Going Back to Go Forward: Sermon Luke 2:41-52

Have you ever lost anything? I lose stuff all the time. I lose shirts, hats, pocket knives, money, glasses, wallets, car keys; in fact my mom always says that I would lose me head if it wasn’t attached. Some things we lose and it’s an aggravation but it’s not the end of the world and then there are some things that we can’t move forward without first going back and finding what we’ve lost. The other day Angie and I were out shopping and I couldn’t find my wallet. That’s one thing that I am a little OCD about. I always have to know where my wallet is at all times. I mean it’s got my driver’s license, so I can’t drive legally without it. It’s got my debit card and cash, what little there is, so I can’t buy anything if I need it. It’s got my Social Security card and so someone could steal my identity and do God only knows what, not to mention my Vandy ID, AAA card, Insurance cards, and various other things. I couldn’t go forward, moving on with my day without finding my wallet which luckily I did. I had to go back before I went forward.

The sermon is based off of a sermon that was preached by Dr. Martin Luther King in Detroit, Michigan. It was preached at a time when there was civil unrest, when the gap between the haves and the have nots was widening, when there was growing unpopularity for a war being fought in a foreign land live on TV, but we wouldn’t know anything about a time like that, would we?

The story from Luke today is about something being lost, it was Jesus. Mary and Joseph had going to Jerusalem to the Temple to celebrate the Passover with Jesus. Most people traveled in large groups from place to place in those times because there was safety in numbers and somehow Mary and Joseph went three days before they realized that Jesus was missing. Can you imagine losing your child and not just a child but the future Savior? Mary and Joseph had lost something very precious and had to go back and recover it before they could go any further.

Have we lost something in America today? Have we lost something has the Church, the Body of Christ? Today is the one year anniversary of the landfall of Hurricane Katrina. The aftermath of this storm in which thousands of Americans were wallowing in toxic, filthy water, waiting to be rescued. The aftermath in which there where thousands who died because they couldn’t afford to leave on trains, planes, or in cars and yet hundreds of school buses stood idlely by. The pictures on television left us all with broken hearts and with angry questions about how this could happen in the greatest country in the world. The aftermath of Katrina brought into stark daylight the realties that had been known only by those who had to live it. The reality the poor and downtrodden individuals whom God has always said should be taken care of have been left behind by not only the government but also by the Church. We have lost something and before we can move forward we must turn back and find some things.

The first thing that we have lost is focus. The Church and the country have become so distracted with so many things that our focus on what is important has been lost. We talked a little about that last week. We don’t have time to spend with God. We have too many responsibilities, we have too many irons in the fire to strengthen our relationship with God and because of this we have lost focus on what God’s will is concerning the poor. The Church has lost its focus and as a result we have lost our potency and have become more of a social club then God’s ambassadors.

The United Methodist Church has always been at the forefront of social justice. Many abolitionists were preachers and church leaders. Many of those involved in the fight for women’s suffrage were leaders in church both clergy and laity. Many in the Church stood in the fight for civil rights. Unfortunately, many church leaders today worry more about the bottom line than in doing work for the kingdom of God. Unfortunatly we have stood by while 30 million Americans and hundreds of thousands of Tennesseans are without any kind of health care. We have stood by while millions of people have to choose between food and medicine.

We must regain our focus on what God’s will is for the Church in 2006. We have to do some serious praying and we’ve got to ask God for forgiveness for what happened after Hurricane Katrina because we were asleep at the wheel. Even today a year after the storm hit the majority of residents are still without homes, the insurance companies are trying to get out of paying for the damage, and many families’ lives are still in shambles. We’ve got to regain our focus on seeking first the Reign of God and seeking first to glorify God in everything that we do. We have to regain our focus and work as hard as we can to make sure that we are serving our neighbors and doing for the least of these as we do would do unto Christ. We’ve got to back before we can go forward. We began that today with this special offering, but we can continue it within our community by continuing our support of the Help Center and by helping those that we see in trouble.

The second thing we have lost is love. The Black Eyed Peas had a song a few years ago asking the perpetual question “Where is the love?” Today’s world is filled with so much hate and so much division. We can see in almost every aspect of our lives. We have “red verses blue”, liberal verses conservative, progressive verses fundamentalist. It seems a constant battle. Also, those who disagree do so with venomous personal attacks and it seems that nothing gets done. It’s ok to disagree, I know that even in this room we won’t agree on everything theological or politically, but the only way to solve the problems of the world is to love each other enough to listen openly to each other’s views.

One frustrating thing which happened after is the blame game you’ve got Democrats blaming Republicans, states blaming the Federal government, this guy blaming that guy. The blame game solves nothing, instead it only serves to widen and deepen the divisions between people. We’ve got to stop it. The poor and helpless people all over the world can no longer afford for us to figure out who’s to blame instead of solving the problems at hand. We have to stop tearing one another down in order to build ourselves up.

How can we accomplish anything if we cannot stop fighting amongst ourselves? How can we bring people to Christ when those people see such division and anger in the Church? We’ve got to learn to work together despite our differences.

1 John famously describes God as love and so as ambassadors of God we have to embrace God’s love in all that we do. Don’t give money to that homeless person because you feel like you have to but instead do it because you want to embody God’s love. Don’t invite someone to church because I challenged you to do it, but because you love them enough to help them find a church family. Let us rediscover God’s love and work together to help all people live full lives as God intended.

The final thing that we have lost is hope. The days and weeks that followed Hurricane Katrina seemed utterly hopeless. We turned on the news and saw story after story of heartbreak and catastrophe and things seemed hopeless. However, hope is something that we must find again. Hope is the thing that helps us carry on in times of trouble. Hope is the thing that keeps those people in the Gulf Coast, in Darfur, in Iraq, anywhere there is trouble moving and fighting. Hope is the thing that lets us smile while the world around us is falling apart.

Paul describes hope as the evidence of things unseen and we remain in hope that this life is not the end but simply a transition point to something much better. We must regain our hope and stop reacting to situations with cynicism and instead react with optimism. Because one day the levees will break again, but instead of floods of toxic and destructive water the flood be God’s justice and righteousness flowing like a mighty stream.

Until that happens however, we have a lot of work to do. We’ve got to find what we’ve lost in the Church and in America. We must stand up for what is right, stand up for love, stand up for hope, and stand up for justice. We must regain what we’ve lost and we must push forward.

Christ's Guide to Time Management: Sermon Ephesians 5:15-20

How many times have we asked, “where does the time go?” It seems that this question continues to plague us. In fact I asked that question several times this week, once when it was Friday and I still had work to do on my sermon and again when I thought I start class next Tuesday. It seems that time flies and what time we do have is never enough to do all the things we want to do.

Have you ever missed out on something because you were so busy with life that you failed to notice? Have you ever thought of how many rainbows, or shooting stars, or even life altering opportunities like meeting a new friend or expanding your relationship with your family or even with God because of your hectic schedule? This is not anything new, even in the days of Paul people got so busy that they missed out on some important things. Paul knew that it was critical for the new converts in Ephesus to take time to strengthen their new commitment to Christ and that if the church was going to grow that it had to take the time to do the things that churches should do and that is making disciples for Christ.

Paul continues his advice to the newly convert church by talking about time and we should spend it. Time is a gift from God, we are not guaranteed tomorrow and so we must use what God gives us wisely. Paul knew this and wanted to share this with the new church so that they might live as God intended. Paul once again shows the Ephesians the difference between the old way of living and the new way of life in Christ. Paul told them to make the most of their time because the days were evil. He meant that new churches were a target for persecution and the church could face hardships soon and so they should spend what time that was available to strengthen their lives as new Christians. He also meant that the church has to take the time to continue its growth.

Today’s Scripture lesson is only five verses long but contains a great deal of knowledge that is as valid today as it was in Paul’s time. First, Paul says to live wisely and to make the most of time. So, first we must list and organize our activities in order to see how our time is being used. Have you ever written down your daily itinerary, just to see how you spend your day? There is showering, breakfast, work, lunch, more work, come home, more work, dinner, maybe TV and then sleep again. Do you notice something missing from this list? There is no prayer, no Bible reading, no time spent with God. If you go through your whole day and do not spend time with God then that is the first thing you need to do, the first thing you need to add.

Today we have so much extra stuff, we have many extracurricular activities that take up so much of our time it might be good idea to cut some things out. We try to pack our schedules so tight that we do not even have room to breathe, so it is important to cut out some things that may not be necessary to make room for those things that are like spending time with God.

The next step is to prioritize, that is to rank your list from most important down. It is important to prioritize our lives and to make sure that our priorities are where they should be. Paul gives advice in this regard as well; he says to “understand what the will of God is” and to “be filled with the Spirit.” This lets us know to put God first in our lives. Jesus said something similar to his disciples. We read it as our call to worship, ^“But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” “Strive for first” or as the KJV says “seek first” the kingdom of God, that let’s us know what our top priority is, not our job, not our family, not even our spouse, but God. God is number one.

Paul says not to be drunk with wine, in other words do not be distracted with worldly things but instead keep your focus upon God. When we become so focused on worldly things then we fail to see opportunities that God lays before us. There are so many things that can lead us to distraction; troubles, bills, medical problems, entertainment, TV, all these things can lead our minds and our hearts away from its true primary focus.

Sometimes the biggest distraction we have is ourselves. We can talk our way out of anything, including spending time with and serving God. We all have had the same excuses “I don’t have time”, “I’ve got kids to deal with”, “and I’m too tired to go to Bible study or to read the Bible on my own”. We excuse ourselves right out of our top priority to God. We all have circumstances that can lead to an opportunity or to an excuse depending on the state of our priorities. Every season of life is an opportunity or an excuse depending upon what a person is looking for. You will find what you’re looking for.
A single person says, “I’m so lonely. I want to serve God. I would really serve Him if He would just give me a husband. I just can’t wait until God answers my prayer.” Another single says, “How can I help at the church. I’ve got some time available and I would love to serve the Lord with you.”
The young married couple says, “Our kids are too demanding. I’m lucky if I can just get to church, let alone serve.” Another family says, “Can our family do something to further the kingdom of God? Let us help in the ministry of the church.”
The middle aged person says, “You have no idea how much responsibility is on me—family expectations, work expectations—I have nothing left to give.” Another person the same age says, “I am at the peak of my strength. If I order my priorities right I can make a real difference!”

The retired couple says, “I’m tired. Let the younger generation do it. I’ve served my time.” Another couple in the same life season says, “We have our retirement income. We don’t need money. We have time. What can we do for the kingdom of God in our golden years?”

Whatever stage of life or situation we find ourselves we have an opportunity to make God first and when we do this an amazing happens, God responds by making our lives easier. Jesus continued his remarks by saying, “and all these things will be given to you as well.” When we make God first and prioritize our lives around that then God blesses us and provides everything that we need.

When we put God first and seek God’s will first then everything we do glorifies God. As, we organize our time and prioritize how we spend our time then we begin to see those things we were missing before, opportunities that we might have missed out on before because we were so busy with life we forgot to live for God. Here at Rehoboth/Liberty God is presenting us with a moment, with an opportunity. This church can be strong again, but only if we take the time to fulfill the mission of the Church. That mission is to make disciples for Christ.

Over 45 years ago, President John F. Kennedy had a vision. In a speech to Congress Kennedy challenged the country to do something that at the time seemed impossible. He said, “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth.” Many people at the time thought he was nuts but before the decade was out just over 8 years later, Apollo 11 landed on the moon and returned to Earth. The impossible was made possible because the opportunity was there, the challenge was accepted and the work was done.

Now it is my turn. I challenge this church to double its active membership in 4 years. Now you might think it is impossible but I know it can be done. I am going to spend the rest of my time here at Rehoboth/Liberty working with you toward that goal. That means that each person who is an active member must bring in one person that does not have a church home; one person in four years. I am going to preach evangelism, I am going to teach evangelism, and I am going to worry you to the point that you’ll invite someone just to get me to hush. You know someone you work with, or you play golf or cards with, that doesn’t have a church home. I don’t want people to transfer from another church. I want people who do not have a church home to find a home in our family. I have thrown down the gauntlet, I have challenged you and I know you can do it.

Remember Paul’s message; organize your time cutting out things the things that are wastes. Prioritize your time, putting God first and seeking his will first finally, don’t waste an opportunity, God wants us to be a thriving church again. We can do it, when we put God first.

Christ's Guide to Conflict Management: Sermon Ephesians 4:25-5:2

About 125 years ago in a little hollow on the West Virginia/Kentucky line, two families lived on opposite sides of a little river called the Tug Fork, the Hatfields on the West Virginia side and the McCoys on the Kentucky side. As the legends went, Floyd Hatfield accused Randolph McCoy of stealing a pig, but down deep the turmoil was over land and property boundaries. For the next 20 or 30 years the two families fought and feuded, creating a deep seeded hatred for one another, a hatred that became a part of Americana. This feud was fueled by retaliation, gossip, backstabbing, and dishonest tactics and led to violent outbursts that claimed the lives of family members on both sides.

Feuds between two opposing peoples are nothing new and violence as a solution to conflict is nothing new either, we one need to turn a few pages in our OT to find the story of Cain murdering his brother because of a feud. Today we only need to turn on CNN to see the constant struggle between the Israelis and Palestinians and other Muslim groups. We only need to pick up a newspaper to read about the struggle of feuding tribes in Africa, whose constant fighting costs the lives of millions of innocent people. We have to remember that each time a bomb is dropped or a rocket is fired there is sometimes innocent civilians who suffer in feud that is not theirs to fight.

Today’s scripture lesson comes from Paul’s letter to a new church in Ephesus, which is in Asia Minor or present day Turkey. Paul had just started up a new church there and was giving some advice to the new converts on how to live life in their new conversion. Paul also wished to stop and feuds before they started or before they progressed too far. Paul new that one thing that could be extremely damaging to a newly established church or even a long standing church was a feud. So Paul wanted to teach the new converts at Ephesus techniques in conflict management. Paul first explains what constitutes improper behavior and then provides a positive alternative. The best way to change a behavior is not to simply criticize and punish but to provide positive alternatives to feuding and fighting. Paul begins with the most basic of human behavior speech; he says to put away lies and falsehood and to embrace truth. Next Paul tells the Ephesians to resist the urge to retaliate but instead react in love. Finally, he tells them to be imitators of God and offer true forgiveness to those who wrong us.

Speech is one of the most basic of human behaviors; we learn to talk about the same time as we learn to walk. Friday, Angie and I babysat for some friend’s of ours their daughter Tatum. Tatum is about to be one and she is full of those baby words, ga-gas, goo-goos, and mamas and dadas. Even though her speech is just baby talk to us, I really believe she has a lot of words stored up in that mind just waiting to get out. The point is that even from a very young age we are programmed for speech communication.

Now, we all remember the saying “sticks and stones might break my bones, but words will never hurt me”. Unfortunately, we usually end up saying that after someone has hurt our feelings by something they said. The truth is that words are very powerful. The have started and ended wars, they have left many with hurt feelings and have caused and sustained many, many feuds. We all have fell victim to unkind words and even to lies and vicious gossip. I am amazed how quickly rumors and gossip gets around and gets distorted and when it is directed at us it can be very hurtful. Paul understood the power of words and so he wanted to warn the church of Ephesus about the dangers of words. Paul says to put away falsehoods and embrace truth. That is something that needs to be brought back in this day and age. There was a time when a handshake and a person’s word was all you needed, but today it won’t get you too far at all. So, Paul says to remain truthful and this is something that is pretty basic. We learn it from childhood, honesty is the best policy, don’t lie to your parents, or to your teachers. So, this is something that most are familiar with, but Paul goes a step further.

Paul says to use speech to build up instead to tear down. What Paul is talking about is constructive criticism, not to say that we shouldn’t stand up for something that we feel is wrong but to use positivity to change things instead of malice, lies, and gossip. This is no more evident than in the world of politics. This year is an election year and so we have been subject to and will remain subject to those commercials. You know the ones. “Don’t vote for my opponent, because twenty years ago when he was doing something else not in government he once did something that might be considered by some as bad.” We see people using words to tear down instead of building up. In America today we have the red states verses the blue states. Those who are “blue” think those who are “red” are ignorant rednecks, which have relations with their cousins barefooted, while sipping moonshine on the front porch with a bunch of kids, dogs, and chickens running around. While those who are “red” think those who are “blue” are tofu eating hippies in California, NYC, and Massachusetts, who smoke pot and dance around on welfare, of course neither one of these stereotypes are true. What if politicians and the rest of us for that matter would stop tearing down and start using words that express positively our criticism. Instead of saying “you’re so stupid why you would do that”say“Here let me suggest a better way of doing things.” You will begin to see that people are more apt to listen to positive criticism than negative hurtful words. You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

The second thing that Paul warned the Ephesians about was retaliation. This is another basic human idea. It was the basis of many Old Testament laws, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. It does seem fair and just. You do something to me then I will do it back to you, no more and no less, a tit for tat. This was the way things were for thousands of years until Jesus came around. Jesus said to turn the other cheek and when someone steals your coat give him your shirt as well. This was a radical idea. Two thousands years later a man in India named Mahatma Gandhi really puts it home when he says “An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.” Meaning that whatever we do in life we are going to do something to hurt someone. We are all guilty of doing something and so if retaliation remained the social norm then we all would be in trouble. Retaliation does nothing to solve conflict it simple perpetuates and more times than not worsens the problem.

Think of it this way. We all understand the concept of acids and bases. Most of us have played the homemade volcano taking baking soda which is a base and putting it in a bottle adding vinegar which is an acid and watching the fizz. What is happening is that base and the acid neutralize one another. The only things that neutralize an acid is a base and vice versa. If you add more acid to acid it is only going to make things more acidic, it only makes things worse.

Now take that basic chemical reaction and apply it to your life. Someone does something bad to you; maybe someone cut you off and flipped you off on the interstate. Maybe someone is suing you unfairly or maybe someone is talking behind your back. You can retaliate, which might feel good for a moment but usually makes worse in the end. Or you can respond with the opposite which neutralizes the situation. Respond to hate with love, respond to lies with truth, respond to anger with happiness and joy, it might take more love to destroy the hate, but in the end it will neutralize the situation. Respond to the harshness and hate of the world with love and true forgiveness.

Notice I said true forgiveness. So many times we say we forgive but we hold on to that grudge. It might not be visible but we still keep it in our hearts. I said it before and I will say it again that holding a grudge is like drinking poison yourself and waiting for someone else to die. It is deadly to the soul, it will eat away at you until you’re just a shell of the person you once were. True forgiveness is completely letting go, just as God does, forgiving and forgetting and forgiving even when forgiveness wasn’t asked for or deserved. There is word for this type of forgiveness; grace. Grace is forgiving and forgetting even when the person is spitting in your face, even when the person is still abusing you. When Christ proclaimed on the cross, “forgive them for they know not what they do” that is grace. When a family of a murder victim forgives a killer even when he is unremorseful, that is grace.

Paul said that we should be imitators of Christ and so we must manage conflict in the same way as Christ did. We must always be truthful in speech. We should stand up for what we think is right but we must use words that build up and are positive. We shouldn’t retaliate but battle hate with love. Finally, offer true forgiveness and let go of past grudges that hold you back from living a full life.

By the way, the feud between Hatfields and McCoys is over and they celebrate their families every year at the family reunion. Remember to be a Christian is more than just going to church and reading the Bible. It’s about living the life that Christ wants to live. Becoming positive people and becoming imitators of Christ.

Catch the Fever: Sermon Mark 12:12-25

Dear God, take our minds and think through them; take our hands and feet and work through them; take our lips and speak through them, take our hearts and set them on fire.

I want to spend the majority of my time this morning telling you a story. This story was told to me at licensing school and I felt it was worth sharing with you this morning. The story is about a young pastor serving at his first appointment at a small rural church about 65 years ago. You know how those young pastors can be, full of idealism, full of hope, the world is his oyster. This pastor began his career at a five point charge in Wayne County. One of those churches was Collinwood UMC.

One of the members, in fact the patriarch of the church was Big Jim. Big Jim fit the title. He was a farmer scratching a living off the land, but was honest and a loyal member since childhood. Big Jim was the person who made all the announcements served on the committees, basically leading the church. Big Jim served wasn’t shy about giving the young pastor pointers neither about his sermons nor about the length or topic of those sermons. Big Jim also was comfortable with jumping up in the middle of a sermon to make an announcement during the pastor’s sermon. Big Jim would come up ease the pastor over stand at the pulpit, make his announcement and then say “It’s yours, Preacher”.

Collinwood was a small little community, like Tarpley Shop or Liberty. Collinwood had the church, a one-room schoolhouse, a dry goods store all in a small circle and all sharing one well as a water source. This well had a bucket, as well as a small tin cup. As people grew thirsty they would all drink from that same tin cup, the school children, the townspeople and the churchgoers all drank from the same cup, most of the people in the little town were kin anyway.

A few months after the young pastor began serving there he received a phone call from a state health worker informing him of an infectious disease that had been spreading throughout the state and threatened the small community of Collinwood. The state worker told the preacher that he should tell the community, most of whom attended church there that should refrain from drinking from the same cup at the well because it would spread the disease.

So the next Sunday morning came and the Preacher made the announcement to the surprise of most of the congregation. Then Big Jim stood up in the crowd and walked up to the pulpit. He went past the pulpit to the communion table which was set up behind. Jim picked up one of the communion glasses, held it up to the congregation and said, “I would that” which means “I wish” “I would that, we all could catch what Jesus had”.

How many of us see Communion like that? We might feel like it is something we do every first Sunday of the month. We get to add ten minutes onto the end of the service. We get to nibble on a piece of bread and get a shot of juice. However, we know that there is much more than that to Communion. We take the bread and cup to remind us first of the sacrifice of Jesus, we remember that he gave freely his body and his blood. He gave his life so that we can have life eternal. That shows the unending grace and love that God in Christ has for all of his children. We remember every time we partake of the symbolic body and blood of Christ that God so loved the world that he gave his only Son. Because he gave so freely, full of grace, we are reminded that we should love with that kind of love. To exist and look at the world with that kind of grace and to do to the least of these as we do to ourselves.

We are also reminded that we join together and break bread together. Not just together in this building but with the faithful multitude of millions of Christians all over the world. We are the body of Christ, united together under a Savior that died for our sins and rose again on the third day. We united with those in Europe, those in Asia, and Africa, South and Central America. We join with them in praise and worship of the God of the universe.

However, just as Big Jim reminds us we take Communion to remind us that Christ lives within us. We have to catch the fever that Jesus had, the fever for the poor and oppressed. Jesus always taught that we should help the poor that we would humble ourselves and help one another in this world that can be brutal and harsh. The fever for the neglected and abused, Jesus taught that the strong should help the weak and those who have the means should make sure that others are taken care of. We need to catch the fever for justice and peace. So many people say that the Church has no business in government, but I say the Church has no business in the corruption and mudslinging of politics. However the Church must be the conscience of the government. We have to make sure that the people we voted for on Thursday make decisions that follow our Christian beliefs. These are the things we need to catch when we drink from this cup and eat this bread.

This might not be the typical sermon on Communion, but I think its one that needs to be preached. We cannot allow the Sacrament of Holy Communion be devalued to a simple routine that we do every month. As we have seen it is much, much more than that. Jesus instituted the act of the Last Supper as one of remembrance, remembrance not just of that night, but of the sacrifice of Friday afternoon and the joy of Sunday morning, remembrance that Christ lives within us and that He should be in the driver’s seat of life. So let’s break bread together on our knees, with our face to the risen Son, our hearts in the unison to the worship and glory of God.