There is a song called "What's It Like To be In Love" from the group Jagged Edge. In the video a man talks about a way to test your girlfriend to see if she loves you: walk her to the car and let her in first. If she leans over and unlocks your door, the she's the one. If not, you know the love is not yet there.
Love...that is what I am thinking about for this Sunday's sermon.
The scripture is from Matthew 10:40-42. Nowhere in there is the word "love" even mentioned. But yet love is for me the theme the Spirit is calling me to preach about. Trouble is this: how does one describe love? What is it? How do you know you are acting out of love? How do you know you are loved?
What is the best thing you have done in the name of love? Have you ever sacrificed your principals or done something you regret doing in the name of love, or because you thought you were acting out of love, or because you thought it was the only way to earn love?
Although the word love does not appear in this Sunday's scriptures, I see shadows of it throughout. The idea of welcoming, the giving of cool water and the receiving of reward. Righteousness can also be seen as a sign of love. Just as opening a car door can also be.
So I ask you to ponder what love means to you. And perhaps, if you feel so moved, you may wish to respond to me with your own thoughts and reflections, as I can learn something from you as well.
May you have a blessed week. May it be filled with joy, peace, and yes, abundant love,
Pastor G
A UCC Pastor's walk through the spiritual waters of Scripture, pop culture and life.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Matthew 10:4-42 sermon
June 29, 2008
Scripture: Matthew 10:40-42
Sermon Title: "Popular"
Rev. G
It is hard to believe, but this August I will be going back to New York for my 20th High School Reunion. 20 years have passed since I graduated. 20 years since I was a teen, living in my parents house, driving my grandfather’s 1970 car.
That’s when "Rain Man" was the top movie, "Moonlighting" was a hit TV show and "Faith" by George Michael was the jam.. It was way before the time of cell phones, DVDs and internet.
Where has the time gone? And yet, no matter, how long I have been out of the days of high school, I can still recall what it was like and the lingering affects it holds on me and on others.
Not so much the classes, or the teaches but more so the clicks, the wanting to belong, the desire to be popular.
I think we can all relate to those days, when we wanted nothing more then to belong to a group that would give us the pathway to popularity. Although the types of groups may change over time, the fact that there are clicks do not does not.
Back in my day there were jocks and the beauty queens. The guys who excelled at the cool sports like football, baseball and lacrosse. And the girls who they dated. They were the beautiful ones, the happy ones, the ones who seemed to have it all.
There were the burn outs: the girls and guys who smoked cigarettes and weed, played Van Halen and Led Zeppelin in the back of the bus, wore black concert t-shirts and teased their hair up with Aqua Net.
There were the preps. They had the ability to match good grades with fashion and personality. They rarely got below an A, were in accelerated classes, had neat penmanship and the most up to date style: polo shirts with the popped collar or the chunky belts with matching pocketbooks.
The jocks, beauty queens, burn outs and preps made up the first layer of what I would call the popular group.
Then there was the second layer. The athletes who played on the less spectacular sports, like track and field and gymnastics.
Those who helped make the school go round: sitting on student council, working on the newspaper, the yearbook.
Of course there was the drama club. They performed in the plays, played in band, sung in the chorus, spending their days after school leaning how to sing, dance and emote with emotion.
They may have received nightly applause when they took to the stage but in the classroom and hallways they could not compete with those in the first tier of popularity. (But truth be told, they probably had the best parties of all.)
And then the dreaded third layer. The geeks and nerds. Those who were smart but had zero social skills and zero fashion sense. Those who looked way too different. Those who came from poor backgrounds. Those who walked through the hallway with their head bowed down, those who had not athletic coordination at all.
They’re the ones who faded into the background either by their own doing or by people who were afraid they might become one of them.
Yes, high school is not really about learning academics, but learning where you fit in, where you belong. It’s about wishing you were popular. It about wanting to be loved.
The jocks, the preps, the theater club all had the same goals and desires. Because regardless if you score a touchdown, win the talent show, or ace the spelling bee you get the chance to hear applause, and applause says I love you. And we all want to be loved.
Because of this, high school is one life’s most painful experiences. No one had it easy, no matter what their outside persona may suggest.
The jocks had to worry about staying on top of their game. The beauty queens had to worry about keeping up their appearances. The preps about keeping up their grades and their iconic style. Don’t fumble the ball, don’t gain weight, and look out for that roving zit.
Disappointment in not getting the lead role of the play or the solo in chorus. Failing to place in the science fair.
And everyone else looking up at one another, admiring them, hating them, wanting to be them.
All wanting nothing more that to be popular. All wanting nothing more then to be loved.
After all, that’s what popularity really represents: that we are loved, and worthy of receiving that love..
And this need carries over into the rest of our lives. For after all, isn’t life for most of us just an extension of our high school days?
We seek out a job and try to be liked in it. It does not matter if we work in an office, an assembly lines or in the public eye, we often know where we fit in and when we stick out.
We desire to be loved by our children. To be for them the center of the universe, the source of their happiness and hope.
We desire to be loved, most of all, by that special person who will be with us for the rest of our lives, filling our days with the sunshine that we require.
We all have a need to be loved, and if we really look at all we do, many times our motivation is to be and to receive that needed love.
We sing, we dance, we smile and give flowers, all trying to be loved.
And that’s not such a bad thing. That need to be loved can make us productive workers, can push us to a level of excellence we never thought possible, can make us want to give it our all and to try things we may not usually do.
The danger is when we leave behind our true selves in the hopes of being loved; when we go against our morals and principle, when we embark in risky behavior all because we think it will bring us closer to that love.
Employers and parents may give up their authority and ability to lead because they think it will make their employees or children love them more.
Partners will try to ignore indiscretions or abusive behavior because they think it will earn them love. Teenagers will engage in dangerous and illegal behavior because they think it will bring them acceptance and respect from their peers.
People will shut up and hide their true feelings because they are afraid to speak up or to say what they truly believe will mean a withdrawal of that love.
Love is perhaps the most powerful force in the world, controlling and directing us to where we will go, what we will do and who we will associate ourselves with.
The need to be loved. The need to be popular. The need to be liked.
But the truth is, is that we can’t be loved by everybody. Not everyone sees us with the same eyes and same heart as our parents, best friend or spouse can. Not everyone notices us when we walk on by or lift up our voice.
And for some people, that is OK. They look around at what do they have and can proudly say "I have enough love in my life already."
But for others, that need to be loved is so great and so powerful, they can’t handle the notion of not having everyone falling for their charms or thinking they are the best.
Being popular, and being loved by everyone at all times is not a reality. So as we grow and mature, we learn to accept this fact, and we learn to be more mindful and aware of just how many people do in deed love us, and who they are in our lives.
I believe that is part of what Jesus is talking about to the disciples in today’s reading.
Here, Jesus is sending the disciples out into the world to do his work. His work involves them teaching, preaching the good news, healing the sick, to raise the dead.
Jesus instructs them to go out two by two, carrying as little as possible, and if people do not want to receive the message, they are to turn around and go to the next town.
And here Jesus uses affirming, positive language. Instead of telling his disciples to be upset at those who do not want to hear the word, he calls them to look at and pay attention to those who do want to talk with them, to those who are ready and willing to receive them.
"Whoever welcomes you welcomes me," he says, "Whosoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s’s reward...and whosoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple-truly, I tell you, none of these will lose their reward."
Jesus could have easily rephrased that statement to say "Woe to those who do not receive you" or "be diligent until everyone likes and listens to you." But he chooses not to do so.
Instead he focuses the disciples attention on the positive. It’s as if he is saying this: "don’t pay attention to the 9 who don’t like you, but instead be thankful for the one who does."
And in that way Jesus helps the disciples to focus on the task on hand instead of focusing on their own needs to be popular and their own needs to be loved.
I believe this is a timely message for all of us today, for we all carry with us the desire to be loved. It often directs everything we do.
There are those who feel the need to be loved more then others. And there are those who may feel the love from 80% of all they know, but instead of celebrating and lifting that up, they focus instead on the 20% and what it is they can do to get their love.
There are those who are loved by their family, their church, their friends, but they would give it all up for the love of that one specific person or group of people who they think will meet their unfulfilled needs.
And that can be so devastating and it can bring so much harm.
Jesus, in his talks, focuses the disciples back to embracing the ones who do welcome them. But he also calls their attention to the one who loves them most of all: God.
For the work the disciples are about to embark on is not for their own glory, or for the glory of the click they belong to, but it is for the glory of God and the benefit of God’s kingdom.
And the God they are being called to work for is not only the God of the Most high, but it is the God of the Utmost Love.
It is the God who was so filled with love that it overflowed into his act of creation, giving light to the darkness and order to the chaos and confusion.
It is the love that prompted him to give us his Law, to send us his prophets and in the perfect fullness of time, send us his son, Jesus Christ.
The love of God is not something to be ignored or easily taken for granted, because unfortunately there are so many people who wander through life truly believing God does not love them or could not possibly love them.
And without that love they feel lost, without that love they feel lonely, without that love they are unable to love back or search for a love that is right for them.
But that love that God has for us is real, that love that God has for us exists. And that is the love that manifests itself in Christ, calling us, as Christians, closer to him.
And when we accept Christ, we experience an interesting development: we actually begin to feel just how real the love of God is.
I believe that as we grow closer to Christ, and do more of what Christ calls us to do, we can’t help but to feel even more loved by God. And when we feel more loved, we want to do even more for God, which increases that cycle of feeling closer, of feeling loved.
That’s the kind of love I believe was within Joseph. A love that allowed him to go against all cultural and religious norms, to take Mary as his wife even though she was pregnant with a child that was not his. And in doing so, Joseph’s love helped usher Jesus into our world.
That’s the kind of love that moved within Mary Magdalen. A love that allowed her to stand before the cross of Jesus when others abandoned him, a love that gave her the courage to make it through Saturday and wake up early Sunday morning, walking her way towards the tomb. And in doing so, Mary’s love ushered in the resurrection good new of Jesus Christ.
That’s the kind of love that dwelled with Paul, allowing him to travel all over the land, establishing new churches, and giving him the courage to face his own death. And in doing so, Paul’s love ushered the goodness of Christ’s message throughout this world.
Love is the basis of Jesus’ teachings, and it is with love that Jesus sends the disciples out into the world, and it is love that he asks them to embrace. Not the popularity others crave, not the need to make a name for themselves.
But to go out to the lost sheep, be the best that they can be, spreading the good news and share with all the love of God found in Christ.
Because when we become aware of that love, and when we are able and willing to embrace that love, we are able to tell what truly matters from what truly does not, freeing us to love God, love one another, and ultimately loving ourselves even more.
It is no longer about becoming the most popular but about saying God loves me so.
All thanks and praise be to the Creator, to the Savior and to the Sustainer who all dance together the dance of love.
Amen.
Scripture: Matthew 10:40-42
Sermon Title: "Popular"
Rev. G
It is hard to believe, but this August I will be going back to New York for my 20th High School Reunion. 20 years have passed since I graduated. 20 years since I was a teen, living in my parents house, driving my grandfather’s 1970 car.
That’s when "Rain Man" was the top movie, "Moonlighting" was a hit TV show and "Faith" by George Michael was the jam.. It was way before the time of cell phones, DVDs and internet.
Where has the time gone? And yet, no matter, how long I have been out of the days of high school, I can still recall what it was like and the lingering affects it holds on me and on others.
Not so much the classes, or the teaches but more so the clicks, the wanting to belong, the desire to be popular.
I think we can all relate to those days, when we wanted nothing more then to belong to a group that would give us the pathway to popularity. Although the types of groups may change over time, the fact that there are clicks do not does not.
Back in my day there were jocks and the beauty queens. The guys who excelled at the cool sports like football, baseball and lacrosse. And the girls who they dated. They were the beautiful ones, the happy ones, the ones who seemed to have it all.
There were the burn outs: the girls and guys who smoked cigarettes and weed, played Van Halen and Led Zeppelin in the back of the bus, wore black concert t-shirts and teased their hair up with Aqua Net.
There were the preps. They had the ability to match good grades with fashion and personality. They rarely got below an A, were in accelerated classes, had neat penmanship and the most up to date style: polo shirts with the popped collar or the chunky belts with matching pocketbooks.
The jocks, beauty queens, burn outs and preps made up the first layer of what I would call the popular group.
Then there was the second layer. The athletes who played on the less spectacular sports, like track and field and gymnastics.
Those who helped make the school go round: sitting on student council, working on the newspaper, the yearbook.
Of course there was the drama club. They performed in the plays, played in band, sung in the chorus, spending their days after school leaning how to sing, dance and emote with emotion.
They may have received nightly applause when they took to the stage but in the classroom and hallways they could not compete with those in the first tier of popularity. (But truth be told, they probably had the best parties of all.)
And then the dreaded third layer. The geeks and nerds. Those who were smart but had zero social skills and zero fashion sense. Those who looked way too different. Those who came from poor backgrounds. Those who walked through the hallway with their head bowed down, those who had not athletic coordination at all.
They’re the ones who faded into the background either by their own doing or by people who were afraid they might become one of them.
Yes, high school is not really about learning academics, but learning where you fit in, where you belong. It’s about wishing you were popular. It about wanting to be loved.
The jocks, the preps, the theater club all had the same goals and desires. Because regardless if you score a touchdown, win the talent show, or ace the spelling bee you get the chance to hear applause, and applause says I love you. And we all want to be loved.
Because of this, high school is one life’s most painful experiences. No one had it easy, no matter what their outside persona may suggest.
The jocks had to worry about staying on top of their game. The beauty queens had to worry about keeping up their appearances. The preps about keeping up their grades and their iconic style. Don’t fumble the ball, don’t gain weight, and look out for that roving zit.
Disappointment in not getting the lead role of the play or the solo in chorus. Failing to place in the science fair.
And everyone else looking up at one another, admiring them, hating them, wanting to be them.
All wanting nothing more that to be popular. All wanting nothing more then to be loved.
After all, that’s what popularity really represents: that we are loved, and worthy of receiving that love..
And this need carries over into the rest of our lives. For after all, isn’t life for most of us just an extension of our high school days?
We seek out a job and try to be liked in it. It does not matter if we work in an office, an assembly lines or in the public eye, we often know where we fit in and when we stick out.
We desire to be loved by our children. To be for them the center of the universe, the source of their happiness and hope.
We desire to be loved, most of all, by that special person who will be with us for the rest of our lives, filling our days with the sunshine that we require.
We all have a need to be loved, and if we really look at all we do, many times our motivation is to be and to receive that needed love.
We sing, we dance, we smile and give flowers, all trying to be loved.
And that’s not such a bad thing. That need to be loved can make us productive workers, can push us to a level of excellence we never thought possible, can make us want to give it our all and to try things we may not usually do.
The danger is when we leave behind our true selves in the hopes of being loved; when we go against our morals and principle, when we embark in risky behavior all because we think it will bring us closer to that love.
Employers and parents may give up their authority and ability to lead because they think it will make their employees or children love them more.
Partners will try to ignore indiscretions or abusive behavior because they think it will earn them love. Teenagers will engage in dangerous and illegal behavior because they think it will bring them acceptance and respect from their peers.
People will shut up and hide their true feelings because they are afraid to speak up or to say what they truly believe will mean a withdrawal of that love.
Love is perhaps the most powerful force in the world, controlling and directing us to where we will go, what we will do and who we will associate ourselves with.
The need to be loved. The need to be popular. The need to be liked.
But the truth is, is that we can’t be loved by everybody. Not everyone sees us with the same eyes and same heart as our parents, best friend or spouse can. Not everyone notices us when we walk on by or lift up our voice.
And for some people, that is OK. They look around at what do they have and can proudly say "I have enough love in my life already."
But for others, that need to be loved is so great and so powerful, they can’t handle the notion of not having everyone falling for their charms or thinking they are the best.
Being popular, and being loved by everyone at all times is not a reality. So as we grow and mature, we learn to accept this fact, and we learn to be more mindful and aware of just how many people do in deed love us, and who they are in our lives.
I believe that is part of what Jesus is talking about to the disciples in today’s reading.
Here, Jesus is sending the disciples out into the world to do his work. His work involves them teaching, preaching the good news, healing the sick, to raise the dead.
Jesus instructs them to go out two by two, carrying as little as possible, and if people do not want to receive the message, they are to turn around and go to the next town.
And here Jesus uses affirming, positive language. Instead of telling his disciples to be upset at those who do not want to hear the word, he calls them to look at and pay attention to those who do want to talk with them, to those who are ready and willing to receive them.
"Whoever welcomes you welcomes me," he says, "Whosoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s’s reward...and whosoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple-truly, I tell you, none of these will lose their reward."
Jesus could have easily rephrased that statement to say "Woe to those who do not receive you" or "be diligent until everyone likes and listens to you." But he chooses not to do so.
Instead he focuses the disciples attention on the positive. It’s as if he is saying this: "don’t pay attention to the 9 who don’t like you, but instead be thankful for the one who does."
And in that way Jesus helps the disciples to focus on the task on hand instead of focusing on their own needs to be popular and their own needs to be loved.
I believe this is a timely message for all of us today, for we all carry with us the desire to be loved. It often directs everything we do.
There are those who feel the need to be loved more then others. And there are those who may feel the love from 80% of all they know, but instead of celebrating and lifting that up, they focus instead on the 20% and what it is they can do to get their love.
There are those who are loved by their family, their church, their friends, but they would give it all up for the love of that one specific person or group of people who they think will meet their unfulfilled needs.
And that can be so devastating and it can bring so much harm.
Jesus, in his talks, focuses the disciples back to embracing the ones who do welcome them. But he also calls their attention to the one who loves them most of all: God.
For the work the disciples are about to embark on is not for their own glory, or for the glory of the click they belong to, but it is for the glory of God and the benefit of God’s kingdom.
And the God they are being called to work for is not only the God of the Most high, but it is the God of the Utmost Love.
It is the God who was so filled with love that it overflowed into his act of creation, giving light to the darkness and order to the chaos and confusion.
It is the love that prompted him to give us his Law, to send us his prophets and in the perfect fullness of time, send us his son, Jesus Christ.
The love of God is not something to be ignored or easily taken for granted, because unfortunately there are so many people who wander through life truly believing God does not love them or could not possibly love them.
And without that love they feel lost, without that love they feel lonely, without that love they are unable to love back or search for a love that is right for them.
But that love that God has for us is real, that love that God has for us exists. And that is the love that manifests itself in Christ, calling us, as Christians, closer to him.
And when we accept Christ, we experience an interesting development: we actually begin to feel just how real the love of God is.
I believe that as we grow closer to Christ, and do more of what Christ calls us to do, we can’t help but to feel even more loved by God. And when we feel more loved, we want to do even more for God, which increases that cycle of feeling closer, of feeling loved.
That’s the kind of love I believe was within Joseph. A love that allowed him to go against all cultural and religious norms, to take Mary as his wife even though she was pregnant with a child that was not his. And in doing so, Joseph’s love helped usher Jesus into our world.
That’s the kind of love that moved within Mary Magdalen. A love that allowed her to stand before the cross of Jesus when others abandoned him, a love that gave her the courage to make it through Saturday and wake up early Sunday morning, walking her way towards the tomb. And in doing so, Mary’s love ushered in the resurrection good new of Jesus Christ.
That’s the kind of love that dwelled with Paul, allowing him to travel all over the land, establishing new churches, and giving him the courage to face his own death. And in doing so, Paul’s love ushered the goodness of Christ’s message throughout this world.
Love is the basis of Jesus’ teachings, and it is with love that Jesus sends the disciples out into the world, and it is love that he asks them to embrace. Not the popularity others crave, not the need to make a name for themselves.
But to go out to the lost sheep, be the best that they can be, spreading the good news and share with all the love of God found in Christ.
Because when we become aware of that love, and when we are able and willing to embrace that love, we are able to tell what truly matters from what truly does not, freeing us to love God, love one another, and ultimately loving ourselves even more.
It is no longer about becoming the most popular but about saying God loves me so.
All thanks and praise be to the Creator, to the Savior and to the Sustainer who all dance together the dance of love.
Amen.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Wanderings for June 29, 2008
There is a song called "What's It Like To be In Love" from the group Jagged Edge. In the video a man talks about a way to test your girlfriend to see if she loves you: walk her to the car and let her in first. If she leans over and unlocks your door, the she's the one. If not, you know the love is not yet there.
Love...that is what I am thinking about for this Sunday's sermon.
The scripture is from Matthew 10:40-42. Nowhere in there is the word "love" even mentioned. But yet love is for me the theme the Spirit is calling me to preach about. Trouble is this: how does one describe love? What is it? How do you know you are acting out of love? How do you know you are loved?
What is the best thing you have done in the name of love? Have you ever sacrificed your principals or done something you regret doing in the name of love, or because you thought you were acting out of love, or because you thought it was the only way to earn love?
Although the word love does not appear in this Sunday's scriptures, I see shadows of it throughout. The idea of welcoming, the giving of cool water and the receiving of reward. Righteousness can also be seen as a sign of love. Just as opening a car door can also be.
So I ask you to ponder what love means to you. And perhaps, if you feel so moved, you may wish to respond to me with your own thoughts and reflections, as I can learn something from you as well.
May you have a blessed week. May it be filled with joy, peace, and yes, abundant love,
Pastor G
Love...that is what I am thinking about for this Sunday's sermon.
The scripture is from Matthew 10:40-42. Nowhere in there is the word "love" even mentioned. But yet love is for me the theme the Spirit is calling me to preach about. Trouble is this: how does one describe love? What is it? How do you know you are acting out of love? How do you know you are loved?
What is the best thing you have done in the name of love? Have you ever sacrificed your principals or done something you regret doing in the name of love, or because you thought you were acting out of love, or because you thought it was the only way to earn love?
Although the word love does not appear in this Sunday's scriptures, I see shadows of it throughout. The idea of welcoming, the giving of cool water and the receiving of reward. Righteousness can also be seen as a sign of love. Just as opening a car door can also be.
So I ask you to ponder what love means to you. And perhaps, if you feel so moved, you may wish to respond to me with your own thoughts and reflections, as I can learn something from you as well.
May you have a blessed week. May it be filled with joy, peace, and yes, abundant love,
Pastor G
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Sermon for June 22, 2008
Sermon date: June 22, 2008
Scripture: Matthew 9:9-26
Sermon Title: "The Makings of Ministry"
Pastor G
Over the last few months I have taken on a new endeavor: baking. As most of you know, I like to try my hand at cooking. I’m known for my fried chicken, my gumbo.
But for the longest time I put off learning how to bake, fearing that with all the exact measurements and clock watching needed, I wouldn’t be able to bake a thing.
Gladly, I was wrong. One of the things I happen to be good at baking is lemon bars. Ooh, I make a good lemon bar. Better then store bought, and I ain’t lying. They’re so good I’ve expanded into making, lemon-lime bars, pineapple lemon bars and coconut pineapple lemon bars.
All rich, gooey, lemony goodness.
But here is the thing that fascinates me: compared to all of the ingredients it takes to make a lemon bar, there is hardly any lemon in it.
The recipe is easy and straight forward. 1 ½ cups of flour, plus an extra 3 tablespoons. 2/3 a cup of powdered sugar and additional powdered sugar is to be sprinkled on the finished product.
3/4 cup of butter. 3 eggs. 1 ½ cup of sugar.
The last ingredient: 1/4 cup of lemon juice.
The dessert is called lemon bars, but lemon is the least used ingredient and the last ingredient to be put in. A more accurate name would be calling them flour-butter-egg bars, but that just doesn’t have the right sound to it. Although sugar-sugar-butter bars does have a certain ring to it.
No, when it comes to baking, sometimes what defines the dish is actually the lesser of all the ingredients.
Sort of like parish ministry.
Ministry in a church is an odd thing, a very odd thing. This notion of someone being given the supreme chore of caring for and talking with God’s beloved children.
Ministry has many meaning and if I was to ask every person here what they thought the main job of a church minister is, we’d get a variety of answers, but the two main answers would be to preach the sermon and to visit people.
Or as some may say "work a 15 minutes week and then spend the rest of the time sipping coffee." I admit I was one of those people. When you put ministry into that context it sounds nice and easy to do.
But preaching and visiting are just 2 ingredients that go into ministry pie. There are many others, as we will see in today’s reading.
In the Gospel of Matthew we glimpse a day in the life of Jesus’ ministry, and it is a full day. Jesus calls forth one person. Jesus shares a meal with sinners and tax collectors. Jesus’ day is interrupted not once but twice with emergency needs. In fact, while on his way to do ministry, Jesus is interrupted to do even more ministry.
But those aren’t the only events in his day. Jesus spends time consoling his leaders, assuring them that what they’re doing is right. A chunk of his day is spent dealing with criticism and complaints from those who are unhappy with how he’s getting things done. Finally, there is the talk around town about what Jesus has done..
Now those are a lot of ingredients to make up one day. It’s a ministry pie that realistically captures what a pastor’s day, week and month can be like.
When I looked over this scripture I thought "This scripture should become the litmus test for people when they enter seminary. ‘Here’ read this and tell me what you think!’."
If someone crinkles up their nose and says "it smells funny" then that’s a good sign ministry is not for them.
If they say with trepidation "I’ll take a little taste" and then spit it out. Well, maybe there’s something else for them to do.
But if they chew for a while and say "yum" or if someone says "Yeah, give me a big ol’ slice," then that’s a sign that ministry may just be their calling.
And just like making those delicious lemon bars, the main ingredient is not always what you think it is.
Let us take a look at these 18 verses of Jesus’ day to see how they go.
In one line Jesus calls Matthew to discipleship. So that’s 1/18 of his day, or 5.5%
In one line, Jesus sits and eats with the people. That’s another 5.5% of his day.
In 3 verses Jesus is involved in healing brokeness and dealing with family issues. That’s 3/18 or 16.7% of his day.
There are 4 verses in which Jesus is met with unexpected, unscheduled ministerial needs. That’s 22.2% of his day.
So all together, Jesus spends 49.9% of his day doing straight-on ministry within the community.
Well, what takes up the other 50.1% of his time? Let’s take a look.
Jesus spends 4 verses working with the disciples who are stressed out and worried about what other people are saying. So that’s 22.2% of his day dealing with church leadership issues and moral.
Jesus then spends 3 verses directly dealing with the criticism and comments of people who are not happy with the way he is doing things. That’s 16.7% of his day.
For one verse people laugh at him. That’s 5.5%
And then for one verse, word gets around town about what Jesus has done. That’s another 5.5%
In other words, Jesus’ day is divided up this way: spending 49.9% of his time doing ministry.
44.4% of the time dealing with conflict resolution and administration.
5.5% of the day he has not control as the community does there things spreading the news, better or worse about what Jesus has done.
That’s an interesting looking pie now, isn’t it?
Makes one wonder how much more Jesus could have done if he didn’t have to focus so much attention on that 44.4%...
I think this is an excellent scripture for us today as we prepare for a new fiscal year of ministry.
Now that I have fulfilled all of my outside responsibilities I can re-dedicate myself to being more focused on our church. No no more driving to Kalamazoo or Lansing for JAMRA planning sessions, no more outside committees, or organizing worship services outside of our church.
This is so I can continue to grow and develop as a minister. This is also so I can focus and listen closer to where God is directing us.
But I won’t be the only one being directed by God. We are all invited to open ourselves to the wonderful possibilities of God as he continues to speak to and lead our church leadership.
We are opening ourselves to the wonderful possibilities of God continuing to speak and lead our church members.
And who knows just where God is going to take us, demand from us or reveal to us.
So I invite us all to take a deep look at this scripture and figure out where it is we fit and who God is calling us to be.
For me, it’s to continue walking along the symbolic sea shore, detecting and calling forth people and their gifts. It’s about minstering to those who are hurting, to those dealing with issues of mortality and death, those who feel like they are lost or unclean. It also means being able to switch in a moments notice for pastoral emergencies wherever and whenever they may come.
It also means being able to reassure, remind and lift up our leaders. To be their cheerleader, to empower them without micro-managing. To encourage when they feel tired or unappreciated.
For the people of our church, it means being able to listen to the voice of God for when he calls, and to not spend so much time questioning why or second guessing yourself, but being willing to leave the booths we have placed ourselves inside of and follow, even when we are not sure of where we are going.
For us as a church body it means continuing to open God’s holy house to the community, most especially to the community members who are most hurting: to the sinners and tax collectors who may have hurt others but are also bearing their own hurts.
It means for the church leaders, Dave, Brandon, Christine, Jenny, Ron, Gladys, Pam, Rich, Ann, Bob, Marge and myself to not be so worried about what others may say or second-guess, but to focus on who we know Jesus is calling us to be and what we know he is calling us to do.
And often times it is simple: feed the hungry, speak up for the oppressed, care for the poor, worship God in everything we do and love our neighbors.
For all of us, it means to think about and evaluate just what the ingredients are that we ourselves are placing into this ministerial pie. Are we adding sugar, butter and lemon juice with our words, our actions, thoughts and prayers?
Or are we slipping in handfuls of salt, cups of vinegar and shards of glass? Are we adding to the creation of the pie or the destruction of it.
Because as I am sure you all know: everyone one of us has the ability to pout in sugar just as we all have the ability to pour in the vinegar.
Let us become even more mindful of what we say and what we do, because if Jesus himself was only able to do 49.9% ministry, what percentage are we doing?
And if we are able to spend less and less of the time dealing with leadership worries, unhealthy accusations or public acts of unfaithfulness, then we are able indeed to spend more time calling forward one another’s gifts, sharing our resources with all those around us and attending to the needs of the people not just in our church, but also in the community around us.
Finally, I mentioned that 5.5%of Jesus’s ministry involved people talking about what he has been doing. The same can be said for us. People notice and people talk, even if we are not aware of it.
So let’s work it to our advantage. I’d venture to guess that the more we accomplish on the ministerial side, the higher that word on the street becomes. When people get to see and know that a church is doing what Christ has called it to do, they can’t help but to talk and pay attention and spread the news.
So, friends and family and fellow dessert-makers, let us make this the fiscal year when people take notice. Let’s make this the year where ministry happens to such an extant that our neighbors can’t help but to talk, that this is the year they come to know us as the place where people are called, where families are healed, and a table has been set for everyone to be welcome.
This is doable. It is real. All it will take is the right amount of ingredients, lovingly prepared, in the right proportion, with the right amount of time.
Are you ready to bake with me? Are we ready to bake with God?
Thanks be to Jesus who was able to keep his focus even in the midst of a busy day, to the Spirit that guided his feet along the way and to the Father who knows just what ingredients are best.
Amen.
Scripture: Matthew 9:9-26
Sermon Title: "The Makings of Ministry"
Pastor G
Over the last few months I have taken on a new endeavor: baking. As most of you know, I like to try my hand at cooking. I’m known for my fried chicken, my gumbo.
But for the longest time I put off learning how to bake, fearing that with all the exact measurements and clock watching needed, I wouldn’t be able to bake a thing.
Gladly, I was wrong. One of the things I happen to be good at baking is lemon bars. Ooh, I make a good lemon bar. Better then store bought, and I ain’t lying. They’re so good I’ve expanded into making, lemon-lime bars, pineapple lemon bars and coconut pineapple lemon bars.
All rich, gooey, lemony goodness.
But here is the thing that fascinates me: compared to all of the ingredients it takes to make a lemon bar, there is hardly any lemon in it.
The recipe is easy and straight forward. 1 ½ cups of flour, plus an extra 3 tablespoons. 2/3 a cup of powdered sugar and additional powdered sugar is to be sprinkled on the finished product.
3/4 cup of butter. 3 eggs. 1 ½ cup of sugar.
The last ingredient: 1/4 cup of lemon juice.
The dessert is called lemon bars, but lemon is the least used ingredient and the last ingredient to be put in. A more accurate name would be calling them flour-butter-egg bars, but that just doesn’t have the right sound to it. Although sugar-sugar-butter bars does have a certain ring to it.
No, when it comes to baking, sometimes what defines the dish is actually the lesser of all the ingredients.
Sort of like parish ministry.
Ministry in a church is an odd thing, a very odd thing. This notion of someone being given the supreme chore of caring for and talking with God’s beloved children.
Ministry has many meaning and if I was to ask every person here what they thought the main job of a church minister is, we’d get a variety of answers, but the two main answers would be to preach the sermon and to visit people.
Or as some may say "work a 15 minutes week and then spend the rest of the time sipping coffee." I admit I was one of those people. When you put ministry into that context it sounds nice and easy to do.
But preaching and visiting are just 2 ingredients that go into ministry pie. There are many others, as we will see in today’s reading.
In the Gospel of Matthew we glimpse a day in the life of Jesus’ ministry, and it is a full day. Jesus calls forth one person. Jesus shares a meal with sinners and tax collectors. Jesus’ day is interrupted not once but twice with emergency needs. In fact, while on his way to do ministry, Jesus is interrupted to do even more ministry.
But those aren’t the only events in his day. Jesus spends time consoling his leaders, assuring them that what they’re doing is right. A chunk of his day is spent dealing with criticism and complaints from those who are unhappy with how he’s getting things done. Finally, there is the talk around town about what Jesus has done..
Now those are a lot of ingredients to make up one day. It’s a ministry pie that realistically captures what a pastor’s day, week and month can be like.
When I looked over this scripture I thought "This scripture should become the litmus test for people when they enter seminary. ‘Here’ read this and tell me what you think!’."
If someone crinkles up their nose and says "it smells funny" then that’s a good sign ministry is not for them.
If they say with trepidation "I’ll take a little taste" and then spit it out. Well, maybe there’s something else for them to do.
But if they chew for a while and say "yum" or if someone says "Yeah, give me a big ol’ slice," then that’s a sign that ministry may just be their calling.
And just like making those delicious lemon bars, the main ingredient is not always what you think it is.
Let us take a look at these 18 verses of Jesus’ day to see how they go.
In one line Jesus calls Matthew to discipleship. So that’s 1/18 of his day, or 5.5%
In one line, Jesus sits and eats with the people. That’s another 5.5% of his day.
In 3 verses Jesus is involved in healing brokeness and dealing with family issues. That’s 3/18 or 16.7% of his day.
There are 4 verses in which Jesus is met with unexpected, unscheduled ministerial needs. That’s 22.2% of his day.
So all together, Jesus spends 49.9% of his day doing straight-on ministry within the community.
Well, what takes up the other 50.1% of his time? Let’s take a look.
Jesus spends 4 verses working with the disciples who are stressed out and worried about what other people are saying. So that’s 22.2% of his day dealing with church leadership issues and moral.
Jesus then spends 3 verses directly dealing with the criticism and comments of people who are not happy with the way he is doing things. That’s 16.7% of his day.
For one verse people laugh at him. That’s 5.5%
And then for one verse, word gets around town about what Jesus has done. That’s another 5.5%
In other words, Jesus’ day is divided up this way: spending 49.9% of his time doing ministry.
44.4% of the time dealing with conflict resolution and administration.
5.5% of the day he has not control as the community does there things spreading the news, better or worse about what Jesus has done.
That’s an interesting looking pie now, isn’t it?
Makes one wonder how much more Jesus could have done if he didn’t have to focus so much attention on that 44.4%...
I think this is an excellent scripture for us today as we prepare for a new fiscal year of ministry.
Now that I have fulfilled all of my outside responsibilities I can re-dedicate myself to being more focused on our church. No no more driving to Kalamazoo or Lansing for JAMRA planning sessions, no more outside committees, or organizing worship services outside of our church.
This is so I can continue to grow and develop as a minister. This is also so I can focus and listen closer to where God is directing us.
But I won’t be the only one being directed by God. We are all invited to open ourselves to the wonderful possibilities of God as he continues to speak to and lead our church leadership.
We are opening ourselves to the wonderful possibilities of God continuing to speak and lead our church members.
And who knows just where God is going to take us, demand from us or reveal to us.
So I invite us all to take a deep look at this scripture and figure out where it is we fit and who God is calling us to be.
For me, it’s to continue walking along the symbolic sea shore, detecting and calling forth people and their gifts. It’s about minstering to those who are hurting, to those dealing with issues of mortality and death, those who feel like they are lost or unclean. It also means being able to switch in a moments notice for pastoral emergencies wherever and whenever they may come.
It also means being able to reassure, remind and lift up our leaders. To be their cheerleader, to empower them without micro-managing. To encourage when they feel tired or unappreciated.
For the people of our church, it means being able to listen to the voice of God for when he calls, and to not spend so much time questioning why or second guessing yourself, but being willing to leave the booths we have placed ourselves inside of and follow, even when we are not sure of where we are going.
For us as a church body it means continuing to open God’s holy house to the community, most especially to the community members who are most hurting: to the sinners and tax collectors who may have hurt others but are also bearing their own hurts.
It means for the church leaders, Dave, Brandon, Christine, Jenny, Ron, Gladys, Pam, Rich, Ann, Bob, Marge and myself to not be so worried about what others may say or second-guess, but to focus on who we know Jesus is calling us to be and what we know he is calling us to do.
And often times it is simple: feed the hungry, speak up for the oppressed, care for the poor, worship God in everything we do and love our neighbors.
For all of us, it means to think about and evaluate just what the ingredients are that we ourselves are placing into this ministerial pie. Are we adding sugar, butter and lemon juice with our words, our actions, thoughts and prayers?
Or are we slipping in handfuls of salt, cups of vinegar and shards of glass? Are we adding to the creation of the pie or the destruction of it.
Because as I am sure you all know: everyone one of us has the ability to pout in sugar just as we all have the ability to pour in the vinegar.
Let us become even more mindful of what we say and what we do, because if Jesus himself was only able to do 49.9% ministry, what percentage are we doing?
And if we are able to spend less and less of the time dealing with leadership worries, unhealthy accusations or public acts of unfaithfulness, then we are able indeed to spend more time calling forward one another’s gifts, sharing our resources with all those around us and attending to the needs of the people not just in our church, but also in the community around us.
Finally, I mentioned that 5.5%of Jesus’s ministry involved people talking about what he has been doing. The same can be said for us. People notice and people talk, even if we are not aware of it.
So let’s work it to our advantage. I’d venture to guess that the more we accomplish on the ministerial side, the higher that word on the street becomes. When people get to see and know that a church is doing what Christ has called it to do, they can’t help but to talk and pay attention and spread the news.
So, friends and family and fellow dessert-makers, let us make this the fiscal year when people take notice. Let’s make this the year where ministry happens to such an extant that our neighbors can’t help but to talk, that this is the year they come to know us as the place where people are called, where families are healed, and a table has been set for everyone to be welcome.
This is doable. It is real. All it will take is the right amount of ingredients, lovingly prepared, in the right proportion, with the right amount of time.
Are you ready to bake with me? Are we ready to bake with God?
Thanks be to Jesus who was able to keep his focus even in the midst of a busy day, to the Spirit that guided his feet along the way and to the Father who knows just what ingredients are best.
Amen.
My First Blog
What is sole? Let's see: the bottom of your feet, the foundation on which we stand, the part of Moses' very being that touched the earth when God spoke to him through the burning bush. Sole also means one, only, alone. Don't forget the tasty fish that can be seasoned and cooked in so many ways. What is sole? Also a play on words. For we are all spiritual beings, born with a soul that is constantly called to become closer with its maker. And for those who grew up listening to Motown, St. Louis Blues, New York Hip-Hop, the Minneapolis Sound, Washington Go-Go, Chicago House, Atlanta Bass and West Coast Rap, there is soul: the music that speaks for, to and with generations of people from various socio-ethnic-sexual orientation backgrounds.
Sole is that on which we stand, whence we are nourished, what burns inside us and what we love to groove to.
Who am I? A life-long runner, an amateur dancer, a Pisces through and through, a lover of all things R&B, a single person making sense out of this fascinating life, and finally, an openly-gay pastor of a United Church of Christ located in the west side of Michigan.
Originally from Long Island, NY, I have had the blessing to call Minneapolis and St. Louis home, and Mississippi a place I like to visit.
I hope we can all enjoy this time together.
Peace.
Sole is that on which we stand, whence we are nourished, what burns inside us and what we love to groove to.
Who am I? A life-long runner, an amateur dancer, a Pisces through and through, a lover of all things R&B, a single person making sense out of this fascinating life, and finally, an openly-gay pastor of a United Church of Christ located in the west side of Michigan.
Originally from Long Island, NY, I have had the blessing to call Minneapolis and St. Louis home, and Mississippi a place I like to visit.
I hope we can all enjoy this time together.
Peace.
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