The Daily (okay, monthly) Prayer

So, my online "Daily Prayers" have become more like monthly prayers. It doesn't mean I'm not praying, it just means that I don't have the internet access I used to, and when I do have access, I haven't had a lot of spare time to write, between continuing my studies, working on a business plan for a very ambitious ministry concept, beginning the groundwork for my next sermon, and putting together a bible study. I'm still praying several times a day, trying to get everyone in and cover all of the global issues I see. It feels good to pray - like having a chat with a good friend who never judges (I have one or two of those, so I have some of idea of how that really does feel). It feels even better when I pray for someone, and then hear that my prayer was answered.

Anyway... Here's today's prayer.

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for this beautiful day. Thank You for the gifts You give us: the opportunities to serve You and glorify Your name, the loved ones that remind us, each day, just how much You love us, the roofs over our heads, the food on our tables... everything.
Father, without You we have nothing... are nothing, but with You, we are princes and princesses of the Kingdom of Heaven. Help us to remember that, when things are dark, and we feel, wrongly, that we cannot see Your light.
Lord, it's a rough time in my circle. The prayer list at church is huge. We have so many people suffering from serious medical problems, or dealing with the pain of losing a loved one, or struggling financially. It's a daunting list... for me, but not for You.
Abba, You know the needs of all of us, and we have faith that You can and will handle all of them as You see fit. I would, however, like to raise up a few specific needs.
Please watch over Dan and Karen. Dan continues to suffer medical troubles, and Lord, it's starting to wear them both down. Lend them Your strength, I beg You, and grant healing to Dan so that they can get on with living, and serving You.
My friend, Mary, has taken a bad turn, Lord. When I laid hands on her, we both felt the Spirit move through her, but Father, she's so far away, and I can't touch Her. Please grant Her the benefit of this healing gift. Please, let it be as if I am laying hands on her, let the spirit move through us, and wash away her illness.
Father, wrap the Gracy and Stevenson families in the warmth of Your love during this time of loss. Your healing does not just touch the body, Lord, it can also ease the pain of loss. Remind them that their loved ones are with You now, as will we all be, one day.
Please watch over my mother, Lord. She's gotten herself in trouble again, and the penalty is likely more than she can bear. Help her to find her way out of the wilderness, Lord, and keep her from harm - even that of her own making.
There are so many more, Lord... the list never seems to get smaller. Please, help them, heal them, comfort them, protect them.
Thank You, Abba. Thank You for always being there. Thank You for taking care of us - for all that You do.
In the name of Christ Jesus, who died that we might be clean of sin, and who rose again to stand at Your side as our intercessor.
Amen.

I'm Not a Slacker, Honest!

So... it's been a while since I made a blog post. Today, I'll be making two (or three.)
Since my last post, I've done two more sermons, and have another in the queue. The writing process is really starting to come together for me, and I really have to thank the Lord for that.
My studies continue apace. I've effectively entered into an apprenticeship with Jeff. As much as I want to go to seminary, I'm just not sure how I can make that work, financially. I've been bouncing some ideas, including crowd sourcing, but unless I can get all of the money from non-loan sources, I can't make more school happen. I hear horror stories about people entering high-paying professions who can't pay off their student loans. "Pastor" is not a high-paying profession.
Jeff and I had a long talk about the various roads to ordination. Seminary would be optimal, but is very likely cost prohibitive at this time. Local licensing would be an option, except that there have been some changes in the process, and now, one can go all the way through the process, and end up with no posting.
I had considered getting an online ordination through the Universal Life Church. My pastor friends were universally against the idea - going so far as to call it a slap in the face for anyone who spent 4 years in seminary.
Then my medievalist leanings gave me an idea. I could apprentice myself to a Pastor (in this case, Jeff), and, when he felt that I was ready, then I could get my online ordination. I'm not giving up on seminary, but a fallback plan is always a good idea.
So, I am an apprentice pastor. When the time comes, I'll be happy to have long talks (oral exams) with the other pastors in my life in the hopes of assuring them that I'm ready.

Anyway, here's the text from  last Sunday's sermon.

SCRAPE IT OFF!

Matthew 18:23-35

Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents; and as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, “Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.” And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But that same servant, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat he said, “Pay what you owe.” So his fellow servant fell down and besought him, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you.” He refused and went and put him in prison till he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. The his lord summoned him and said to him, “you wicked servant!” I forgave you your debt because you besought me; and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant as I had mercy on you?” And in anger, his lord delivered him to the jailers, till he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.

Genesis 50:15-21

When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil which we did to him.” So they sent him a message, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died, 'Say to Joseph, Forgive, I pray you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.' And now, we pray you, forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. His brothers also came and fell down before him, and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” But Joseph said to them, “Fear not, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he reassured and comforted them.

Forgive... It's a big word. The Greek word is aphiemi (af ee' ay mee), and, as with pretty much all Greek words, it has a pile of meanings - forgive, forsake, lay aside, leave, let (alone, be, go), omit, put (or send) away, remit, suffer, yield up, dot dot dot... you get the point. What it doesn't mean is “hold on to”. That's what we're going dive into today.

I read a story about a college student who had his very expensive commuter bicycle stolen. He came out from class, and it was just gone, although his lock and cable (which had obviously been cut with bolt cutters) were still there. He called the police, and made a report, and within a couple of days, the thief had been caught and the bicycle recovered. When the student went to retrieve his bicycle, there was a note with it. It said, “Please forgive me for stealing your bicycle. I'm a drug addict, and my need for the drugs was so great that I couldn't help myself. Now that I've been arrested, I hope I can get the help I need, and get clean. I'm really glad that you're going to get your bike back. It's a really nice one. You should buy a bar lock for it, though. Cables are too easy to cut.”

The student said that of course, he forgave the thief. The thief's contrition was so obvious to him that, as a Christian, he didn't really have a choice.

Now, in the long run, the theft was a short-term inconvenience. He got the bike back, so why not go ahead and forgive. But this is just the type of thing that we hold on to. It's easier to say, “So what if he's sorry? He stole my only means of transportation... to try to sell for drugs.” But that's not what we're supposed to do.

Okay... maybe you're all thinking that a stolen bike isn't something to get worked up over. Let's look at something a bit more serious.

Not long ago, I watched a news report that was a follow-up on a shooting that had happened a year before. An innocent woman had been shot in the cross fire between two men, and, of course, she was permanently paralyzed by the injury. The article was about the huge change in her life since the shooting. The thing that struck me most was her statement: "I haven’t forgiven them yet, but I know I have to, because if I don’t God won’t forgive me."

Wait... what?

I could see the emotional and physical distress that she was in, even a year later. I could see the life that she had lost, and I wanted to say, "No, God loves you for who you are. You've been greatly damaged. You don't have to forgive those guys!"

But she knew the truth.

Unless we forgive those who haves harmed us, who have sinned against us, God will not, can not forgive us.

So, let's have a look at that truth.

In the old testament, God forgives mankind, over and over again. He keeps making covenant with us, and offering us... well, everything, and even though we keep turning our backs on Him and breaking covenant, and acting out like willful children, He still forgives us. He just does it, even though we never apologize.

But once Jesus is on the scene, forgiving others really becomes a hot topic, and the rules change a little – or at least, they're more clearly spelled out.

We must forgive to be forgiven.

Jesus says it in a number of places:

He flat out states it in Matthew 6, verse 15:

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

He restates it, using different words, in Matthew 7, verse 2:
For with the judgement you pronounce, you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.

Then, in today's first scripture reading, He illustrates it with one of His spot-on parables, and then restates it again: So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.

It was important enough that the apostles continued to teach it.
Paul says it in Colossians 3:13:
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

And James says it in James 2:13:
because judgement without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgement!

It's all through the New Testament – If we do not forgive those who harm us, God will not forgive us!

So... what is forgiveness?
Some people who have trouble with forgiveness think that forgiveness doesn't take the harm of sin seriously. But, really... forgiveness takes it very seriously. Forgiveness doesn't excuse sin, it doesn't say "Oh! That’s alright, your sin really wasn’t a bother, my stay in the hospital wasn’t that long, and I was able to catch up on my reading!" No... forgiveness calls sin, “sin”, and in many ways it holds the sinner accountable for their actions. Forgiveness says, "You hurt me, and what you did was wrong, but I won't hold it against you, I won't try to get back at you and I won't hate you for it."

The act of Forgiveness also initiates the process of Forgiveness.

(I know... that doesn't sound like it makes sense, but bear with me.)

You've most likely heard someone say, or maybe you've said yourself, "I'll forgive them when they come and say they're sorry." Well, I'll tell you what... That's not God’s way! God says "I forgive you, all you need to do to accept it is confess and repent." If we wait for a confession to forgive, more often than not, we'll be waiting a long time.

In his book "What’s so Amazing About Grace," Philip Yancey tells a story about a man and wife who one night had an argument about how supper was cooked. It was so heated, that that night they slept in separate rooms. Neither has ever approached the other to say, “I’m sorry,” or to offer forgiveness, and they have remained in separate rooms for years after the argument. Each night they go to bed hoping that the other will approach them with an apology or forgiveness, but neither one is willing to be the one who does it. God’s forgiveness doesn't wait for repentance – it initiates and draws out repentance by offering forgiveness.

Why is it that some people find forgiving so difficult?

Sometimes, they hate confrontation and don’t want to call someone out about their sin, so instead they stew in their unforgiveness, secretly hating that they don't want to do the hard work of forgiving.
Other times the seriousness of forgiveness exposes the pettiness of their grudges.

Recently, I was talking with a friend and I was trying to decide whether or not to get a hair cut, or let it grow back out. After letting me yammer on for awhile, he finally said "Well, Rick, why don't you pray about it" He was joking, of course, but it was his way of saying that if it doesn’t warrant prayer, then it really isn’t that important of a decision, is it? Some wrongs against us aren’t serious enough to warrant forgiveness. Some behavior needs to just be excused rather than forgiven. Accidents, mistakes, minor lapses in judgement, misunderstandings... these kind of things seldom need forgiveness – usually we just need to acknowledge that it's not that big a deal, and move on.

There are two elderly sisters who were in a car accident 20 years ago. Each blamed the other for the accident. The one driving said her sister was distracting her, and the sister said she was driving badly. Both of them should have said "these things happen" and got on with life, but instead of excusing each other, they haven't spoken in 20 years!

You might say to me, "but isn’t God’s grace and forgiveness free? Aren’t you asking us to earn our salvation by forgiving those who harm us?”
The answer is, “Yes, God’s grace is free, but it's not cheap. When God’s grace comes into our lives, it doesn't leave us as we were... it changes us. And one of the first changes that it make is to give us the power to forgive. By forgiving others we're proving that we have accepted God’s forgiveness, and are living in it! If we refuse to forgive those who harm us, what we're showing is that we haven't really accepted God’s grace, and like everything else God does, if you don't accept it, He can't actually give it to you.

The other truth that the young woman from my earlier story knew was that forgiveness is hard. She was an athletic, vibrant young woman before the bullet paralyzed her and changed her life forever. How could she forgive that? And yet, even though she knew she had to, she was honest enough to admit that it was going to be a chore of work to do so.

It's not easy to give up our right to be hurt, to be angry, to get back, to hate the other for what they've done. You may have had terrible things done to you by someone you loved and trusted, and they hurt you and broke your trust. You may have lost a great deal because of someone’s actions.

Okay... let's try a little mental exercise. Now, when you hold onto those hurts that others commit against you, it creates one of those strongholds that Jeff is always talking about – one of those places that let's evil get a toe-hold on your soul.

However, for the purposes of this exercise, I want you to think of it more as a big, ugly tick that's latched onto your soul. It just sits there, day after day, and maybe year after year, draining your spirituality. It's that thing – that thing that you can't, or won't get rid of, even though you know it's hurting your relationship with the Lord.

What I want you to do is close your eyes and envision that thing. We all have one – at least one. Someone, somewhere did you a wrong, and you just haven't been able to get rid of it – you haven't been able to bring yourself to forgive them... so there it sits... sucking away. Maybe it's not a tick... maybe it's more like a barnacle, just sitting there, ruining the smooth, pure lines of your soul. It doesn't matter what it looks like in your imagination, as long as you can visualize it. Once you have the thing in your mind – once you know which wrong you're holding on to – raise your hand. Don't open your eyes yet. Just raise your hand. Mine's already up. My soul-draining tick was easy to recognize.

There are some of you that don't have your hand up. Are you deluding yourself, or are you really good at forgiveness? If you don't have any wrongs unforgiven, super! You're a much better person than I am. But if you just don't want to admit that you're holding onto that thing, you're not doing yourself any favors.

Okay, everyone can put their hands down.

Now... we've all got that thing firmly in our mind's eye. It's sitting there, stuck to your soul, it's ugly and unpleasant, and the last thing you want to do is have it stuck to you for a minute longer.

So here's what I want you to do – SCRAPE IT OFF! Do it right now. In your heart, I want you to forgive that offense – that trespass. We pray every week, asking Our Father to forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. That implies that we're actually doing the forgiving. So, forgive it... scrape it off.

Our second scripture reading is the end of the story of Joseph, whose brothers first planned to kill him, and then because they lacked the guts to do that, they sold him as a slave to traders who sold him to an Egyptian. Joseph went from slavery to prison, and then to a place in Pharaoh’s court, and finally to being in charge of all Egypt – second only to Pharaoh himself. When famine drives his brothers to Egypt, Joseph has the ones who trespassed against him in the palm of his hand. He plays with them for a while, to see if they are still evil, but they are really more pathetic than evil, and just before he reveals himself to them to forgive them, we are told that he wept so loudly that the whole palace heard it. We are not told why he wept, but I imagine it was at least partly because what he was about to do was hard, and painful. By his society’s standards he had the right and the power to kill them, but instead he embraced them. It wasn't easy though, it was incredibly hard.

It's not easy to forgive, but God in his grace has given us the power to do it.

In Genesis 50, verse 20, Joseph says to his brothers: "As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today."

One of the reasons we are able to forgive is because God takes even the things that were meant to hurt us, and he uses them for good if we let him. Paul tells us as much in Romans 8, verse 28, where he says, “We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.”

We are able to forgive because we bask in the light of God’s forgiveness.
Jesus lets us know that if we refuse to forgive, then we really haven’t grasped our great need for forgiveness, or how much God has already forgiven us, and thus, in our pride, we haven't truly repented, and God will not forgive us. But when we have our eyes on the cross, and the pain and suffering that Jesus went through in order to forgive us and cleanse us from our sin, it starts to look like a small thing to forgive those who harm us.

What we need to keep in mind is that forgiveness is an act of faith.

By forgiving others, we're trusting that God is a better justice-maker than we are. By forgiving, we release our own right to get even and leave all issues of fairness for God to work out. We leave in God’s hands the scales that must balance justice and mercy.
Just as our stewardship offering is an act of faith by which we are saying, "I might not be able to afford this, but God will look after my needs," Forgiveness is an act of faith, because we are saying, "if there is any punishment that is needed, or any giving of mercy, God will look after it just fine."

We have to forgive those who have hurt us; because God commands it, because our own forgiveness hinges on it, but also because it is the best thing for us. When we refuse to forgive, the bitterness grows like a cancer within us and it eats away at us, causing stress and illness and serious lack of joy. The only therapy for this cancer is the surgery of forgiveness.
When we refuse to forgive, we allow the sin that was committed against us to hurt us twice: once when we were first sinned against, and again by keeping us from receiving God’s forgiveness. We need to stop the pain and forgive.

Finally we need to forgive because of Jesus' second-most important commandment - “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” It's hard to love someone, if you can't forgive them.

It's interesting how some Bible translations word things. Two weeks ago, Jeff spoke to us about the attributes of love. In our pew Bible, First Corinthians 13, verse 5 says, “it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;” But that's not how I learned it, in the NIV translation, it goes like this: “It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” It's that last part that I want you to consider - it keeps no record of wrongs – If we're supposed to love one another, and love keeps no record of wrongs, then we can't hold grudges. We have to forgive.

So, is there someone who you need to forgive? Is there someone who you haven’t talked to in a long time because of what they did? Is there some one who you refuse to trust because of what they did? Is there someone who you avoid like the plague, you won’t sit beside, someone upon whom you just feel like spitting? Is there someone whom you are waiting for a confession from before you offer forgiveness?

Go home and call them. Forgive them. You can let them know that forgiving isn't forgetting, but that you don't hold that pain against them any more.

Alternately, is there someone that you know feels that way about you because of something you did? Can you help them start the healing process by confessing and repenting?

Call them. Start it off by apologizing, and mean it.

We must forgive. Our own forgiveness relies on it.

The Daily Prayer... because Love is all you need.

Heavenly Father,
You woke me today with the nostalgic strains of "All You Need is Love" dancing through my last dream. I always find wonder in the ways in which You choose to communicate Your will to me. You are truly an awesome God, and without You, we all (and I, specifically) would be completely and irredeemably lost. Thank You for never giving up on us, even when we give up on You.

Today, Lord, I ask for the strength to love. Not the easy love that comes for those who love me back... my family, and my friends foremost amongst them, but the hard love for the person who wronged me, for those whom I care about that don't seem to care, as much, for me, for the killers who seem to revel in dishing out pain and terror, for those among our leaders who seem to be more interested in keeping their jobs and making piles of money than in doing their jobs and helping their people, for those who spew hate, for the guy who cut me off in traffic yesterday and nearly drove me off the road. Those people need my love, Father, but it's so hard to give. Your words come to me - "Love Your Neighbor" and "Love Your Enemy" - again and again. I tried to confer the need on the congregation this weekend, Lord, and I used Your words - those very words - to do it. They say it's easier said than done, but Abba, I need to be an example, not just a teacher. So I ask, humbly, give me Your strength, that I might show Your love to this wounded world.

Lord, my prayer list is so very long. There are so many people struggling with pain, with loss, with catastrophic illness, even with the inability to reach out to You on their own. I ask that You give comfort to those in pain, relief to those suffering from loss, peace and healing to those who are sick, and Your Grace and constant presence to those who have lost their way. They all need You, Father, and even if they don't know it, they're reaching out to You. Take them in Your loving arms, and let them feel Your embrace.

I need to bring a few specific names to You, Lord, not because You don't know them, but because I feel You moving me to do so.
Watch over Jeff as he goes in for his biopsy today, Lord. He's afraid, and worried, even though he knows that You still have much for him to do. I know that it's nothing - just a doctor's fancy, but Jeff could sure use a little comfort during this frightening time. Thank You for taking care of him.
Lord, I ask You to surround Mary with Your healing presence. I can't get to her to lay hands on her, even though my fingertips itch to do so. So... I ask that You take what healing gift I have and use it on her now, even though we are separated by many miles. Your power is infinite, Lord, so this is a small thing. Please, Abba, Great Physician, use this gift to take her cancer. The world is not ready to lose her, Lord. I feel that she still has love, and kindness, and testimony to give on Your behalf, so I beg You to give her more time, and the strength to use it, and the will to do so in Your name. If it is not Your will that she be healed, then Lord, take her and her family in Your loving arms, and hold them so that they are comforted. Thank You, Lord, for healing Mary, and for comforting her family through this time.
Father, I ask that You grant an easement of pain to my earthly father. He struggles to remain strong in the face of his pain, but man's medicine is failing him, and he needs the salve that only You can administer. He is Your loving child, Lord, and wants to serve You. With the easing of his pain, he'll have more strength to take care of those things You need him to do. Thank You, Father, for surrounding Him in a cloud of painlessness.
Lord, my friend Michael has joined me on the long road to becoming a Pastor. He's been struggling with life choices and depression, Lord, and I ask that You take his hand and lead him, as You've done for me. Raise him up from the misery of depression, and stand as a shield for him against the darkness that assails him. Help him to provide for his family while he studies, so that that worry will not take his eyes from You. Thank You, Lord, for watching over him.
My sister-in-law Jenny is going through some painful medical woes, Father, and needs Your comfort, as well. Please, give her a cessation of pain, and Your healing touch, so that she can get back to her life, and so that she'll more easily be able to glorify Your name. You are great, Lord, and I am so grateful that through Your grace and mercy, these things will come to pass.

There is so much more going on in the world, Lord, that if I were to pray on each thing separately, I would never be able to do anything but pray and weep. You know better than any mortal man what it is that needs done, and how best to do it, and I am certain that, even without my calling specific attention to something, You can deal with, well, anything. Please Abba, give comfort where You see the need, strength where there is weakness, and peace where there is discord.

Father, help us, one and all, to remember that Love is the most important of Your wishes. Help us to share Your love, through our love, with this sorry, broken world. I know that we're unworthy of the gifts You grant us already. But, I also know that You won't withhold anything from us, if we need it, and think to ask.
I the name of Christ Jesus, who died that we might be cleansed of all our sins, and who came back that He might always stand as our Intercessor, always and ever at Your right hand, so that we might bring our sorrows, pains, joys and triumphs to You, to share them with You and to know that You will happily share in the good things, and use Your might to relieve us of the bad.
Amen.

A Good Message (Even if I Didn't Come Up With It)

It's been a while since I posted. Nothing I've wanted to say has passed my criteria (or if it did, I couldn't come up with a way to say it that wouldn't pick a fight that didn't need picked). Today, however, I want to share something that my Pastor (and mentor during this whole process), Jeff Burdsell, said during his sermon a few weeks ago.

Jesus is always with us, but sometimes, when things are especially crazy or difficult, it's easy to forget that fact, and not be able to feel it. I certainly have those days. What Jeff recommended is when that happens, go ahead and pretend that you can still feel His presence. Yep... make believe that He's right there next to you, even though you feel completely alone. Imagine yourself filling up with His caring presence, and after a while, you'll actually start to feel Him there with you again, because whether you can feel Him or not, He is always there.

The Proof of the Pudding (or... and then Rick ran the service)

Yesterday was a big day for me. I gave my first sermon. It went well.
It's been a couple of months coming. I wrote it back in April, but had to wait for the right time to actually preach it.
Finally, my Pastor actually took a vacation, and asked me to deliver the sermon. That evolved into doing the entire service, from greeting to Benediction.
It gave me much better insight into that part of the Pastor's job. I had no idea that there was so much additional prep when you're doing the entire service. It was a great experience.
I really enjoyed the process of choosing the hymns and the call to worship, as well as writing the various prayers that are scattered throughout the service. (Of course, I missed the prayer for dedicating the tithe, and had to do that one on the fly, but no process is perfect, the first time.)
There were some cueing issues during the service, and my transitions between the different sections ranged from pretty smooth to really awkward, but I've been assured that those things come with practice.
A number of my loved ones, some of them no-Christians, came to share the experience with me. I was incredibly touched, especially by the folks who drove over an hour. They paid me some great complements, especially my pagan friend, who told me that she enjoyed my message, and in more than just a "that's interesting" kind of way.
The most important thing that came out of the day, though, was that I am now completely certain.
There's always that bit of doubt in one's calling until one actually steps up and does the work. I'd been doing some of the work - hospital visits, committee meetings, acting as Pastoral backup - but I hadn't stepped in front of the congregation, and until I did, there was that niggling worry that I had heard Him wrong. Once I got up there, and let the Holy Spirit fill me, I knew. I am called to become a Pastor. Now there's nothing to do but answer that call.
As much as I'd like to take credit for how well things went yesterday, it was really the Lord working through me. I asked Him to bolster me while I spoke, and He, as He always will, came through.

I promised that I'd post the text of my sermon here, for those who couldn't make it out to see me, so here it is. I should have  video up on youtube next week.

Building the Church

Matthew 16: 13-18

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

Ephesians 2:19-22

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

It's an exciting time to be part of this Church. Amazing things are happening here, and we're all a part of that. Not that long ago, this Church was foundering... you'd gotten a new Pastor, which is always a difficult transition; you were losing long-standing and beloved members – to sickness, to nursing homes, or to Heaven – and let's be honest, there was more wood showing in in the pews every month. It was a hard time for everyone.

Folks started praying... “Lord, help us build this Church. Help us build your Church back up.” and even “Please Lord, tell us what we need to do to get this Church moving again.”

For a good long while, nothing happened. The Lord was listening, because He always listens, but He moves to the ticking of His own clock, and His time isn't the same as ours.

Also, like the Father He is, He was waiting to see if His children were paying attention to the lessons He'd already taught them.

He wanted us to realize that we can't build the Church. Oh, we can build the structure – the walls, the pews, the altar – but the Church... there's only ever been one person who can build that – Jesus.

There's a story that Malcolm Smith tells. (If you've had more than 3 long conversations with Jeff, then you know who Malcolm is. If not, suffice it to say that he's been a Methodist Pastor for 60 years now , and he's pretty much awesome at it.) Anyway, Malcolm went to work at a failing church in Brooklyn. He was already a successful Pastor – well known – a great speaker – and he was certain that he could turn that Church around. He opened up his bag of tricks and went to work... and nothing happened. When he'd tried everything he could think of to get that Church growing again, and failed, time and time again, he figured that he was done as a Pastor. He packed it in, took his wife and went to the Virgin Islands. He was sitting under a tree trying to figure out what he was going to do with the rest of his life, when this part of Matthew 16: verse 18 came to him - “on this rock I will build my church.” Not, “Peter, go out and build my church. Not “Go find people to build my church.” He said, “I will build my church.” It was like a lightning bolt. Malcolm went back to that church and told them, “I'll stay on as your pastor, as long as you understand that there's nothing I can do to build your church.” They were probably concerned, but no other Pastor was even willing to try, so they said okay.

He prayed for the Lord to build His church. And the Lord did just that.

A similar thing has been happening here. Some of the voices started praying, “Please, Lord, build Your Church here,” and with a smile (at least I like to think we make God smile when we “get it”) the Lord responded. You've all noticed new faces here on Sundays. Some of you have come to to the Deep Water Services, and seen a BUNCH of new faces. Deep Water is really starting to take off.

The Lord is building this church.

Now... how does He go about doing that? He's all-powerful, so, if He chose, He could just put the Spirit in... I don't know, 500 people, and tell them, “Go to First United Methodist Church in New Carlisle. Go now!” If he did that, they'd get up on Sunday, put on their “church clothes”, hop in the car, and miraculously end up here.

“Honey, why are we going to a church in New Carlisle?”

“I dunno. Do you want to go somewhere else?”

“Oh, no! I was just hoping that you knew why.”

Of course, I think we all know that that's not the way He works. He might do that for a few folks who wouldn't find us otherwise, but fill all the seats? Nah.

That's what we're here for. In First Corinthians 12, verse 27, it says “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it”. So, if we're the body, then it's up to us to do the actual work.

But... a body can't just go wandering around doing whatever. Without a head to tell it what to do, it mostly runs around in circles, accomplishing nothing. So... who is the Head of the Body of Christ?

Jesus. Not me, not you, not even Jeff. We're all just part of the body.

Now listen to this: We need to figure out how we (each of us) can help Him build the church. How do we do that?

First, and most importantly, we have to get out of the Holy Spirit's way. At it's core, the process of Church Building is Spirit driven. To be a part of that, we have to be willing to let the Spirit move us. We can't let our own egos get in the way. Our desires, personal feelings, or relationships have no place in the building of God's Church.

Our desires should be God's desires, our feelings should be secondary to what the Lord feels is best for us personally and for the Church, and the only relationship that matters is our relationship with God.

“I want” has no place in the Church Building Process.

“I'm upset that X is happening” has no place in the Church Building Process.

“I was so mad when that guy did that thing I didn't like” NO. Place. In. The. Church. Building. Process.

So, since we all want to be a part of the process, we need to check our egos at the door before we can even get started.

That being said, we have to remember that we are God's children, and that makes us princes and princesses of the Kingdom of Heaven. Humility before the Lord is a good thing – He's the King. But The Church should be glorious. I'm not talking about this building... I'm talking about us – the Church – not dressed in $1000 suits, but shining so brightly with inner-God-granted glory that people say “What's that? Let's go over there and see what's going on.” By living a good and godly life, we'll get people to start questioning their less-good and godless existence, and that questioning is the beginning of the road to salvation for a lot of folks.

After that's taken care of, we start by reading His Word, every day. In Second Timothy 3: verses 16 and 17, it says “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” Equipped for every good work – helping God build the Church sounds like good work to me. As the Church, the “body of Christ” grows stronger, we'll be able to do more ministries. We'll have more hands, and more open hearts and will be more able to spread the Good News – that God is alive and He loves us, and he's waiting for us with open arms. As we help God build the Church we'll have more prayer warriors to fight the powers of darkness. And they're out there. Our victory is assured, the Bible is very clear on that, but as we help God build His Church, the number of poor lost souls that get left behind on that great day will be as few as possible. We can't save everyone, but I want to TRY!!

Through Scripture, we're given all the tools we need to help Him. It's spelled out in black and white. “Love the Lord your God.” Jesus was very clear that of all the Law's, this was and is the most important. As far as helping build God's Church is concerned, this law refers back to getting your ego out of the process. If you love God more than anything else, then the process becomes all about Him.

Love your neighbor and your enemy. In other words, love everybody, no matter who they are or what they're doing. We, with our limited ability to discern God's Will in the first place, can't possibly predict who He's going to bring into His Church, or what part they may have in His plan for it.

Follow the Commandments. When Jesus talks about obeying the Laws of God, these are what He's talking about. They're part of the foundation of the Church, and no structure can be built without a foundation.

Live a prayerful life, and I'll talk more about that in a minute.

What I'm trying to say, and this is important, is that not only are we the hands that do the work, we're the tools that the hands use, and we're the materials that the Church is built from. A good builder doesn't add to a weak structure. That just makes a bigger, weaker structure. Building the Church is the same. God doesn't need to use sub-standard material, or anything but the finest tools. He doesn't need to because He can take that “substandard material”, no matter how flawed, and through His Grace, turn it into the finest tool for the job. There's a good list of Biblical examples that turns up on Facebook now and then, I'm not going to read the whole thing, but here are a few for you to consider: Noah was a drinker, Sampson had long hair and loved the ladies, David was a murderer AND an adulterer, Peter denied Christ, several of the apostles fell asleep when they were supposed to be praying, and Paul started out hunting Christians. Never believe that God has no use for you – it doesn't matter what you've done or what you're doing. He wants you to be a part of the Church, and part of the process.

By living a good and godly life, we'll get people to start questioning their less-good and godless existences, and that questioning is the beginning of the road to salvation for a lot of folks.

I mentioned prayerful lives earlier. If reading Scripture equips us to do the work, and a godly life makes us ready to do the work, then prayer is how we get our instructions.

Prayer is absolutely a way for us to talk to God, to let Him know we love Him, and to share our hopes and our concerns with Him. But it's a two-way radio, and requires as much listening as it does talking. Because, it's also for asking God what He wants us to be doing. In Psalms 91 verse 15 God says, in reference to man “When he calls to Me, I will answer him.” His answer may not be what you expect. It may not be what you want. It may very well be a complete surprise. But... if you ask, He'll give you an answer, and if you don't hear Him the first time, He'll keep telling you until you get it.

I'll tell you another little story. About a year and a half ago, I was out of work and had been for a while. Things were bad at home, and what my wife was making wasn't enough to take care of both of us. So I made the decision to come back to Ohio, and look for work up here. On the way up, I prayed. I pray a lot in the car. I mostly travel alone now , but, when I used to travel with someone, I'd gotten used to having conversations, so, now I spend that time talking to God. My prayer that day was about as heartfelt as any I've ever made. I gave myself over to God's will. I told Him that whatever He wanted me to do, whatever sacrifices he wanted me to make, I'd do it. He just had to tell me what it was, because I didn't have a clue. Not long after that I started getting the feeling that I was being called to become a Pastor. To say I couldn't believe it would be an understatement. I was horribly Bible ignorant (I couldn't have told you what Book Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo were in – I only knew of them from a song I learned in choir). I had been away from the Church for decades, and had, at one time or another, been a pretty despicable person. I was having a hard time believing that God would want me for anything, let alone for a Pastor. Still, the idea wouldn't go away. I talked to my friends about it, I talked to my daughter about it, I talked to Dad and Colleen about it, I talked to 4 different Pastors in 3 different denominations about it. I kept saying that I thought it was what He wanted, but I wasn't sure, and until I was certain, I couldn't take the leap. I couldn't risk it. I was worried that because it would be a good long while before I found paying work as a Pastor, it would cost me my marriage. They all told me the same thing. “If this is what God wants from you, He'll keep telling you until you get it.”

After about 6 months of looking for a job and finding nothing, and constantly worrying at the idea of becoming a Pastor, I called Tina (that's my wife, for those of you who don't know her). and told her that I thought I had been called to become a Pastor. There was a long pause on the other end of the phone... and then she told me that she needed some time to process that information, since it was the first she'd heard of it. We talked about a few other things, and then hung up. At 7:30 the next morning, she called me – woke me up, and the first words out of her mouth were “Tell me about this Pastor thing.” So I did, and as I spoke, my conviction that it was the right path grew stronger. When I ran out of steam, she said that she hadn't been sure when I started, but that by the end, she mostly was, and if this was my path, She'd wait for me. As I hung up the phone I got a clear feeling that that was the sign I'd been waiting for. So here I am, on the path to becoming a Pastor. Because it's what God told me to do, and I think it's what I'm supposed to do to help Him build His Church.

So pray, and ask, and then pay attention, because He's going to answer you, and then you'll know what He wants you to be doing.

So... when we think of this Church, I'd like for us to always remember who it belongs to, because it's not our Church. The only things that we can do are keep the walls up and the lights on, and even those things are ultimately up to God. We've been given the tools, both to makes ourselves ready to help Him, and to do the work. Everything else has got to come from the Foreman of this work project... and that's Jesus. If we do it His way, I believe we're going to see something miraculous.

One more short story: There's a church in South Korea that has one million members. One MILLION! It was started in 1958, with a pastor and 3 members. They did what we're doing. They prayed and asked God to build His church. I'm not saying that we're going to see that kind of growth, but if we prepare the way, and listen to the Lord, anything is possible. There are churches right here in the U.S., that have seen something like that level of growth, they just haven't been at it for 53 years. Jesus said,”With God, all things are possible.”

What does the future hold for this church? I don't know. But I can hardly wait to find out.

Argue All you Want... But Listen to the Music Anyway

There was once a colony of mice who lived all their lives in a large, magnificent grand piano. To them in their piano-world came the marvelous sounds of the beautiful instrument, filling all the dark spaces with rich music and sweet harmony. At first the mice were overwhelmed with awe. They drew comfort and strength from the thought that there was Someone -- though invisible to them -- who made the music, someone close by, yet above and beyond them, someone who transcended their little piano-lives. They loved to think of the Great Unseen Player to whom they attributed the lovely melodies. They honored Him and praised His greatness and magnificent creativity.

Then one day a daring mouse climbed up to another part of the piano. Soon she returned, very thoughtful and a little disturbed. She had discovered how music was really made.
Wires were the secret: tightly stretched wires of graduated lengths and thicknesses which throbbed and trembled and pulsated. They must revise all their old, outdated beliefs: none but the most ignorant simpleton could any longer believe in the Great Unseen Player.

Later, another adventuresome explorer-mouse carried the explanation even farther. Hammers were the true secret -- dozens of felt-covered hammers dancing and leaping on the wires. This was a more complicated theory, but it all went to show that they lived in a purely mechanistic, mathematical world -- let's hear no more about this mythical Great Unseen Player. Any thinking mouse could see that there was nothing to the Player myth. He did not exist!

Untroubled by their unbelief, the Great Unseen Player kept on playing anyway! And the mice still heard the rich music and pleasant harmony! Some insisted there was an intelligence, a design to the music that couldn't come simply by randomness, without a Player creating the wonderful music they so loved. The arguments churned on, and the piano-mice lived in conflict and disagreement.
Still the Great Unseen Player, untroubled by the heated debate, kept right on creating the rich, melodious songs that touched their souls, believer and unbeliever alike.

Paper Cranes... or God's Plan Has a Lot of Steps

People ask, "If God knows everything, why did he keep doing things that he knew would fail, when he could just skip ahead to to big finale?"
God's plan is like origami.
When you do origami, you know what the last step is to get the lovely paper crane, but you can't just go to that last step, make fold # 50 and have a lovely paper crane. There's a process of steps, some of which are annoying (especially when you have big hands and bite your nails like I do), that you have to follow, one after the other, to get to that crane.
God's plan is like that. He knows all the steps to get us where he wants us, and some of them have caused Him a lot of grief, but they all had/have to happen.
I used to think, "Man... that had to really irritate God." when thinking about a particularly bad spot in Christianity's history. I don't think that way anymore. He knew it was coming, and ALSO knew that things would get better once He was past that step. It helps that He never messes a step up and has to refold everything.

That would be a little awkward.