Happy Holi, I mean, Merry Christmas

Words are my life.  I am not a great writer (as you probably already know) but the spoken word is my life.  It is was I primarily do as a living.  I love to be in conversation with groups and individuals.  The use of words to convey truth, feelings, description of events, etc, excites me.  Because I speak in public so much, I also have moments when words have failed me.  The blooper reel of those moments are cradled in my memory.  So I can sympathize with those who struggle with words.  Being tongue tied is no fun in any moment.  This season of the year, I am finding a moment frequently where I have struggled to know what to say.

When I go to a register to purchase my items, I am often greeted with a wish for me to have a Happy Holiday.  In response, I have responded back automatically, Happy Holiday.  Every time that happens, I look around to see if anyone heard me and know what I do for a living.  I worry I will lose my job, be kicked out of the church or lose the respect of children everywhere.  I know there is a great deal of pressure to say back with conviction, Merry Christmas!!!  I have been told of how the unsaved hoards of humanity are attempting to kick Christ out of Christmas.  I know, for many, the moment of a faith stance is exactly in the face of the secular destruction of the way we greet each other in this holy season.  So Merry Christmas!!!  There!

The problem is I am not really on board with this.  You see, I really don’t think the place I am called to fight for the Christian faith is in the face of a overworked underpaid cash register attendant in some box store who is probably just repeating for the 700^th time the greeting the boss said to say.  I am not ready to reject the well wishes of anyone anytime.  Christians have a way of getting excited about the trivial causes some seem to think that are so important.  A few years ago, real Christians were all upset about the right for the Ten Commandment to be displayed in public places.  What intrigued me then was didn’t someone raise the question as to maybe instead of the Ten Commandments, we could take a look at the Beatitudes found in Matthew 5 or Luke 6.  If you really want to get into a conversation of the core of Christian faith, that is where you start.

I really don’t think Christ is offended when I say Happy Holiday.  I hope the person does have a happy holiday.  I do not know if they are Christian or not.  I also do not think I will convert anyone with a declaration of Merry Christmas. I do not believe the secular world is trying to take Christ out of Christmas.  We have given it away.

We gave it away when we agreed to increase our business revenue by selling more stuff for Christmas. If I really wanted to take a stance of what I believe, I would buy less at Christmas, care for the poor and go to fewer parties and more soup kitchens.  And if I really wanted to take a Christmas stance, I would keep giving and serving others through the year.  For Christmas is about integrity, humility and a life of loving service and sacrifice.   If we really want to beat back secularization, perhaps for the following year we should actually follow after the example of the one who we so adamantly want to push down other people’s throats for a  few weeks in December.  That will make a difference in us and in fact in others. 

So say Merry Christmas.  It is a great gift of blessing we can say to others.  But accept a Happy Holiday.  Even give a few.  For if we learn anything at Christmas, it is that Jesus was willing to meet us where we are and then love us enough with grace and mercy so our lives could be changed forever. 

Christmas in Jerusalem

When the word of Christ's birth arrived in Jerusalem, not all was peace and joy.  Of course, those who brought it, the Magi, knew of the power it had to set their life on a new course.  The word of Christ's birth had led them from their homes and into a foreign land.  Their lives were not nearly as disrupted as the powerful and mighty.  For them, the birth of a new king was not good news. They saw it as a threat to their status. 
This Sunday we will reflect on the story of Christmas coming to Jerusalem as it is described in Matthew 2: 1-12.  Here are some questions to consider before we worship together.....

• What was so compelling to make the Wise Men search so far and long for the birth of the Christ?
• Does the arrival of Christ threaten all who have power in this world?
• If we really believe Christ is soon to be born and we actually desire to receive him, then what will we have to give up or change in our lives?

Thanksgiving

This week is a time of great joy in our family.  The affirmation of marriage this past week for Emily and Martin was such a joy.  We are so blessed by them. We are so grateful for those who helped make the day a wonderful memory that will last their lifetime. Sunday we baptized their daughter Leah.  She, of course, is not more special than any other child I have baptized – at least in the eyes of God.  But to hold my own grandchild, pour the life giving waters of Baptism over her and present her to God….there are no words.

Tomorrow our family will gather together for a Thanksgiving feast. It will be the first time in 28 years all who will be around that table have shared this holiday together.  What a joy!

I hope you are aware of the blessings you have and can give God thanks tomorrow for Extravagant Grace and Generosity.  Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Moving forward

On Sunday, November 8^th the Clarkston UMC 2009 Church Conference was held in our Sanctuary.  This was the first time for our new District Superintendent Eugene Blair to chair our conference.

The highlights of the evening were:

·         Election of Chairperson and Ministry Leaders for 2010

·         Approval of Compensation for Ordained Clergy for 2010

·         Reports from the Trustees and Finance Ministries

·         Membership Report reflecting 41 new members so far this year

·         Video Celebrating the Ministry of the Year past

·         Sharing of high moments in various ministries over the past year

·         Leadership by our Chancel Choir and Men’s Choir

It was a great night.

During my Senior Pastor Report, I brought before the conference a request to authorize a study committee to develop a plan for ministry direction and enhancement.  This plan will determine the steps we will take as a congregation moving forward into this century.  Part of that report is as follows:

 

I am calling for our congregation to enter into focused conversation to develop and act on a plan for effective ministry in the years to come. Paragraph 2543 requires the following:

¡  If any local church desires to:

§  Build

§  Purchase

§  Remodel

¡  Then the local church shall first establish a study committee to:

§  (1) Analyze the needs of the church and community

§  (2) Project the potential membership and average attendance

§  (3) Write Up the Program of Ministry

It is time for us to ReThink what our ministry will look like and who we will serve in the years to come.  We must position ourselves for the ministry the 21^st century God will need us to accomplish.  The imitations of our existing building must be addressed.  The places we will go and the foundations we will launch are God’s decisions that will be revealed to us in the days of prayer, discussion, discernment and decision to come. 

I am asking the Administrative Council to establish a process for the congregation to determine our needs for future ministry, to establish a plan to meet those needs and to report back to the Church Conference. 

What that report will say cannot be predetermined.  Our commitment to listening to each other, to God and to others we will be called to serve will bring us to a faithful call to action. 

I hope whatever the report says and actions that come from it, I pray the future generations will look back on us and be as grateful to the courage, faithfulness and vision as the generations who blessed us in their actions.

I pray in 2050, the congregation of Clarkston UMC will look back and say of us…..We trusted in God…….We acted in the confidence of a committed fellowship of believers in Jesus Christ….The best of what we have been and are gave birth to vital ministry for those who came after us.

 

We will soon be in the process of developing that study committee and the process we will follow to determine the next steps for our ministry. I invite your prayers so the path we take there results will be to the glory of God.

 

Standing on Holy Ground

Yes, I am still alive. It has been almost two weeks since I have posted. Some of that time I spent back at Duke Divinity School with Brian, my best freind from those days and we remain close today. We were there for a week on a self directed time of study and preparation for the year ahead in our respective churches.
During the week, I worshipped several times on campus. I attended evening vespers in Duke Chapel led by the choir singing Gregorian chants. I sat in the seminary chapel and listened to Bishop Willimon preach and shared in Holy Communion. We spent hours in the library reading, writing, doing worship planning and engaging in spirit filled conversation about ministry and life.
It was a holy time. I walked on ground that formed and inspired me thrity years ago. I met with professors retired and new students preparing for ministry. I planned the outine for worship in the coming year and shared in worship going back centuries.
It was Holy Ground!!
Tomorow is All Saints Sunday. In church we will remember members who passed away in the last year. We will share in Holy Communion. We will pray and sing with brothers and sisters in faith, and the saints through the ages. We will be on Holy Ground again!!! To God be the Glory!

Moving Forward

The Five Practices weeks have come to a conclusion.  I hope they were a blessing to you personally and to the congregation as a whole.  Certainly we have had the chance to reflect on the strengths of our ministry and critique the places we need to improve.  The conversations in the study groups, hall ways, and on the web have been a great exchange of ideas and questions.  The question I am hearing now the most is a simple one, Now what?  The implication is this ministry is getting ready for a next step.  This next step is not about an individual program, ministry area or project.  It is the next step of direction for us affecting all we do and all we will serve.  I have been asking the What next question also.  I have been in prayer and reflection to know the next step we will take as a congregation. 

 

At the Church Conference, (Sunday, November 8 at 6:15 p.m.), I will be sharing what I have come to believe the next steps are for us.  I offer my answer as a call for us to come together and engage in intentional discernment leading to congregational focus and action.  Certainly, God has been preparing us for mission and witness in this community.  We are a fruitful congregation.  My years on the farm taught me though if you keep a garden the same year after year, you lose vitality and produce.  For the greatest harvest and best produce, you have to be willing to plow up, rotate and plant new crops.  Vital ministry is the same way.  I look forward to sharing with you in November my calling for the next steps.  I ask for your prayer support and listening souls to hear God’s calling and observe God’s preparation in our midst for harvests to come. 

Monday Morning

I am getting ready to participate in a day-long meeting at the Flint District Office today.  It is  a full day, but it is not as full as yesterday.  Full in the sense of God's amazing showering of blessing and grace. 

I praise God for the witness of Sharad Stump, Jay Bleim and Julie Hall in worship.  As one came up to me following worship said, "I felt like each person who spoke touched my heart in a different way and I could relate to them".  Certainly it was a special service also in no small part due the sharing in World Wide Holy Communion.   After worship, Laura and I were blessed to attend a party celebrating a 65^th wedding anniversary of Don and Francis Wills.  After a little time at home, we attended our couples class at church in the evening.  I said it was a full day, not because it was busy, but because God's amazing grace was pouring through it. 

=0 A

Sundays are thought of as a day of rest.  Certainly Sabbath and renewal are critical to our spiritual health and growth.  Sundays though may best be measured by the amount of holiness, Christ and divine power are to be found on Monday morning for the week ahead.  It was a good Sunday and God is more than sufficient for the week ahead.  I give God thanks for the amazing generosity we always find in presence of the Lord. 

As you go through this week, take time to be in the presence of the Lord.  Fill up on grace, feed on the power of scripture.  Live in the abundance of grace, which allow us to see beyond the scarcity the world lives in. 

A Great Next Step

Sunday I announced I was going to offer a four week survey course on the Bible. It is a class intentionally designed for adults who know nothing about the Bible. I said Sunday no one is allowed in the class if they have any basic knowledge of scripture. That is because there really are many who do not know the Bible. There are many reasons why. But what those people fear the most is that others will make them feel foolish in class.
I want a class where people can feel safe to ask any question knowing everyone else in the class doesn’t know the answer either. I want a class where people can relax and just begin to explore the basics of the Bible. The truth is, there are more in the church who do not know the Bible than those who do. It is time to create space where all can come and begin a wonderful journey in the Bible.
The class is easy to take, assumes you know nothing without being insulting or acting as if you are to blame for what you do not know. I am excited to tell you 10 people signed up for the class since Sunday. I am so proud of them for taking such an important step!
If you want to join us, we begin on Thursday, October 29th at seven p.m. We will meet for four weeks ending the week before Thanksgiving. Let me know and I will be thrilled to have you with us.

Get Ready to Worship

So how is your worship preparation going for Sunday? Our conversation on passionate worship raised the correlation between our personal spiritual preparation and experience of meaningful worship. Prayer life, scripture study, Christian fellowship are ways we enter into the presence of the Lord before worship. If those are part of what we carry into worship, then doesn’t it make sense we will be more sensitive and ready to the movement of the Spirit during worship?
As you get ready for worship this Sunday, let me share something with you. I asked three members of the church to share their stories with the congregation. Tonight, we met to talk about what they felt God was laying on their hearts to share. I can honestly tell you I was blessed and humbled as I listened to them. It is going to be an amazing Sunday you will not want to miss.
We are also sharing the sacrament of Holy Communion Sunday. This is World Wide Communion Sunday, a day when the global church comes together at the table of the Lord. I hope you are prayerfully considering what to bring with you to the table and what to leave there with the Lord. Think about the image of the global church making space for you at the table where the grace of Christ is given through his body and blood. Prepare to worship. Come to be blessed and to receive God’s grace.
That is a recipe for passionate worship. Don’t miss out.

Surprised in Worship

Did you hear what happened at the 611 service on Sunday? It was the first time the newly formed youth band of our church led worship. They were fantastic!!! Not only did they sound great, their joy and passion for playing came through and touched us who were worshipping.
Also, Greg Martin pulled a fast one on me. The theme for this opening series is mentoring. Earlier this summer Greg asked if I would be willing to be interviewed in worship on this past Sunday and talk about those who mentored me in my young faith. The first was my home town pastor Dalton Bishop. He took time to listen to me, befriend me and help me discover the call of Christ in my life. It was under his guidance I was able also to hear the call of God for me to enter full time ministry.
The second was Jerry Stewardson. Jerry was Professor of Religion at Adrian College. He was the one who invited me to visit a Wesley Fellowship meeting on campus. He was the advisor and when you are a freshman it makes a difference when someone notices you and invites you anywhere. Jerry quickly became my favorite professor, though he was hard as nails on all of us. He invited me into his home and his family became my second family. Jerry encouraged me, supported me, and pushed me. He deepened my faith and prepared me for the next step on my path, seminary.
I spent a few minutes telling those at 611 about Jerry last Sunday. At the end, Greg was supposed to wrap up the message. Instead, he said: “We have heard from Rick about the influence Jerry Stewardson had on his life. Now let’s hear the other side of the story.” To my great and total surprise, Jerry came in from the back of the room. He came up front, embraced me and then Greg talked with him about being a mentor to me. I was totally blown away!
Sometimes worship is anticipated, expected and normal. Those moments may seem boring to some and offer comfort and security to others. There are other moments though, when a moment in worship takes you by surprise. Moments when you are blown away in a way you do not expect. It may be a song or hymn moving you to tears. It may be a thought in a sermon making you think about something in a new way. It may be a prayer that touches and changes you heart. Those moments of surprise are precious. When was the last time you were surprised by God in worship?

Finding Hospitality

Where do you go to find hospitality?  A great deal of our conversation about Biblical Hospitality has focused on the hospitality we can share with others.  This is a natural focus.

The Biblical word though is as equally dedicated to an understanding of the hospitality we are given.  God created the world and welcomed us into it.  God gave us dominion over it.  What could be a greater act of hospitality than giving a guest the mortgage to the house?  God invited us into a special holy relationship.  Eventually, God came to us in human form and in the ultimate act of sacrificial love, died so we might have life and life eternal.  God from the beginning has been working to prepare a place for us.  How radical is that?!

To be able to give hospitality you first have to receive it. To understand how to give it you have to know what it feels like to have it offered to you.  That is true both from God and other believers.  In a world, where we often have to fight to create our space, we need to also find holy spaces where we know we will be welcomed, accepted and loved.  That is one of the reasons we need the church.  It is why we need Christian friends who love us because Christ has loved us first.

As we focus on how to extend radical hospitality, give thanks to God for the places and people how give it to us.  Take time to find peace and rest in those special places.  Those are holy moments to treasure and nurture our soul. 

Not Us or Them

Why do we get the impression some of the Pharisees and Scribes were angry at Jesus?  They are the symbolic leaders of the Jewish community in Palestine during the time of Christ.  Why would they want to reject one so holy, so connected to God?  There are several reasons.  But perhaps the most visceral one is Jesus’ openness to others.  He would praise a single act of faithfulness on the part of a sinner and demand repentance of them.  He celebrated the giving of a small amount by a poor woman rather than praise the wealth they gave to the offering.  Jesus even told them the first shall be last and the last first, which meant they would be bringing up the rear.  Such behavior angered those who assumed their superiority of holiness.

Jesus demonstrated what the Kingdom of God is about.  Acts of integrity, compassion and humility are honored more that long time attendance.  Newcomers are not only welcomed with open arms, but included and nurtured.  Jesus did not turn his back on anyone seeking to be faithful  He did not care more about the newcomers and less about those who had been part of the faith community.  He simply put such distinctions aside.  Jesus removed a caste system of who was important and replaced it with a singular designation.  Those who confessed him as Lord and sought to serve God were counted all the same. 

Radical hospitality demands all are loved and treated equally.  All who confess Christ are counted the same as loved children and disciples.  Those who have not yet accepted Christ are loved unconditionally with the hope and trust grace will be sufficient to win them over.  The only ones who become objects of judgment are those who stand on seniority and assume superiority over others.  Of course, such behavior does not offer hospitality because it reflects closed hearts.

The church is called to love each other with the transformational power of Christ’s love.  That same acceptance and love is then offered to others without filter or distinction.  Thanks be to God we can offer such a gift to each other and all we encounter.

 

Hospitality as a Power

Hospitality may sound to some as a passive act of polite manners.  It is more than that.  When hospitality is offered, others are honored, empowered and included.  Hospitality demands respect be given unconditionally to those who receive it.  Hospitality creates a holy space between the giver and receiver.  Hospitality is radical.

 It is also becoming causality of our culture.

The language in our world today is divisive and alienating.  Differing viewpoints are treated with scorn.  Rudeness and hostility is becoming a fact of public and private speech.  Several public events come to mind. 

·        The disrespect of a Representative Joe Wilson towards the office of the President of the United States when he shouted out, “You lie!” from the floor of the U.S. Senate is inexcusable regardless of political preferences. 

·        When Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swifts acceptance speech at the MTV awards by taking the microphone out of her hands and protesting that Beyonce Knowles should have won instead, he was booed.  But the damage and disrespect was already done. 

·        When a cross was burned on the lawn of a family in our area and a mural in town vandalized with obscene painting, the lack of respect was brought home.

These acts perhaps are not the norm.  But they are symptomatic of a greater social illness.  The ability to discern differences and offer respect at the same time is an act of radical hospitality in defiance of the social malaise.

The world often sees religion as a great divider and source of hostility and prejudice in the world.  Those in the “faith” are deemed as worthy and those outside judged and damned.  The only way those outside can be redeemed is to conform to the behavior and opinions of those who are already in.

But that is not the way of Jesus Christ.  He came to redeem and save all.  This includes those who are in and out, up and down, near and far, the familiar and stranger.  When we as a church or individual disciples offer hospitality, we do so in the knowledge we all stand equal in the presence of Christ.  The most radical act of Christ was his unconditional acceptance of all.  It is what gave hope and blessing to sinners of all kinds.  It is what gives hope to each one of us.  It is also what got him killed.

When we talk about radical hospitality in the church, we are talking about more than politeness.  We are demonstrating personal humility, mutual respect and surrender to Christ.  When we see the world not as them and us, but as children of the living Lord called to come together for worship, mission, and service, we will be able to practice radical hospitality.  

 

Welcome Back!

This Sunday is the beginning of the fall schedule.  It means worship times change to 9 and 11:15 a.m. and 6:11p.m. on Sundays.  There are programs picking up from last spring and many new ones launching I am excited about.  But mostly, it is the family of believers coming back together to worship, learn, serve and witness the Good News of Jesus Christ.  For me, the fall is a homecoming where loved ones reconnect and the church family is reunited in love and grace. 

This fall we come together around the theme of the 5 Practices of Fruitful Congregations.  All the information you need to join in the study and sharing on these 5 Practices is found elsewhere on the church web site.  I encourage you to get into a small study group or start one.  Read the book and let your voice be heard in this conversation.  The 5 Practices will cause us to reflect and (I hope and pray) embrace more deeply the Core Values of our congregation.  I am looking for this time together to be a launching pad for the direction of our ministry in the next several months and for years to come. 

This Sunday Pastor Reed and I will share in a dialogue sermon on the Practice of Radical Hospitality.  The next few days I will be writing about this topic and asking you to begin to consider what Jesus taught us about hospitality. 

I look forward to seeing you in church on Sunday.  The family is gathering and I can’t wait. 

 

A Holy Night

I am so proud of this congregation.  Many of you turned out for the prayer service at St. Daniels Catholic church Tuesday night.  It was an amazing witness of presence and prayer to reclaim the power of the cross as a symbol of reconciliation and peace.  The coming together of the church last night was a reminder of the power of the church to mobilize and allow God to create blessing out of human brokenness.  To God be the Glory!

 

A call for Justice

They burned a cross.

They burned a cross on a family’s yard.

They burned a cross on a family’s yard here in my community.

They took the cross of Jesus Christ, desecrated it and turned it into a sign of violence, intimidation and racism.

How could anyone think of it as something to do, let alone do it?

Of course, our mind quickly wants to minimize it.  We hear comments like, “It doesn’t reflect Clarkston”.  “It was probably a bunch of kids who do not know any better.”  “Must have been outsiders who did it.” 

But it happened here.  No matter who did it, we will be measured by how we respond to it.  It happened two weeks ago and I just read about it today.  I have not heard anyone talk about it in the church or the community. That is what scares me the most.

There will be a community gathering at St. Daniel's Catholic Church for a 'prayer service for ethnic and racial tolerance' on Tuesday, Sept 1 at 7 p.m.  I will be there and pray you will be also.  But just as importantly, let our voice be heard.  Speak to others and proclaim a gospel message that will not allow the cross of Christ to be so desecrated. Speak out about the passion for a community that welcomes all – stands with all and will not accept intimidation, injustice or persecution in any form.  Speak out and pray for the power of Christ to drive racism from our own hearts and the hearts of all, including the they’s of the world.

 

One Screwed up Family

This Sunday I am preaching about King David’s family.  I am swimming in a story of anger, disobedience, betrayal, and pain.  All families have times of trail and struggle.  Not all are dysfunctional.  Imperfect beings sharing life together will not always experience harmony and joy.  Perhaps that is why we have the pain of David’s family laid out before us.  It is as if God is telling us  if David’s family can be included in the scriptures, then our less than perfect families can quit seeing themselves as failures.  We are flawed humans trying to live in close relationship.  There are days, weeks and perhaps seasons where it will not always work out well.  But God is in the mix with us.  On some days we find healing, some just enough grace to keep holding on and on other days, complete joy.  That is true about my family.  It is true about the church family.  That is why I need this story of David’s one screwed up family. 

Coming Soon a regular Blog

Coming soon a regular blog. I hope you enjoy reading some more in the months to come.