I love to tell the story...

This past Sunday I had the humble honor to guest speak at Gaddis UMC in Comfort, TX. It was my first time in front of more than 20 people, at an actual church.  The congregation at Gaddis was very welcoming and gracious.  My instructions from Pastor Carolyn McGuire were to speak for about 10 minutes... I must truly be a preacher, because the video is just about 17:30 minutes.  lol

I welcome constructive feedback on content, delivery, etc.  Please leave a comment below, or on my Facebook Page.  Thanks, Russ, for driving and also recording the video.

click here to view the video

#ministrymessage

Copy & paste if the link above doesn't work:
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Ascension & Pentecost.... Now What?

The last time we were together, it was Easter Sunday!  We were mourning the trial, judgement and crucifixion of Jesus Christ and Rejoicing at the miracle of his Resurrection and the promises of His return.  I feel we sort of left the story in a state of turmoil….  Yes, we know the end of the story and what comes next, but perhaps we could revisit those days after Easter again.

We’re sort of in that same place right now…  it’s near the end of May, Spring is Springing and there is new life and growth all around us.  School is almost out for the summer break and there will be different schedules and new adventures to go on over the next few months.  Probably even some grown spurts and new clothing and school supplies to be gathered as preparations are made for the next season.  It’s also graduation time – from Pre-school, kindergarten, elementary school, junior and High school, even college and beyond.  Graduation is also a time of beginnings and new life – a time of turmoil and transition – what’s next? how do I do this next thing? Where do we go from here?  Not only for the children, but the parents of those children – why is my baby growing so fast?  Are they ready for this next thing?  Who will take care of them?  Will they be safe in the world on their own?

Even at Gruene we’re in that same place of transition.  Pastor Karen has been appointed to the Conference office to work with new church plants and fostering growth and bringing new life to struggling congregations.  One of our ministerial candidates who has been running our food pantry has also received the call and has been appointed to a new church.  Our children and family ministry director has already moved on to a different position and our Youth leader will be moving back to Tennessee to finish her Master’s degree and also pursue a call in Ministry.   Gruene is getting a new Senior Pastor, and additional Associate pastor, a new Youth director and a new Children and Family ministries director.    That’s a LOT of change!  Pastor Brock and the admin staff will remain the same, but about 75-80% of our staff is changing.  Needless to say, it’s going to be an interesting summer at Gruene UMC!

This is where we find the Disciples…  they had an encounter with the Resurrected Jesus on the road to Emmaus, the same day that they found the empty tomb.  In the 40 days following the Easter resurrection, there were many similar encounters as Jesus continued to teach the disciples.  On the 40^th day, was the Ascension.   This year, it is on Thursday, May 25^th.  According to “Got Questions.org”:  

“Ascension Day is the celebration of Christ ascending into heaven after His death, burial and resurrection. Ascension Day is observed primarily in Catholic and Anglican churches, and it occurs on the Thursday 40 days after Easter. Ascension Day is also called the Feast of Ascension. 

“The story of Jesus’ Ascension is told in Luke 24:49, Mark 16:19 and Acts 1:3, 9. Putting these accounts together, we find that after His resurrection, Jesus appeared several times to His disciples and others. During this time, He spoke to them further about the kingdom of God and the coming of the Holy Spirit, for whom they were to wait (Acts 1:2-9). After 40 days of these appearances, He was taken up to heaven for the last time (Acts 1:9-11). As the disciples watched Him go, two angels appeared and declared to them that, just as He ascended, Jesus would return in glory.” (https://www.gotquestions.org/Ascension-Day.html)

Our reading today is from Acts 1:3–11:

3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.  4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”   9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

WOW!  I can’t even imagine!  Perhaps this is when the phrase, “Will miracles never cease?” came about.  Being a disciple or believer in this time must have been amazing!!  40+ days of death, resurrection, walking and talking with a person that you watched being crucified and died on a cross.  Then to watch him ascend – float up – into Heaven? And the angels…  smart alecs that they might have been… “Why are you still standing here with your mouths open?  Get to work!!  There’s much to be done!!!”

A short time later, 10 days to be exact, was the Pentecost.  This year it is on June 4^th.  Again from “Got Questions.org”:

“Pentecost Sunday is a commemoration and celebration of the receiving of the Holy Spirit by the early church. John the Baptist prophesied of the first Pentecost when Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Matthew 3:11). Jesus confirmed this prophecy with the promise of the Holy Spirit to the disciples in John 14:26. He showed Himself to these men after His death on the cross and His resurrection, giving convincing proofs that He was alive. Jesus told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the Father’s gift of the Holy Spirit, from whom they would receive power to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:3-8). After Jesus’ ascension to heaven, the men returned to Jerusalem and joined together in prayer in an upper room. On the Day of Pentecost, just as promised, the sound of a violent wind filled the house and tongues of fire came to rest on each of them and all were filled with the Holy Spirit. They were given the power of communication, which Peter used to begin the ministry for which Jesus had prepared him. After the coming of the Holy Spirit, the disciples did not stay in the room basking in God’s glory but burst out to tell the world. This was the beginning of the church as we know it.”  (https://www.gotquestions.org/Pentecost-Sunday.html)

Baptized by fire!!  We have often heard that expression during times of great turmoil, stress or transition, haven’t we?  The disciples had warning, they knew it was coming, but somehow I don’t think what they had in mind was what actually happened to them!  But is it ever?  Do we ever really know what’s next?  Is our expectation ever the reality?  I think the reality is often way more grander and miraculous than we could ever imagine.  We went to a wedding yesterday – another new beginning this spring.  This couple was a little different than most newlyweds in this season.  I say this with great love – the bride and groom are not “spring chickens”.  😊 They are both “of retirement age” and are entering this new season of their lives in a new marriage, a new household, lots of “new”.  And I bet a couple years ago they both thought they were done with “new”!  Ha! 

So what does this all mean for us?  I suppose it simply boils down to this:  There’s always  - ALWAYS – something new.  There will always be changes and new seasons and something different.  But one thing is ALLWAYS consistent and constant:  Gods Love and Steadfastness.  God will ALLWAYS be with us – through the turmoil and transition and stress and change.  God is WITH us in every little detail.  God’s spirit lives within us – right in our very hearts and souls.  Our challenge is to listen – to bow down, to humble our Selves and obey His will, not our own.  What is He going to show us today?  What is He going to teach us?  Do we need knocked down a peg?  Do we need lifted up?  Do we need to show Him off?  Do we need to teach our friends about His love?  Do we need to simply “show up”? 

Also at Gruene today was a baptism.  I’d like to share part of the liturgy with you now.  I will ask you a series of questions and you may simply respond “I do”.   

“Do you renounce the forces of wickedness, reject evil in this world and repent of sin?

“Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?

“Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior, put your whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as your Lord?

“According to the grace given you, will you remain faithful to Christ’s holy church and serve as Christ’s representatives in the world?

Let us Pray:  As we make these promises to you, O Christ, may we be filled with the power and presence of your Holy Spirit.  As we prepare to receive the Living Body and Blood of the New Covenant, may you take away everything that isn’t You and Fill us with your love and grace and mercy so that we may be your hands and feet in the world around us.  We ask you to help us, every day, to surrender our lives to you, to open our hearts and minds to your will and reflect your love outward to all we encounter.  In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit…  Amen.

20170521 #ministrymessage

Easter Message

We’ve all experienced loss.  That gut punch of pain and breathlessness when we hear the news that someone we love has been taken from us.  But I can’t imagine the emotions and feelings that the disciples were experiencing…  Not only had they lost their teacher and friend, but they had witnessed the brutal and humiliating trial, beating and crucifixion of Jesus.  And the probable danger that they themselves were in – the crowds were thirst for blood.  Can we really blame Peter for denying Jesus to an angry mob?  I’m sure they spent Saturday in hiding, mourning and grieving their loss, but also in fear and confusion, the uncertainty of what now?  What’s next?  What do we do?

Then, because all of this stress and anxiety wasn’t enough upheaval, the women go to the tomb, and Jesus isn’t there!  The stone is rolled away and his body is gone.  If it were me, I doubt I would have been able to take anymore.  I would have dropped to my knees and just sat there, sobbing.

When we’re lost in pain, drowning in grief, or overwhelmed by illness, sorrow, even busyness and everyday drudgery and routines, we sometimes can’t see out.  We have on “blinders” – like the horses used to wear so they could only see what was in front of them.  And we are very near sighted – we can only see what’s right in front of our nose.  We can’t see beyond the next step, if we can even see that far.

This is where we find Mary, outside the tomb.  Reading from the Gospel of John 20:11-16:

11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb
12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”  She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

In Mary’s distress, her eyes were probably downcast.  She was probably vaguely aware of someone else’s presence in the Garden, but perhaps she never even acknowledged him until he spoke.  Lost in her grief, she probably barely heard him.  But when he said her name, “Mary”…  That familiar voice, warm and comforting.  She immediately recognized him.  We’ve all experienced that – scanning the crowd for a loved one, and then finally SEEing them.  All the anxiety, the fear, the worry – it immediately melts away.  “Mary”

Paralleling the verses in John, we’re going over to Luke’s gospel now, to Chapter 24, Verses 13-32. This is a bit after Mary’s encounter with Jesus, and after she has gone back and told the remaining disciples that he is resurrected.  Luke 24:13-32:

13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him. 17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”  They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 “What things?” he asked.  “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.” 25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. 28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

Cleopas and the other disciple were also consumed with grief and confusion.  Perhaps the only thing they knew to do was to start walking.  As they walked along, they were joined by someone with a lot of questions.  It was Jesus, but they didn’t recognize him.  “Their faces were downcast”  Have you ever had a conversation with someone, especially while walking, without ever really looking at them? Maybe a clerk at the store, or a server at a restaurant?  They speak, you speak, but you never really LOOK at each other.  This is how I imagine the walk to Emmaus was going.  The disciples were distracted by their grief and couldn’t believe that someone was in the area and hadn’t heard the news and goings on of the last few days.

But Jesus was persistent – he walked right along with them, taking the time to review with them everything they already knew.  He started with Moses and covered all the Scriptures and prophecies. We find out later, “weren’t our hearts burning?” they asked each other.   When they were at the supper table and he said those familiar words, just like when Mary heard her name, suddenly they could SEE him, he was revealed to them.  But Jesus didn’t change – he had been with them the whole time.  But the weight was lifted from them, the blinders were removed, their hearts were opened and they could SEE.

Today we share the GOOD NEWS:  Christ has Risen!  He has Risen Indeed!!

As we share the bread and the cup, let our hearts be opened and let our ears hear and our eyes see! Jesus is Alive, Emmanuel, God with us!

#MinistryMessage

Heavenly Father,   As we participate in Holy Communion, open our hearts, remove all barriers so that you are revealed to us and we can know you and experience your presence with us in our every day lives.  Amen.

The eye is the lamp of the body. 01-15-2017

Happy New Year!  We hope 2017 has started well for all of you!  Over at Gruene, our sermon series is “Zoe Life”.  The Greek word Zoe means “derived, sustained by God” it is an “absolute fullness of life where we are created in His image with the capacity to know His eternal life.”  Our aim is to be Joyful, Healthy and Whole in our minds, bodies and souls.  Even as we look at each of the individual parts, we are to remember the oneness of Zoe – all the parts are connected and cannot be treated separately.

Today’s Scripture reading is from the book of Matthew, Chapter Six, verses 22-23:

“The eye is the lamp of the body.  If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness.  If then the light within you is darkness, how great is the darkness.”  The word of God, Thanks be to God.

At the age when Matthew was written, before the science and technology of today’s world, people believed that there was actual light emitted from the body through the eyes, that caused us to be able to see.  Healthy people could see well – their “lamps” worked properly.  Unhealthy people had broken lamps and could not see well.  There are many stories of blind people in the New Testament where they believed they were cursed or possessed in some way.  In Roman times, the body was separate from the mind and soul.  That’s why Romans were known for their immoral behavior, decadent eating and otherwise physically unhealthy lifestyle – the body didn’t matter – how they treated it was irrelevant to the salvation of their soul.  We know now - that’s not how it works. 

In Modern times, we know that you cannot separate the two.  There is a definitive connection between mind and body, body and soul.  We may be diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, but our outlook and emotional and spiritual health will give us the strength we need to fight the physical battle.  Or perhaps we’re feeling blue and have a case of the “blah’s”.  Going for a walk, getting some sunshine, visiting with friends – all of these things can cheer us up and make us feel better.  Isaac Newton’s Law of Inertia states, “An object in motion stays in motion.”  We’ve heard this paraphrased in TV ads, “A body in motion stays in motion.”   When I was a kid and didn’t feel well, my Mom usually wouldn’t let me stay in bed – I always had to get up and get moving.  Probably 9 out of 10 times, I’d feel better and be able to go to school and get on with my day.  Likewise, people who eat junk food or unhealthy diets – lots of fat and grease, or way too much bread and pasta, too much sugary sweets and drinks – they not only have physical symptoms, but can also have negative outlooks on life, be grumpy or depressed.  Some people have actual changes to their personality if they eat too much sugar or other damaging foods.  Science and medicine has proven that we cannot disconnect our mind and soul from our bodies.  We seek to find the balance of healthy and wholeness that works for each of us individually.  We are also all created differently, so what works for one does not necessarily work for another.

Even though there was originally literal meaning or intent of this passage – (“The eye is the lamp of the body. “) - darkness was attributed to actual, physical circumstances – it is also figuratively true.  How many of us know someone who is ill or unhealthy with a dark, dreary outlook on life?  How many of us know people with numerous burdens and stresses that makes them physically ill?  It’s been scientifically proven that stress is bad for our heart.  Being physically burdened can affect our psychological health.  But we also know people whose light is so bright that even a diagnosis of cancer cannot put it out.  Their faith is strong, their souls are steady – even though their bodies are being challenged and ravaged, they are filled with joy and peace.  They’re like the Energizer Bunny or Timex watch – they just keep going and going and going!  Luckily – we know what their secret is!  They are filled with the light of Christ and his love and mercy flow through them into every situation and circumstance.  It is possible to “recharge” our batteries, to be lifted up when we are down, to return to the light when darkness begins to creep in.

Another way to consider the verses from Matthew is to think about what we see with our eyes.  Do we study scripture and look for God throughout our day?  Do we seek out beauty and light?  Richard Rohr writes in his book Breathing Under Water, “Anything exposed to light will become light.”  Do we use our eyes to gain God’s perspective on the world around us?  Do we see others through Jesus’ eyes of mercy and compassion? 

Romans 12:1 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.  This is your true and proper worship.”  If we seek light and goodness with our eyes; fill our minds with love and the words of scripture; share with others what we have learned and our experiences with our Savior; if we Intentionally invite God into every day, every action, every moment of our lives – This would be “True and Proper Worship.”

And God is so great, isn’t He?  He even sent his son to teach us how to recharge our batteries!  By reciting the Lords’ prayer, by remembering the words of institution and receiving Holy Communion, by sharing the bread and the cup, we are reminded of Jesus’ sacrifice for us – His great Love, given for all, sent by our Heavenly Father for the forgiveness of all our sins and the salvation of our eternal souls, no matter the condition of our worldly bodies. 

Let us Pray:  O Lord, fill our Bodies, Minds and Souls with your love and mercy.  Guide us to a Zoe life – a life filled with your light – that we may experience You in every way, and Know that you are always with us, guiding us with your Holy Spirit.