Reflections on "Grab Bag: OT Tweets" Proverbs 1: 1-7; Proverbs 31: 10-12

To prepare for this sermon, I had to consult the textbook we used for my Old Testament class at seminary.  It reminded me of what a great professor Andy Dearman was and how much fun I had learning all this stuff.  I also flashed back to the take-home, closed book (honor system) exams Andy gave us.  I would get up on Saturday morning, study, study, study, then go get Chinese take-out and eat, watch college football, and take the exam.  That may explain why I didn't remember much of the backgrounds to Proverbs!

It was good to revisit Proverbs.  I made the connection (no scholar made this argument) between the Wisdom literature and its emphasis on righteous behavior and the letters to the early church and their emphasis on ethical behavior (particularly Peter's letters).  It was a fascinating connection to me.

The sermon probably had too much content -- an overview of 31 chapters and all the different styles of Proverbs is hard to do in 20 minutes or less, but I hope the gathered congregation got a good feel for Proverbs.

I had one person tell me they love reading Proverbs and another tell me they have a program that gives them a Proverb a day to read.  I was surprised that even two people read Proverbs that often.

The sermon came across very differently in the two services. Not sure why, exactly.  It felt very different in the preaching as well.

The text below is a loose approximation of the sermons preached at the two services.  I did quite a bit of freelancing yesterday.  I also botched the conclusion at the sanctuary service by using the comments earlier in the sermon.  The conclusion worked better at the Chapel service.  In fact, I think the written conclusion (now) is better than both of the conclusions that I used in the services yesterday (I could not remember the exact conclusion, so I wrote something in this morning).

Someone told me that yesterday's sermon was the best sermon I'd preached in all my time here.  From my perspective, that is certainly not the case, but I'm, grateful that it worked for someone!

“Grab Bag:  OT Tweets” August 11, 2013; Grab bag series  Proverbs 1: 1-7; Proverbs 31:10-12

Introduction In the last 20 years, I am not sure I ever preached on Proverbs, except for using portions of Proverbs 31 at a funeral for a mother/wife.

I bet most of you have not studied Proverbs.  Don’t make a catchy VBS theme.

In some ways, that made it surprising to me that someone actually wanted to hear a sermon on Proverbs as part of the grab-bag sermon series; or perhaps I should not have been surprised since we do not talk about Proverbs much.

I pulled out my Old Testament text book from seminary (in the written form of the sermon I’ve tried to note the references to it).

When I was trying to reflect on how to characterize Proverbs in our present context, it struck me that they are something like Twitter – quick hitting tweets that are somewhat cryptic, open to interpretation, and cover a wide variety of topic.  

Move 1:  Overview of Proverbs

            a. Proverbs joins with Ecclesiastes and Job as Wisdom literature in the Bible.

                        1. Job may seem an odd companion to Proverbs because we think of Job as the story of Job; but in fact Job is mostly a series of speeches and discourses hung on the framework of Job’s story.

2.  Wisdom genre is very different than the other books of the Old Testament.

                        2.  Wisdom literature lacks the “distinctive features of Israel’s faith.” (Anderson, 570).

                        3. that is, the stories of the patriarchs that we might read in Genesis and Exodus, or the stories of the kings or judges, are not present nor are they mentioned in Proverbs.

                        4. the one exception is the mention of King Solomon, who was considered the "fountainhead of all wisdom" (Anderson, 573). Many of the Proverbs are attributed to Solomon. Remember that Solomon asked for the gift of wisdom from God.

5. likewise, the words of the prophets highlight Israel’s God and the uniqueness of Israel’s relationship with God are not found in Proverbs, nor are those themes mentioned.

            b. Wisdom is rooted in the “fear” of the Lord as we read in the opening chapter of Proverbs.

1.      Proverbs 9: 10  (Proverbs 9:10) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.  (NRSV)

2.       "Fear" is not used in the sense of "scared," but in the sense of recognizing the awesome nature of God and being overwhelmed by it.

3.  Reason is not an obstacle to faith; rather, faith is a precondition for understanding (Anderson, 578)

c.  The theology of Proverbs is grounded in creation (see Proverbs 8: 22-31).

1.      (Proverbs 8:22-36) The LORD created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of long ago. Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth-- when he had not yet made earth and fields, or the world's first bits of soil. When he established the heavens, I was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him, like a master worker; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the human race. And now, my children, listen to me: happy are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Happy is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD; but those who miss me injure themselves; all who hate me love death."  (NRSV)

2.      To figure out the right way to live our lives as part of the created order is to have wisdom and to be righteous (see opening notes to Proverbs from The New Interpreter's Study Bible to get good background material on Proverbs), all of which begins with a "fear of the Lord."

3.      Wisdom is seen not just as the "key to ethical behavior (Proverbs 4: 10-19); it seeks to grasp the secret of the divine plan behind the whole creation" (Understanding the Old Testament, Bernhard Anderson, 4th edition, 579).

4.      Of course, this suggests that if we had enough wisdom, we could know God's plan. I'm not sure I want to go there.

                       

d. Proverbs tackle the following topics:  family, relationships; nature; agriculture; social relationships; and work relationships.

e.      Proverbs also has the running image of Wisdom personified as a woman.

1.      gives life to the rational approach to God.

2.      Given the importance of women, it is interesting that in a patriarchal world wisdom would be female.

3.      We might also note that the last chapter has two stories of women.

Move 2:  look at a few of the Proverbs

a.      Short statements where the second statement runs a parallel to the first.

1.       Proverbs 10:1 The proverbs of Solomon. A wise child makes a glad father, but a foolish child is a mother's grief.  (NRSV)

2.      A balanced pair of opposites

3.      The wise child is paired with the foolish child; the glad father with a mother’s grief.

4.      Universal truth – not explicitly grounded in faith in the God of Israel.

5.      Proverbs 22: 1 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.  (NRSV

6. Synonymous parallels – two items mentioned that are similar

b.      parallelism between two paths a person can choose

1.        (Proverbs 4:18-19) But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.

 (Proverbs 4:19) The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what they stumble over. (NRSV)

1.      Two paths a person can follow.

2.  Wicked or righteous.

c.      Collection of poems with numerical component (Proverbs 30: 18-19)  (Proverbs 30:18-19)

1.       Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a girl.  (NRSV

2.       (Proverbs 30:29-31) Three things are stately in their stride; four are stately in their gait: the lion, which is mightiest among wild animals and does not turn back before any; the strutting rooster, the he-goat, and a king striding before his people.  (NRSV)

3.      There’s a lot to contemplate.

4.      tying together of things that do not seem associated.

5.      In processing the connections, we might come to understand a truth that matters to us.

d.      Proverbs 6: 6-11 instruction

1.  (Proverbs 6:6-11) Go to the ant, you lazybones; consider its ways, and be wise. Without having any chief or officer or ruler, it prepares its food in summer, and gathers its sustenance in harvest. How long will you lie there, O lazybones? When will you rise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want, like an armed warrior.  (NRSV)

e.      There are some extended sections where the verses tie together (Proverbs 31).

1.      Extended story about Lemuel, a son and his mother.

2. would read more like a parable.

Move 3:  Where is the gospel, that is good news, in these proverbs?

a.      Linking of rational thought to faith.

1.      Response to black and white – one of two paths.

2.      Speaks to the complexity of the world.

3.      Steer clear of thinking you can figure God out if you are smart enough.

b.      Wide variety of Images  

1.       lots of different aspects of life.

2.      Speaks to God’s all-encompassing presence in our world.

c.      Ethical behavior matters.

1.      Our belief in God does manifest itself in the behaviors we choose.

2.      The proverbs that offer insights into how we act highlight the importance of how we act.

3.      Not works righteousness – not earning God’s grace.

4.      But connecting our faith with our actions.

5.      Links Proverbs to the letters of the early church.

Conclusion: The Book of Proverbs provides ample resources for Twitter and FB people -- you have ample resources for things to tweet and post that will undoubtedly draw lots of attention and comment.

As you tweet your favorite Proverb, do not forget that the answer to the riddle lies in how you live your life as a follower of Christ.

"OT Tweets" Proverbs 1: 1-7; 31: 1-7

In the last 20 years, I am not sure I ever preached on Proverbs, except for using portions of Proverbs 31 at a funeral for a mother/wife.  When I was trying to reflect on how to characterize Proverbs in our present context, it struck me that they are something like tweets that go out from people.  Most of the Proverbs are stand alone comments on a variety of issues.

Some things to think about when reading Proverbs:

1.  The theology of Proverbs is grounded in creation (see Proverbs 8: 22-31).  To figure out the right way to live our lvies as part of the created order is to have wisdom and to be righteous (see opening notes to Proverbs from The New Interpreter's Study Bible to get good background material on Proverbs), all of which begins with a "fear of the Lord."

2.  "Fear" is not used in the sense of "scared," but in the sense of recognizing the awesome nature of God and being overwhelmed by it.

3. proverbs joins with Ecclesiastes and Job as Wisdom literature in the Bible.

4.  Proverbs tackle the following topics:  family, relationships; nature; agriculuter; social relationships; and work relationships.

5. There are some extended sections wehre the verses tie together (Proverbs 31), but much of Proverbs is two-line wise sayings (Proverbs 10 would be a good example).

6. Wisdom is seen not just as the "key to ethical behavior (Proverbs 4: 10-19); it seeks to grasp the secret of the divine plan behind the whole creation" (Understanding the Old Testament, Bernhard Anderson, 4th edition, 579). Of course, this suggests that if we had enough wisdom, we could know God's plan.  I'm not sure I want to go there.

7.  Proverbs also has the running image of Wisdom personified as a woman.  Given the importance of women, it is interesting that in a patriarchal world wisdom would be female.

8.  King Solomon was considered the "fountainhead of all wisdom" (Anderson, 573).    Many of the Proverbs are attributed to Solomon.

I am not sure how to take this information about Proverbs and turn them into a sermon.  Where is the gospel, that is good news, in these proverbs?

Reflections on "Setting the Table" Exodus 12: 43-51; Luke 22: 7-13

I enjoyed this sermon, although I seemed to stumble a bit more often than normal.  Not sure why.  I have been listening to my sermons lately, which may make me more aware of those stumbles than I would normally.

The topic of the Lord's Table has so much to preach. I am now thinking about taking the year 2014 and preaching an ongoing series on communion Sundays with sermons those weeks about different aspects of celebrating the Lord's Supper.  

I probably could have skipped the first point and spent more time on the behind-the-scenes preparation at this church (which was the grab bag request), but I really thought it was important to have the point about the exclusivity of the Israelite celebration of Passover.  In fact, I could spend  a sermon on inclusive/exclusive approaches to the Lord's Supper.  

I also have some great stories about kids in the church who have helped to set up communion. In fact, one of our worship co-chair's very young son helped set up communion yesterday.  

It also made me think that we ought to not settle for the lack of spiritual connection for the elders who serve.  Maybe we ought to have a prayer together each Sunday we have communion.  Or,  I could send out a meditation and prayer for the elders who are serving to read each week before communion.

Sermon went a bit long again. These grab bag sermons seem to be longer than my regular sermons!

“Grab Bag:  Setting the Table”  August 4, 2013; Grab bag series  Luke 22: 7-13; Exodus 12: 43-51

Introduction: Growing up, my siblings and I had a chore list. With four of us, that meant that the chores were divided up into four groups, and every four weeks your chores alternated.

Among the least favorite chores was setting the Table.  For one thing, it took place at a set time.  Most of the other chores had a ranges of hours in which we could choose to do them, but not setting the table.

Also, setting the table didn’t leave much room for fun or imagination.  Set six  plates (yes, we put the food on the table and served ourselves there); set six forks; six knives facing the correct direction; six spoons; six napkins (this did offer the creative moment of choosing to fold the cheap paper napkins into a triangle or rectangle; then take orders for drinks and put the drinks on the table.

Not much joy in that task.

I was thinking about how we prepared the Table as I reflected on this week’s grab bag request to talk about what goes on behind the scenes of preparing the Lord’s Table.

Move 1: Historic preparation, particularly as it speaks the practice of fencing the Table.

a.  Connection to the Passover.

1.   The Passover has the obvious connection because that was what Jesus and his followers were gathering to celebrate the night of the Last Supper.

2.  Historically critical moment from Israelite history when the final plague in Egypt was the visiting of the angel of death on all households, except those Israelite houses that had the blood of the lamb over their door.

3.  But I also want to point out how the Israelites understood the Passover to be their celebration exclusively. 

4. No one else was invited.

5. There were a few ways a non-Israelite could participate, but basically it meant becoming like the Israelites.

6. We call that fencing the Table.

            b.  Paul fences the Lord’s Table for pastoral reasons.

                        1. He tells the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 11: 29) that they eat and drink judgment against themselves if they celebrate the Lord’s Supper unworthily.

                        2.  Set off a long tradition in the Christian church of putting up fences.

      3. Catholic church practices closed communion – only practicing Catholics are invited to the Lord’s Table.

d. In the Presbyterian Church, we practice what we call “open” communion.

1.  Anyone who has been baptized and trusts in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Grew out of desire to be inclusive, particularly to include young children.

2.  When I took the confirmands to Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary  one year we had worship.  I instructed the confirmands that if they took communion at home, they could take it here; if they did not, they should respect their parents and not take communion.  I got all sorts of dirty looks when the confirmands did not go down for communion.  A lady even said to me, “You know in the Presbyterian Church kids can take communion!”  “I know,” I replied and didn’t bother to tell her that in the course of my ministry, I have introduced two churches to the “new” tradition of kids taking communion.

e. But are we really open?

1.       Each time we celebrate I say something to the effect that “everyone who has been baptized and trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior," is invited.

2.      A fence.  Maybe a small one.  But still a fence.

3.      No longer mention it.

Move 2: Let’s move from historic preparation to preparation in the local congregation.

            a.  Every church has its own idiosyncrasies related to communion.

1. The church I grew up in has a very formal approach with each elder getting a two-page, front and back letter complete with diagrams about how to do communion.  As you sit there, you notice their structure and order.

2. the minister I worked with on internship had a rule that the organist could not play music people would recognize during the meditative time of communion. He thought it would distract people from reflecting if they were humming along.

3.  Jan Childress, in column in Presbyterian Outlook, 4/5/2010:  “Canadian theologian Stephen Farris tells the story of a young pastor celebrating the Lord's Supper at a new charge for the first time.  The new pastor was an earnest young guy, intent on making good.  He arrived early that morning to prepare the elements. The bread was located easily enough, but the grape juice was nowhere in sight. Finally, with a sigh of relief, he came upon a box of purple powder.  Ah, he thought as he mixed it up with water and poured it out into the little cups , this is the way they do it here.  He set the trays in the fridge and went back to the sanctuary to practice. Ninety minutes later when the deacons arrived to set the table, the young pastor trailed them into the kitchen chatting, getting acquainted, making friends.  As it was that he was standing right there when the trays were pulled out of the fridge – glistening and jiggling in the kitchen light – full of grape Jell-O.

b. Our own church’s communion bread.

                        1. Recipe traces back to Jerry Saffell’s great, great grandparents, who came to the United States in 1778 from Scotland.

                        2.  Jerry’s grandmother modified the recipe to what it is now.

                        3.  Jerry’s mother made the Presbyterian Church in New Athens, OH

                        4. Inez passed on the task of making the communion bread to Cassa Johnson; Lucy Sanders now makes the communion bread.

                        5.  Even as we celebrate the Bicentennial, we use bread that goes back longer than the beginning of this church. And has traveled from Scotland to Eastern OH to Troy.

            6. When we talk about coming to the Table with all the saints who have come before us, we come with their recipe for bread!

            c.  Getting elders.

                        1.  Email now.

                        2.  Whoever is going to be here.

                        3. Not really very spiritual or theological.

            4. except we have elders – not priests.  That separates our practice from other churches.  We do not have to have a priest (or minister) do something to make the elements holy; we do not need a priest (or minister) to act as mediator with the elements; we do not need a priest (or minister) to connect us to God.

            5.  Everything about the Lord’s Supper is prepared by members and served by elders.

d.  How often?

1.  Growing up we only had communion quarterly and on Maundy Thursday.

2.  Catholics can have communion every day. In seminary, we celebrated it once a week.

3. We do it almost once a month and Maundy Thursday here.  You may have noticed that we now have one communion for June/July that does not fall on the first Sunday of either month.  We do this for the liturgical reason that we have trouble getting elders on the Sunday of Strawberry Festival and 4^th of July.

3.  Does frequency make it less meaningful?  Someone reading my blog noted that he or she only liked to take it on Maundy Thursday – less rushed and doing it once a year made it more special.

e.      we have to "advertise" that we are celebrating communion so that people can prepare themselves.

1.        how do you prepare yourself?

2.       Do you know that we are celebrating the Lord’s Supper on the Sunday before you arrive and see the Table set at the front of the sanctuary?

3.      Making of bread. Lucy prays over it. 

4.      The bread is prepared as a spiritual discipline.  How do you prepare spiritually for celebrating the Lord’s supper?

Move 3:  Jesus sets the Table

a.      Lord’s Table not because Jesus invites us to do this and remember him.

b.     Lord’s Table because his death sets the Table.

c.      Lord’s Table because his resurrection means that he meets us at this Table.

Conclusion:  Growing up, on special occasions, the chore of setting the table took on a different meaning – when it was setting the table for a special meal like Thanksgiving or Christmas.

There with the aroma of the dinner cooking, we would all want to get chosen to place the china plates on the table; get the silver out of the chest with the padded inside; carefully fold the cloth napkins; joyfully move among the gathered family to take drink orders.

It has now become the special task of grandchildren who get the same sense of specialness.

There was something wonderful about being involved in preparing for a special meal.

Jesus Christ has set our Lord’s Table.  Come  be a part of this special meal.

"Setting the Table"Luke 22: 7-13; Exodus 12: 43-51

Grab bagging about the behind-the-scenes preparation for the Lord's Table.

1. I have a story about the history of the recipe for the communion bread we use each month.

2.  I included the story of the Passover, both because of its connection to the Lord's Supper, but also because of its gate keeping element.  You had to be considered one of the Israelites to participate in the Passover.  Other traditions through the years have put fences around the Lord's Table.  We act as if we are open, but our polity and words before we come to the Table include the provision that people "be baptized and trust in Jesus as their Lord and Savior," which is a fence.   What fences to you see that churches put around the Lord's Table?  I would love a couple of illustrations of them to use in the sermon

3.  I have reflected on how setting the Table on a daily basis was on the chore list growing up.  Not much joy in that task.  But, when we had (now have for my family) a big dinner at Thanksgiving or Christmas, setting the Table is often a favorite task.  Any stories you have of setting the Table would be appreciated.
What is the difference?

4. Growing up we only had communion quarterly and on Maundy Thursday.  Something about not wanting to take the specialness (I may have just made up this word) away by having it occur to often.  Catholics can have communion every day.  In seminary, we celebrated it once a week.  Does frequency make it less meaningful?

5.  Presbyterians practice the passing of the elements in the trays to model that we share the elements with each other, rather than having to come to the priest (minister) to receive the elements.  I wonder how many feel the passing of the trays works to connect us, as opposed to making the serving of communion more formal, cold, and businesslike.

6.  Generally when elders talk about powerful moments that took place during their work, they mention serving the elements on the Sundays people come forward to receive them.

7.  Tell me the most powerful communion service you have ever experienced.

8.  we have to "advertise" that we are celebrating communion so that people can prepare themselves; share with me if you do anything different in preparing for worship if you know we will be celebrating the Lord's Supper.

Reflections on "Grab Bag: YOLO" Matthew 24: 36-44; I Corinthians 9: 19-23

Our younger generation was noticeably absent from worship yesterday, so the sermon's attempt to connect with a phrase that is now bandied about among the younger generation did not reach most of the segment in this congregation.  I enjoyed reflecting on how God's Word might speak to the current context or worldview of the younger generation.

In the final stages of the sermon preparation, I read an article about how "millenials" are returning to some of the churches with "high" liturgies because the structured, historical liturgy transcends the fads of today.  In part, the author argued that better bands and better media use does not move the "millenials" to come to worship.  Somehow I think that argument  might connect with this sermon, but I haven't had time to pursue that line of thought.

“Grab Bag:  YOLO”  July 28, 2013; Grab bag series; FPC, Troy; Matthew 2436-44; I Corinthians 9: 19-23

Introduction: YOLO…

If you know what that means, you are either part of the younger generation, or you are really hip!

YOLO is an acronym I learned recently from my daughters that means "You Only Live Once."   

Apparently, among some sectors of our younger adults, it is a popular phrase to say to indicate that you ought to seize the moment.

This younger generation, of course, is not the first to express this sentiment.

When I was younger, the movie Dead Poets Society made popular the term “Carpe Diem” as it told the story of the English teacher at a boarding school who urged the young men to "seize the day."

Of course, that phrase itself came from the Roman poet Horace who wrote just before Jesus’ time.

This desire for life to have meaning is not new to us.  Most of us at times want to bring a sense of urgency; believe that life really matters.

Let’s reflect for a few moments this morning about YOLO.

Move 1: I actually saw a young man walking down the street last week with it inscribed on his hat. YOLO

For some reason, the sight of that hat made me wonder if Jesus ever wore hats, and if so, would Jesus ever consider wearing a hat with YOLO written on it.

OK, admittedly that’s a bit strange, but as I reflected on that, I decided that I could see Jesus wearing a YOLO hat. Especially when he was having the conversation with the people about the thief in the night that we read in Matthew.

            a. YOLO seems to express the sense of urgency Jesus calls us to have.

1.      He notes that if the homeowner knew the night the thief was going to rob the house, the homeowner would have been prepared.

2.      Live today as if there is no tomorrow.

3.      Do not wait until tomorrow.  YOLO.

b.       We also see that sense of urgency in how Jesus deals with people.

1.       When he calls the first disciples out of their boats, he does not say, “Meet me in Capernaum next week, or next month, or at some future date down the road.”

2. Instead, he demands, “leave your nets and follow me now.”  YOLO.

3.  Or remember the rich young ruler with the question, “What do I have to do to inherit eternal life?” 

4. Jesus responds:  “Sell everything and give to the poor and then follow me” (Matthew 19: 16-22).

5.  Jesus suggests no concern for what will come down the road; he tells him to sell now and follow. YOLO.

6.   If Jesus were to call the disciples today, he might begin with “YOLO, follow me!”

c. We hear Jesus’ urgency, we acknowledge its truth, but then we find ourselves looking for the safe route preparing for the future as if all that matters is how prepared are we for tomorrow.

1. Maybe that’s why YOLO sounds so captivating to the younger generation.

2.  It’s edgier; it’s in the moment.

3. No waiting for the future to find fulfillment; seize it now.

4. Freedom from the responsibility and obligations of the future.

5. I do not think Jesus would be adverse to a YOLO approach to life, at least not that call to urgency, that sense of freedom.  Those seem to complement his call to discipleship.

Move 2:  But we need to think for a moment about what it means to be free. 

a.  Paul understands freedom quite a bit differently than how some might interpret a YOLO approach to life.

1.   If the sense of urgency, the freedom from the constraints of worrying about the future means You Only Live Once, so you better get what you can now, then it does not fit with the life of discipleship that Paul describes to the Corinthians.

1.      Remember Paul is writing to these early Christians to help them understand what it means to believe in the resurrected Christ.

2.               They have probably started to figure out that Christ’s second coming is going to be a bit father down the road than they had imagined.

2.  So how do they live in ways that express the freedom they have in Christ?

1.  Paul does an interesting thing.  He affirms their new found freedom in Christ, but then shows how that freedom actually leads them to a new sense of responsibility.

2.  They are free to act without regard to any restrictions the world might place on them (YOLO at its best, perhaps?).

3. But, the new followers of Christ are connected to others; as followers of Christ called to serve in the world; they voluntarily submit themselves to restrictions in order to connect with others and keep them from falling away from Christ.

4. Parent – a young child, very directive; you can do this, you cannot do that.

5. Child gets older; more freedom; more choices; now, parents note the options;  You can do that, but is that what you want to do? You can do that, but does that choice reflect the kind of person you want to be?  The kind of person God calls you to be?

c. This sense of responsibility is not anti-YOLO, but it calls us to put how we live in the context of whose we are.

1. The question shifts from “What would you do if you knew today were your last day,” to “what would you do as a disciple of Christ if you knew today were your last day.”

2. I suspect the answer might change. 

3.  The sense of urgency is still there.

4.  But a redefining of freedom takes place – not because we have to, but because we want to.

Move 3: My final thought on YOLO is that Jesus outgrows his YOLO hat on the third day in the tomb when he is raised from the dead.

            a. I have been a camp this past week spending where the campers and camp staff are all younger than I am (quite a bit I might add) and probably recognize the term YOLO.

1.  One night as the camp staff and I were sitting around talking after the campers were in their cabents for the night, I asked them (most of them were college age) what they thought of YOLO.

2.  In the course of the conversation, of the staff members proclaimed, “It does not fit our theology.  Jesus lived twice and so will we!”

3. He, of course, is right.

b. Because we believe in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, because we believe that we are united with Christ in his death and resurrection, we do not have to settle for an understanding of life that suggests that we need to live as if there is no future.

            1.  I have pointed out how a YOLO approach to life might fit with Christ’s image of the homeowner who knows when the thief will come in the night.

            2.  But, there is a cynical connotation to YOLO as well.

            3. I suspect for some, they adopt a YOLO attitude because when they hear Christ say that when he comes again and one is left in the field, they can only see themselves as the one who is left behind.  For them, there is no future beyond what they achieve or enjoy today.

            4. Maybe we are like that some days as well.

5.  They (we) They need to know the hope that we have – a hope in the God of tomorrow; a hope in the God who can even resurrect the dead.

c.  In fact, believing in the God of the resurrection frees to live an even edgier YOLO life?

            1.  We do not have to be concerned about our future because God has acted.

2. WE are not bound to the limitations the world might want to place on us, because God has acted.

3.  Our life is full of meaning because God has claimed us as God’s very own people

            3. The constraints of the world are broken, freeing us to live fully in the present.

                        4.  That sense of urgency, that freedom that is sought after by those who want a YOLO lifestyle is there for those who trust in the God of the resurrection.

Conclusion:  YOLO! 

A term used by the younger generation that speaks to the urgency to which we are called to live our lives or a cynical approach to life that does not care about what God is doing in our lives?

You choose.

Amen. 

"Grab Bag: YOLO" Matthew 24: 36-44; I Corinthians 9: 19-23

Are you familiar with the term YOLO?  I learned it recently from my daughters.  It means "You Only Live Once."  Apparently, among some sectors of our youth, it is a popular phrase to say to indicate that you ought to seize the moment.  I actually saw a young man walking down the street last week with it inscribed on his hat.

It reminds me of the phrase "Carpe diem,"  which was made popular in the late 1980s by the movie "Dead Poets Society" starring Robin Williams.  It followed the lives of boys at boarding school who were encouraged by their English teacher (played by Robin Williams) to "seize the day."

Of course, it has a history that goes back much farther than 1989; it goes at least back to antiquity and the writings of Horace, a Roman poet who wrote near the time of Christ's birth.  In Horace, the phrase is part of the longer Carpe diem quam minimum credula postero – "Seize the Day, putting as little trust as possible in the next (day)[/future]", and the ode says that the future is unforeseen, and that one should not leave to chance future happenings but rather one should do all one can today to make one's future better. This phrase is usually understood against Horace's Epicurean background.^[5] It is important to note that the "Carpe diem" phrase is often misinterpreted and misused in contemporary popular culture. However, it's not about ignoring one's future, but rather not trusting that everything is going to fall into place for you someday and doing those things today. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpe_diem; 1989 Dead Poets Society

I have been a camp this week spending time on other topics, but I did ask a group of camp staff (college age) what they thought of YOLO.   They did not think much of it.  One said it was a lame excuse for "carpe diem."  Another said it did not fit our theology.  We know that we will live twice because of the resurrection. I suggested that perhaps Jesus' reminders that we do not know when he will come again challenges us to adopt a YOLO attitude.  They grudgingly agreed, and then quickly returned to updating their Facebook statuses!

What does the phrase "You Only Live Once" bring to mind?