Love Is Impossible

“LOVE IS IMPOSSIBLE”
I Corinthians 13
Faith United
November 18, 2007


I’ve decided that it’s impossible
following Jesus, being the Church
being Christians
Let’s be honest
Love your enemies? Who’s going to do that?
Pray for those who hate you? C’mon…
A Republican love a Democrat? And vice versa?
Wash each other’s feet?
Of course, Jesus just meant that symbolically
he didn’t really want us to do something
that disgusting
You mean look on someone who does something
or believes something that repulses us
offends our deepest sensitivities
or just plain smells funny?
And LOVE that person?
Forgive someone who betrayed us?
Someone who shattered our heart
seemingly beyond repair?

Do you read your Bible??
It’s absurd what Jesus wants us to do
It’s just plain ridiculous and impossible
But we manage to get around it, don't we?
We can quote verses that assure us
we can justifiably hate someone else
but ignore the verses that tell us to love
for Christ’s sake
We remember “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”
in the Old Testament
when we want to justify revenge
but we forget that Jesus said that that is the OLD way
and the new way says simply, “love your enemies.”
We conveniently forget those parts of the Bible
that contradict our natural human tendencies
I understand that
I do it too
I mean, hey, I’m not Jesus
I can’t do what Jesus did
never mind that he told me to
he didn’t really mean that
he knows I can’t, surely,
and surely, he will understand?

I love this passage,
but if you really read it, it’s not a flowery poem
that you can hear without being disturbed
Maybe we’ve heard it too much
or read it too much in counter cross stitch
maybe the words don’t hit us
as radical and impossible and downright offensive
but they are

Love, as Jesus demands it, is impossible
Sometimes I use this passage at weddings,
which is not uncommon
But even then, cmon…
Love is patient?
Love it kind?
It does not insist on its own way?
Love bears all things, believe all things,
hopes all things, endures all things?
Who can live up to that?
and I think that if the couple in front of me
about to take their vows
weren’t numbed out on the words
as most of us are
they would tremble in their fancy shoes
and maybe even run….
Is that why lifelong commitment
is increasingly unpopular?
Because we don’t believe it’s really possible?
A lot of people don’t believe it’s possible
and there are a lot of forces in our world
that work at destroying such ideals…
It gets even more impossible
when you take the passage into context
This is not just about love between lifelong partners
this is not about romantic love
Not that it doesn’t work great on a Hallmark card
or in a wedding service
but that’s not it’s original context
Paul was talking to a church in the city of Corinth
a church he started
a church that I think he regrets starting sometimes
if he were honest
(I think I’ve served that church myself, a couple of times
in the past
He is far more gracious than I believe I was
when I was serving there)
Corinth is an impossible church
One can say they have a lot going against them
I mean, look at the world around them
They were surrounded by exciting pagan temples
where the members seem to have much more fun
at worship than the Christians did
Their services were louder, more exciting
they didn’t seem quite so uptight about things
The pagans often had temple prostitutes
and human sacrifices
lots of blood and sex and even violence
But some of those pagan temples
had really smart people, too
people who were charismatic
people who could stir people up
get their emotions charged up
They had leaders who were intellectually brilliant,
some of them
some of them had books on the bestseller list
TV shows, they were a household word
They gave the people everything they wanted to hear
they didn’t ask them to do anything
that was impossible
Corinth was a city in a port
where foreigners came through all the time
bringing their own cultures, their money
their ideas
that made this little Christian church
look like a bunch of country bumpkins
who knew nothing of the real world
The Christians of Corinth
didn’t want to be country bumpkins or nerds
or to be accused of being naïve
They wanted to be just as good as everyone else
Some of them among them were really smart, too
some of them were spiritual celebrities
and had a special charisma
Some of them were really talented, well-read
so they wanted people to know that
they were just as good
as the pagans down on 98th street
There were rich and poor
at First Church Corinth
all worshipping together
And it got to be that the rich would start
to look down on the poor among them
they’d take more than their share at the Lord’s Supper
so that there was none left over for the poor
Some among them decided they were better Christians
than the others
because they were so smart
or they had special gifts that dazzled and impressed
or they could talk so eloquently
or sing so beautifully it made you cry
Sure, they had a lot of fights
at their board meetings
about who was right and who was wrong
they fought about who had special privileges
because they had more money
or who really didn’t have any say in anything
because they were dirt poor
They fought bitterly over who was good enough
and who should be left out
who was righteous and who was a filthy human being
And to THIS crowd,
Paul writes this letter --
which, I think, under the circumstances,
is very gracious of him --
He sees that because of the influence
of the world around them,
the Christians at Corinth have lost their vision
of what sets them apart as the Church of Jesus Christ
Or even what being “set apart” really means
And what he calls for
is just plain impossible
What he is asking them and us to do
is impossible
it’s unnatural
Love, he says,
Love one another, just like Jesus said,
Love one another, For Christ’s sake!!
and he means that literally
If we could take ONE LINE from this passage
and focus on just that one line
what a difference it would make
Love is kind
Love is KIND
What if we made kindness our goal every day?
What if everybody did?
What if Christians stopped trying to determine
who’s better than who
who’s damned and who’s not
and just focused on being like Jesus
in everything we do
Can you imagine what would happen to the whole Christian church?
Love is KIND
It is not envious or boastful
Love is NOT RUDE
Love does not insist on its own way
Love does not insist on its own way
What if we had that as our mission statement
before every meeting?
Before every decision is made?
We live in a world where what matters most
is our own happiness
We seem to have gotten the idea
that the goal of life is happiness
Which means, contentment
which means, being comfortable, undisturbed
Which means not doing something
that is uncomfortable or difficult or risky
In our world it seems, the goal is to avoid all pain
at all costs
as if we are ENTITLED to painlessness
We are ENTITLED to not be uncomfortable
or awkward or perhaps appearing stupid
The laws in our society
are about feeling good
I understand, I want to feel good too
I don’t want to hurt, I don’t want to be embarrassed
I don’t want to do something that
I may not be very good at
But Paul is saying that the way of Jesus
is different
the way of Jesus is LOVE
not giddy, romantic, always feeling good love
Love that bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, and endures all things
Not love that is only practiced when it feels good
not love that is temporary
or love that is only there as long as I get what I want
We’re called to something much much bigger than that
as Christians
People are always looking for the purpose of life
the meaning of life
like there’s some big answer
that will solve everything
like a really good pill
that will make all the hurting go away
But according to Paul, LOVE is the purpose of our lives
We were created to love
to be loved, yes, but to give love
in all that we do
What we do for a living is not nearly as important
as how we do our living
Do we give life with our words?
Do we give kindness?
Do we give peace?
But… but.. but.. we say
what about when… and then…. and then there’s this…
and we can come up with all kinds of understandable
circumstances
where we think that we are exempt from loving
the way Jesus loves
because in some situations
it’s just plain impossible
And what would Paul say?
Yep
Keep trying
Keep striving for the ideal
keep reaching for the highest point
Keep seeing the image of Jesus
and keep on living toward that
Because, the bottom line is, nothing
nothing else in this world matters
Nothing lasts forever
nothing, except love
We sometimes live like we’re going to live forever
we get offended when something hurts us
as if we should never hurt
We get offended when something too hard
is asked of us
We get offended when we’re called to look at someone
with Jesus’ eyes
instead of trying to burn them in hell
Everything else comes to an end, Paul says
Intellectual achievement, really impressive awards
huge bank accounts
really good promotions
popularity, sexiness, youth, vitality
all of it comes to an end
and the only thing that lasts forever,
is love
So don’t you think love is something worth striving for?
Paul says, when we were kids,
we could act like kids
we could insist on our own way,
we could fight over toys
and throw a tantrum when we didn’t get
what we want
but we’re not kids anymore
when we become adults
we grow up in Christ
and put an end to childish ways
Love is costly
love is worth the cost
Love is life-giving, life-sustaining
Love gets you through the most devastating of times
and gives life meaning
Love bears all things
Love believes all things, hopes all things
and Love ENDURES all things
for Christ’s sake
and love is the only thing we have
that never ever ends….
I want to read a piece that I found
written by a newspaper columnist in Ohio
on the subject of Love

This is by a man named Mike Harden, who wrote:
"When Frank Steger pushed himself into an upright position
in the hospital bed, the heart monitor's fluid cursive line
disintegrated into an erratic scribble.
He was suffering from congestive heart failure.
His wife Mary returned to the room, drawing a chair to his bedside.
'Thirsty,' he complained.
She lifted the straw to his lips
as he pulled the oxygen mask aside.
The medicine made him sick then.
She fetched the basin, wrapped a firm arm around his spasm-racked shoulders, mopped the sweat from his forehead.
In sickness and in health.
They were supposed to be preparing for a Florida vacation,
not holding on to each other in a cardiac care unit.
'Help me sit up,' he whispered hoarsely.
In the end, love comes down to this;
not Clark Gable's devilish first appraisal of Vivien Leigh,
not Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr rolling in the surf,
but, 'Help me sit up.'
A sharp-toothed rain spattered against the windowpane.
In the room, a procession of medical courtiers came and went,
trading pills for blood and tinkering,
ever tinkering, with the buttons and dials controlling the tubes
and wires to which their patient was trussed,
like some latter-day Gulliver.
One evening Frank was sitting asleep
in the chair next to the bed.
Mary paused in the waiting room to remove her street shoes
and put on her slippers.
She did not want to wake him
now that sleep was such a rationed luxury.
Soundlessly, she slipped into the chair next to his.
In the end, love is not the smoldering glance across the dance floor,
the clink of crystal, a leisurely picnic spread upon summer's clover. It is the squeeze of a hand.
I'm here. I'll be here, no matter how long the fight,
even when you want most to close your eyes
and be done with it all.
Water? You need water? Here. Drink.
Let me straighten your pillow.
'Help me into bed,' he said,
he who had once been warrior triumphant
in the business world.
He was tough, demanding,
but never as much on others as himself.
If you gave him your best, no one could hurt you.
If you gave him less, no one could hide you.
She had been with him and beside him
when the future was golden,
beside him when health sent his career into eclipse.
'I'm thirsty,' he said. 'Here,' she said,
'let me get you something.'
Along the road they once traveled so often to visit family,
the hearse wound its way past stubbled fields,
shuttered roadside markets.
The minister, clutching his Bible against his chest
as though it was sufficient cloak against the winds
whipping across the rural countryside,
passed final benediction: 'Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.'
He stooped to pick up his hat
as the funeral director placed the folded flag in Mary's lap.
So when all is said and done,
love is not rapture and fire.
It’s a hand steadier than one's own,
squeezing harder than a heartbeat.
Wine changes back to water.
Endearment is exhibited by what
once might have been considered insignificant kindnesses,
but which, in the end, become the tenderest of ministrations.
On the day after the funeral,
trying to busy herself with chores
that could easily wait, she plopped the laundry basket down
in front of her granddaughter.
The child tugged out the end of the sheet
her Frank had always held when they did the wash.
When the child brought the folded end
to meet the corners her grandmother held,
she kissed her playfully, just as he had once done.
'I'm thirsty, Grandma.' "
"Here, let me get you something,” Grandma said ...

Faith, hope and love abide, these three,
but the greatest of these…. is love

Looking For Still Waters

It's Thursday. The day when the Sew n' Sews come to work on quilts and various projects together. They're here at the church all morning. I can hear them talking and laughing from my office. I venture out and fill my cup with their coffee, and if they're taking a break, I'll sit down and join their fellowship. (I do not sew!)
They are quieter these days. I notice it before I even get out of my car, and see their cars already here. I can feel it in the air as I enter the front door. I notice it every time the front door opens and another sew-er arrives quietly. Sometimes I find myself holding my breath for a moment, listening, and then hearing nothing, I resume my work.
Karen's not here. That's the difference. It wasn't that many weeks ago, really, that I'd see her green van in the parking lot, with the yellow ribbon magnet on the back, honoring her son-in-law in Iraq. You always heard her coming. She made several trips into the church, unloading a sewing machine from home, a plastic bucket or two of "stuff" to work with. She always brought a lot of supplies, for herself and anyone else. She never arrived quietly. She usually shouted a joyful greeting on her way in, teasingly demanding some help in unloading her supplies. Once she was settled in at her sewing station, I could hear her voice from my office, talking and laughing. She blew in like a holy wind, bringing an energy, a life, a joy to the gathering that hit you like a warm bear hug. Everybody smiles around Karen. She brought the group together in a uniqe way.
The group is a holy fire-starter group, quietly burning in faith and care. They pray over blankets that they send overseas to troops or prayer blankets for someone local who could use some tender prayers to wrap up in. Their prayers are powerful, and to recieve one of their prayer blankets is a special joy. I've seen them wrapped around people in the hospital for weeks at a time, a special source of comfort, a burst of color amidst all that hospital-white and sterile surroundings. I've held the hands of the dying, who died with a prayer blanket keeping them warm for their journey to Jesus. I've seen the blankets in the casket with the body-- because even though they couldn't take it with them, they could it least let it keep them warm up to the edge of life.
Now Karen is at home in a hospital bed by the window, wrapped in her own prayer blanket. She has pancreatic cancer. It came like a storm out of nowhere just 4 months ago and has knocked her off her feet. When she first got the diagnosis, the first group to hear about it was her Sew 'n Sew buddies. They received the news at break over coffee, and they wept together. Like a prayer blanket, they wrapped themselves around their dear sister to help strengthen her for this difficult journey.
She spends her days now looking out over the lake behind her home, sleeping, receiving visitors, drinking her iced tea, and being cared for by hospice workers and her beloved best friend and husband Jim. I visit her often, not unselfishly. It seems to do something for her, but it does more for me. I still need doses of her spirit. Just because her body is fighting her and she's losing, her spirit is still very strong. The light is still there in her eyes, and from her bed she still cares for those around her. She's saying the things she needs to say, arranging things for those who will be left behind so they're taken care of. We talk about death and life. We talk about our pasts, tell stories, and talk about what she will miss. We even laugh. We're building a deeper friendship, against everything inside of me screaming not to let myself open myself up to so much pain.
Karen used to be a middle school art teacher, and she loved her kids. She's the kind that WOULD love middle school kids in all their unpredictable energy and intensity. Karen is one of the most joyful people I've ever met. She's not afraid to tell you her opinion on things, even if she knows it runs counter to your own or the status quo. She accepts what other people think and can disagree amicably, even lovingly. She seems perpetually amused. Her favorite outfit is a T-shirt, jeans and a flannel shirt, completed by one of her many and colorful pairs of Birkenstocks. When she came to Bible Study, she came with one of her plastic buckets containing her Bible and study book, and if she thought a passage in the Bible was "ridiculous" she'd say so and why. Or if a passage bored her or was painful to get through, she shared that too. She loves Jesus and wants to follow him, but she wants it to be clear that she can still follow him with her fancy camper. She used to email me blonde jokes to pass on to my daughter, who was at first offended by such jokes, but with Karen being a sister-blond, she started to accept Karen's advice not to take herself too seriously. She emailed me funny videos that she knew might offend someone else, or recommended movies to me, not the least bit hesitant to recommend an R rated movie. I lent her some of my favorite books and she devoured them graciously. She always brings me a stack of TIME magazines that she's done with.
Her house, which is truly her home, is spacious and beautifully decorated. Very... Karen. Each room is painted in a bright color, and no one would suspect such colors would go together, but at her house they do. Her house is immaculate all the time, but she credits her husband's anal tendencies for that.
Karen laughs at herself, and often at the absurdities of this life. That doesn't mean she doesn't cry. She cries when she needs to, and when she thinks something just plain stinks, she'll express that. She's given several meals to people in need, prayed over many blankets with her buddies, and faithfully attended church in her jeans and Birks when she's not visiting her grandchildren. Her face is one I always look for in the congregation-- I know where to find her-- because every preacher needs a face out there that s/he can count on to be friendly no matter what.
She wears one of many in her collection of half-glasses, all in various bright colors, all costing about a dollar at WalMart. She loves a good bargain. She's a gracious spirit. When a lot of older women in our congregation frowned and whispered over one young adults' dreadlocks, Karen LOVED them and complimented them. She gave my daughter a bamboo plant for her birthday, something that needed very little care but would give her the satisfaction of watcing it grow and caring for it as her own.
She taught me how to play dominoes. She taught me how to play in general, to take myself less seriously, and to enjoy. At fellowship time after church, she was always in the center of things, talking and laughing, gesturing wildly at times in telling a funny story. It is a basic small town law that to truly fit in, you have to be born and raised here, or at the very least related to someone who was. Or you're never quite IN. Karen defies that rule. In just six years, she has made her presence known, and has touched the lives of people of all ages. She blew in here like a holy tornado and the fire is still dancing on top of our heads.
She knows that her time is limited, and she talks about that honestly. We cry about that sometimes. One day when she was in the hospital, she greeted me and told me she was very tired, but before I left, would I please open that bag on the chair. In it was a beautiful blue and white patterned tea and tea cup, along with Decaf Constant Comment and Earl Grey teas. She said it was a gift for being such a good friend to her, and she knew I liked my cup of tea. She also knew that I drank tea when I needed comfort, and so wordlessly, she also provided comfort to me in the midst of my losing her.
I will miss her spirit among us. Already there is a stillness, a hush over the building, that I especially feel on Thursdays. Sometimes I can't bear to see the empty parking space or to listen for and never hear her joyous, dramatic entrance. I'm learning about life and death and grief and loving even when it hurts. I'm learning about living what is truly life and not wasting my time trying to be something I'm not, or saying things I don't really believe. I learned that from Karen. I'm learning to laugh more and say "I love you" when I feel it, and to worry less about being embarrassed. I'm learning to love and grieve in community, after wandering for so long. I'm learning to be home.
Thank you, Karen. Save me a place at the heavenly banquet, will you?

“DON’T WORRY, BE HAPPY!”
Text: Luke 12:22-34
Faith United
October 7, 2007


I think this is a pretty familiar passage
It sounds wonderful and soothing and comforting
but Jesus says, “don’t worry?”
Isn’t that like telling us not to BREATHE?
I mean, I’m sure you’ve been in the situation where
something is obviously troubling you
maybe it keeps you up at night
or just keeps you anxious and preoccupied
And some well-meaning person says to you
“Don’t worry about it, everything will be fine.”
Don’t worry !
And you know as well as I do
that it’s just not that easy
you can’t just turn worry off like a faucet
And one might even argue, ok, those are nice words of Jesus
but Jesus didn’t have credit cards,
he didn’t have a mortgage to pay
he didn’t have student loans or medical bills
Easy for HIM to say—‘don’t worry!’

I mean, we will admit, he’s got a point
When we worry, we don’t help the situation
we certainly don’t add one bit to our lives by worrying,
in fact, doctors tell us now more specifically,
worry can actually shorten our lives
it can make us sick, run-down
less effective
I’ve had people tell me, though,
that they’re afraid that if they STOP worrying about something
than it will actually come to pass
as if worrying somehow keeps it from coming true
Or if they DON’T worry about something,
than it will seem like they just don’t care
or that they’re not concerned
Which all, of course, sounds absurd,
but in the middle of the night somehow,
it makes perfect sense – doesn’t it?
Someone said to me recently,
“don’t ever go into your mind all alone,
it’s a dangerous place”
and isn’t it true?
When we have too much time to think
or too much time ALONE, isolated, by ourselves,
our mind can go off in crazy directions

Never go into your mind alone,
it can be a dangerous place

Sometimes it helps simply to tell someone else
what’s going on in your head
preferably someone who won’t say,
“oh, don’t be so stupid, you know
that doesn’t make any sense!”
Preferably talk to someone who may be
a bit more gentle
Never go into your mind alone… it can be dangerous

Jesus is very specific about what NOT to worry about
He’s saying,
“Don’t worry about your life,
what you will eat, or about your body,
what you will wear….
For life is more than food
and the body is more than clothing…”
But what about people who don’t have enough to eat?
What about people who don’t have proper clothing
to keep them warm?
Doesn’t he take that seriously?
The harsh fact is, there are too many people in the world,
in our own country
who don’t have enough to eat,
who literally starve to death
Is Jesus being unrealistic?
Is he somehow blind to very real need?
And like I said, he didn’t live in the 21st century
where we get bombarded by debts
where one-click buttons on websites
make it so easy to pile up expenses
or where we’re bombarded every day
by what we absolutely have to have in order to be happy
especially as we get closer to the Christmas season
we can expect
to be programmed into thinking that the only way
to have a merry Christmas is to spend, spend, spend
whether we have it to spend or not
No offense, Jesus, but we in fact
have a lot to worry about

Our children are brainwashed into thinking
that their lives are not complete without an Ipod
or Playstation or a big screen TV
or their very own laptop and cell phone
Now, don’t start shrinking in your pews with guilt
if your children have those things
those things in and of themselves are not bad
but every day, via radio, internet, TV, movies, etc.
we are being conned into thinking that we simply cannot live
without certain products

Before Jesus started this conversation
a man in the crowd came up to him
and said, “Rabbi, tell my brother to divide
the family inheritance with me.”
It was pretty common for folks to come to the local rabbi
to settle their disputes
and Jesus said, “Are you kidding?
who set ME to be an arbitrator or judge over you?”
Instead of telling this guy,
yeah, dude, you have every right to fight for that money,
you should get a lawyer and take him for all he has…
instead of even addressing whether the man
had a just complaint or not,
Jesus says, “Take care! Be on your guard
against all kinds of greed;
for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of
possessions.”
And he told them a parable
about a rich man whose crops produced abundantly
And he thought, what do I do?
I have no place to store all my crops!
So he said to himself, I know!
I’ll pull down my barns and build larger ones
and there I will store up all my grains and my goods
and possessions,
And I will make a toast and say,
“Self, you have ample goods laid up for many years,
relax, eat, drink and be merry!”
But, Jesus said,
God said to the man, “you fool!
This very night your life is being demanded of you.
And the things that you’ve prepared, whose will they be?”
In other words, you can’t take it with you, buddy

Kasey (my secretary) was looking for a picture to put on the bulletin cover this week
and she came across a picture of this parable
and the picture showed a rich man being approached
by the Grim Reaper
Needless to say, we threw that one out…

Wednesday morning
I looked out my kitchen window
and saw the Grim Reaper in the school parking lot
I didn’t know what was going on,
but I was more concerned about the ambulances
and firetrucks and police cars gathered in front of the school
I was more worried about seeing two people
put on stretchers and put into the ambulances,
too worried to think that it might be odd
that the Grim Reaper was in the parking lot….
Fortunately, I had the presence of mind
to run out my back door and ask one of the officers
what the HECK was going on…
and of course he assured me it was all a mock drill
What I found out later, though,
was in that moment, that crowd of students in the street
didn’t yet know that it was all fake
Of course, the whole point of the project
was to let our kids know that there are consequences
to the choices they make
that choosing to get drunk and get in a car
is not a simple decision
or a decision that is no big deal to anyone else

I think – and I pray—that a lot of those kids got the point

Our media shows us endless pictures
of people having a good time in a bar
of drinking themselves silly
the message out there is that you can just have fun
and that’s the goal
and there’s no problem
They don’t show the consequences
We are conned daily into thinking that we can just do
whatever feels good in the moment
and it won’t matter
Jesus is saying, it matters
The choices we make have an impact on our lives and on others' lives
We can charge all the stuff we want
and max out our credit cards
or MOM”s credit cards…
We can buy stuff that we don’t have to pay for
until 2009
ain’t it great?
But Jesus is saying, You can’t take it with you
it’s not worth it
In other words, what are you living for?
What brings meaning to your life?
Having the most toys?
Getting the job that will pay the most
even if you hate it?
We see time and time again
how money doesn’t solve anything
Having STUFF doesn’t make us happy
in fact, it often makes us more miserable
Because we never have enough
I read recently that there are 51,000 storage facilities
across our country
and that last year as a nation
we paid 22 billion dollars to store our STUFF
22 Billion dollars
to have a place to put STUFF
Jesus told the story to say, hey, this guy had everything
he had more than enough
so much so, that he had to build bigger buildings
to put it in
but then the Grim Reaper showed up
and all of that stuff meant nothing
What would they say about him at his funeral?
That he had a lot of STUFF?
This is called the parable of the Rich Man’s folly
his folly was his self-centeredness, his greed
and his his preoccupation with possessions
at the expense of his life
He didn’t need anyone else,
he died alone
We know how greed divides families
who gets what, and who deserves what
and in the end, families are split and angry
Relationships are broken
over a Persian rug or an antique desk

Jesus isn’t talking to people who don’t have enough to eat
or enough to wear to get them through the winter
He’s talking to people who HAVE what they need to eat
and what they need to wear
and who just want MORE…
Don’t worry, he says,
don’t worry about food and clothing,
you know you have enough, that each day
you have what you need
you have your daily bread
Look at the wildflowers, how beautiful they are
they get their nourishment every day
look at the birds flying freely in the sky
they have enough to eat and drink
they have places to find shelter
if God cares that much about the flowers that fade and die
and the birds of the air
how much more do you think God cares for you?
Don’t use all your energy striving for what you are to eat
and drink and wear,
and do not always be preoccupied with those things
For it is the nations of the world that strive after these things
that kill for these things
that leave countries devastated over such things
and God knows what you need
Instead, reach higher
reach for the things that matter
put your energy into the things that do last forever
the Kingdom of God
Love
love for your soul, for your neighbor,
for your family, your friends, your community
love for your world
the world that Jesus came to save from itself
Strive for relationships that are eternal
that don’t burn up in the furnace
at the end of our physical lives
things that moths and bugs can’t destroy
things you can’t pay to store away
but the things that give you life and sustenance
that fill your soul and your heart
and heal the hearts and souls of others
THAT’s what you are to strive for
the rest is just details
Seek the Kingdom of God first,
seek after all the things that God is passionate about
and all the other stuff will fall into place
It’s all about trust
basic trust in God
beginning each day with the simple prayer,

ok, God, TODAY I trust you to provide what I need
to face this day, this life
and whatever it brings

Just today, one day at a time, we can do that
And no where does Jesus say this life in this crazy world
will be easy if only we believe
life in this world is tough
but how much tougher is it
if we rely on things that don’t last forever?
Love lasts forever
So work for the things that you CAN take with you
when you go
the things that are in fact, ETERNAL
and FOREVER
It is, after all, possible
to keep your head about you
when everyone around you is losing theirs
Just breathe
breathe in the life-giving Holy Spirit
to give you strength, love and a peace that lasts forever
The peace of the Living Christ
be with you now… and forever

A Work of Art

“PLIABLE PEOPLE”
Text: Jeremiah 18:1-11
Faith United
September 9, 2007


I love Jeremiah, he’s my kind of dude
He’s so out there, and so real
He got really ticked off, and he got really depressed
and he made no bones about telling God about it
If you think being one of God’s people
means that you have to be all neat and pretty,
holy and upright, look at the prophets
If Jeremiah were here now,
his doctor would most likely recommend medication
or a long sabbatical that included time in a luxurious spa
He’s just not in good shape---

People have often said to me in the past
` that sometimes they get more out of the children’s sermon
than they do the adult sermon,
which I’m not always sure how to take that
but I think it has a lot to do with how we learn
I firmly believe that God is the originator of the concept
of children’s sermons
ond that method was passed on to Jesus
because God is always taking the stuff of life
and using it to make a point
to teach a lesson, to give the Word
Taking something we can see and touch
something that we understand, the very stuff of our lives
to talk about something we may NOT understand as well
God had the prophets and other messengers
act out the lesson sometimes, to literally act out a living parable
to give an image that speaks for itself
That whole concept reminds me of my former Bishop back in the Wyoming Conference
at the ordination services back there
Her name was Bishop Morrison, and she’s retired now
The ordination service at Annual Conference
is always a high holy event
and it’s an inspiring occasion for everyone there
Well, Bishop Morrison was dressed in all her Bishop finery
what is called a cassock, that is often worn by Catholic priests
residing over communion
and underneath the cassock she wore a purple shirt
with a clergy collar
because purple is the color for bishops
She carried a shepherd’s staff
as a symbol of being a shepherd of the flock
But near the beginning of the ordination service
Bishop Morrison would hand over her staff
and unbutton the many, many buttons on the sleeves
of her fancy bishop’s robes
And then she’d literally roll up those sleeves
as if they were on a common workshirt
she knelt before each person
that was about to be ordained
and she washed their feet
It was a powerful image
and I know of no other bishop that has done it
To see a BISHOP of the United Methodist Church
in all her fancy purple robes, exuding her authority and position
to see her roll up those fancy sleeves,
kneel at someone’s feet
and wash them with her bare hands
was a very moving and inspiring moment
One of those JESUS moments, I’d say
Nothing had to be said
Her actions were the message
that this is what Jesus calls us to do
to be humble, to serve one another,
no matter who we are, or what position we hold
to do as Jesus did
The one who came not to be served, but to serve
It is a powerful living parable of the Gospel
that I will never forget
God told Jeremiah to go down to the potter’s house
that God had a message,
that he had to give to Jeremiah first
Potters were very common in that time and in that place
and still are
But back then, almost every household vessel
was made out of fired clay
so it was a much needed profession
It was a common sight
to walk through the village
and see the potter at work at his potter’s wheel
Look at what you see, Jeremiah, God said--
It’s a potter, it’s something one is likely to see every day,
What’s the big deal?
As Jeremiah watched the potter do what the potter does for a living,
He saw that when a clay vessel turned out badly
the potter mushed it back together
and started again with the same clay
he didn’t throw out the clay
but started again
Has your life always turned out the way you expected?
Are you doing what you thought you’d be doing
at this point in your life
when you thought about it many years ago?
When you were a teenager, trying to figure out what to do next,
whether to get a job or go to more school
what to do with your life
trying to figure out where your life was headed…
did it always turn out the way you planned?
I’m suspecting not… at least not always
I don’t know about you, but I had images of my life
all along the way
and usually it turned out differently
Sometimes we assume that we’ll go here or there
get a job, get married, have 2.5 kids
have a nice house and live a nice life
But too often things change
sometimes it all comes crashing in
whether it’s bad decisions that we made
or it’s just life that happens
Sometimes the plans get changed
More often than not, it’s against our will
whether it’s a spouse that decides to leave
or we get laid off from a job
that we thought would last
or we suddenly face a diagnosis
that changes everything as we know it
Or a loved one dies
a car crashes
planes hit towers in the city
Essentially … LIFE happens
and things don’t always turn out the way we planned
As a young adult
I envisioned myself living out the rest of my life
in New Jersey
I was going to be a psychologist
and a writer
Then I thought maybe I’d be a Christian educator
in some large church somewhere
Then I went through a time that I thought I’d be a
Certified Addictions Counselor
and marry my current boyfriend in Pennsylvania
And during that time
there was absolutely no way
in heaven or earth
that I would even be involved in Church
Nothing has turned out the way I planned it back then
and I thank God …
I know some of your stories
I know that some of you had had other plans as well
that didn’t work out the way you planned
plans that came crashing down around you
maybe more than once
Because, well, that’s life
I’ve seen people whose lives and plans have been crushed
or sometimes exploded open
or completely cut off
and I’ve seen people react in different ways
Sometimes they give up
Sometimes when it happens too many times
they can’t take it anymore
they become bitter and angry
and STUCK
They stop growing, they stop thriving
they stop searching and believing
And I’ve seen other people who have faced enormous tragedy
or one thing after another
and those who know them wonder
if they’ll get through it this time
because the same circumstances might simply
crush someone else
But this person rises above it
gets up out the dirt, washes off the mud and the blood
nurses the wounds
and chooses to begin again
Chooses to say, ok, God, here are all my broken pieces
What do you think we can do with them?
Can we make something beautiful?
On Friday I was at the Nelson-Atkins Art museum
in Kansas City
and looked at all kinds of art
sculptures, paintings
modern and old
I’m always fascinated by the different visions of art
some of it totally baffles me
but some of it is just amazing
that a human being could create such beauty
I particularly love the marble sculptures
It’s fascinating to me
how someone could take a piece of hard marble
and chisel into something so smooth and beautiful
with ripples of muscles
the creases in toes and toenails
and biceps and thighs
And this being done several hundred years ago
There was a painting by Rembrandt
of a young man
and we were told that if you look closely at his hat
that Rembrandt had made a mistake or simply
changed his mind
and decided to reshape the hat in the painting
in doing so, he simply blended the colors
that were already there
and painted them into a different image
He didn’t wipe off the paint
He used what he had
And that’s ‘like what God is saying to Jeremiah
This is what I will do with my people
I will work on you, my people
I will mold you and shape you into the people
I want you to be’’
But the people weren’t cooperating
They’re thumbing their nose at God
like some rebellious child
‘’Why should we listen to YOU?
We’ll do what we do, we’ll do what we want to do
Whatever the consequences ‘’
And God ached for his people
But he didn’t give up
God doesn’t give up
I don’t believe that there is one solid plan
for each of our lives that is mapped out at birth
so that if we mess up, get off the path
or get lost somewhere along the way
then the whole plan is messed up, scratched
useless
God has a plan for all of us
but God doesn’t control us like a bunch of robots
God gave us the gift of freedom
and by doing that, made more trouble for himself
But God included in his blueprints
a crazy, unheard-of gift called GRACE
so that when we messed up
when the world crashes in
when we as nations and communities
decided to kill each other, destroy each other
instead of build the kingdom of God
we’re always given another chance
that we simply don’t deserve
God, like a wise parent,
will let us suffer the consequences of our bad choices
I don’t believe that God blows up buildings
or sends a hurricane or deadly epidemic to destroy
Would you do that to YOUR child?
I believe that some things, like war and terrorism
happen as a result of the choices we make as a people
whether here or over there
Our choices, their choices, affect everyone
And God’s heart is broken again and again
when we choose death over life
I believe God’s heart is broken when we give up
when life gets to be too much
when another obstacle or tragedy or loss
comes crashing down on us
and we choose death over life
we give up
I believe that we are all works of art
created at the hands of our God
our individual lives, our lives as a church
as a country, as a world
So many things threaten to undo us
so many things crush us and wound us
and sometimes deliberately seek to take us down
That’s life in this crazy, sin-sick world
As it was, also, in Jeremiah’s time, and in Jesus’ time
only the details of the same story seem to change
But God says, nonetheless, ‘’you can thumb your nose at me
but I will not give up
you can go your own way, you can seek to control
your own lives, thinking you know better
and I’ll still be here when you come home
God, the Great Creator, the Great Potter
will take the stuff of our lives and reshape us, renew us
remold us, remake us….
The Creative Spirit of God will take those cracked places
and broken places, and smooth them out, making them stronger
than they were before
It ain’t easy being clay
We have to surrender ourselves each and every day
sometimes each and every moment
to the creative, trustworthy hands of God
and say, ok, I get it, I can’t do it, I only mess it up
Take my life, in all its brokenness
in all of its darkness or confusion
and mold it with the baptismal tears of new creation
We can really fly all out of whack when life gets to us
but like the pottery on the wheel,
being shaped by the Master’s hand
we need to stay centered, focused
The potter applies pressure to the clay
steady pressure from opposing directions
all while spinning on the central axis
Sometimes when the pressure is too much on the outside
we simply cave in on the inside
but we have the power to stand strong in the center
to fill our insides with the Spirit of God
So that when the pressures of this world
push on us from the outside,
we can push back with the power of God
with the centered, steady faith and trust
in God’s amazing grace
You may know the legend of the Phoenix bird
The legend of the Phoenix has been around for centuries.
the Phoenix is a supernatural creature,
living for 1000 years
Once that time is over, it builds its own funeral pyre,
and throws itself into the flames.
as it dies, it is reborn anew,
and rises from the ashes
to live another 1000 years.
We are the people of God
We are fashioned out of a clay made by the one
who made all the worlds
we have a power within us, by the Spirit of God
to recreate, renew, and be born again and again
but we can’t do it
We have to let it go, we have to surrender to the one who made us
in the first place
allow ourselves to be remolded, remade
renewed and reshaped daily
at the hands of the Master Potter
We are promised that we will never be left
or forsaken
God will never give up on us, no matter how badly
we get out of whack
But God will simply take the stuff that we’re made of
and continue fashioning all of us into
a gorgeous work of art

Keep It Simple, Silly!

“KEEP IT SIMPLE, SILLY”
Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16
Faith United
September 2, 2007


Life is hard
and people can be mean
I am grateful for such technological gifts
as the internet
But I get so sick of day after day
being inundated with the cruel gossip
about the latest pop star to crash and burn
and spend her 4th time in rehab
Or the latest politician caught with his pants down
You can say you don’t feel sorry for them
because they make millions of dollars
or own several houses
but any human being has the capacity
to be humiliated
Even the people we like the least
Why does our society seem to thrive on humiliation?
Tearing each other down?
It goes on long after middle school, I assure Sarah
Middle school, I think, is our training ground for the real world
Why do people thrive
on telling each other’s failures and tragedies?
What kind of rush to do we get
out of humiliating somebody?
It’s a tough world out there
It always has been,
we just didn’t use to have the technological capabilities
of spreading the word so much so easily before
Jesus wouldn’t have lasted three years
if he was here now
The Church gets a bad rap
I’ve told you many times
I hate going out there
and telling people what I do for a living
They act differently when they know
Sometimes they act better,
sometimes they just think it’s pretty funny
that someone still believes all this stuff
The mainline Church is declining in numbers
it has been for a few decades now
people don’t take us as seriously
or they just don’t have the time to take us seriously
and to be a part of us
They choose to put the Church at the bottom of their priorities
and often they have good reasons, I admit
The Church has been caught with its pants down
many times as well
So there’s programs, there’s lots and lots of books to read
on how we bring more and more people
back to church
There’s all kinds of campaigns and slogans
and special strategies
that are tried and used and abandoned
year after year
People look at the aging population
of the congregations of the Church
and wonder what will happen after that generation goes?
They’ve been wondering that for several decades,
generations have come and gone
and somehow we’re still here
It’s very easy, and we have lots of help
as pastors and churches
to get discouraged about the future
Especially when all these programs that we’re given to try
often don’t work
Many years ago in New Jersey
I went with a friend of mine from church
to an AA meeting
she didn’t want to go alone
And I must admit, I was pretty nervous myself at the time
being a pretty sheltered kid
I imagined all kinds of things about the people I’d meet
I was shocked
that most of the people I met
looked… well, like ordinary people
that I saw everyday or at church
After that, I’d gone to some Al-Anon meetings
because of some issues in my extended family
and with some employers that I used to work for
who were alcoholics
I met people who said they couldn’t talk like this
at church
they couldn’t be as honest with each other at church
as they could at these meetings
They couldn’t find the acceptance
the grace, and the love at church
that they felt at these meetings
And it broke my heart
but I understood
I, too, was able to be more honest
with these people, than I could be with church people
Everyone in those meetings
knew what their weaknesses and sins were
and were very honest about them
they didn’t try to be what they’re not
And they/… we … were equalized by our humanity;
our sins and our struggles
They talked about knowing their need for God
to get through each day
but more than that, to find meaning in their day
to find hope and purpose
And they talked about these meetings as being the place
where they found that hope
that acceptance, that LOVE
whereas at church they only found rejection and judgment
I know it’s even more difficult in a small town
where you’ve grown up
where people remember what you were like as a teenager
or a young adult
The mistakes that you made
or that your family made
and people don’t forget
no matter how much you’ve changed
And that carries over into the church
But what if we could forget?
Or at least know that the past doesn’t matter anymore?
What if we could come here and be that honest?
What if we could come here and be ourselves?
No matter who we’ve been in the past?
What if we felt better
just by walking in that door each Sunday
knowing that THIS is our family, THIS is our home
a place that we are reminded that we are precious children
in God’s sight
No matter what we’ve done before
or what demons we wrestle with each day?
What if?
What if we came here and found a spirit of community
so radically DIFFERENT from what we find out there??
What if we weren’t so afraid to talk about
The way things are?
What if we talked honestly about how important it is
to stay faithful to our spouses in marriage?
to not treat sex like some kind of sport
that doesn’t affect the heart and soul?
Talk about SEX in church??????
What if we weren’t so afraid to be different?
What if we weren’t so afraid to embrace those
who are so different?
What if we dared to actually boldly BE different?
M. Scott Peck tells the story of the Rabbi’s Gift
It’s the story about a monastery that had fallen on hard times
it was once a great order
but after a number of different factors,
it fell into decline
There was anti-monastic persecution in the 17th and 18th centuries,
followed by the rise of secularism in the 19th century
people were less interested in the church
All of the branch houses of the monastery were lost
and it had declined so much that this little monastery
was down to 5 monks in the decaying mother house
The abbot and 4 others
and all of them were over 70 years of age
It was clear to them that it was the beginning of the end
In the woods that surrounded the monastery,
there was a little hut that a rabbi from a nearby town used
occasionally for his own retreat
Through their many years of prayer and contemplation,
the monks were a little bit psychic,
they could tell, they just KNEW
whenever the rabbi was in the hut in the woods
“The rabbi’s in the woods again,” they’d whisper to each other
Finally, the abbot, who agonized daily over the decline
of his order, decided to pay the rabbi a visit
and ask him some advice as to how these old monks
could possibly save their monastery
The rabbi graciously welcomed the abbot into his hut
but the rabbi wasn’t much help
He didn’t have any inspiring words of wisdom, so it seemed
he could only identify and relate to the abbot’s concern
“I know how it is,” the rabbi sighed
“The spirit has gone out of the people.
It’s the same in my town. Almost no one comes to the synagogue
anymore, they’re busy with other things ….”
And so the abbot and the rabbi
wept together over their similar circumstances
After awhile, they read from the Torah together
and quietly spoke to each other about things of God and the Spirit
Finally, feeling refreshed by the rabbi’s company,
the abbot decided it was time to leave
The two men embraced
“It’s been a wonderful thing that we should meet
after all these years,” the abbot said,
“but I still failed my men in my purpose of coming here.
Is there nothing you can tell me, no advice at all,
that you give me that would help me
save my dying monastery?”
“No, I’m sorry, friend,” the rabbit responded. “I have no advice to give.
The only thing I can tell you is that the Messiah is one of you.”
When the abbot returned to the monastery,
the other monks gathered around him eagerly
“Well, what did he say? Can he help us?”
“He couldn’t help,” the abbot said wearily
“We just wept and read the Torah together.
The only thing he did say, just as I was leaving—
it was pretty cryptic—
He said that the Messiah is one of us.
I don’t know exactly what he meant.”
Hmm, they all shrugged sadly
and went about their day disappointed
But in the days and the weeks and the months that followed,
the old monks pondered
and wondered whether there was
any possible significance
to the rabbi’s words
The Messiah is one of US?
Could he have possibly meant one of us monks here
at the monastery?
If that’s true, which one?
Do you suppose he meant the abbot?
That would make sense
If he meant anyone, he must have meant Father Abbot
he’s been our leader for more than a generation.
On the other hand, he might have meant Brother Thomas
certainly Brother Thomas is a holy man
everyone knows that Thomas is a man of light
Certainly he couldn’t have meant Brother Eldred!
Eldred gets real crotchety at times
just a crusty old guy
But come to think of it, even though he’s a thorn in our sides,
When you look back on it,
Elred is virutually always right
Yeah… sometimes VERY right
He could NOT have meant Brother Philip
He’s so passive, you hardly know he’s there
A real nobody
But then, almost mysteriously,
He has a gift for somehow always being there when
you need him
He just magically appears by your side
maybe Phillip is the Messiah
Of course the rabbi doesn’t mean me
He couldn’t possibly mean me
I’m just an ordinary person
But what if he did?
Suppose, just suppose, I’m the Messiah?
O God, not me
I couldn’t be that much for you, could I?
As they contemplated this way, all of them,
The old monks began to treat each other
with extraordinary respect
on the off chance that one among them
just might be the Messiah
And on the off off chanced that each monk himself
might be the Messiah,
they began to treat themselves with extraordinary respect

Because the forest in which it was situated was so beautiful
it so happened that people still occasionally came
to visit the monastery to picnic on its tiny lawn
to wander along some if its paths,
even now and then to go into the dilapidated chapel
to meditate
As they did so,
without even being conscious of it,
the sensed the aura of extraordinary respect that now
began to surround the fine old monks
and seemed to radiate out form them
and permeate the atomosphere of the place
There was something strangely attractive
even compelling, about it
Hardly knowing why, they began to come back
to the monastery more frequently
to picnic, to pray, and to play
They began to bring their friends to show them
this special place
and their friends brought their friends
Then it happened that some of the younger men
who came to visit the monastery
started to talk more and more with the old monks
After awhile one asked if he could join them
then another
So within a few years the monastery
had once again become a thriving order
and, thanks to the rabbi’s gift,
a vibrant center of light
and spirituality in the realm
The letter to the Hebrews
is a letter to a people that have been beaten up
by the world
who have been persecuated for their faith
for believing in the foolishness of the Gospel
and going against the grain of society
for being DIFFERENT
Wow, how we treat people who are DIFFERENT
Man, we crucify them, don’t we?
You know each other’s stories better than I do
What if we looked at each other
and saw only the precious child of God,
the endless possibilities and potential in each face?
What if we actually dared to see JESUS
looking back at us in our neighbor’s eyes?
You’re not Lincoln or Omaha,
and all too often, I hear you apologize for yourselves
as a church or a town…
but the people who know me
know I’m different
because of my 2.5 years with you
And they know, there is something special
about Gibbon…
because they see it in me
Look at each other, I dare you,
Look at each other… and see the face of God

What's In a Name?

I hate to get my hair cut. It has nothing to do with some strange phobia about sharp objects close to my body or anything like that. It's the dreaded conversation with the hairdresser. For some reason, they feel they must make conversation. I would be quite content, thank you, to just sit there and let her snip away in silence-- take a moment for myself to zone out. But this is usually not possible, so the first time I go to a new hairstylist, it is somewhat of a nerve-wracking experience.
I wait for that dreaded question: "So, what do you do?"
Unfortunately, I was raised not to lie, even when it was non-consequential, relatively. Why can't I just say I'm a clerk at Wal-Mart? Or that I input date at a Real Estate office? Why must I tell the truth?
"Uh... I'm a pastor."
Oooohhhhhh.
That always cuts the conversation short. What do you say to that? Dear God, she's got a pastor in her chair. I can see her start to go back over our preliminary conversation; did she cuss? did she talk about her boyfriend living with her? did she talk about the great time she had at happy hour?
I want to help her. Save her. Not for her eschatalogical destination, just for the present moment. I want to relieve her panic. "I'm cool," I want to say. "Be yourself," I want to say. But it's too late. It's already out there. The rest of the haircut I get my coveted silence, but it's not relaxing. She seems to flinch at the conversations of her colleagues at other stations, riddle with four-letter words or the great sex they had or the party they went to. I can sometimes see her trying to shut them up with a look. It's awkward.

I don't like to be called Pastor Peggy. I mean, think about it. I don't call you Bank Teller Barbara or Secretary Sue or Police Officer Patrick. I don't call my friend and ask for Nurse Linda. I never hear about Turkey Plant worker Phil or Cashier Carrie. Why call me Pastor Peggy?

Besides, it sets me apart. In seminary they would have said, of course it sets you apart, you ARE set apart. Well, yeah, technically. But. And I mean BIG BUT. I can be a much better pastor if people can see me as a regular person who happens to work as a pastor for a living. It doesn't make me different. It's my job. Now, granted, there are some pastors who really get off on the power trip of the whole role, but not me. I'm just a regular person who loves Christ and is trying to figure out how to be Christ's disciple here on this crazy planet and fulfill the Love Your Neighbor Don't Kill Them commandment. How can I do any good if I'm set apart? If you can only say holy words around me and not be yourself? I understand. I make it my business to understand. I know what it's like to feel pain, to have my heart broken, to get depressed, to feel run over by a truck, to lose a loved one, to be slandered, to try to be myself when the whole world tries to tell me what I "should" be. Who wants to talk to a pastor who is so spotless and holy that they never get their jeans dirty? Who has never yelled at God? Who has never bled? Who has never wanted to quit the whole serving humankind thing and go live on a mountain in Colorado and read a lot of books? Not me.

Besides, I don't think anyone ever called Jesus, Rabbi-Jesus, or Rambling-Preacher Jesus, or Incarnation Jesus. He never would have been invited to that wedding at Cana or the leper's house or that Gentile village. No way. He didn't even wear a clergy collar. Really! I know this for a fact, I forget where I read it.

Plus, if nothing else, Pastor Peggy sounds like you're spitting.

I Know Who You Are

Jeremiah 1:4-10
Faith United
August 25, 2007

Jeremiah was a pastor’s kid
Well, not in the traditional sense of the word
he was the son of a priest in a town where there were
mostly priests living
So he had a first hand look at what being a priest was like
how it was often a thankless job
how priests were set apart from the community
it wasn’t an easy job
It was very likely, that as a boy,
who is the son of a priest
that that would be his likely vocation
but maybe in his heart of hearts,
he hoped something would change
Nobody ever said to me,
So, you gonna grow up and be a preacher
like your Dad?
Nobody ever said that to me.
I had three older brothers, who all had that asked of them
along the way
but they made it very clear by their actions
and lifestyles as teenagers
that the answer was NO WAY….
I’m not that old,
and yet expectations were very different for me even then
I remember one pastor’s wife suggesting I go to seminary
not to become a PASTOR,
but to meet a pastor that I could marry…
She meant well
I was fine with no one asking me that question
My view from the parsonage was enough to convince me
it wasn’t an easy job by any means
and nothing in my experience made it obvious to me
at the time, that that’s where my own life was headed
It first occurred to me at the age of 15
that God might be calling me into the ministry
It was at summer camp, after a very emotional worship service
that left many of us crying and hugging and feeling close
to God
But then I came to my senses and pursued other goals
It was two years out of college
where I’d worked at several different jobs
struggled to pay the bills on my own apartment
and groceries
and reached what felt like a dead end
It was Annual Conference, of all things
that changed everything
I accompanied my parents to the worship services
at Annual Conference in Ocean City, NJ
to hear a preacher from Kansas City, Missouri
That sermon changed my life
scared the you know what out of me
and pulled the rug out from under me
all the expectations of my life that I assumed
were blown apart
Two months later, I was headed to seminary in New Jersey
and written in the front of my new Oxford Annotated Study Bible
were the words of God to Jeremiah….
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you
and before you were born I consecrated you;
…. Do not say, I am only a youth;
for to all to whom I send you you shall go
and whatever I command you you shall speak,
Be not afraid of them,
For I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.”
I had no idea what all was ahead of me,
and I’ve often said that it’s a really good thing
or I would have run the other direction
God seems to communicate on a need-to-know basis
and that’s a good thing
Jeremiah was only a teenager when God called him
and as you imagine, Jeremiah was adamant
Hey, I’m only a kid! Why would you call ME?
What can I do?? They’ll laugh at me!
And God says, yeah, they will
But that’s ok
I’ll give you what you need
I’ll give you the words that you need to say
and the ability to do what I need you to do

All the good ones argued with God
Moses said, ‘hey, I can’t speak, I’m no leader…
You got the wrong guy…’
Mary said, ‘what are you talking about, me having a baby?
I’ve never been with a man, and I’m just me… just a peasant girl…’
I’m JUST
I’m JUST…
I’m just a youth, I’m just a stuttering old man
I’m just a young girl, dreaming of my wedding…
Then there was Peter, who said, I’m just a fisherman, man,
I’m a rough character, you don’t want me…
Or Abraham,
Ï’m just an old man, near the end of my life,
and my wife, she’s just an old woman,
her womb has never worked, and it ain’t gonna work now
Don’t you think you might have gotten the wrong number, God?
King David…
I’m just boy, and he’s a giant, are you kidding??
St. Paul,
Hey, I’m just a guy with a really bad temper,
and I don’t even like Christians, what do you want from me?
God has a crazy way of calling people to do what God wants
It’s actually quite ridiculous if you think about it
God calls the most unlikely people
to do what seems impossible
Jeremiah was called to be a prophet to the people of Jerusalem
at a time of crisis
When everything was falling apart
when they would all end up in captivity
of a foreign country
and be helpless to know how they could keep
worshipping God in a foreign land
that has taken their people captive
Thanks a lot, God
God calls Jeremiah to bring the bad news over and over again
they didn’t listen,
they beat him up, they threw him in prison
they threw him into a deep, dark hole
If you read the book of Jeremiah,
You’ll find a guy who yells at God a lot
What are you doing to me??
Is THIS what you had planned for me?
This isn’t going well!!
And time and time again, he quit
I’m done, he said, I’m not gonna proclaim your word anymore
But it was really really annoying
Jeremiah discovered that he couldn’t just keep him mouth shut
that God’s word was so much a part of him
it burned inside of him
the more he tried to keep it down
It tortured him
Because he was, in fact, a prophet of God
He was born to speak God’s word, the good news and the bad
and when you go against who you truly are…
you find that life can be torture
Have you ever tried to be something that you’re not?
To please other people?
You pretend that you’re happy
You say the words people want to hear
and yet it’s killing you inside,
because you’re not being true to yourself?
Answering the call of God
is not just about finding out what God wants you to do for a living
You may be called to work a job
that seems to have so little to do with your Christian calling
and yet, as you work in that capacity,
you have the ability to touch lives, to be an example
to make a difference
Being called by God is being called to be a child of God
in the world
We’re often called into difficult situations
painful situations
called to simply BE with someone
as they go through a hard time
We can’t fix it, we can’t even make it right,
but we can be a peaceful, healing, life-giving presence
in the midst of chaos
Hanging in there with a kid who’s gone wrong
believing that they will find their way
Some of us are called to be parents
sometimes to our own children
sometimes to children who don’t have parents
or whose parents gave up
Sometimes we’re called into lives that are broken
and we feel inadequate to help
But God may be calling us to simply love that person through
to trust our gut,
to trust that God will give us what we need
to be a blessing
God calls us to be with a loved one who is suffering
and to do things in caring for them
that we never imagined that we could do
but we do it because we love them
and love gives us the power to do the impossible
Sometimes God calls us to drop what we’re doing
and to make a change
People rarely stick to one job throughout their lives anymore
the world has changed
and is changing all the time
and so, too, our lives change
Larry feels called to be a Hospice Nurse,
after 25 years in the pastoral ministry
He knows that if he didn’t pursue it,
it would burn inside of him
but it’s not easy starting all over at 54
When God calls us to something,
there is no guarantee anywhere
that it will be easy or smooth or always rewarding
Just because what we bring to the world
out of God’s love
is something so different, so opposite sometimes
that people will often react in anger or hate
I’ve been in some tough situations in ministry
and there have been many, many times
that I’ve shaken my fists at God and said
What do you think you’re doing???
Are you paying attention??
Larry and I were both called to a church in Pennsylvania
whose pastor of 18 years was abruptly removed
because of sexual misconduct
It was just plain nasty
It was like being called into a live hornet’s nest
That year was probably the most painful year of our ministries
and we may never know what good we did by being there
for that time
but I still believe somehow, that God wanted us there
for that year
I still don’t know why
and it took time to recover from it
it still comes back to haunt me at times
God doesn’t punish Jeremiah ever
for questioning God
God never gets angry at Jeremiah’s rampages
at his frequent bouts of depression and despair
God never scolds him for giving up in the worst of times
God just hangs in there with him
brings him through
I’m just a boy, Jeremiah said at the beginning
But that boy, by God’s power, became a prophet
A prophet who kept giving the people of Israel
words from God in the midst of their crisis and bondage
He helped them remember God’s promises
even when there was no evidence of those promises
in sight
Who are we in this foreign land?
Who am I now that my parents are both gone?
Who am I now that I have this illness?
Who am I now that my child is in trouble?
Who am I now that I’m out of a job?
Who are we, the people needed to know,
who are we now that we’ve been captured by the enemy
and defeated?
And Jeremiah comes to them with a word from God saying,
“You are still mine.
You are still my people. I formed you, I made you,
I called you. The story is not over..”
You are still YOU
And in the midst of Jeremiah’s worst despair
when he wants to die,
when he does his best to run away from this call of God
that has become a torment,
He remembers what God said to him
in the beginning,
“before I formed you in the womb, I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you…”
It’s an intimate kind of knowing
no one else can know us the way God knows us
And we’ve been known and loved since before we were born
In other words, God says, in the midst of chaos and crisis
I will not leave you
I will never leave you….
Frederick Buechner, a Christian writer and preacher
Once wrote,
“The place God calls you is to the place
where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger
meets.”
You’ll never know, fully, how much you have filled someone’s hunger
and that’s ok,
We go forward, trusting that God will use us
to fill a hunger, to be a blessing
You may say, “We’re just Gibbon.
We’re just a small town, we’re just… we’re just…”
And yet… God says, no, you’re not JUST anything
You are my people, called to be my followers
Called to be my lights in the world
to shelter the broken,
minister to the grieving,
comfort the despairing
give joy to people who have not known joy….
Do not say, we are just a small town or a small church …
For God says, to all to whom I send you you shall go
and whatever I command you you shall speak
be not afraid of anyone,
for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord
It doesn’t get any better than that….