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Sunday, April 30, 2006 (Third Sunday of Easter)
Scripture: John 20:19-31
Sermon: "Doubting, Faithless, Believing Thomas"

It is so easy these days to get stuck with a bad reputation. You slip up once, the media picks up on it and you are branded forever. This is not solely a function of our modern, media-crazed society. This sort of thing also happened to disciples in Jesus' day.

Due to a couple of lines in John's Gospel and perhaps an unfortunate translation, Thomas, also called Didymus, one of the twelve disciples, one who had shown some amount of bravery and conviction earlier in John's Gospel, is now forever branded "Doubting Thomas."

I think this may be an unfortunate title. If we just see this week's reading as the "doubting Thomas" story we may miss a lot of what Thomas and Jesus are trying to teach us here. Join us in worship this Sunday as we dig into this text together.

peace,

will

Catching up on my writing about reading

I got behind on my reading and built a pretty big stack next to my bed. Then I caught up with my reading, but now I have gotten behind on writing about what I read. The longer I wait the harder it is to write about the book.

A couple of weeks back, I finished Thomas L. Friedman's The World Is Flat, A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005).

What is the author talking about when he refers to a flat world? If you own a Dell computer and have ever called tech support and spoken to someone in India, you have experienced a flat world. If you drive a Toyota made in America, you have experienced a flat world. If you have shopped at Walmart, you have experienced a flat world. Friedman does an amazing job of explaining the changes in technology, global trade and economics that have changed everything about how business in done around the world. He then does an amazing job of explaining why this matters.

If you really want to have a better perspective about how the modern world works economically and geo-politically this book is a must read. Whether or not you personally agree with Friedman philosophy, you have to agree that this book was researched incredibly well.

Ok, so why does a pastor, who should be reading Bible and theology, have such an interest in this book? I believe as Christians, we are called to take we believe and understand about God and Jesus, things we learn from scripture and prayer and discernment and let those things affect every aspect of our lives. As we reflect on what is happening in the world, as we make choices as consumers and we weigh in on political and social issues, we do so in the context of our faith. This requires two things: first that we take our faith seriously, second that we inform ourselves about the issues.

Let me give an example. I am a Christian and a consumer. I buy food, clothes, gasoline and lots of other stuff. As a Christian and a consumer, I have a moral obligation to consider where I shop and what I buy. Do I spend my money at a store that treats its employees well, that buys from suppliers who treat their employees well and treat the environment well? Am I spending my money responsibly or in my effort to save money am I contributing to the mistreatment of employees or even the planet?

To really make these decision well, we need to be informed. Sometimes we make well intentioned decisions based on a lack of information. For instance, I might decide to not by clothing from a certain store because I hear it is made in a foreign country in a factory that only pays their workers $10 a day. That seems unfair. However, what I may not know is that $10 is twice or three times the going wage in that country and that the company who has set up shop there is contributing to the country's infrastructure and giving the entire country an opportunity to begin to climb the ladder of economic opportunity.

This is all a long way of saying, good book. Give it a read if you get a chance.

peace,

will

Back from New Mexico

Alisha, Bodhi, Violet and I are back from vacation. We spent a week in Ruidoso, New Mexico hiking and relaxing. As usual there are lots of great pictures that are bound to end up on the screen during a sermon or two.

I got lots of reading done as well. I will try to catch up with the posting of books I have read. I have a stack of read books on my desk that I would love to tell you about.

I am rested and relaxed and already back in the thick of things. After a few weeks off from preaching, I have a sermon to prepare for Sunday.

Have a great week!

peace,

will

Happy Easter!

I want to wish everyone a joyous Easter filled with all the possibilities God reveals to us in the resurrection.

I will be out of the office (and away from the blog) for a few days. See ya when I return!

peace,

will

Maundy Thursday

If I had to make a list of the days on the Christian calender that I thought were the most important, Maundy Thursday would be in the top five. Maundy comes from the Latin word mandatum which simply means "command." It refers to the new commandment that Jesus gives in the John 13:34 after he washes his disciples feet.

³⁴I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. ³⁵By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

The service is about more than the commandment and it is more about washing feet. (Don't worry, there will be some foot washing, but the congregation won't be asked to participate.) The service also helps us to root our celebration of Easter in the Jewish celebration of passover. We will focus on two questions similar to those that would be asked at a traditional Jewish Sedar meal. We will add a third question unique to our Christian faith. Instead of a typical sermon, John and I will respond to the questions with scripture and some explanation.

Our service will build up to a celebration of Holy Communion. In an effort to root ourselves in the Jewish tradition, you will hear some of the Eucharstic prayer read in Hebrew.

I hope you will join us!

peace,

will

Take a deep breath... and go!

Holy Week is upon us. As a pastor this is one of the most hectic weeks of the year. We will have services on Thursday and Friday and a total of four on Sunday. (I actually get a break this year. In previous years in Austin we did an Easter vigil late Saturday night.)

There is always a little extra pressure surrounding Easter Sunday services. First of all, it is an important day in the life of the church. Second, it is a day when we will be joined by a bunch of people who don't normally attend our church. Some are first time visitors. Some are people who have visited before but not been back for a while. Some are long-time members, who for whatever reason have been away a while.

Whoever decides to come and worship with us and whatever it is that draws them to this place on Easter Sunday, it is so important that we do all we can to make them feel welcome and comfortable. On Easter Sunday they are likely to make a decision, consciously or unconsciously as to whether they will return and take part in the weekly rhythms of the life of the church.


Blessings to you on this Holy Week!

peace,

will

Walking on thin ice?

When I was new to the faith, I was often frustrated around Easter time. The root of my frustration was that some people often used the occasion to try and debunk certain aspects of Christian belief. There are always tv shows, news specials, magazine articles, etc. tackling "controversial" issues about Jesus life, death and resurrection. There is always someone asking, "Was Jesus a real person?" or "Was Jesus really resurrected?"

It took me some years to realize why these things bothered me. I realized, for me, that the problem was my own internal struggle. Because I was new to the faith, there were parts of me that had questions, and parts of me that weren't sure. When someone asked a question about what I believe to be true, I had to ask the same question and wonder what the consequences of the answer were.

This Easter season is no different than most. Yahoo! News this morning caught my attention with the headline: "Jesus May Have Walked on Ice?"

Professor Doron Nof of Florida State University has announced a study that found that an unusual combination of atmospheric and water conditions in northern Israel may have created ice on the Sea of Galilee that may have made it possible for Jesus to have walked on ice and appeared to have been walking on water.

Now this is precisely the sort of thing that would have unnerved me a few years ago. Upon reading this, I would have been faced with the question myself, "What if Jesus didn't walk on water?" and "If Jesus didn't walk on water, what does that mean for my faith?"

With a few years of spiritual growth behind me, my reaction has changed. I am less bothered and more compelled by this sort of thing. Here is why I am less bothered: my belief in God and Jesus Christ is not a thing that can be proven or disproved. It is more than a collection of facts. If you could prove of disprove any one of the facts that are part of the overall system of my beliefs, it will not change that faith that I have in God and Christ. In other words, if you could prove that Jesus didn't walk on water, it would cause no change to my belief in Jesus. Besides that, the gospels are more than just a collection of stories that prove that Jesus is the Son of God,
they are a collection of stories that tell who Jesus is and therefore who God is. If, indeed, Jesus did walk on ice, it doesn't change what the Gospel reveals to me about the nature of God.

Here is why the "controversial" announcements around Easter compel me. The reasons behind them are quite varied. Some are trying to debunk Christianity. Some are trying to make a name for themselves. Some are just trying to start a conversation. It is the last one that I like. I don't think that we talk about Christianity enough. I am not even talking about in "public" life. I don't think in the church or in our homes we talk about this stuff. If headlines like this one get us to think about our own faith and discuss it with our fellow journeyers, than they do more good than harm.

peace,

will

Can I see it?

I love it when people feel comfortable around a pastor to ask the questions that are actually on their mind. Someone asked me the other day if I thought it would be ok if they went to see The Da Vinci Code when it comes to theaters May 19th. The person wasn't asking my blessing and she was going to see it no matter what I said, she just wanted to know where I stood on the issue.

My answer, "of course it is ok." The movie, as is the book, is a work of fiction, an attempt to entertain. I am rarely in favor of suggesting one boycott things meant as entertainment. (Except in the event of children who may not always be ready to separate fact from fiction.)

As a pastor, I might go so far as to even suggest seeing this movie. If it is anything like the book, it will contain some things that we Christians consider heretical. There are some assertions made in the book that are contrary to the doctrinal beliefs of the church. However, I don't find that to be harmful to Christian readers or viewers. The wonderful thing about heresy is that in order to know what we don't believe, we have to know what we do believe.

The book, and I hope the movie, address, in a somewhat overdramatic fashion, the formation of the central beliefs of the Christian church. The subject matter is actually stuff that most pastors would love to talk more about, but people tell us it is boring. The book touches on topics of the history of the Christian Church, the formation of the canon (which books ended up in the Bible) and the development of the ancient creeds.

With a little study of the topics of The Da Vinci Code it quickly become apparent that the controversy it raises is over some seemingly terribly boring stuff. I think if there is truly any conspiracy going on, it is a conspiracy of boredom. So much of the history and "hidden" documents are available to us, it is just that nobody really wants to spend any time studying them.

If the movie ends up a box office success and it raises lots of questions about faith and religion for people, that will be wonderful. Christianity is a continuing conversation and we all need more conversation partners.

If you are interested in reading more about this topic, The United Methodist Reporter had a great article a couple weeks back.

peace,

will

Nobody's Perfect

If you can't quite make out the image, click on it for a larger image. This is proof that even big, polished companies like Amazon.com blow it once in a while. The subject line of this email from Amazon.com reads: "[placeholder for winning team] Wins the NCAA Tournament!" The placeholder is in there because the game has been played yet. This email was obviously set up to go out later tonight, but someone hit send too soon. I am sure some Florida fans (like my wife) are a little unnerved by the UCLA Wins! banner in the email.

I just can't help but feel bad for the guy (or gal) who hit send.

Back and ready for Sunday

I got back from San Antonio this afternoon and got right to the glamorous work of mowing the lawn. I really had a great experience at Soul Fiesta. Usually conferences are good and useful and stuff, but this one was a true "mountaintop experience." Trevor Hudson was absolutely amazing. We were truly blessed to have him come all the way from South Africa.

This week should be pretty busy getting ready for Palm Sunday and Holy Week, but I will try to find some time to blog more about the event. For those who went, feel free to post some of your own thoughts.

peace,

will