Sin thoughts

As I am preparing for Sunday, I have been immersed in thoughts about the character, definition, impact and confusion about sin.  Sin, it appears, is one of those topics that is easier to define when you don’t really consider it.  Those who first heard Jesus teach thought they knew what sin was.  They could describe it and name those who were guilty of it.  But Jesus saw sin as something different from what others thought.  His teaching in word and action suggests sin is not a simple list or act.  Perhaps the greatest sin of the church is what we have taught people sin is and help people so easily label others as sinners.  Anyway , I am looking forward to sharing on Sunday  and the conversations that come from it.  Here are a few interesting thoughts others have had on sin over the years….

 

·         “Sin is not hurtful because it is forbidden, but it is forbidden because it is hurtful”  Benjamin Franklin

·         “The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; that's the essence of inhumanity”  George Bernard Shaw

·         “Should we all confess our sins to one another we would all laugh at one another for our lack of originality”  Kahlil Gilbran

·         “A sin takes on a new and real terror when there seems a chance that it is going to be found out”  Mark Twain

·         “Compassion will cure more sins than condemnation.”  Henry Ward Beecher

·         “Sin is sweet in the beginning, but bitter in the end.”  The Talmud

·         “Few sinners are saved after the first twenty minutes of a sermon”  Mark Twain

 

What do you think sin is?

 

Sin has been givng a bad name

Jesus confused the religious of his day.  They were clear as to what was right and wrong.  They knew the things they needed to do and the things that were forbidden.  When you failed in your obligation or committed an act deemed against God, you were sinning.  Religious education became, in essence, learning what was right according to the Law and what was not acceptable.  Jesus learned these things as a boy. When he became a man, he continued, it appears according to the Gospel record, to observe these commands.  He went to Temple, read from the Torah, and observed the high holidays. 

But he also hung out with people that were considered unacceptable.  He did not keep basic understanding of fulfilling commandments (working on the Sabbath) or prescribed holy practices (such as washing hands or not eating with the unclean).  Jesus was seen as a blasphemer.  He was considered to be in violation of the Law and practices of God’s chosen people.  So he was considered a sinner by some.

Others saw him as a Savior, a healer, a teacher and a Redeemer.  He was to some a Messiah.

When we consider who Jesus is to us, we are sooner or later forced to deal with the question about sin.  There is too often only two choices offered.  Either it is when we do something bad, according to a list the religious have, or it is only in the eyes of the beholder.  One is conforming to practices we are taught that are right or wrong, and the other is letting our own judgment determine for ourselves what is right (ethical, moral, holy) or wrong, (immoral, unethical, sin).  Both definitions miss the point and give sin a bad name.  Each take partial truth and run with it until the truth is lost in practice.

This Sunday, I am preaching a sermon titled, “Sin is not what they told you”.   I invite you to come and join in the conversation and consider perhaps what sin is from a third paradigm, Jesus.  See you in church!

Haiti Relief

Just a quick note to share with you the joy of your response yesterday in giving to Haiti relief.  We have collected over $6,000 in the special offering on Sunday.  We continue to offer our prayers for the people of Haiti and can still receive donations that will given to United Methodist Committee on Relief.  Thank you for your faithfulness. 

When doing the right thing is right in front of you

The religious can spend hours debating about proper theology. Worshippers can debate whether we should use organ or guitar. Those outside the church can point to our deficiencies and articulate the reasons they do not need the church. There are moments however, when the questions in front of us and the answers are quite clear. The Red Cross estimates 50,000 are already dead in Haiti and a desperate situation is getting worse. Haiti does not have an infrastructure to handle this crisis. As inept as we were in dealing with Katrina, our Haitian brothers and sisters do not have any of the resources that were at our disposal. You probably already know Haiti is the poorest country in our hemisphere. You may not know the United Methodist church shares a special relationship with Haiti. It and Liberia are the two nations the Detroit Conference churches have entered into a formal covenant of support and shared ministry. In fact, one of our Detroit area mission teams has been in Haiti since early January and is working there as of today, January 15. All members of the team are okay, You can read more about their work on the Detroit United Methodist conference web site www.detroitconference.org.

Right now Haiti needs our prayers and money. This Sunday we will take up an offering in church directly for the Haiti earthquake relief. The money will go to the United Methodist Committee on Relief. This is our denominational international relief organization whose integrity and effectiveness is proven One hundred percent given goes directly to the mission site. I invite all to pray for Haiti and its people. I encourage you to give what you can to help the relief efforts.

Jesus says in Matthew 10:42, “whoever 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.” Doing the right thing seldom seems any clearer.

Jesus and Religion

This past Sunday there was a discrepancy between the sermon title in the bulletin and the one on my sermon sheet. When I submitted the title for the bulletin back in October, it was “Why I like Jesus but not Religion”. By the time I got to write the sermon, I called the sermon, “Why I love Jesus and Hate Religion”. I think there is something here more than memory lost. I believe I may have just gotten more in touch with the emotions involved in this for me. The more you are in the fullness of God’s grace and feel the power of Christ in this world, like of Jesus easily grows to love. What passes for religion in the world people against a willingness to get close to God, the more disgust grows. The stakes of life are too high to be apathetic on this issue.

Life is short. Life is, at times, hard and painful. Life is intended for joy and all too often we settle for titillation, shallow intimacy and anemic celebrations. Jesus offers so much more, desires for us more and provides more. In the church, we have so much power to offer to the world. But when we offer ritual without meaning, organization without spirit or general fellowship without real friendship, people are not served and Christ is dishonored. The world is not interested in religion without power or meaning.

When we do share Jesus we find lives are changed, including ours. Unfortunately, we may feel the power of Christ but do not take the time to help others understand or gain the eyes to see his presence. We may be blind to the presence of Christ others discover and miss the chance to affirm the experience. But when we take the time to help others see Christ and see the Christ in them, Jesus is served and lives are changed. Those are amazing moments. When they happen, you can feel yourself growing in love with Christ. You can also become impatient and empty with anything less. I do love Jesus and I do hate religion. Mostly I hate religion when it is what I am offering to the world instead of Christ. Do you know what I mean?

Holy Community

This is a week when I do not struggle to show people what it means to be part of the Body of Christ.  Our congregation celebrates the life of two of its members, and in those celebrations also reflects the unique character of the church.  We began the week with a  celebration of the life of Jim Kreger.  In his service, we laughed and cried over his quiet ways, his interests and his spirit.  What came back to us from those in attendance, many not part of this church, was appreciation for the sincere faith shared in a genuine caring and meaningful way that spoke to their hearts.  Several called after the service to offer their appreciation.  On that day, ritual and expressions of faith mattered because they reflected the true power and love of Christ and were blessings even to those who are not familiar with them.

Tomorrow we celebrate the life of Emily Schmidt.  Emily was an amazing seven year old before she became sick.  During her illness, she continued to demonstrate character and compassion to all.  Her death has brought shared grief to her family, our church family, Emily’s school and the community at large.  Yet in the midst of this grief, the power of faith continues to be revealed.  Craig and Melissa, her parents,  give witness to experiencing the power of Christ’s mercy, grace and love throughout this entire experience.  Church members move forward with the conviction of faith and a desire/need to offer assistance.  All this even in the midst of some questions without answers we can understand.  Grief is  powerful, but is being shown to be a weak warrior against faith and the experience of the risen Christ. 

In the middle of all this, there are couples who want to get married, loved ones who are hospitalized, people dealing with significant life and family issues, and the details of daily church life.  In the middle of the mundane, profound, painful and celebratory moments of this week, Christ is present.  It is true everywhere, including in your life.  This week, I see it all around me.  I pray you will too.

Happy New Year

As we take the first few steps into the new year, I want to thank this congregation for the year past.  It was a year reflecting the lives in our homes and community.  It placed before us challenges unlike we have faced in a long time.  In the midst of those challenges, we discovered the miracles of God making a path of blessing for so many.  It was a time of discovering victory and successes brought about by a mixture of hard dedicated work and unmerited yet certain grace of the living Lord.

Each of us can reflect on a variety of ministry blessings that honored Christ and touched our lives and the lives of others.  Everywhere I turn, every room I enter, every face I see reminds me life and the ministry we share is a far more mystical and holy experience than we often realize.  As I talk with minister colleagues, I can share we met our budget for the year. We missed paying all of our apportionments by less than 10%, half of what many thought was possible when the year began.  I can also talk about the plans underway to define and act on a dynamic plan for ministry moving forward as a congregation.  But words fail me to describe fully the spiritual inner growth of individuals and this congregation in the past year.  I can point to fruits of that inner work, but to fully understand it you need to feel it. 

We enter 2010 not in need of new resolutions, but ongoing committed resolve to follow Christ, share Christ and trust in Christ.   That is what brought us through 2009 as a stronger, healthier ministry than we were a year ago.  It is what will look back and celebrate the most a year from now.  I am so blessed, humbled and grateful to be yoked in ministry with you.  To God be the Glory!!