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

GRACE IS A RADICAL AND FOOLISH THING

Act naturally. Deafening silence. Pretty ugly. Only choice.  Accurate estimate. Congressional oversight. Grape Nuts. Common sense. Rice milk.  Student athlete, Jumbo shrimp. Minor miracle,  Objective opinion, Social security... and Responsible Grace. Oxymorons one and all, but it is the last one- Responsible Grace- that has been bothering me of late.

Responsible grace. Someone told me recently that "Responsible Grace," is sound Christian doctrine, but I wonder if it's not actually more of an oxymoron. Grace, as I've understood it, is unmerited favor, like the taste of Country Style Ice Cream or a loved one's smile. When our grandson, Archer, was younger, he would break into a run and a mile-wide grin as soon as he saw us. He ran with joy, seeing only us in a sea of faces, and his joy brings tears to my eyes. It is grace and I did nothing to deserve it! Grace, to me, is unearned forgiveness, which is really all forgiveness, and grace is unmerited love, which is really all love, because things like forgiveness, grace, love and second-chances can only come as gifts. If "responsible grace" means offering grace only to those who deserve it, I want no part of it, and if it means that grace ought to  be reserved for those who have done their part, I would never have received it. 
  

You  remember the parable of the loving father, whose prodigal son squanders a considerable amount of his family's money on wine, women and song, and then comes home when everything runs out on him. Well, as you know, the prodigal's older brother knows that his brother doesn't deserve grace and he simply won't  have any part of it, even though his father pleads with him. Fortunately, his father's joy cannot be complete without unfettered grace, but many of us are more like the older brother! I read a story about an old man whose diligent daughter took.care of him while her brother disappeared for months at a time. She visited her father frequently, met his every need, and agreed to sing a special song at his funeral service. Finally, that day came, and as she was taking care of things at the front of the parlor, her wayward brother entered the funeral home from the rear. Immediately everyone made a "big deal" over his arrival. "Hi Jack! How's it going, Jack! Nice to see you, Jack." The older sister seethed. How dare her brother barge in now. She and her father had not seen him for months. Then it struck  her- the song that she had been asked to sing for her father... was a song to Jack. It was her father's way of saying, "Son I love you. Welcome back!." Her song, as it turned out, was her brother's song, and she vowed immediately that no power on earth would get her to sing it.. And she didn't. She didn't sing the song and a moment of reconciliation slipped away. If not singing our love songs is "responsible grace," you can have it because it's not for me.

Giving grace on our own terms makes a mockery of the word, but I admit that grace CAN BE abused and even manipulated.  In Yancy's book, What's So Amazing About Grace, he tells of a man who matter-of-factly told him that he was going to leave his wife for a younger woman, knowing that God would forgive him when he did.  Likewise, I recently had a church member ask me for a $100 so that he could show his girlfriend a "better time." Now, this same man sends money to internet girlfriends and still seeks money from the church, and what is more- he probably always will.. We like to think that people in need are ordinary people who are just momentarily down on their luck, and that once we give them a helping hand, they will get a job, give up their sins, and become contributing members of society. But chances are, they won't. The unemployed person who needs $500 for rent this month will need $500 for rent next month, and the same needy individual who seems "out of control" this month will surely be "out of control" next month. What is to become of these people, and what are  we to do with them. Does responsible grace say "no," if they don't "shape up and fly right?" 

I am little more than a forgiven sinner, and knowing myself to be forgiven, I live for God everyday now,. I live to please my Lord, but I never think about being responsible or irresponsible, for that matter. I simply do what love demands, and now we have uncovered the anecdote for cheap grace, and that anecdote is love! Responsible grace, whatever it is, isn't necessary at all if we love the One who gave us a second chance and a new name. I read a story about a man who tried to rescue a scorpion that was caught up in some twigs along a river bank. He reached ever so slowly from above, and the scorpion stung him. So, he made a faster move from the other side, and...the scorpion stung him again, and again and again. Finally, another fellow along the shoreline shouted, "Mister, let it go. That scorpion will sting you every time." "Yes," the would-be savior replied. "I know. It is the scorpion's nature to sting, but it is my nature to save!"  It seems to me that God gave His life for me, not really knowing if I would be responsible or not, because grace is God's nature.

At this point in my life as a pastor, I've heard every excuse there is for needing money. I know that some people "work the system" by going from church to church with the same story, and I realize that most of the people who "took advantage" of our grace when I was in Peoria 15 years ago are still doing so today! I know all of this, BUT I cannot embrace a thing called "Responsible Grace." It is an oxymoron to me.  It is too man-made, too narrow,, and too Pharisaic. Grace that is not given.... freely, radically, and maybe even dangerously, is not grace at all.  Sherry and I have two daughters, two granddaughters, and two grandsons (okay, Donald is our great-grandson) and we love them all unconditionally. No matter what they do or do not do, no matter how often they do it, if they run off and come back a hundred times, seeking the same help with the very same needs, I pray that I will always run to meet them. 

I said some of this to a civic group once, and after my speech, an elderly woman told me that I had touched her heart with the little story about the woman who wouldn't sing for her brother. She said that, when he father was dying, he told her to give her brother his full share of his inheritance. She remembered saying, "Daddy, it won't last a week. You know that Randy will spend it foolishly." She says that her sister agreed with her, but their daddy insisted that they give Randy his full share.  They did as they were asked, and the woman said that it took her many, many years to see what her daddy meant. Now 82, and with tears in her eyes, she told me that she understands why her daddy gave his son his full share, irresponsibly and without conditions. Amen

For Christians Only

      O Star of Truth shining through clouds of doubt and fear, I ask but beneath your guidance, my pathway may appear. However long the journey, how soe’er hard it be, though I be lone and wary, lead on, I’ll still follow thee. Though loving friends forsake me, or plead with me in tears; though angry foes may threaten to shake my soul with fears. Still to my high allegiance, I must not faithless be. Through life or death forever, lead on… I’ll follow thee. Words to an old hymn that capture the resolve and commitment that are necessary for any relationship to endure. All lasting relationships call on us to trust and stay the course, to remain, and this from our own marital relationships. For better or worse, we say when we say our wedding vows, seldom knowing at the time what for better or worse means. Looking back however, we see that our journey together was filled with valleys and hills, with long stretches that made us wonder “is this all there is?” and with radical twists and turns that made us cry out, “what’s going on around here?” Our marital relationships are based on resolve and trust- all intimate relationships are- and although they're both tested now and then, we stay the course, we don’t quit, we surrender to the relationship without surrendering our soul… and we remain, which is what it means to “abide.”

      The Greek word for abide is “meno” and we encounter it in the New Testament over 100 times. Sometimes, it’s meaning is as simple as staying with for dinner or staying overnight, but sometimes "meno" carries a deeper meaning. For instance, when Jesus was suffering at Gethsemane, he asked his disciples “to remain” (abide) with him while he went to pray. Abide we me, he said, in my hour of need. Be present to me. Likewise, when Jesus encountered a man who was possessed with a demon living among the Geradenes, he said, this man doesn’t live in a home, but abides among the tombs. Some people, you know, do abide among the tombs. They remain there. Others remain in their sins and there are those who won't let go of their addictions. Some people are like McScrooge, they abide in their vaults, counting their money again and again. 

      We can abide in whatever we choose. It's up to us. But when Jesus said, "I am the vine, abide in me," he wasn't speaking to those who weren't interested in following him. He wasn't speaking to those who were opposed or apathetic to him. Nor was he speaking to those who little more than an idle curiosity about him, who sometimes thought about following him. He was beginning a farewell address to men and women who wanted to carry on, who wanted to bear fruit for him, who desired to please him, and he said, if you want to be fruitful, if you want to endure, abide in me and let me abide in you. 

      Love… is the stuff that relationships are made of …and relationships are the stuff that make our Christian journeys possible. We are called to love God with all of our hearts and to love our neighbor as ourselves, but we can’t do either one unless we are in relationship. We are commanded to love one another as Christ loves us… but we can’t do that unless we’re in  relationship with Christ and with His body. Strength for the journey comes from loving relationships and this is especially so with God. And so, we come face-to-face with John’s last I AM “ego eimi” statement, “I am the Vine. Abide in me and I in you (because) a branch cannot bear fruit unless it abides in me.” Christians who want to be Christians need to abide in Christ. They need a relationship with Christ and his followers. They need to nurture that relationship in several ways and keep it at the top of their minds. 

      And so, how do we do it? How do we abide in Christian? Well, let me suggest the following ways. There are others, I'm sure, but 7 is a good Biblical number: 1) Decide to strengthen your relationship with Christ. Make it a priority. Choose to do it because it won't happen otherwise; 2) Talk to Him. Pray. Talk to him in the morning and at night, at mealtimes and throughout the day. You don't need a theological degree to share your praise, your joys and your concerns- so talk to God. If you aren’t talking, your relationship is in trouble; 3) Open your Bible. Learn God’s word and let it speak to you. Join a group, have someone explain it to you, start a daily devotion. Allow the word of God to affirm, direct, challenge, and sometimes correct you. Listen as you read and your relationship with God will grow;  4) join a church because it is the body of Christ. Being a Christian is a community affair. There are other people on the road too. We walk with them, they walk with us, and together we serve and grow in our relationship with Christ. They may be short or tall, black or white, talkative or reserved, burdened with issues or free from worry, charming and witty or not so much, sincere or insincere… but they are our brothers and sisters in Christ; 4) increase your God-consciousness. Be a practicing Christian. Consciously look for ways, people and events in which God is speaking to you. Sharpen your vision and your hearing, soften your heart and open your mind... so that you will see and experience Christ in others; 5) start each day with a gratitude list and end each day with an honest assessment. How did I live as a Christian today? Did I bear fruits of kindness and gentleness? Did I witness to anyone in word or deed?  6) Forgive as if there is no tomorrow. Forgive until you feel a bit silly about because forgiving is the most Christian thing that you can do; and 7) don’t quit. Abide! Don’t let your doubts get the best of you. Don’t let your pride or a bad church experience get in your way. Don’t give in to the tempters who call your name along the way, and when the going gets tough, remember your baptism, as Martin Luther used to say.

      Make a decision to be a Christian, nurture your relationship with Christ and his followers, and stick with it. Abide. Do this and you will bear fruit. Let this be your creed: I am a Christian. I march to a different drummer. I’ve embraced a new identity and a greater truth. I measure success in a different way now and I see others in a new light. I have decided in live in Christ and to love those whom He puts in my life. I invest at least as much effort in my relationship with Christ as I do with other relationships that are important to me. I talk to Christ and listen too, I read His word and let it speak to me, I hang out with his people and take part in his community. I live as a Christian in all phases of my life and I let my light shine. These things I do to glorify God and I won’t change course for anything in the world… because He is the truth and, in Him, I am free. Amen!

      

THE EASTER SURPRISE!

In the fall of '94, my little brother passed away and with heavy hearts, Sherry and I made our final trip to Anniston... to pay our final respects. We gathered and grieved. We noticed that Randy didn't look like himself and we greeted people whom we hadn't seen in a long time. Mostly though, we gathered to express our love for this "angel who flew too close to the ground,"to borrow a phrase from Willie Nelson. We gathered to express our love and we certainly didn't expect to see an empty casket. And it was much the same when my brother, Larry, died in 2010. I was blessed to spend some quality time with Larry shortly before he passed on, but still, it was with heavy hearts that Sherry and I drove to Plano, when he died. We gathered with heavy hearts to pay our respects. We didn't expect to find life in the graveyard. We simply wanted to say "goodbye" and "we will always love you." It's always the same. I've conducted a 100 funerals during my ministry and I've seen them their sad faces as they paraded by their loved one's body... just to pay their respects and maybe to reach out cautiously touch him or her one last time.
      

In the 37th chapter of Ezekiel, God asked his eccentric prophet one of the Bible's many great questions: can these dry bones live? You're standing in a valley of dry bones, son, he seemed to say. They're up to your waist and their very dry. They're not dying, or nearly dead- they're dead, dead- and my question to you is this: can these dry bones live? Well... can they? And many would say, of course not! Dry bones can't live. But the old prophet had more faith than that and he replied, "You know, Lord. You know. I don't know, but you do." Yes, God knows, but Mary Magdalene hadn't seen any dry bones come to life. Nothing is too hard for God. With God, all things are possible. So, with a heart filled with memories of her dearest friend, she made her way to Jesus' tomb, just outside of Jerusalem's gate, 1985 years or so ago. She made the journey because love demanded it, She was drawn by love to do the right thing. That's all she wanted to do and that would have been enough, but when she neared the tomb, her worst fears were realized! The heavy wheel-shaped stone had been rolled away from the entrance and she was overcome with the fear that the Jewish authorities or just grave robbers... had taken his body!                                                                                               

She wasn't thinking resurrection or that somehow he hadn't really died. She knew the score. She had seen them take his dead body off of Calvary's cross and lay it in this very tomb. So she ran to tell Peter and John, who confirmed that the tomb was empty and returned home, leaving Mary of Magdala weeping outside of his tomb. Then, as the passage goes, she spotted a man whom she took to be a caretaker, and she cried out, "Sir, where have you taken him? Please tell me so that I can do what I came to do." To grieve and pay her respects and say goodbye- that's all she wanted and all that she expected,  But instead of giving her the directions she sought, the man said: "Mary!" Mary, he said and her heart nearly burst because she recognized the voice immediately! When she heard her name, Mary cried, "Rabboni," and reached out to hug him. She wanted to embrace him! But he said, "Noli me tangere," (don't cling to me). Don't cling to me. Mary, because I have to go to my Father and besides, you have things to do!

Go and tell them, Mary, that I live! Tell them, Mary, and all of you who are Mary, that you have seen me and that those who believe in me will never die! Tell them, Mary. Tell them in your own words, from your life experience, in ways and with words that they understand... that I am risen! Tell them that death has lost and that life has won. Tell them that, Mary, and tell them that Easter is much more than candy and bunnies, more than families and friends, even more than hope itself. Tell them that Easter is more than anything they've ever expected and more than anything they can completely grasp or understand. Tell them that I am alive and that because I live, they will live-fully, abundantly, purposefully and eternally. Mary, and all of you who are Mary, Peter, John, Dave, Jack, Barb, or Ginny, go and tell them that. Tell them that death is simply a moment in time because dry bones live!      

After we buried Randy, Sherry and I received a bulb garden in the mail from him, which I planted, although I planted some of the bulbs upside down. And come Easter, of 95, his flowers were standing tall in the sun and I found myself saying, "Who's the preacher now?" Thank you, Lord, for being an Easter God and for giving us the faith to believe that neither our loved ones nor we will ever perish! Show us how to live as Easter people, Lord, and give us the courage to tell others that you live! Open our mouths and loosen our tongues that, even when our own hearts are filled with grief and our eyes are filled with tears, we might bear witness to the greatest truth that there is and ever could be- He lives! He is risen and He lives! Amen!