I have always struggled with how to preach the early lectionary texts in Advent. They are always so un-Christmas like. The gospel text for first Sunday of Advent is about Jesus' warning that his coming is as a "thief in the night." How does that square with our culture's approach to Christmas? No wonder so many people are impatient with Advent (when do we get to sing Christmas carols?).
I have finally understood that Jesus' coming is a form of judgment, and those who are not prepared will miss its significance and its blessing. Jesus has been coming at Christmas for two thousand years, and people have perpetually missed his coming even as they have sung the carols. A consequence is that they are unready for the judgments that come quickly, as a thief in the night.
Illness, loss, accident, crime, financial problems, family distress--these are all judgments in that they are tests of who we are, how we live, and what we believe and value. They often come upon us quickly, when we are not looking for them and are unready for their appearance.
The promise of Advent is peace, a peace that comes from God. That peace is the product of believing and experiencing God's enduring love, eternal purpose, and abiding presence, all though the gift of Jesus Christ. This peace cannot be taken from us, and it will see us through all the seasons of life.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
A Year With Jesus
This past Sunday we began The Year With Jesus at Elmhurst Presbyterian Church. It is an intensive effort to learn more about Jesus at every level of knowledge. The Year With Jesus will include sermons and worship themes, Christian Education classes, small group study, and intentional engagement with social concerns. We need to know more about his life and his teaching, and we need to experience his presence with us. As we do, we will learn more about how to follow him in our daily world.
In this year of sermons and studies, I will be acknowledging my indebtedness to Michael Frost, an Australian missiologist whose books are very challenging to contemporary North American Christians. Especially pertinent to me is his recent volume, ReJesus: A Wild Messiah For A Missional Church. He tells us that for the church to be renewed and energized in the 21st century, we have be captured again by the real Jesus, not the one sanitized by the church. It will be a shock to many people to see Jesus as a wild and irreverent prophet whose teachings were so revolutionary. The church has tried to contain and domesticate Jesus, but now he has to be released. This is the Jesus the world loves even as it rejects the Christian faith.
The provocative thought from Sunday was that the church has to become a "conspiracy of little Jesuses." Christians are "little Christs." Jesus is not to be worshipped so much as he is to be imitated and followed, and to do that means you adopt for yourself the values embodied in his life and teaching. Little Jesuses infiltrate the world with his life, transforming it in ways the institutional church never could.
At a strategic planning meeting last March, one of our elders perceptively noted that "we just don't know that much about Jesus." Now is the time to learn. But a warning: don't be surprised when what you learn starts changing you.
In this year of sermons and studies, I will be acknowledging my indebtedness to Michael Frost, an Australian missiologist whose books are very challenging to contemporary North American Christians. Especially pertinent to me is his recent volume, ReJesus: A Wild Messiah For A Missional Church. He tells us that for the church to be renewed and energized in the 21st century, we have be captured again by the real Jesus, not the one sanitized by the church. It will be a shock to many people to see Jesus as a wild and irreverent prophet whose teachings were so revolutionary. The church has tried to contain and domesticate Jesus, but now he has to be released. This is the Jesus the world loves even as it rejects the Christian faith.
The provocative thought from Sunday was that the church has to become a "conspiracy of little Jesuses." Christians are "little Christs." Jesus is not to be worshipped so much as he is to be imitated and followed, and to do that means you adopt for yourself the values embodied in his life and teaching. Little Jesuses infiltrate the world with his life, transforming it in ways the institutional church never could.
At a strategic planning meeting last March, one of our elders perceptively noted that "we just don't know that much about Jesus." Now is the time to learn. But a warning: don't be surprised when what you learn starts changing you.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Ash Wednesday
Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the liturgical season of Lent. Lent is an ancient observance of repentance and preparation for Easter, which this year falls on April 4. Patterned on Jesus' experience of reflection and fasting in the wilderness, it is meant to be a time where a disciple can engage in meaningful self correction. Properly observed, Lent can an annual time of renewal for a Christian.
Unfortunately, Lent is subject to many misunderstandings. The stereotype is a dreary, gloomy observance where all pleasure is banished and one's faults and shortcomings are magnified. Most Protestants have rejected Lent as a spiritual practice. In recent years we have begun to recapture Lent as a positive part of our spiritual journey. But again, it has to be done right.
We at Elmhurst Presbyterian Church are adopting the theme of "Attitude Adjustment" for Lent 2010. This is related to our larger worship theme, which is "Durable Happiness." It is the obligation of the Christian to be a happy person in this world, and so much that makes for happiness in life is within our control. The Christian disciple is in charge of his/her attitude. Attitude control is a spiritual discipline.
How does your attitude toward life look to others? Are there adjustments you need to make? To you need to sweeten your attitude? Make it more positive, or less judgmental? Would a more hopeful attitude help? One that was less self concerned? Today would be a good day to start.
Attitude adjustment will lead to a more joyful and energetic celebration of Easter, and it will improve your impact on the world. This matters.
Unfortunately, Lent is subject to many misunderstandings. The stereotype is a dreary, gloomy observance where all pleasure is banished and one's faults and shortcomings are magnified. Most Protestants have rejected Lent as a spiritual practice. In recent years we have begun to recapture Lent as a positive part of our spiritual journey. But again, it has to be done right.
We at Elmhurst Presbyterian Church are adopting the theme of "Attitude Adjustment" for Lent 2010. This is related to our larger worship theme, which is "Durable Happiness." It is the obligation of the Christian to be a happy person in this world, and so much that makes for happiness in life is within our control. The Christian disciple is in charge of his/her attitude. Attitude control is a spiritual discipline.
How does your attitude toward life look to others? Are there adjustments you need to make? To you need to sweeten your attitude? Make it more positive, or less judgmental? Would a more hopeful attitude help? One that was less self concerned? Today would be a good day to start.
Attitude adjustment will lead to a more joyful and energetic celebration of Easter, and it will improve your impact on the world. This matters.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
The Presbytery Moderator
The Presbytery of Chicago, the regional governing body of over one hundred churches in the greater Chicago area, will hold its regular assembly at Elmhurst Presbyterian Church on February 20. At that meeting I will be installed as Moderator of the presbytery for 2010.. This will take place at the worship service that should begin about 11AM. It will be a big occasion for our church, and for me personally. It is a milestone for a pastor or elder to become presbytery moderator, and it is a wonderful opportunity for leadership as well.
In Presbyterian governance, the office of moderator is a mostly ceremonial position. We Presbyterians mistrust power, and therefore diffuse it as widely as possible. Being moderator does not make me like a bishop, and does not bestow on me magical ability to get things done. As moderator, my primary job is to chair our assembly meetings (held five or six times a year). I also get to represent the presbytery at ordination and installation services for new pastors, and at ecumenical events. In this role, it is very unlikely that you will see my name or face in the media.
The office of moderator does, however, give me the opportunity to set an agenda and a tone for our presbytery in the coming year. In this sense, it is more like being a pastor. While I cannot make anything happen, I can certainly help some things happen through presence, conversation, listening, persuasion, prayer, networking, studying, preaching, and all the other ways that influence is most effectively used. This is what I love doing, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to do it at the presbytery level.
My moment as presbytery moderator comes as the Presbytery of Chicago faces some daunting challenges. A very large indebtedness that has to be repaid will likely result in the sale of presbytery properties, including our camp property in Michigan. More importantly, the presbytery is in a time of redefining itself in light of what could be called a “post denominational society.” Just what is our denomination evolving into, and how will it affect us? No one can answer that question with any clarity right now, but we still have to go on being church to the best of our ability. I will have a small contribution to make to that process, and I am gratified to be in the position.
My thanks to the people of EPC for allowing me to do this. While active involvement in presbytery life is part of the job of any Presbyterian minister, being moderator will require more time and energy than the usual assignments. I will do my very best not to be distracted from my duties, but if I do slip up it is because I am doing what I believe I am called to do. I will certainly keep you posted!
In Presbyterian governance, the office of moderator is a mostly ceremonial position. We Presbyterians mistrust power, and therefore diffuse it as widely as possible. Being moderator does not make me like a bishop, and does not bestow on me magical ability to get things done. As moderator, my primary job is to chair our assembly meetings (held five or six times a year). I also get to represent the presbytery at ordination and installation services for new pastors, and at ecumenical events. In this role, it is very unlikely that you will see my name or face in the media.
The office of moderator does, however, give me the opportunity to set an agenda and a tone for our presbytery in the coming year. In this sense, it is more like being a pastor. While I cannot make anything happen, I can certainly help some things happen through presence, conversation, listening, persuasion, prayer, networking, studying, preaching, and all the other ways that influence is most effectively used. This is what I love doing, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to do it at the presbytery level.
My moment as presbytery moderator comes as the Presbytery of Chicago faces some daunting challenges. A very large indebtedness that has to be repaid will likely result in the sale of presbytery properties, including our camp property in Michigan. More importantly, the presbytery is in a time of redefining itself in light of what could be called a “post denominational society.” Just what is our denomination evolving into, and how will it affect us? No one can answer that question with any clarity right now, but we still have to go on being church to the best of our ability. I will have a small contribution to make to that process, and I am gratified to be in the position.
My thanks to the people of EPC for allowing me to do this. While active involvement in presbytery life is part of the job of any Presbyterian minister, being moderator will require more time and energy than the usual assignments. I will do my very best not to be distracted from my duties, but if I do slip up it is because I am doing what I believe I am called to do. I will certainly keep you posted!
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Gratitude
I am doing some theme sermons on happiness to begin 2010. This series will go through Easter, and is based on the premise that a Christian has an obligation to be happy. Believing as we do in the gospel of Jesus Christ, our lives should reflect a very different attitude than the surrounding culture. After all, this gospel claims to be the best news there is. If it doesn't affect our outlook on life, then what good is it? Nothing less persuasive than a grumpy, cranky, pessimistic Christian.
The basic building block of happiness is gratitude. A person who is grateful for life will have a very different path than the person who isn't, or the one who is simply overlooking the goodness in life. Gratitude is the greatest of all attitude adjustments. The person who is grateful sees abundance everywhere, even in hardship. I cannot overstate the importance of this. If you want to be a happy person, start by expressing your gratitude.
To express gratitude, don't go looking for the big blessing. That is where most people make a mistake. Gratitude begins small. As I write this, I am grateful that my fingers are working well enough to be able to type, which leads to gratitude that I was able to learn this skill. That is how it works. Start small, and see where it leads. It usually leads way past where you thought it would.
Durable happiness, the kind that lasts throughout your life, begins with expressing gratitude.
"...give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
The basic building block of happiness is gratitude. A person who is grateful for life will have a very different path than the person who isn't, or the one who is simply overlooking the goodness in life. Gratitude is the greatest of all attitude adjustments. The person who is grateful sees abundance everywhere, even in hardship. I cannot overstate the importance of this. If you want to be a happy person, start by expressing your gratitude.
To express gratitude, don't go looking for the big blessing. That is where most people make a mistake. Gratitude begins small. As I write this, I am grateful that my fingers are working well enough to be able to type, which leads to gratitude that I was able to learn this skill. That is how it works. Start small, and see where it leads. It usually leads way past where you thought it would.
Durable happiness, the kind that lasts throughout your life, begins with expressing gratitude.
"...give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Back to work
My mother died on January 8, and I have been away from my blogging during that time of funeral arrangements and family activity. I thought about blogging during the process, and decided not to do it. I thought it might be a little too much.
I do want to share the eulogy I wrote for my mom that was read at her funeral (January 14) by my brother in law.
EULOGY FOR MARY SUE FIVEASH LYDA (1923-2010)
Reflections of her children on the occasion of her death
“It never was about her.”
After several days of reflection, that phrase came to us. For our mother, it never was about her. It was always about something else. Her family, her husband, her children, her church, people she served, people in need she never met. Most of all, it was about God. That is what made her unique among the people we have known. It never was about her.
Our mother experienced some terrible suffering in her life. This in itself is not unusual; many people have very bad things happen to them. What made our mother unusual was the way she responded to her pain. Instead of becoming angry, embittered, self absorbed, or cynical, she became compassionate. Even in pain, it was not about her. The poverty of her childhood made her generous. The stigma of lower class circumstances made her intolerant of bigotry. The pain of bereavement in her youth made her sensitive to the losses of others around her. Faced with hearing loss, she became an interpreter for the deaf. Faced with blindness, she found a way to communicate with people in need of encouragement. Unable to live on her own, she found ways to serve her children and grandchildren. It was never about her. Not even in death. At her demise, her instructions were to send her body to the University of Florida medical school. Still serving, even now.
Our mother had a passion for God. Always faithful as a church member, in her later years she became a devoted student of the Bible. Her knowledge was not intellectual, and her interests were not academic. For her, it was about the heart. It was frustrating to see her constantly judging herself for shortcomings and failings, but she took the call to holiness utterly seriously. She absolutely believed in grace, but was always engaged in rigorous self examination.
Her commitment to holiness did not make her judgmental of others, however. Hard on herself, she was very tender with others. No one who ever saw her cry over them could feel anything other than love. Her tears were more powerful than any paddle she ever used on us.
Her faith was not simply a personal piety. She had a powerful sense of social justice, and did what she could to change the world. We saw her not only be charitable to the poor, but take public stands for racial justice during the civil rights movement. She had strong political views which were tilted toward equality and opportunity for all people. In her later years she got involved in faith based community organizing in Gainesville, working on local issues. She could be compared to a biblical prophet, combining deep personal faith with a fierce commitment to social righteousness.
As she faced the possiblity of dying, we saw the ultimate in faith and trust. Knowing her mortality, she lived with an anticipation of death that paradoxically invigorated her life. She just would not quit living, even as her medical problems mounted. People around her marveled and were touched by her serenity. We believe that at the end she was living in God’s presence as much as in her earthly existence.
She was a teacher of faith, and a mentor in spiritual life. None of us feel worthy of the example she has set, but that example will be with us for the rest of our lives. Regardless of what happens, her life will always remind us: no complaining, no shirking of responsibility, no excuses for failing to live up to what we should be. Love and trust God, and live for something bigger than yourself.
Her legacy is an old fashioned blessing she gave to her children and grandchildren, holding each of us by the face and admonishing us to love God and be good people. That very special gift will sustain and instruct, and is the most precious inheritance . Even as she died, it was never about her.
I do want to share the eulogy I wrote for my mom that was read at her funeral (January 14) by my brother in law.
EULOGY FOR MARY SUE FIVEASH LYDA (1923-2010)
Reflections of her children on the occasion of her death
“It never was about her.”
After several days of reflection, that phrase came to us. For our mother, it never was about her. It was always about something else. Her family, her husband, her children, her church, people she served, people in need she never met. Most of all, it was about God. That is what made her unique among the people we have known. It never was about her.
Our mother experienced some terrible suffering in her life. This in itself is not unusual; many people have very bad things happen to them. What made our mother unusual was the way she responded to her pain. Instead of becoming angry, embittered, self absorbed, or cynical, she became compassionate. Even in pain, it was not about her. The poverty of her childhood made her generous. The stigma of lower class circumstances made her intolerant of bigotry. The pain of bereavement in her youth made her sensitive to the losses of others around her. Faced with hearing loss, she became an interpreter for the deaf. Faced with blindness, she found a way to communicate with people in need of encouragement. Unable to live on her own, she found ways to serve her children and grandchildren. It was never about her. Not even in death. At her demise, her instructions were to send her body to the University of Florida medical school. Still serving, even now.
Our mother had a passion for God. Always faithful as a church member, in her later years she became a devoted student of the Bible. Her knowledge was not intellectual, and her interests were not academic. For her, it was about the heart. It was frustrating to see her constantly judging herself for shortcomings and failings, but she took the call to holiness utterly seriously. She absolutely believed in grace, but was always engaged in rigorous self examination.
Her commitment to holiness did not make her judgmental of others, however. Hard on herself, she was very tender with others. No one who ever saw her cry over them could feel anything other than love. Her tears were more powerful than any paddle she ever used on us.
Her faith was not simply a personal piety. She had a powerful sense of social justice, and did what she could to change the world. We saw her not only be charitable to the poor, but take public stands for racial justice during the civil rights movement. She had strong political views which were tilted toward equality and opportunity for all people. In her later years she got involved in faith based community organizing in Gainesville, working on local issues. She could be compared to a biblical prophet, combining deep personal faith with a fierce commitment to social righteousness.
As she faced the possiblity of dying, we saw the ultimate in faith and trust. Knowing her mortality, she lived with an anticipation of death that paradoxically invigorated her life. She just would not quit living, even as her medical problems mounted. People around her marveled and were touched by her serenity. We believe that at the end she was living in God’s presence as much as in her earthly existence.
She was a teacher of faith, and a mentor in spiritual life. None of us feel worthy of the example she has set, but that example will be with us for the rest of our lives. Regardless of what happens, her life will always remind us: no complaining, no shirking of responsibility, no excuses for failing to live up to what we should be. Love and trust God, and live for something bigger than yourself.
Her legacy is an old fashioned blessing she gave to her children and grandchildren, holding each of us by the face and admonishing us to love God and be good people. That very special gift will sustain and instruct, and is the most precious inheritance . Even as she died, it was never about her.
Friday, January 01, 2010
Jesus is for everybody
This Sunday is Epiphany Sunday. I don't use the word "epiphany" often because it is obscure to most people. It means "revealing," and it is an important part of your Christmas observance. The season is not over until we have Epiphany. The story is in Matthew 2:1-12.
The "revealing" is of Jesus to the Wise Men, or Magi, who seek him out. These visitors are not Jews. They are foreign magicians or astrologers. They have been tipped off to an extraordinary cosmic event, and they travel great distance to see it for themselves. Their importance to the story is that they are outsiders. God is revealing something to outsiders.
God's revelation, which came to the insiders, is also for the outsiders. Jesus is for everybody! It is a simple idea but try living by it. You quickly find that churches are usually communities of insiders. It is nice to be an insider, and once you are, you tend to hold on to it for yourself. Churches are largely ineffective because they behave like insiders, and have forgotten how to welcome people from outside the circle. Being an insider will turn your faith very flat.
The arrival of this Jesus-who-is-for-everybody brought consequences. King Herod responded to the search of the Magi by killing all the babies in Bethlehem to make sure of eliminating the little one who might be a threat to his own position. To escape Herod's wrath the family of baby Jesus fled to Egypt, living there as aliens. Jesus is a threat to insiders everywhere.
For much of the last 1,500 years of Western culture the Christian church has had insider status. The USA thought of itself as a Christian country. Our churches, Protestant and Catholic, were sanctioned and blessed by secular culture (as long as we did not mess with it too much). We are no longer in that position. Churches are in staggering decline in membership, atttendance, and financial strength. An entire generation is finding no meaning at all in traditional religious practice. Megachurches notwithstanding, the church cannot be called a prominent force in American culture anymore. This relatively new development (unfolding over the last fifty years) has left us insiders grasping for identity and purpose.
The message of Jesus remains powerful even as the church weakens. What has happened? It is the first century all over again. We are now aliens, not insiders. We are like Jesus' family, living as immigrants in a culture that is not ours. We can lament, or we can realize that this is how God really operates. Living as aliens in this culture, we can reach out in God's unfathomable love to all people without regard for privilege, status, or power.
Epiphany is a good time to be reminded that we are a Jesus-is-for-everybody people. The gospel is not a national, racial, ethnic, social, economic, or ideological thing. God's revelation of Jesus to "the Gentiles" is a sign of radical love and inclusion of all people everywhere. Anything we do that does not show that is a failure of Christmas spirit.
The "revealing" is of Jesus to the Wise Men, or Magi, who seek him out. These visitors are not Jews. They are foreign magicians or astrologers. They have been tipped off to an extraordinary cosmic event, and they travel great distance to see it for themselves. Their importance to the story is that they are outsiders. God is revealing something to outsiders.
God's revelation, which came to the insiders, is also for the outsiders. Jesus is for everybody! It is a simple idea but try living by it. You quickly find that churches are usually communities of insiders. It is nice to be an insider, and once you are, you tend to hold on to it for yourself. Churches are largely ineffective because they behave like insiders, and have forgotten how to welcome people from outside the circle. Being an insider will turn your faith very flat.
The arrival of this Jesus-who-is-for-everybody brought consequences. King Herod responded to the search of the Magi by killing all the babies in Bethlehem to make sure of eliminating the little one who might be a threat to his own position. To escape Herod's wrath the family of baby Jesus fled to Egypt, living there as aliens. Jesus is a threat to insiders everywhere.
For much of the last 1,500 years of Western culture the Christian church has had insider status. The USA thought of itself as a Christian country. Our churches, Protestant and Catholic, were sanctioned and blessed by secular culture (as long as we did not mess with it too much). We are no longer in that position. Churches are in staggering decline in membership, atttendance, and financial strength. An entire generation is finding no meaning at all in traditional religious practice. Megachurches notwithstanding, the church cannot be called a prominent force in American culture anymore. This relatively new development (unfolding over the last fifty years) has left us insiders grasping for identity and purpose.
The message of Jesus remains powerful even as the church weakens. What has happened? It is the first century all over again. We are now aliens, not insiders. We are like Jesus' family, living as immigrants in a culture that is not ours. We can lament, or we can realize that this is how God really operates. Living as aliens in this culture, we can reach out in God's unfathomable love to all people without regard for privilege, status, or power.
Epiphany is a good time to be reminded that we are a Jesus-is-for-everybody people. The gospel is not a national, racial, ethnic, social, economic, or ideological thing. God's revelation of Jesus to "the Gentiles" is a sign of radical love and inclusion of all people everywhere. Anything we do that does not show that is a failure of Christmas spirit.
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