WHERE DID THE SPIRIT GO?

Jesus came to earth to save our souls... and that should give us great joy! And while he was here, he spent his days...giving sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and restoring men and women to their families and communities. These are works that yield great joy, and he also stood up for the disenfranchised, invited outcasts to His banquet, calmed the sea, told truth to power, and kept the wine flowing at a community wedding. Joy upon joy upon joy. Each of these acts created great joy, and there were many other joy-producing things that Jesus did. Indeed, the air was filled with hope and promise when Jesus lived on earth. According to Scripture, the wise men rejoiced when they saw the star and heaven applauds with joy when a shepherd carries a single sinner home. According to Scripture, neighbors gather with joy when a widow finds a lost coin and a father throws a joyful bash when his prodigal son staggers home. Joy! Joy! Joy! Joy, the Bible says, is a gift of the Spirit and an unmistakable part of God's presence... so where has it gone?

Where's the joy? Where are the tambourines? Who turned the music off? And why are so many Christians so somber? Well, it's hard to say... because people lose their sense of joy for any number of reasons. Some people just never have much joy to lose. They were born on a rainy day and it has rained ever since. Some people lose their joy when tragedy strikes. They just can't get out from under their grief. Some people are too "smart" to embrace simple things with joy. Church communities become joy-less for a number of reasons too, but generally, they lose their joy because they forget what they're doing and why they're doing it. Their journey gradually becomes more and more about securing a "nest egg" and protecting traditions... and less and less about bold ministries and radical grace. Without vision and passion, churches come down with a disease that I call "Churchism"... which is a mindless coming and going, and a doing of things for no particular reason. The door is unlocked, the lights are on, the restrooms are clean, the choir is practicing, and somewhere in the building, a committee is meeting-but no one actually knows why! There is no dreaming. No questioning. And no one even expects God to show up on Sunday mornings! 

The church leaders in Jesus' time did not find joy in the good news. They didn't get it. They couldn't, and they never would... because they had a fatal form of "Churchism." Whenever people quit dreaming and start controlling, whenever people are so tied to the status quo... that they can't see what God is doing in their midst, whenever a church worries more about the balance than the blessing, whenever people feel envious when someone else is celebrated, or offended when they see "too much" grace, whenever church elders come to believe that serving communion is just a "job," whenever church leaders refuse to welcome the very people whom Jesus sent to them, whenever the way things "used to be" outweigh the way things "can be" or "ought to be,"whenever people are ignored and dismissed because they don't "fit in," whenever you see things like these, you won't see much joy!

The question then is this: if Jesus showed up today with people who offended us, or if he asked too much of us, or created a stir that threatened our church order, would we be filled with joy... or would we take offense? Which is the stronger in our own community- our sense of Christ, or our sense of church?




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TODAY IS THE DAY

      According to Luke, Jesus launched his ministry as a preacher when his temptation had ended. In time he came to his hometown of Nazareth and went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read from a scroll of Isaiah and turned to the place (chapter 61) where it says: "The spirit of the Lord is upon me because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the poor, release to the prisoners, recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." It was an interesting message for Jesus to choose. It was a message about God's heart for all people who are neither seen, heard, nor valued. Jesus could've chosen Isaiah's invitation to those who thirst (55:1) or the promised day on which a wolf will lie down with a lamb (11:6) ... but he chose to begin his ministry by identifying with God's commitment to justice and righteousness. I'm called, he said, to proclaim freedom to the oppressed (in all the ways people are oppressed), recovery of sight to the blind (in all the ways we are blind), and good news to the poor (in fact and in spirit). I'm anointed, he said, to proclaim liberty to the captives (in all the ways that we are captive when things get a hold on us) and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, in which debt is forgiven, servants freed, and mortgaged land returned. He read this passage and sat down. Silence fell over the gathering and all eyes were on him. Then he said, "TODAY THIS SCRIPTURE HAS BEEN FULFILLED IN YOUR HEARING." (Luke 4:21)
      I am struck with Jesus' candor... and with God's radical agenda. As Christians, we can debate the role which government should play in our lives, but we cannot debate whether or not we should be involved as Christians! We must be involved in bringing good news to the poor, release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind. We dare not blame them for their own situation, or turn away from them in their time of need, because things will never be right on earth until Jesus' work is completed. As his disciples, we're called to use our voices and talents to bring good news to the poor and tell all of them who are chained and oppressed, weary and burdened, that, in Christ, their debts are forgiven and their yokes are broken. It is our calling- our work- to carry on Jesus' ministry in His name... and to carry on with the same concrete sense of urgency that Jesus had. We are called and equipped to bring good news to the poor, freedom to those who are oppressed and captive... and to proclaim, by word and deed, the year of Jubilee to people we meet and see in our own lives. I'm sure of it, but it also seems clear that we are called to start setting things right... TODAY!
      Do you know the lyrics to Willie Nelson's song, "There's Nothing I Can Do About It Now?" Well, in part they go like this: I've got a long list of real good reasons for all the things I've done/ And I know just what I'd change if I went back in time somehow... but there's nothing I can do about it now." No, there's nothing I can do about them now because the past is gone and its glory days are gone too. There are things that I would love to change, even erase, and there are moments that I would love to relive, but I can't and I won't.. because they're only in my mind. And what is more- tomorrow is only in my mind too. It will never come because the only thing I'll ever do is today! Today. This day. This is our time to show up. If we're ever going to say, "I'm sorry," "I love you," or "you can do this," let it be today. If we're ever going to visit someone who's lonely or let someone know that we care, if we're ever going to listen to someone's story, let it be today. If we're ever going to proclaim good news to someone who needs to hear it, give light to someone who lives in darkness, or a little joy to someone burdened with sadness, let it be today. If we're ever going to tell someone that they can begin again in Christ, that he will set them forgive their debts, let it be today. TODAY
is not a bridge between the past we recall and the future we dream about. It is the stuff we call life. Christ is inviting us to bring good news to the poor and to let them all know that this is the year of the Lord's favor! Jesus has anointed us to speak truth to power, fight for justice, do the right thing, pick up the fallen and carry the broken. He has called us to turn our own little world upside down... with grace, courage, and loving kindness... and he has equipped us to do all of this TODAY!

PRESBYTERIAN AND SPIRIT-FILLED

      The Top 4 things you never hear in church: 1) Hey! It's my turn to sit in the front row; 2) I wish the pastor would've preached for an hour; 3) I find evangelism more enjoyable than golf, 4) I love it when we sing songs we've never sang before. Here's another. The Top 5 signs that you're in the wrong church: 1) The church van has a gun rack; 2) The church staff includes pastor and socio-pastor; 3) There's an ATM behind the sanctuary; 4) Choir members wear leather robes; 5) Ushers ask, "smoking or non-smoking section?"
      There are scores of lists that poke fun at church, but today, I want to identify the spiritual gifts that will fulfill those who use them... and strengthen the church itself. For many years now, the term "pentecostal" has been associated with "speaking in tongues." which is a spiritual gift that I respect and celebrate. However, for believers who don't worship and pray to God in "tongues," focus on this one gift seems to minimize the others. In fact, in some places, spiritual gifts are pretty much ignored, which is a shame because they are the very things that empower ministry. 
      Spiritual gifts have always been central to life together in Christ and, in addition to speaking in and interpreting tongues, Paul identifies seven other spiritual gifts in his first letter to the church at Corinth: faith, wisdom, healing, prophecy, knowledge, discernment, and 7) miracles. We don't see many miracles in the churches we know, but we do know people who've been given 1) extraordinary faith- a martyr's faith- that inspires us and some of you have the 2) gift of wisdom. You're able to apply your knowledge to context and the matter at hand. If you've been given these gifts, please share them for the common good. Some of you have 3) the gift of healing. You listen to those who are burdened. You assist those who are at risk and sit with the sick. There are many ways to relieve pain, and if you have the gift of healing, you are encouraged to use it generously. 
      Some have been given the 4) gift of administration. You are detail-oriented- orderly- Presbyterian- and you cringe when things are not done the way they should be done. Some of you have been blessed with the eye of an editor and you can't help but see the typos in the bulletin. But others have the 5) gift of vision! You may stumble over some of the cracks on the path, but you see the way in which we should go. In either case, we need your gifts. My mother called it the "gift of gab,"and while I don't think she meant it as a compliment, the Holy Spirit has given some of God's people, the spiritual gifts of 6) preaching, 7) teaching, and 8) speaking in ways that are clear and compelling. If you've been blessed with one or more of these gifts... preach, teach, lead, and advocate, and speak the truth in love! The Bible also mentions the 9) gift of mercy and it is true that some of your hearts are always broken. You can't ignore the pain that's all around. You see their faces and you hear their cries! If you have the spiritual gift of mercy, help us find ways of responding as a church. 
      The Holy Spirit has given some of you the 10) gift of prayer. We're all called to pray of course, but some of you are prayer warriors. You pray frequently, specifically, and in a deeply personal way. Please keep on praying and pray for us. Others have been given the 11) spiritual gift of evangelism. This is a common calling, but you have a passion for it, and you find ways of inviting others to come and see what God can do. You also find ways of engaging our community in ways that reveal God's love for them, Some of you have been given 12) the gift of exhortation. You make a point of affirming others. You cheer them on! If you've been given this spiritual gift, please use it all the more because, in a world filled with critics, we need more cheerleaders!
      Spirit-filled churches are bold because the Holy Spirit is bold. They are filled with Spirit-filled Christians because the Spirit fuels our ministries. They are open, inviting, and loving because Christ Jesus was an inviter and because God is love. Spirit-filled churches stand on God's word! They know it, preach it, teach it, study it, and live it out! And finally, while Spirit-filled churches may or may not speak in tongues, they all share a passion for faithfulness and personal growth in Christ! We are small and Presbyterian. We have an old and glorious building and we don't have a parking lot. We're low on technology, but we're filled with love for one another and for God, and we engage the community as if we were several times our size. The banner in back tells the world that we were founded in 1835, but we're not through dreaming yet. No we're not, and we are still seeking God's guidance for tomorrow. Many of our members are doing what their spiritual gifts demand and even more of them will be answering God's call in the coming year. No doubt, we have some work to do, but it's not undoable! Not under God, not in Christ, not with the Holy Spirit leading us on! Not if we use our spiritual gifts for the common good. Can I get an "amen?"
      
     

HOLY COINCIDENCES AND EPIPHANIES IN OUR OWN LIVES

      In the late summer of '76 I was up late one night, telling the nurse on duty how good I felt about myself. I had seldom felt that way before, but suddenly... I was seeing things in a new way. Pastor Lu had visited me and through him, God assured me that His grace was sufficient, even for me. Lu led me in what he called a "sinner's prayer," and after letting go of a lifetime of anxiety, guilt, and fear... my world was brighter than it had ever been before. It's going to be okay, I told the nurse, but at breakfast the next morning, a woman named, Nancy, told me in no uncertain terms that I was full of something other than hope. She went on and on about how I was never going to be more than I had been before... but it was too late! I had already experienced an Epiphany and it didn't matter what Nancy or anyone else said!
      Thomas Merton is famous in religious and spiritual circles. He is a thoughtful man with considerable depth, but at least some of his insights came from epiphanies, rather than arduous study. In 1958, he had an epiphany that changed his entire way of seeing others. Here are his words: “In Louisville, at the corner of Fourth and Walnut, in the center of the shopping district, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all those people, that they were mine and I theirs.... It was like waking from a dream...of spurious self-isolation in a special world. … (My) sense of liberation...was such a relief and such a joy to me that I almost laughed out loud. … I have the immense joy of being a member of a race in which God Himself became incarnate.... And if only everybody could realize this! But it cannot be explained. There is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun.” These are Thomas Merton's words, and while I never had the same epiphany in a single moment, I've come to see that we are connected, with one another, and with every living thing. Once our eyes are opened and we see that we're all created in God's image- really and truly, in 3D- it's not that hard to love "all those people," although you may not want to run around telling either men or women that you "love them." Some people may have learned that we are "one in Christ" in the same way they learn arithmetic and history... but for many of us, seeing that we are connected in love... is a "God thing."
      Few people have done more for the world that Bill Wilson, who developed a 12-Step program of recovery for alcoholics. Wilson's ideas have saved and restored millions of men and women throughout the world and they have spread to people who are in the grips of other addictions as well. Wilson's simple program is the work of a genius, but it did NOT come to him because he had studied abnormal psychology in depth. On the contrary, he was given his idea for AA in a spiritual encounter, He had an epiphany! In part he describes it with these words, "In 1934, my alcoholic friend and schoolmate "Ebbie" had fallen in with (the Oxford Group) and had promptly sobered up. Being an alcoholic... he hadn't been able to "buy" all the Oxford Group ideas.... (But), he was moved by their deep sincerity and felt mighty grateful for the fact that their ministrations had, for the time being, lifted his obsession to drink.When he arrived in New York in the late fall, Ebbie thought at once of me. On a bleak November day he rang up.  Soon he was looking at me across our kitchen table at 182 Clinton Street, Brooklyn, New York.  As I remember that conversation, he constantly used phrases like these: 'I found I couldn't run my own life;' 'I had to get honest with myself and somebody else;' 'I had to make restitution for the damage I had done;' 'I had to pray to God for guidance and strength, even though I wasn't sure there was any God;'  'And after I'd tried hard to do these things I found that my craving for alcohol left.' Then Ebbie would say something like this: 'Bill, it isn't a bit like being on the water wagon.  You don't fight the desire to drink -- you get released from it!'" Ebbie left and went about his life, but Bill W. entered a hospital for alcoholism two weeks later. He had been there before, but soon after he arrived this time, he had a an epiphany. God appeared to him and showed him a way in which hopeless addicts could reclaim their lives. Some people laugh at such things, but Thomas Merton didn't laugh and William Wilson didn't either.

      Neither do I because most of what I know that's worth knowing has come to me as a gift, borne of pain and/or joy. I don't much about systematic theology, but I have come to see that these things are great truths: 1) Nothing is impossible for God, 2) Angels (not little cute cherubim, but messengers in many forms) are quite real, 3) the present moment IS God's gift to us because it's the only moment we have, 4) No one is ugly or unacceptable in God's eyes, 5) Love is the greatest healer to be found, 6) Forgiveness is the most Christlike thing that we can ever do, 7) You are NOT who others say you are and your own "stories" do not define you, 8) our journey IS our life, 9) there are no scorecards in heaven, and 10) Jesus loves me and you. Some epiphanies are famous. I mentioned a couple of them earlier. Some are Biblical (Paul on the road to Damascus, Cleopas on the road to Emmaus, Abraham beneath the oaks of Mamre, the star that led the Magi to Jesus)... but today, I simply want to... invite you... to consider the ways that God has appeared to you... through "holy coincidences," unexpected helping hands, affirming words when you needed them most, a painful "no," a frustrating "later," a confusing "maybe," the opening and closing of doors, a dream, a vision, perhaps a star. 
      Reflect on all the ways in which God has appeared to you... and keep your eyes wide open from this moment on... because I am convinced that God appears to us in many ways and through a variety of people. Among many other wonderful things that he has written, Frederick Buechner noted that we should "never question the truth of what we fail to understand for the world is filled with wonders." To which I would only say, amen.

last, b the mercy of God, meditating day and night, I gave heed to the context of the words, namely, “In it the righteousness of God is revealed, as it is written, ‘He who through faith is righteous shall live.'” There I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that by which the righteous lives by a gift of God, namely by faith. And thiss is the meaning: the righteousness of God is revealed by the gospel, namely, the passive righteousness with which merciful God justifies us by faith, as it is written, “He who through faith is righteous shall live.” Here I felt that I was altogether born again and