THEY ANSWERED THE CALL

      Well, it's Memorial Day again, and once again we are called to honor those who gave their lives by answering our country's call. Over the years men and women have answered our country's call and put sacrifice ahead of life. It began on April 19, 1775 when the War for Independence broke out. 10,623 people died in that war and another 6800 died just a few years later in the War of 1812. Millions answered the call to win the War that was supposed to end all wars on July 28, 1914... and 300,000 died. WW2 was more than twice as costly... and my father's co-pilot died on the cliffs of Dover. His name was Ken, or Kenny, and I was named after him. Viet Nam took more than 200,000 lives and our War on Terror has already cost 22,000 of our heroes their lives. When I was in Rock Island, we conducted dozens of funerals at the Arsenal, and while I was waiting for the service to begin, I would sometimes walk around the graves and take in the courage, the grace and the holiness of it all. Many have given their lives in response to our country's call and we recognize them on this holiday, which is much more than the unofficial beginning of summer, because it's not about us at all!
      But there are other calls, aren't there? And none of them are more important than God's call in our lives! In the year that King Uzziah died (740BC) Isaiah was in the temple when it was filled with the presence of God. There were angels too and Isaiah was overwhelmed by a feeling of unworthiness. He was justified by the touch of a hot coal and then he heard the voice of God saying, "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us!" It was as plain as day and Isaiah shouted out, "Here I am! Send me!" Send me to go to where I don't know and use me for as long as you please.You know, the Bible tells us about several "call" stories- Jonah, Samuel, and Paul among them- and there are many stories of men and women answering God's call in our own time. Mother Teresa, Corrie TenBoom, and Billy Graham stand out... but I want to focus on God's call in our lives because we're all being called to action. Each one of us is being called to do something important for Christ, within our own context and with our own talents and gifts. Each one of us is called to do something that needs to be done and fulfills a need in us. Some of us are called to preach, some are called to teach, and some are called to sing or play music... and if God is calling you to do such things, you ought to do them. However, most callings that have nothing to do with a far away mission field, or with a chancel in a church somewhere. Let me mention Tammy Boggs, who answered God's call to take care of and look after our church property. Of course, she doesn't do it alone, but she does a lot of it. Just during the last few weeks, she has seen to it that I have WiFi and phone service in my office, done repair work on our windows and doors, helped clean up our property, and wired a section of our downstairs. I don't know when it happened, but when God called, "whom shall I send?" she said, "send me."
      I remember Pat Gollier from my time in Joliet. Among other things, Pat led our Prayer Group for well over 4 decades. It wasn't our most popular ministry and sometimes there were just a couple people who joined Pat, but year after year, without fanfare, she led a group in prayer... because God had called her to be a Prayer Warriior. In Rock Island, there were three church members who were called to attend funerals for people in our church and others whom they knew. No one asked them to do it. It wasn't official, but there they were- Vic, Dianne, and Don- for funerals big and small, to pay their respects in another family's sacred hour. In the same church, we had a number of women who spent hours making Prayers Shawls for members and friends of the church who were in need of comfort and love. We blessed these shawls during church services and they touched peoples' lives for Christ in powerful ways, including my wife's. We had an elder in Joliet named Jan Gehrig, who heard God calling her to get involved in a ministry of empowerment and social justice. We weren't the most likely candidate for this sort of a ministry, but Jan wouldn't let go of it. She said, 'Send me," and led us into a citywide ministry of justice and empowerment. God calls each of us to do something for him- something that will bring us joy and help repair the world. Last Thursday I visited our Resale Shop because I think it's an exciting place. I wanted to talk with our church members, but they were too busy to talk with me. People were coming in, things were being sold, and many really good things were being received as donations. They were too busy ministering to chat with me, but what about you? What is God calling you to do? Where can you bring a bit of joy to yourself and others?
      God is calling each one of us through 1) our prayers, especially when we listen; 2) our Bible studies, especially when we ask questions; and 3) the issues that affect the lives of the people we know here. Get into prayer, study, and community... and you will have a much better chance of hearing God speak to you! Consider the 4) skills and talents that God has given to you. What do you do well? Consider what you have to offer and then find a way of using it for God. If you're an introvert, help us think things through, help us organize, help us discern who we are and where we should go; and if you are an extrovert, organize a get-together or go out and invite someone to join us. Consider the things that 5) cause you concern and 6) break your heart. Consider your tears because God may be calling you through your pain and the burdens you carry for others. Consider 7 7) your passions as well. Since I was a counselor for the Iowa Commission for the Blind in an earlier life and since Sherry worked for Access Living in Chicago for years, we are quick to notice things like ramps and large print Bibles. Some people don't give these things much thought, but they are passionate about poverty, gun violence, or drunk driving. Some people have a passion for inviting new people to church, others have a passion for reaching members who've drifted away and become inactive, and still others don't give either group much thought. As a people we're blessed with different gifts, different stories, and different voices... and we will be stronger if each one of us responds to God when He calls us.
      In the year that someone I loved or something within me died, I was in church, as I had been a hundred times before, when I became aware that God was calling me. I'm not sure why I hadn't heard it before, but I heard God's voice just as clearly as I hear any voice. He was asking "Whom shall I send?" and "Who will go for us?"... and although I've never been one to get involved too deeply, I found myself raising my hand as if I was back in school. "Here I am," I cried, as I waved my hand in the air, "Here I am, send me!" On this Memorial Day, as we honor those who gave their lives in response to our country's call, let us open our own hearts and minds to God's call in our own lives. Each one of us has something to do for God- something that will bless us and some part of the community. Listen now.... listen and pray. Listen and pray, experience a burning coal if you must. Then raise your hand and say, "Send me, Lord!" Amen.

GO OUT AND FORGIVE SOMEONE!

"When I was a kid, I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realized that the Lord doesn't work that way... so I stole a bicycle... and asked him to forgive me."

Well, there are 100s of jokes about forgiveness- the one above is by Emo Phillips- and there are legions of people who actually believe that God's forgiving nature allows them to do whatever they please... but today I want to talk about forgiveness in a serious vein because... forgiving lies at the very heart of what it means to be a Christian! Jesus' entire ministry was dedicated to forgiveness and renewal. Among his last words on the cross were, "Father, forgive them...," and when his disciples received the Holy Spirit (John 20), he said, "If you forgive the sins of any, they will be forgiven." In short, our Lord lived and died with forgiveness on his mind, and it seems to me that the most quintessential thing we can do as Christians is to FORGIVE others. Friends, if you want to do something today for Jesus, get out there and forgive someone.You have the power to do it, and in the forgiving... you will free yourself from the same chains. Also, according to Matthew 6:12, every time we say the Lord's Prayer, we affirm that there is a distinct relationship between forgiving others and being forgiven ourselves. In short, apart from accepting Christ, forgiving others is one of our single greatest Christian acts! If you want to do what Christ did, get out there and forgive someone and do it again and again and again- 70 times 7- as a way of life! Forgiving is not just another good trait. It is- more than a clerical collar or church attendance- a sign that a person has experienced rebirth and that he or she is growing in Christ. A forgiving spirit is a Christian spirit... so let me offer a few thoughts that may be helpful... as you seek to be more and more Christ-like:

1. Forgiving others is a choice! It's not a feeling. Each day, when we ask Jesus to show us ways in which we can witness to Him, we are agreeing to forgive another person if the Holy Spirit opens the door- no matter how badly that person has hurt us, or how long we have piled up resentments, or how much we think that the person deserves to be punished. Forgiving others, especially those who need forgiveness most, is not easy... but If you're waiting to feel like forgiving another person, you may be waiting a very, very long time;

2,  Forgiving others will make you healthy! Yes, it's true. For the engineers and scientifically minded, let me say that forgiving others... a) helps lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and heart rate; b) improves sleep quality; c) strengthens immunity among HIV-positive patients;

d) reduces depression, anxiety, and anger; e) lowers risk of drug abuse; and f) allows YOU to move on with your life In short, forgive... even if you think it's all about you. However,

3.      Forgiving others restores our relationship with GOD.  Friends, resentment is a deadly spiritual cancer, which like sin, will block our growth in Christ and hinder our relationship with God. If we're burdened with anger and resentment, we won't pray, study, or serve God as we

should, and we will deprive ourselves, our neighbors, and our God of the joy that emanates from a healthy, loving relationship. Refusing to forgive others creates a lose-lose-lose scenario and the entire world is lesser for it. This is why Christ urges us to restore relationships with one

another... before we come to His table; (Matt. 5:23)

4.  Forgiving others... fulfills the new Commandment that Jesus gave in John 13:34- which calls us to love one another AS he has loved us!  As Christians, we are called to love each other AS  Christ loved us, and while this includes a lot of things, it MUST include forgiving one another. To talk about Christ-like love without talking about radical forgiveness would be nonsensical;

5.  Forgiving is NOT the same as minimizing or denying the pain you have incurred! Some people, even those who have been hurt badly, dismiss the pain that they've experienced. "I'm fine," they say, or "It's nothing." Well, you're not fine and it is something! We are all God’s children. We are all precious in His sight. Each one of us carries the image of God within us, and in Christ, each of us is an heir to His throne. In Christ, we are worth loving, even worth dying for, and no one has permission to violate us, dismiss us, or diminish us in any way. Thus, while we must find the grace to forgive, we must also have the courage to confront the full depth and breadth of the sin that we endured;

6.  Forgiving sin has NOTHING to do with tolerating evil! When one of us hurts or offends another (and it's just a matter of time), we will forgive one another's debts, but that does NOT mean that, individually or corporately, we will tolerate the behavior involved. Things like

abuse, theft, harassment, bullying...cannot be tolerated in any Christian and/or loving family; and finally:

7.  Forgiveness MUST have a face! I cannot forgive anyone anything in the abstract. I cannot forgive all sinners everywhere; I can't forgive the Nazis for murdering the Jews; I can't forgive Andrew Jackson for the Trail of Tears; and I can't forgive people who haven't sinned against

 me. I feel bad about these things, and I'll work to make the world a more compassionate place, but I can't let go of someone else's pain. This means that forgiving others is a behavior and not a thought, and that it is specific and not abstract. Forgiveness must have a face, and to be a forgiving person, I must show the grace and courage that Corrie ten

Boom showed when she met one of the Nazi guards who had abused her at Ravensbruck. Listen now, because this story captures the essence of real forgiveness…

It was in a church in Munich that a saw him- a balding, heavy-set man in a grey overcoat, a brown, felt hat in his hands. People were filing out of the basement where I had just spoken. It was 1947 and I had come from Holland with the message that God forgives... And that's when I saw him, working his way forward against the others. One moment I saw the overcoat and the brown hat; the next, a blue uniform and a visored cap with its skull and crossbones. It came back with a rush: the huge room with its harsh overhead lights, the pathetic pile of dresses and shoes in the center of the floor, the shame of walking naked past this man. I could see my sister's frail form ahead of me, ribs sharp beneath the parchment skin. Betsie, how thin you were! Betsie and I had been arrested for concealing Jews during the Nazi occupation of Holland; this man had been a guard at Ravensbruck concentration camp where we were sent... "You mentioned Ravensbruck in your talk," he said, "I was a guard there...but since that time," he went on, "I became a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me the cruel things I did there, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well... 'Fraulein... (his hand came out... will you forgive me'"


And I stood there- I whose sins had every day to be forgiven- and could not. Betsie had died in that place. Could he erase her slow, horrible death simply by the asking? It couldn't have been many seconds that he stood there, hand held out, but to me it seemed hours... as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do. For I had to do it- I knew that... And still I stood there, with coldness clutching my heart. But forgiveness is not an emotion- I knew that too. Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. "Jesus, help me." I prayed silently. "I can lift my hand. I can do that much. You supply the feeling." And so, woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes. "I forgive you brother," I cried, "With all my heart."  For a long moment we grasped each other's hands, the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never knew God's love so intensely... as I did then, 

Can I hear an "amen"? Get out there and forgive someone!

BEING SPIRIT-FILLED AND PRESBYTERIAN

      After Jesus ascended to heaven, the apostles and many others others returned to Jerusalem, where they gathered in prayer. First Church Jerusalem had 120 members at the time and in addition to their fellowship and prayers, they conducted their first order of business… which was to replace Judas Iscariot by casting lots.

      It was the time of the Jewish festival of Pentecost and Jews from Parthia, Mesopotamia, Cappadocia, Egypt, parts of Libya, and many other places converged on the city to celebrate God’s giving his law to Moses. The town was full of people and the members of First Church were gathered in community… when suddenly they heard a sound from heaven that sounded like a fierce wind… and they saw something like flames of fire alighting on each person. They were overwhelmed by the presence of God and filled with the Holy Spirit. They created quite a scene and a crowd soon developed. The Christians were celebrating the Spirit and they were speaking in languages that no one in Galilee could’ve known. They were praising God and glorifying Christ in words that the visitors from other countries could understand, and many people were amazed!

      It was an exciting and energizing moment. Some of those in the crowd figured that the Christians had gotten drunk on their own wine, but Peter proclaimed that they were fulfilling God’s prophecy that the day would come… when your sons and daughters will prophecy, your young people will see visions, and your elders will dream dreams’. There’s a fresh wind blowing, Peter seemed to say. It’s the Holy Spirit, the breath of God, and its inspiring people to witness to others and invite them in to the community and to tell the story of Jesus in words that others can understand. The people aren’t drunk, Peter noted, it’s the Holy Spirit- the same Spirit that hovered over creation, the same Spirit that gave dry bones life- and now it’s transforming Christ’s people so that they will have more faith, more courage, more love, more peace, more hope, more vision… than they ever thought possible. The Holy Spirit, which in days of old had visited Israel’s judges, kings, and prophets from time to time, was freely poured out on all of God’s people! The Spirit, who had given individuals an extra measure of insight and power in the past, had now been given to the church… so that it could be the light and salt of the world and make disciples of all nations! The times had changed forever and the church was born. Happy Birthday, church, and many more!

      But what do we do with the Holy Spirit, which some Christians give top billing to and other Christians ignore, except for saying the words, “Holy Spirit,” when they recite their creeds and vows. For some Christians the Holy Spirit is best known as the giver of “glossolalia,” which is the ability to speak in tongues, and for other Christians, the Holy Spirit simply gives us the ability to be thoughtful and a bit more polite. For some, the Holy Spirit is a lion, for some the Spirit is a lamb, and for some, the Spirit is the odd member of the Trinity, who acts out and threatens the order that proper worship and conduct demand! Presbyterians generally error on the side of order. Our book of Order suggests that we have equal measures of order and ardor and once in a while, we’ll share an unexpected moment, but by and large, we’re too self-conscious to let go and you seldom see raised hands or hear people cry out, “yes Jesus,” in one of our churches. Yes, it’s true, sometimes we appear to be God’s “chosen frozen,” and very few among us have the gift of tongues… but if we’re to make a difference and grow as Christians, we need the Holy Spirit! We need to be born-again and today, I’d like to encourage us to embrace the Holy Spirit. On this Pentecost Sunday, let me make the following 3 observations:

      1) We are already Spirit-filled! When we’re baptized we die to our old nature and get born again in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. When we join a church, we take vows of membership that include our willingness to lead Spirit-filled lives and if we’re ordained to church leadership, there is a laying on of hands and we're ordained in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Yes, it’s true. We may not have the gift of tongues, we may not be embracing the spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit has given us, and we may not be bearing the fruit that comes from the Spirit… but we have received the Holy Spirit… and as our Brief Statement of Faith says, he is the one who sets us free to accept ourselves and others and unites us with all believers. He is the one who claims us in baptism, feeds us in communion, and calls us to ministry. And in a broken world, the Holy Spirit gives us courage to pray without ceasing, unmask idolatries in church and culture, and work for justice, freedom, and peace. Some of the people I love most… speak in tongues and I don’t question the power of that spiritual gift… but we're also filled with the Holy Spirit and each one of us has at least one spiritual gift. It wouldn’t hurt us to be more lively when we worship, but there is a deep joy and a sacredness in the way that we do worship and, if we’re attentive and obedient to the Holy Spirit, we will bear the fruits of the Spirit, which include love, joy, peace, forbearance, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

2.         We need to take more risks for Jesus and it is the Spirit who leads us out of our comfort zones. Pentecost was about empowerment, courage, and inclusion. The Holy Spirit came like a rushing wind, but he filled the people with courage enough to speak truth to power, share their resources with one another, and reach out to others throughout the world. The early church was known for the love they had for one another, but as they shared resources with poorer churches, endured persecution and imprisonment, and told people throughout the world that Jesus Christ is Lord, they showed that their vision was outward… on the unsaved and uninvited, not inward on themselves. So it is the Spirit who gives us the faith to get out of ourselves and minister for Christ. Do you know the song, “The Summons?” It’s one of my favorites and, in part it goes like this: If I but call your name will you go where you don’t know and never be the same? Will you risk the hostile stare should your life attract or scare? Will you kiss the leper clean and do such as this unseen? If I but call your name, will you use the faith you’ve found to restore the world around?  We have work to do. God is calling, and we will never hear his call or find the courage to respond unless we embrace the Holy Spirit! We need the Holy Spirit. Pray that, even if nobody ever speaks in tongues or raises their hands in praise, that we will be a Spirit-filled church!

3.         Thirdly, we will never be the church that God wants us to be unless we embrace the Holy Spirit and use the gifts that he has given to us. Without the Spirit, our elders will not dream dreams, our young people will not see visions, our sons and daughters will not prophecy, our dry bones will not breathe, and we will not fly. I read of a little church that was filled with ducks. Every Sunday they waddled to church to listen as their duck preacher encouraged them to fly. He told them that they could do it, that they had it in them to fly, and that the Holy Spirit would lift them to great heights. Amen, they'd say. Nice sermon, they'd say. Then they waddled back home! Friends, the Holy Spirit is the giver of many great gifts and he, himself, is a gift from Christ… who will open our eyes to Scripture and to God’s activity in our lives. The Holy Spirit is our Counselor, our Comforter, our Guide, and our Advocate. He is also the wind beneath our wings and he will take us to greater heights of service and faithfulness as we grow as Christians.

      On this Pentecost Sunday, let us thank God for the Holy Spirit. Let us thank God for the blessings and gifts that he has already given to us and may we turn to him for even greater things in the future. Amen