11/1/15---Unbound

This Sunday, we celebrate All Saints Day, along with the Lord's Supper. On the one hand, we are remembering and honoring those people who have gone before us and have shown us the way to live in Christ; who persevered on their walks with God; who have modeled what it looks like to live like a child of God. On the other hand, we remember Christ's offering for us. We remember that Christ, too, showed what it looks like to live a life that followed and pursued God. Christ was also a saint, in this way.

Our Scripture focus will be John 11:32-44, the gospel story of when Jesus raised Lazarus. In the raising of Lazarus, God steadfastly refuses to let death have the final word (Feasting on the Word). And this is not a one-time thing. The case of Lazarus does not stand alone. There are still stories of people escaping death, and attributing that miracle to God. More importantly, this says something about God's power over death. We are all raised up. The saints you have known have been raised up. Jesus says to all of us "come out" from the power of death; he beckons us all to be unbound and let go (v44). 

This is what fascinates me: God wants to share who God is with us. God is unbound by death, and so we have the opportunity to as well. Following God is life-giving, to be sure. Being a child of God gives our lives meaning and purpose. But following God is also eternal-life-giving. We are unbound, because God sets us free. Praise God!

10/25/15---Tensions of Hebrews: Sacrifice once and for All

Last Sunday, I preached on Hebrews 5: 1-10, and my basic point was that Jesus is the best "high priest" we can have----he is the one who can truly save us. This week, our focus will be on Hebrews 7: 23-28, where we are reminded that Jesus' sacrifice was once and for all. Both of these points make me think about how we have our own "idols" in our life, but Christ satisfies us, saves us, and completes us.

The truth of it is that we have our idols. We have things in our lives that we "worship" over Christ. We can "worship" entertainment, people, money. We can even "worship" church and we can "worship" worship. When the way we reach God takes our attention, our praise, over and above God, we have created an idol and we have worshiped an idol. This is extremely difficult to handle for me. I can love a worship song more than I worship God. I can lift up my own spiritual disciplines over and above the God to whom they are directed. I can praise the people in my life that help me see and draw near to God more than God. I can cherish the relationships God gave me over God. I can be more dedicated to the church God has led me to over and above the God it worships and serves. But God is our focus! God is the reason! God has more for us...

Christ is our high priest, where our praise, attention, and focus is directed. Christ is the one who points us to God, opens up the relationship we may have with God, Christ is our High Priest.


God loves it when we sacrifice something for God's sake, whether it be for the church, in service to someone, or for our own spiritual growth and discipline. The danger is, though, that we can presume that our sacrifices are the ones that inevitably "earn" our relationship with God, "earn" God's love for us, and "earn" our own salvation. This can creep into our lives, folks. Believe me. This is what I mean by worshiping something other than God.

Hebrews 7: 27 says "Unlike the other high priests, he has no need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for those of the people; this he did once for all when he offered himself."

God is accessible by the grace of God through Jesus Christ, not what you do for God. What you do for God does not have to be out of obligation or duty, but out of the joy of your heart as you strive to be God's child. Your spiritual disciplines can become ways to seek God, not ways to earn God's favor. Your service to God's people can become ways to share the love of God that you have received; an outpouring of God's grace. Your service to the church can become ways to nurture the community of God in which you have been so nurtured. These can all become ways to worship God in joyful obedience to God.

10/4/15---We are all One

This week, I was heartbroken about the execution of Kelly Gissendaner in Georgia. Kelly was a graduate of Candler Theological Institute in 2011, a program that Candler School of Theology offers at the  Lee Arrendale State Prison, in Alto, GA. I became aware of her story through an ethics course at Candler, and started to follow along. Amazing stories of how she impacted the people at the women's prison, inmates and officers alike, came flowing into my heart like a beautiful song of God's love and grace might enter your ears and into your heart. These were notes to her redemption song.

There are numerous articles detailing her life and her case, but that's not all that this post is about. I would love to talk to you about her if you would like to hear more. Her's is an amazing story of the power of redemption.

God brings people together through Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit. Many thousands of people joined one another in prayer and petition (to God and to the Georgia Pardons Board) on Kelly's behalf. This is what the body of Christ is all about: the uniting power that God supplies, even (perhaps, especially) in the midst of pain, tragedy, loss, and need. I called the Georgia Governor's office multiple times this week, and each time I was put on hold or prompted to leave a voice message, and my heart flooded with a sense of unity because I knew others were calling. We became one.

This Sunday, we celebrate World Communion Sunday. Around the sanctuary, there will be several photos from around the world of families with one week's worth of food. Some of the photos will look similar to the food you have stored in your house, others will not at all. These photos remind us of our differences, to be sure, but offers us a stunning perspective on the creative unity that God displays through all. God's image is in each of us, despite where we are and what we eat. I hope that these photos will bring some awareness, but also highlight the beauty in our unity as people of God.

I will be preaching in reference to two passages. One is  Luke 5: 27-32. This is the story where Jesus eats with Levi, a tax collector whom the Pharisees saw as a sinner unworthy of their presence, or Jesus'. They ask Jesus "Why do you eat with tax collectors and sinners?" Jesus answers, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick." The other is 1 Corinthians 10: 14-17, which reminds us that "Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf." We are one, in Christ.

We are all sinners, in need of Christ's redemption and healing. What I have come to understand about God's grace (although it remains a holy mystery) is that it is final, total, and complete. It covers all things. It covers the tax collector's sins, Kelly's sins, my sins, your sins, and everything in between.

So, on this special occasion of World Communion Sunday, let's be mindful of God's universal church. Praise God! See you Sunday!

9/27/15---Ready For Kickoff: They Should Pray

One of the things I love about this community of faith here at Gray Memorial is that it is a praying community. We love to pray. We have faith and trust that our prayers are heard, and we are strengthened by the gift of prayer that God gives us. I at least see this in our gatherings together. Prayer is powerful, and James tells us in James 5: 13-20 that prayer actually works. I say that to emphasize that the fact that prayer actually makes a difference is an absolute work of grace in our lives and in our world, from God. 

James, again, asks us a question (this again elicits his inner teacher/coach-like features...he knows the answer but wants us to get there). His question, which opens this passage, is "Are any among you suffering?" As if his audience says, "yes," he responds by saying "they should pray." And the same goes for the cheerful (songs of praise is a form of prayer), and the sick. James answers our hypothetical question "when do we pray?" by essentially saying "all the time." We are to pray when we are suffering, when we are ill in body or in spirit,  and when we are happy. That pretty much covers it. No matter what season of life you are in, you should pray. No matter what life has thrown at you, you should pray. 

If you're like me, words like this at times feel like an admonition, an authoritative warning of sorts. Taken that way, I tend to feel guilty because I don't do what I should do. I think that is somewhere in my "default settings" as a person. But, friends, we don't need to feel guilty for not praying. God is not missing out by us not praying, although God years for us to draw near (4:7-8). Instead, I think we should feel like we are missing an opportunity to be a part of what God is doing in the world, for prayer prompts us for faithful activity on the "field" of life, the world around us. God hears us in every situation. Whether we are happy, sad, angry, or ill, we can come to God. 

That is the good news for us, friends. This good news is made stronger through James' emphasis on the communal aspect of prayer. The same outcomes of prayer that we experience privately can be manifested cooperatively as well. There are elements of accountability and support that we receive, also, when we move prayer to a public space. The prayers of the community help to shape that community and it allows the people to become more nearly the body of Christ. Prayer changes relationships and it changes lives. It reorients them towards God, who wants us to draw close. 

Ready for Kickoff: Being Wise

The book of James is full of questions. The author asks questions, I think, in order to provide us with a space to reflect on who we are, on our lives, and the world around us.

This week, we take a look at James 3:13-4:3, 7, 8a

Three questions arise from this passage: 

1. Who is wise and understanding among you?

In our churches, we might say that our clergy and church officers are wise and understanding. That might be the "obvious" answer to this question. But is it the answer? Maybe not always! We hope that wisdom and maturity of faith afforded clergy and church officers these positions, but this is not what James says. For James, these traits are evidence of wisdom: gentleness/humility (3:13b), purity (3:17), peaceable (3:17), willing to yield, full of mercy, impartial, genuine (not a hypocrite). Hopefully your "obvious" answer is still correct, now that you know how James lays out what "wise and understanding" really means; I sure hope to fit the bill here. 

These are very difficult traits to embody, to live into. They speak of a life that is not ego-driven, not greedy or jealous. In our society, which is marked by instant and self-gratification, these words sound foreign, or at least impossible to embody. But, they aren't it is possible to live a wise life. We know people, I think, I hope, that live this way.

2. From what do conflicts and and disputes arise?

Disagreement is inevitable within any community/relationship: families, friends, churches, work places, etc. James points out that one thing may contribute to these disputes: envy (self-ambition, cravings, coveting). James sees this sin as one that feeds on itself; it always wants more of the wrong thing.

We don't need to look far to see this. Our culture is marked by the wanting of the newest, smartest, and brightest things. We want that promotion in our jobs, to upgrade the house, etc. These are not bad things! But, they can be. These desires can come from our unwillingness to appreciate the love the things we do have; they can come from being envious of what others have. And think about it: this cycle will never end. If you want something "brighter" than someone else, someone will want the next "brightest" thing, and it continues. You will never be satisfied, you will never be wise. And this seeps into our relationships, when we seek to have the best and brightest of friends, children, and churches, we don't see them as they truly are: people of God in desire of authentic relationships.

3. What does God want? 

Jump to verse 7 and 8 of this passage and answer this question. God wants us to submit, to repent, to turn our lives towards God. We are to turn away from this lifestyle of greed and envy towards God. And when we do this, God shows up, and God shows up in our relationships.In turning to God, we turn away from the "wisdom" the world wants to teach us and towards God's wisdom, which is marked by the traits listed above from the 1st question.

We remember this by our identity as children of God, not children of this world. This world will call you many things and give us many ideas about who we are supposed to be. But we are called to be children of God together. This, is wisdom.

Much of this content came from Feasting on the Word, and other portions were paraphrased 

Ready For Kickoff: Small Things, Big Impact

I've never been on a cruise ship, but I have seen pictures of them and occasionally have viewed them driving by the ports in Cape Canaveral. Imagine what it takes for those huge ships to actually function: an array of mechanical systems that interweave and function together in order to power an engine; a crew of competent experts who know the ins and outs of all of those systems in order to oversee and direct them; a wind that is powered by the earth's weather in a way that influences the water to carry the boat. Then, think about all of the details behind creating those mechanical systems on the boat, the hours of training and learning that it took for experts to learn their craft; the science behind what makes the wind blow, and the God that's always in control.

James, in chapter 3: 1-12 of our Bible, draws on this analogy to point out that little details have a great impact, even on something as massive as a huge ship. The world is a pretty complicated place; our lives are very complicated. Every detail works together to get us, to get this world, to the point everything is right now. 

One detail James does not overlook is our speech. What we say, which at times seems trite and unimportant, literally does say a lot about us. All of those "small" things that influence a cruise ship are in good shape if the cruise ship is functioning. I think that what James is saying is that what we say indicates how we are "functioning." The words that come out of our mouths can actually bless or curse people. They can also bless or curse God. 

Our actions can also "speak." We've learned that we are not to ignore people, but this week we may also learn that in paying attention to people and their needs, we have the power to reflect God in a positive or negative way. If  we want to show people that God loves them, we can do that through the way we speak from our mouths, and by our actions towards them. 

God, help us to show people that you love them, Amen. 

Ready for Kickoff: Faith vs. Works(?)

One of the most exciting times of the year, at least as I see it, is beginning this weekend. College Football! Some of you may not be a football fan, but it's hard to miss the busyness and excitement that the fall season brings. School has already begun. The pumpkins are coming. The festivals are coming. The fair is coming. Thanksgiving is coming. Fall is such an eventful, exciting time!

As fall "kicks off," we have a lot to anticipate and be excited about. Each of these events requires a level of readiness in order that the events go well.

Imagine that you are on a football team as the weeks wind down to the opening game of a new season. You practice every day (maybe twice) with your teammates, study the playbook, and perform the best way you can on the field in order to get ready for your first game.

Our journey with God is quite similar. For football teams, there is much practice and preparation for that opening kickoff of a game. We don't get to see it when we watch the game, but we know that the team cannot perform well if they are not practicing, if they do not have good morale, if their coaches are not on the same page...if they are not ready.

In a similar way, we must practice our faith for our faith to become realized. As players embody their coaches ideas and plays, we embody what we believe by what kind of people we become. Faith and works are one in the same; one is evidence of the other. James thought so too, I think, evidenced by James 2: 17

"In the same way, faith is dead when it doesn’t result in faithful activity." (Common English Bible).

Where the football analogy falls short is that players definitely have to earn the right to play in the game. We, do not. Christ has given you the opportunity to live a faithful life, and it is our job not to waste it (even though it is free). The game is not really between faith and works (as if they are at odds in terms of our salvation), but in our hearts. Are you willing to live faithfully? Are you willing to actively show your faith by you live?

More on Sunday...see you then!