravagant when spread out over all the group.

             6.  She is one of those people who is out at midnight on Black Friday. Her son had arrived at Best Buy earlier and waited in the long line so that he can go in and grab what they want, and then she will come in with her younger daughter and buy the items.

           7.  She describes her Black Friday not as crazy shopping, but as a way for her to make her dollars go farther as she buys gifts; and the gifts are her way of remembering others; she wants everyone to know that they are remembered.

           8.  chance for everyone to be remembered. Carroll believeds that everyone should know that they matter and that someone remembers them. When she gives the gifts she bought on Black Friday, it is to make the person know they are remembered.

           9.  At the end of spending Black Friday with Carroll and her kids, Stuever has a different perspective. Black Friday offers places of true bonding; a chance to be seen and see others; an opportunity to connect (Stuever, 90).

          10. Black Friday reminds us of gift-giving.

Move 3: Gift giving.

a. what gift do we have to give?
  1. Infant baptism.
  2. As I was reflecting on Black Friday and the crazy thirst for buying gift to give, I thought about what gift would mean the most to an infant.
    1. I was reminded of the way we parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, always give Christmas gifts to infants.
The “first Chirstmas” tree decoration we give to the infant that cannot even lift a hand to put the decoration on the tree.

Or the stuffed Santa bear that drawfs the young child, who cannot even focus her eyes well enough to notice the bear.

And when they get a bit older, they still don't care about the gift as long as they can play with the wrapping paper or the box.

But we still insist on giving infants and little kids gifts.
    1. What gift could we give that would help this child as she grows up in a world today. A world where terrorism is seemingly a daily event; where war rages; where we feel helpless to often over what it happening.
    2. Is there were any gift we could give a child that would matter more to them than being united with Christ in both Christ's death and resurrection and the commitment of a church community to help raise the child in the faith.
    3. That gift costs us nothing in real dollars, but it impacts the child forever.

b. That's the gift that Jeremiah prophesies about in his words we heard this morning.
  1. the promises are spoken to address a dire situation. The armies of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, are advancing on Jerusalem. The streets of Jerusalem will soon be filled with the corpses of her people (33:4-5), and the prophet Jeremiah himself is imprisoned by King Zedekiah (33:1).
    1. The worst has not yet happened, but it is inevitable. The daily news is no doubt terrifying. Any reasonable person can see that the city is doomed. Jeremiah's many prophecies of judgment--prophecies that have landed him in prison--are coming true.
    2. Yet now, in the midst of catastrophe, the prophet finally speaks words of promise! “the day is surely coming says the Lord...” In the previous chapter, he has purchased a piece of land, a foolish thing to do in a country soon to be conquered by invading armies. Nevertheless, he has purchased the land as a pledge, as earnest of God's redemption. (The italicized words are quotes from Kathryn M. Schifferdecker, Associate Professor of Old Testament, Luther Seminary St. Paul, Minn. http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=448)
    1. And now he gives voice to that hope: The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.... a righteous branch will spring up...”
    2. The Israelites know the fear and helplessness that we feel when we look at our world and wonder what the future holds.
    1. Jeremiah tells them that God is coming.
  1. this is the gift God gives to us that we have to share with the world.
  1. The hope and promise of the God who is not done with the world.
    1. the hope and promise of the God who is coming to rescue the world.
    1. The birth of Christ is God's God's unequivocal statement that God has chosen to be with us and to save us.
    1. As we move toward Christmas, that is the story we are sent into the world to tell.
Conclusion: In this week that begins with gratitude, we are grateful to to God for the gift of life and God's love for us;

In a week that moves from gratitude to gift-giving, we remember the gift God's promise that the God who has come in Christ, is not done.

"Surely the days are coming," says the Lord.



Sunday, November 29, 2015

Advent Readings Day 1: Jeremiah 33: 14-16

We begin Advent with a word from the prophet Jeremiah.  He is preaching to the Israelites who are facing doom and gloom.  The Babylonians are threatening to destroy Jerusalem and the Temple, and send Israelites into captivity.  The world the Israelite know is imploding.  In the face of this disaster, Jeremiah speaks a word of hope.  "the day is surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah" (33:14).  A word of hope and a reminder that God is not done.

As we begin Advent this year with images of terrorism in the news, people killing strangers for no apparent reasons, war still raging in other parts of our world, we hear a word of hope.  God is not done.  God is surely coming.  the one who arrived in the Christ-child will return to execute justice and righteousness.

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

"Thanks for Black Friday" Jeremiah 33:14-16; Luke 21: 25-36

Each week of Advent I am beginning with one of the signs of that Christmas is soon to arrive. This week we note that the Thanksgiving holiday that begins with gratitude and then turns into Black Friday (and now Cyber Monday) announce the arrival of Advent, perhaps more starkly than John the Baptist's arrival on the scene.  As we go through Advent, I hope you will think about the signs in your holiday experiences that point to Christmas for you and give it shape and meaning.

For background to this sermon series, I read Hank Stuever's book Tinsel, which chronicles the lives of three people (and their families and friends) as they prepare for Christmas in 2006 in Frisco, Texas.

Tinesel, by Hank Stuever, comments on Thanksgiving:  "If not for Independence Day, it [Thanksgiving] would be the last of the pure holidays, replete with the remaining vestiges of Norman Rockwell advertising and mad-rushes of grocery spending. Slathered in upbeat, revisionist history (cheerful natives, robust colonists), Thanksgiving happily sidesteps the hyperactive retail machine and instead stakes its claim on reverence, retaining its aura of handmade construction-paper Pilgrim hats.  it conveys a sense of national togetherness, gluttonous helping of iconic food items, and the moments we take to consider our blessings.  Then all hell breaks loose" (78)

2006 begins to break the protocol of Black Friday by opening at midnight.  People begin getting in line on Thursday afternoon.

Stuever notes that Americans end of spending half a trillion dollars in 2006 (Tinsel, 3). Figures I can find indicate 600 million in 2013 - 700 million in 2014, including Kwanza and Hanukkah (https://nrf.com/news/the-long-and-short-of-americas-consumer-holidays; and http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/guess-how-much-americans-plan-to-spend-on-christmas-and-halloween-this-year)

We have an infant baptism on Sunday morning.  As I was reflecting on giving gifts, I wondered if there were any gift we could give a child that would matter more to them than being united with Christ in both Christ's death and resurrection and the commitment of a church community to help raise the child in the faith.  That gift costs us nothing in real dollars, but it impacts the child forever.

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Reflections on "Turn It Off" Genesis 2: 1-3; Mark 6: 45-46

I enjoyed the sermon a bit, although I ran into one of the dangers of preaching -- how to preach God's Word and avoid trite themes.  The sermon ought to be more than a self-help, therapeutic talk.  This week tackles a subject, taking sabbath, that has biblical roots, but is also addressed by lots of pseudo-psychologists.  I tried to let the Scripture inform us, but not sure that was achieved.

Int the prayers, I addressed to some extent the terrorist attacks.  Perhaps I should have devoted the sermon to it.  Certainly, it was hard to bring that theme into this particular sermon topic

Turn It Off” November 22, 2015; FPC, Troy; iPhone theology series; Genesis 2: 1-3; Mark 6: 45-46

Introduction: I thought about turning off my cell phone for 24 hrs. in preparation for my sermon this week.

To disconnect. Take a time-out. Take sabbath from my phone, if you will. I thought it would be a pretty insightful experiment for this sermon.

I actually had a two week window (since I was not here last week) to find one day to turn it off.

But, which day: the days I was out of town and away from my family?

could not do it on the day I had a child at home recovering from surgery for a day?

I did have a day when I was gone to a seminar, but then the person I was picking up asked me to text when I was leaving the church, so I needed the phone them; plus, the place hosting the seminar did not have wireless, so I could not connect my tablet to the wireless, which meant I had to use my phone to check email and check out the web when the seminar got a little slow (and during lunch I ran to a nursing home for a visit and had to use my map app since I had never been to the nursing home before.

what days would I not have a child off to college somewhere who might need to call me?

Turn it off. I'm not sure my phone ever gets turned off unless if freezes up and I have to turn if off to reset it.

Move 1: If God had a cell phone back during the time of creation, do you think God would have turned it off on the

a. On the seventh day God rested.
1. Six busy days, which I suppose are an argument for hard work.

2. but then God rested.

3. I wonder why?

b. God giving us the example of resting on the seventh day, taking Sabbath, reminds us that we are not God.
  1. Always having something to do can make us feel important.
      2. The thought process goes something like this: “If I always have something to do, then I must be important. Work cannot make it without me. The volunteer group cannot make it without me. I must be really important. I must have value.”

            3.  as if the world could not continue without our involvement.

           4.  To believe that we cannot take a break elevates us to a god-like status.

           5.  And we are not God.

           6. And even God rested.

b. God resting also reminds me of the importance of fellowship.

  1. Remember that God is Trinitarian; God in three persons -- Father, son and Holy Spirit.
    1. If go back earlier in Genesis, we discover God using the plural “we” and “us” in describing how God acts to create.
    1. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all there at the beginning.
    1. In recent years, theologians have shared the insight of how a Trinitarian God models community. As Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three persons in one, we are called to model that by being in fellowship with each other.
    1. God resting is actually Father, Son, and Holy Spirit sharing that time of rest together.
    1. As we enter the holiday season, most of us have busy schedules. Lots of things to do, places to go, people to see.
              7. We would be well-served to remember the example of God resting.
    1. Look for those moments of fellowship. Maybe with family. Maybe with friends.
              9. Not time spent doing, but time spent sharing and being together.

            10. Tinsel, by Hank Stuever, Tammy loves Christmas. She decorates people's homes as her job. She meets with friends for a gift exchange. She gives her kids everything they want and more. In fact, the year the author observes her she and her husband surprise their kids with a ski trip. An elf brings the news to their house.

She is searching for “that moment.”

That moment finally occurs when she and her family are stranded in a hotel by a snowstorm, unable to fly home. Two days later they have to drive home. Forced captivity. Forced out of the hustle and bustle of Christmas. And there she discovers “that moment.”
11. That moment when the hustle and bustle give way to connecting with one another.

Move 2: Jesus and the disciples just finished up a pretty exciting event when we catch up to them in the Gospel of Mark.

a. they have just had 5000 or more people gathered with them.
  1. Pretty exhilarating.
    1. Big crowd.
    1. Things are hopping.
            4. They even manage to feed the 5000.

           5. If we fast forward ahead, we will see that soon the disciples and Jesus will have people racing to them to be healed, to listen to them teach, to just be in their presence.

           6. But right now, Jesus needs a break.

           7. He sends the disciples away from the crowds and off to their next stop while Jesus himself heads off to the mountains for some time alone.

b. Notice what Jesus does when he goes off by himself.
  1. he prays.
    1. Time to refocus.
    1. reconnect with God.
            4. get back to the core of who he is.

c. We know how busy life can be.

           1. I read recently about a study entitled “Life at Home in the Twenty-First Century” done by social scientists affiliated with UCLA.

The scientists working with UCLA’s Center on Everyday Lives of Families studied the dual-income families the same way they would animal subjects. The team of anthropologists and archeologists spent four years studying 32 middle-class Los Angeles families in their natural habitat — their toy-littered homes — and came to conclusions so grim that the lead researcher used the word “disheartening” to describe the situation we have gotten ourselves into.

They videotaped the activities of family members, tracked their moves with position-locating devices, and documented their homes, yards, and activities with thousands of photographs. They even took saliva samples to measure stress hormones.

The researchers conclude that American families are overwhelmed by clutter, too busy to go in their own backyards, rarely eat dinner together even though they claim family meals as a goal, and can’t park their cars in the garage because they’re crammed with non-vehicular stuff.

Lots of reasons: Costco and the temptation to buy, buy, and buy leads to consumerism and cluttering.

Garages crammed with stuff.

They researchers determined that a refrigerator door cluttered with magnets, calendars, family photos, phone numbers, and sports schedules generally indicates the rest of the home will be in a similarly chaotic state.

Computers and TVs demand our attention and lead us to ignore others.
Too many work demands. Working at home keeps the home from being a place of family time or community.

“Something like 50 of the 64 parents in our study never stepped outside in the course of about a week,” she said. “When they gave us tours of their house they’d say, ‘Here’s the backyard, I don’t have time to go there.’

They get lost in their very busy lives and never get to the places or the relationships that they say they want.

(Beth Teitell can be reached at bteitell@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter@bethteitell. http://www.boston.com/community/moms/articles/2012/07/10/new_study_says_american_families_are_overwhelmed_by_clutter_rarely_eat_together_and_are_generally_stressed_out_about_it_all/?page=full as mentioned by David Lose Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Penn. Sunday, July 15, 2012
http://www.workingpreacher.org/craft.aspx?post=1494

           2.  Maybe your life is not quite like that, but I bet you can see some resemblances.

           3.  As we survey our busy lives, we look to Christ and see how he needed time out.

           4.  How he needed to step away and pray.

          5. Perhaps you feel the need to get back in touch with God.

c. Christ the King Sunday is the end of the liturgical calendar. It anticipates Advent and Christmas, the busy time of year.

  1. What's the last thought before heading into the busy-ness - Christ is King.
    1. We are about to get really busy?
    1. Commit to time outs. Intentional times to focus on family, to focus on turning back to God.
    1. Do not let the busy-ness of celebrating Christ arrival into our midst keep you from discovering Christ in your life.
conclusion: When I start the process of turning off the iPhone, the screen comes up where I can swipe to turn if off.

But at the bottom of the screen is another button. The “Cancel” button.

Which one will you push?










































Friday, November 20, 2015

"Turn It Off" Genesis 2: 1-3; Mark 6: 45-46

I thought about turning off my cell phone for 24 hrs. in preparation for my sermon this week.  But, which day:  the days I was out of town and away from my family?  what days would I not have a child off to college somewhere who might need to call me?  could not do it on the day I had a child at home recovering from surgery for a day?  I did have a day when I was gone to a seminar, but then the person I was picking up asked me to text when I was leaving the church, so I needed the phone them; plus, the place hosting the seminar did not have wireless, so I could not connect my tablet to the wireless, which meant I had to use my phone to check email and check out the web when the seminar got a little slow (and during lunch I ran to a nursing home for a visit and had to use my map app since I had never been to the nursing home before.

On the seventh day God rested.  Six busy days, which I suppose are an argument for hard work, but then God rested.  I wonder why?

The Mark passage is one in which Jesus takes off and goes to a mountain and prays.  To get away?  To refresh?

Christ the King Sunday is the end of the liturgical calendar.  It anticipates Advent and Christmas, the busy time of year.  What's the last thought before heading into the busy-ness - Christ is King.  We are about to get really busy?  Any days off planned for the next month?

Can you turn it off?  For just a day?

Monday, November 9, 2015

Reflections on "Always Something More" Malachi 3: 8-12; Mark 12: 41-44

This sermon was probably less connected to the iPhone and more connected to the theme of stewardship.  I enjoyed this sermon.

I had been to a seminar earlier in the week led by Amy-Jill Levine about the way in which Christian preachers use/abuse the Jewish tradition.  I received a copy of The Jewish Annotated New Testament, and it was neat that this passage had a comment about what Temple life was like at the time of Jesus. As you can tell, that impacted my sermon and gave me new insight into the passage.  A free book and a sermon illustration -- what a great seminar!

I am off this coming week.  Back to finish the iPhone theology series on November 22.

Always Something More” November 8, 2015; FPC, Troy; iPhone theology series; Malachi 3: 8-12; Mark 12: 41-44

Introduction: My iPhone has an abundance of apps, toys, and tools for me to use. Frankly, I don't have that many apps, and it's still more than I use regularly. If somehow I used everything I had on my phone, there would always be something more for me to add or use.

When most of us look at our lives, most of us see abundance. Undoubtedly we can point to others who have more than we do, but for most of us, we always have something more than we need.

On this day when visiting stewards go out for visits, when we prayerfully consider our pledges for next year’s gifts to God through this congregation, when we ponder the question “What if we gave more?” I want to reflect for a few minutes on giving in a world when we always have something more.

Move 1: Everyone is invited

a. Widow is in the Temple.

1. Jesus is not surprised by her presence there.

2. Jesus has just shared words of concern for the plight of widows and how they were treated by the scribes, so if there had been something unusual about her presence in the temple, we would have expected him to say something about it.
  1. but he does not.
4. Her presence is expected.

b. she gives an offering.

1. again, Jesus does not seem surprised that she has something to put into the Treasury.

2. some scholars think Jesus sees her giving as an example of the way the scribes are taking advantage of widows and the poor, but it does not read that way to me (The Jewish Annotated New Testament edited by Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler) debunks this theory and makes the point that the Temple is where both rich and poor can contribute. See notes on this passage, 90)

  1. Jesus is neither surprised that the widow is there in the Temple, nor that she has something to give to the Treasury.
  2. Reminder that we all belong in the house of God, and we all have gifts to give back to God.
  3. Giving is not the domain of the wealthy, or those who are the religious authorities, or those that seem like the most faithful among us, or those that seem to have an abundance.
6. giving is part of our discipleship. Just as all of us are called by God, so to all of us are called to be givers.

7.  God expects each of us to give; God gives each of us the opportunity to give.

8. Like the widow, all of us are invited to the Temple, so to speak.

Move 2: Reflect on giving out of our abundance.

a. Sounds sort of good: God gives to us abundantly; so out of our abundance we give back to God.
  1. but that is not what Jesus describes about giving as he observes those who are giving to the Treasury in the Temple that day.
  2. Jesus is unimpressed with the rich people who give large sums of money because they give out of their abundance.
  3. Jesus is very impressed with the widow who gives very little, but whose giving comes out of her poverty.
    1. Or As Eugene Peterson translates this passage, Jesus lifts up the widow fro giving that which "she couldn't afford," while the rich people gave what "they wouldn't miss" (to use Eugene Peterson's translation in The Message).
    2. Jesus' comments challenge we have have so much.
    3. We always have something more in our abundance, so we always have something more to give, but God wants more than just that something more we have; God wants us to follow the example of the widow who did not give merely out of her abundance, but gave out of her poverty.

b. In his book the Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade, Thomas Lynch, a funeral home director shares stories about life that he has learned while dealing with death.

  1. He tells the story of a priest who told him he wanted simple funeral, pine casket, Low Mass and pauper’s grave to set an example for the parish. No extravagant funeral for him.
    When Lynch told him he could set the example while he was alive by giving up his country club membership, selling his expensive car, sharing his savings, etc., the priest became angry. Lynch comments, “…the dead don’t care. Only the living care.” (6-7)
  1. The truth is, most of care about our abundance.
    1. there is always something more that we want to add to our abundance.
    2. Jesus does not seem to care about our abundance.
    3. He is more concerned with how much we give beyond our abundance.
Move 3: God always wants more and always has something more to give.

a. The Malachi passage has interesting words from God who challenges the Israelites to give their tithe as a test to see if God does not respond by pouring out blessings from heaven that they cannot imagine.
  1. Is this some sort of holy quid pro quo -- give to God, and in exchange God will give back?
  2. Giving as a way of buying God's blessing?
    1. No, but Malachi certainly carries a challenge from God to the Israelites.
    1. God challenges them to give. “Give your tithe,” Malachi challenges them, so that there is an abundance of gifts for God to use.
    2. You can give your tithes in the assurance that God will provide for you in the future.
b. Colleague shared this story. Presbyterian grew up in northern Minnesota in a Norwegian Lutheran church. family pledged. One year, when he was about 12 years old, the church needed a new roof. The families in the church, including his parents, made a second pledge.

It was a hard winter. The cows were not giving much milk. There was plenty of hay to feed the cows, but no milk to make money for the pledge. His father was not only worried about the family's income, but also about the pledge for the new roof.

The spring payment on the pledge was about due, and there was not much money. Then a man drove into the farmstead in a big empty truck. He was from Texas. He explained they were in a drought back home so the neighboring farmers had pooled their funds to send a truck to MN, where they had heard there was plenty of hay. The rancher from TX has brought cash.

There was money for the pledge.

The Presbyterian elder who tells this story notes that every year when it comes time to make his pledge, he thinks about this story.

I suspect that he remembers that story not because of the size of the pledge, but because the pledge allowed them to see how God provided for them.

Conclusion: God says, “See if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.”

We always have something more...we always have something more to give.








Thursday, November 5, 2015

"Always Something More" Mark 12: 41-44; Malachi 3: 8-16

This sermon may be more stewardship than iPhone theology (this is the next to last sermon of this sermon series).  The connection to the iPhone is the many different apps, toys, and tools that I can use on my iPhone gives me an abundance that has more than I actually need or use.  When most of us look at our lives, we have an abundance, much more than we actually need.

The Mark text is the familiar story of the widow's mite in which Jesus lifts up the widow fro giving that which "she couldn't afford," while the rich people gave what "they wouldn't miss" (to use Eugene Peterson's translation in The Message).  That presents a great challenge for us, who have so much abundance and generally give out of our abundance.

The Malachi passage has interesting words from God who challenges the Israelites to give their tithe as a test to see if God does not respond by pouting out blessings from heaven that they cannot imagine. Is that a quid pro quo -- give to God, and in exchange God will give back? Perhaps God is pointing out how ridiculous it might be for us to hang on to our gifts to take care of ourselves, when God cares for us with such grace and abundance?

Not sure where this sermon is headed.  Any thoughts?

Monday, November 2, 2015

Reflections on "Giving Made Easy" Malachi 3: 8-12; 2 Corinthians 9: 6-15

I found this to be an interesting sermon.  As I heard the texts for the sermon read, however, I thought of several ways in which the sermon could have been tied more directly to the text.  Again, a challenge when starting with the idea and then moving to the text.

Two weeks left in the iPhone theology series.

Giving Made Easy” November 1, 2015; FPC, Troy; iPhone theology series; 2 Corinthians 9:6-15; Malachi 3: 8-12

Introduction:

  • Connect2give
  • mGive
  • Mobile Commons
  • SumoText
  • Mobile Giving Foundation
  • BidPal
  • Accelevents
  • Givebycell
  • Egive

Have you ever heard of these groups? These are some of the groups that provide platforms for making donations by using your iPhone or Smartphone.

Because the iPhone is connected to the Internet, there are a variety of ways in which the phone can be used to give, just like using a desktop or laptop computer: give with credit card on a group's web-site; direct your bank to make a donation to a particular group; set up automatic withdrawals from your bank account; use bill pay to have your bank automatically send checks to the group to which you want to make a donation.

But, you can also text and give. That's right, by texting to a particular number, you can make a donation.

Stewardship meets the iPhone!

But does it make us better givers?

Move 1: Impulse giving

a. Powerful tool for giving.
  1. consider that in 2008, the American Red Cross initiated its first Text 2HELP campaign. Initial results: $190,000USD raised through through 38,091 text messages to provide relief for victims of natural disasters like Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Ike.
  2. That's probably the first time you saw advertisements about giving through texting.
  3. That same year to commemorate Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday, is charity established a way for people to text in a birthday wish to Mandela and make a donation. $85,000 USD in July 2008 were raised.
  4. Fast forward to 2010 and the American Red Cross effort for the Haiti earthquake relief – The American Red Cross has raised over $32 million within one month after the disaster, and has demonstrated the unprecedented potential for small text-message donations. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_donating
    1. there are still questions about text giving – administrative costs; is a $10 gift less than you might otherwise get from a donor; etc.
       6. but texting and giving offers a powerful opportunity for giving

b. Typically, text giving is an impulse donation.
  1. Catastrophic event somewhere; you see instructions for text giving; you give.
  2. Or a special event like Mandela's birthday.
  3. The immediate impulse to give is met with an easy opportunity to give.
  4. When we read Paul's letter to the Corinthians, we are reading an old-school approach to impulse giving.
  5. Paul wants to the Corinthians to be aware of the struggles of the persecuted Christians in Jerusalem, and he wants to move them to make special gift, take up a special collection to be given to eh church in Jerusalem.
    1. If this were taking place today, we would see a commercial about the persecuted Christians in Jerusalem and then be told how to text a donation.
Early evidence is that text giving can be used very effectively at times for impulse giving.

Move 2: Can new technologies help us become faithful givers.

a. Easy does not necessarily mean better.
  1. Just because text giving can be done in just a few seconds using our phone does not necessarily mean it helps us grow in our giving.
  2. To use Paul's words: does text giving help us sow bountifully and give us an opportunity to reap bountifully?
b. From a discipleship perspective, the desire is to become a patterned giver.
  1. To see our giving tied directly with our discipleship as one of the tools we have to help us grow in our faithfulness to God.
    1. Giving as more than just an impulse to an appeal or obvious need, but giving as our faithful response to God.
    1. that, of course, is one reason the commitment to tithing has historically been part of our understanding of giving.
    1. The tithe has a biblical foundation, but it also establishes a goal and pattern for our giving.
  1. can technology be a part of faithful giving?
  1. absolutely.
    1. My wife and I use bill pay for our giving.
    1. twice a month, a check comes to the church from our bank account as set up by me.
    1. The check arrives whether I remember to give or not;
    1. the check arrives even if my wife is mad at the minister that particular week.
    1. as we establish what our tithe will be for the coming year, we are able to utilize technology to make that giving happen.
7. compare that with the way I gave when I first was out of college and working. I had a box of envelopes (some of you still like to use envelopes!). I would set the envelopes out on a table and each week would use one. If I did not make it to church, the envelope waited until I did go. If I missed several weeks, I had several envelopes to fill and take to church. Of course, there was a huge temptation to just throw away the envelopes and start over if the pile of unused envelopes grew too high. Technology helps me avoid that temptation.
    1. As we think about our faithful response to God through our giving, it demands more than a impulse giving.
Conclusion: Paul did not see impulse giving and tithing as either....or; he saw them as both...and.

The church in Jerusalem needed help, so he asked the Corinthians to give extra to the special offering.

As followers of Christ, he called the Corinthians to be faithful in their giving back to God and to see their giving as part of their calling.

Amen.